Author's Notes: And again with another chapter. My Spring Break is almost over and I really wanted to get another chpater out before it ends. My work schedule hasn't exactly been helping. Nor has my recent re-addiction to Neverwinter Nights.
Surprisingly, not many issues to address this time... Yeah.
Let the Music Be Your Master
Chapter 12- I Hear Their Passionate Music
Inuyasha nearly choked, though on what he wasn't certain since he'd already finished eating. "Why?" Real intelligent. What kind of a response is that?
"I... I just want to hear you play. You were really good the other night." Kagome seemed extremely nervous now. "I just wanted to see you play." She looked like she was dreading his answer. She probably expected him to refuse.
Inuyasha looked toward Miroku and Shippo, hoping to find an answer from them. They just kept their faces expressionless, though. Inuyasha sighed in resignation. There really was no good reason to refuse. "Alright. After we leave, we'll go back to my place. We left our instruments there anynway."
Inuyasha tried to shift slightly to hide his face in the dim light when Kagome smiled at him. He could feel a little heat creeping into his cheeks and he knew if Shippo spotted it, he'd never hear the end of it. Inuyasha would just have to worry about figuring out where it came from later.
*************************
Inuyasha remained strangely quiet as Miroku drove back to the Morimoto home. He was trying desperately to sort out his feelings. His train of thought got derailed just outside the station, though, when Kagome put a hand on his shoulder.
"Inuyasha?" she asked timidly. "I just wanted to ask a couple questions. What made you decide to start a band, anyway?"
Inuyasha looked over at the girl beside him, grey eyes filled with curiosity. He had heard the eyes were a window to the soul. He was beginning to think it may be true. "Well... I've always liked music. I guess I just pick up after my mother." Not a very good answer, but it was the best he could do.
Kagome didn't seem bothered by it, though. "Okay, next question. What kind of music do you guys play?"
"I guess you could call us alternative," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "We're definately not punk or pop, I'll tell you that. Stupid record companies. Never really thought about it. We just write music then play it."
Kagome nodded slowly. "You said you had seven songs. What are they called?"
Inuyasha sighed slightly and ticked off the songs on his fingers. "So far we have So I'm A Mutt, So Much Glass, Champions, When Darkness Falls, A Method To My Madness, Rhythm Red, and Otherworld."
"That reminds me," Shippo chimed in, "what's with this 'seven song' BS, huh? We have eight songs."
Miroku glanced in the rearview mirror at Shippo and then turned back to the road. "You gave us the sheet music yesterday, Shippo. We only ran through it once, and you already expect us to count it?"
"Yes," Shippo said defiantly.
"Shippo wrote a song?" Kirara asked deligtedly. "Ooh, what's it called?" she squealed, looking proudly at her boyfriend.
"Ferdinand Magellan, We Hardly Knew Ye," Inuyasha said flatly. "Crashing drums, fast-paced bassline, manic guitar work, and three lines of lyrics in a seven-and-a-half minute song. One of the most bizarre things I've ever heard in my life." Inuyasha tried to supress a gag as Kirara began gushing and Shippo's ego swelled.
Everything changed in an instant though as the sounnd of squealing breaks, shrieking tires, and a dull thud filled the air. "Holy shit, I think I hit something!" Miroku shouted, his composure momentarily shaken.
Everyone leaped out of the car and went to find out just what had happened. With the sun long gone, the only way the group could see anything was in the light of the headlights and street lamps. Sprawled in the grass by the road was a man in black slacks and a polo shirt no more than four feet tall with a large, hooked nose, white hair, and a mustache. Inuyasha stopped breathing as realization hit him.
"Jesus, Joseph, and Mary in Tinsel Town," Shippo squeaked. "We just ran down the Monopoly guy!"
"Monopoly guy nothing!" Inuyasha shouted. "That's my godfather!"
************************
The group sat silently in the living room. This was a real kick in the throat. It had taken a minute, but they managed to get Inuyasha's godfather back to the Morimoto home where Sesshoumaru took the old man to a guest room to see if there was anything he could do for him.
"So I just ran over your godfather?" Miroku asked in disbelief for the fifth time.
"Yes!" Inuyasha snapped.
"How come we never met him before?" Shippo asked.
"He's out of town a lot," Inuyasha explained. "When my father died, he left Myouga in charge of his company. One of the reasons Sessh and I live so comfortably."
As if on cue, Sesshoumaru walked downstairs witha soft smile. "Myouga's going to be alright. Just a few bruises and a lump on the head. We'll let him sleep in the guest room tonight. I wonder what he was doing out so late, anyway?"
"I guess we'll ask him in the morning," Sango said softly. "Damn, it's almost 11 o'clock!"
"Why don't I just call your families and see if you can all spend the night," Sesshoumaru offered. "We have plenty of room and you've all had a rough night. Besides," he added with a smirk, "Spring Break starts tomorrow doesn't it? Strange to make you go back for only a day, but who are we to complain?"
************************
The group naturally accepted Sesshoumaru's offer and everything worked out without a hitch. Shippo and Kirara declined a room, and decided to share a "bed" on the couch in the home theatre.
"So," Shippo said, "our options are to sleep, watch a movie, eat ourselves sick, spend some 'quality time' together, or any combination thereof."
Kirara smiled and snuggled up against Shippo. "How about quality time and a movie?"
"Works for me," the vulpine boy said as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Anything in particular you want to see?"
"The Matrix," Kirara answered without hesitation. "Let's have some gunfights and kung-fu battles in the background while we make out."
Shippo remained silent for a moment until the girl in his arms looked at him questioningly. "Marry me," he said simply, causing her to laugh and bury her face in his chest.
************************
Miroku and Sango sat out on the balcony outside Sango's room. It was a clear, peaceful night with a full moon hanging in the sky. Though Sango tried to deny it, the whole situation was actually pretty romantic. "So will you guys play for us tomorrow?"
Miroku nodded with a soft smile. "Of course. We need some criticism, anyway. Sessh likes our work, but that's one man's opinion."
"Do you guys write the songs together, or do you do them individually?"
"We write most of them as a group, though we each have our own song. Inuyasha wrote our first song himself and Shippo told you he just handed us his Magellan song. I wrote Otherworld."
A cool breeze came up and Sango folded her arms over her chest. It was a fine day to wear short sleeves, but the night was another matter. Much to her surprise, though, Miroku removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Sango tried to supress the blush creeping up into her cheeks, though that was fairly useless. "Thank you," she said timidly.
Miroku just smiled gently. "It's nothing. After all, isn't it expected of me?" he asked jokingly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked back inside. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Sango."
Sango couldn't stop her lips from tilting up into a smile. "Good night... Miroku." When he left the room, she sighed happily and pulled the leather coat tighter to her body. It carried the scent of sandalwood. Was that a cologne he used? Whatever it was, Sango liked it. Why hadn't she ever seen this side to him before?
************************
Back in the home theatre Shippo and Kirara were laying in one another's arms, only paying marginal attention to the movie. Kirara snuggled her head deeper into Shippo's shoulder and purred softly.
The red-haired boy just chuckled lightly in return. "Have I ever told you how perfect you are?"
He was surprised to see Kirara's smile fade. "I'm not so perfect," she mumbled.
"What's wrong?" Shippo asked in concern. "Did I say something wrong or..."
Kirara just cupped his cheek in her hand and looked deep into his eyes. He felt himself drowning in her maroon pools. "You know if there's anything wrong, I'm always listening. I'll always be there to help."
Kirara's eyes moistened slightly. Was she about to cry? Shippo never imagined her ever crying. He began to panic slightly, but before he had a chance to do anything, she buried her face in his chest and let out a few muffled sobs.
"Kirara?" She was crying. Was it something he did? Something he said? "Come on, don't cry. Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help." How? As if he knew, but he had to say something, didn't he?
"Oh, Shippo," Kirara choked, "why do you always have to be so damn sweet? I want to tell you, I really do, but... I can't. I'm so sorry."
Now Shippo knew something was definately up. Whatever was bothering Kirara, it must have been really bad to bring about such an abrupt and dramatic mood swing. The movie forgotten, he pulled Kirara close to him and softly whispered whatever comforting phrases he could in her ear.
"Shippo, please," she whispered desperately, "can we just forget about this? I promise I'll tell you, but not now. Please, not now." It tore at Shippo's heart to hear her voice right now. She sounded like another person. What could have happened to cause this much damage to the woman he loved?
Wait a second, loved? Did he really feel that way about her after only knowing her for under two weeks? Then again, his parents only dated for a week and a half before they got married.
Yes, Shippo did love Kirara. And right at this moment, he would do anything to take her tears away. "Alright. You can tell me whenever you're ready. I'll always be here for you. I promise I will."
That seemed to work since Kirara's sobbing soon gave way to the soft, steady breathing of deep sleep. Cradling the girl in his arms, Shippo slowly drifted off himself. He would not soon forget this and he intended to find out just what the problem was so that he could help solve it.
************************
The next morning, everyone including a now-conscious Myouga and the five family dogs were gathered around the kitchen table as Sesshoumaru served one stack of pancakes after the next. "Feeling better, Myouga?"
"Much better, thank you," the old man grinned.
"Sorry again," Miroku said sheepishly. "I honestly didn't see you until... well..."
"It's alright, my boy," Myouga said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's not the first time and it won't be the last. I've had much worse, besides."
"That's true," Inuyasha muttered. "You've been squashed like a bug more times than I can count."
The old man laughed lightly and looked over at his godchild. "I remember you thought I was a vampire after I survived that plane crash outside Milan thirteen years ago."
Inuyasha reddened slightly at that and shot a dirty look at Shippo who was trying desperately to hold back his laughter. "I was five," he said defensively. "Anyway, when do you girls want to hear us play?"
"How about after we finish?" Kagome suggested.
"Works for me," Miroku said off-handedly.
"Same here," Shippo agreed.
"Alright. As soon as we're finished."
************************
Kagome leafed through a spiral-ring binder that the boys kept all their sheet music in. "So what are your songs about?"
"Well," Inuyasha started, "So I'm a Mutt is about how people spit on those who are different. We'll play that one now."
That alone gave Kagome a small pang of guilt. There was no doubt where he got the inspiration for that song from. She looked at the lyrics as Inuyasha stuck up the intro with harsh chords.
Well I was born and raised a mongrel,
But what the hell's it mean?
Can you give me an explanation,
Do you even know at all?
You're all the same every single one,
The pattern I can see.
I wouldn't trade my dirty old blood,
Whether for nothing or all.
There was a gritty harshness and boldness to the song that Kagome had never heard before. He was telling people through his music just what he thought of all the people who hated him and mocked him for who he was, but how he was the one who would come out on top in the end.
When the song came to an end, Kagome didn't know what to say. The trio were incredibly talented, that much was obvious. She hadn't been sure what to expect, but this was something she was unprepared for.
The band then went through the rest of their songs and Kagome was able to piece together the meanings pretty easily. So Much Glass was about heartbreaks. Champions was about putting your faith in the underdog. When Darkness Falls was a creepy little number about how everything looks different in the dark. A Method To My Madness was one of the strangest songs she had ever heard. Try as she might, it was the only song she could not figure out a meaning to, the lyrics were so cryptic. Rhythm Red was a really nice instrumental, and Otherworld was truly strange. Sango said Mirouk had written that one.
I have heard the poems and tales of lost Xanadu,
And the whispered stories of the old Lost Dutchman mine.
The Moai of Easter Island hold their ancient tongues,
And the lines of Nazca escape the passing of time.
What lies beyond the mundane that mortals cannot see?
The mystic within the mundane; greatest mystery.
This song was particularly long, running almost fifteen minutes. It sounded so indescribably wierd. The girls were spellbouund by the time the boys finished. "Wow. I think you guys have a hit there," Kagome beamed.
"Told you so," Miroku said with a grin to his bandmates. "Now all we need is a name."
"That's right, you guys said you hadn't named yourselves yet, huh?" Kirara remarked.
"Sadly," Shippo replied. "We can't seem to come up with anything cool enough. Every name we come up with turns into a song or a good name for an album."
"Mind if I make a suggestion?" Sango asked timidly.
"At this point, we'll take anything," Inuyasha said somewhat cynically.
Sango smiled sheepishly. "Don't laugh, but I always wanted to see a band called Damage Control. I don't know why, but..."
Kagome looked to the boys who actually had looks of thoughtful surprise on their faces.
After a moment, Miroku's face split into a big grin. "Damage Control... I like that. That's a good idea!"
"Yeah!" Shippo agreed. "Ladies and gentlemen," he shouted in an announcer voice, "we give you Damage Control!" He punctuated his yelling with a loud crash of his cymbols.
"What do you think Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. She could tell he was having one of those male pride issues. "It does have a nice sound to it, don't you think?" She smiled at him, hoping to try and sway him. They needed a name.
"Keh," he snorted after a brief pause. "Whatever. We can't play a gig until we get a name, so we might as well take this one."
"That's Inuyasha's way of saying thank you," Shippo beamed.
Kagome couldn't help but smile. Even with his tough guy act, Inuyasha was a big puppy. You just had to know how to bring it out in him.
************************
Author's Notes: Okay, that's done. Now I actually have a plan. Check out my author's page on the site to see what the next few chapters will be.
I'll tell you this much, though: Next chapter we get on to seeing the band at their first performance and after that we see followed by another chapter that shows how utterly sappy I can be.
Surprisingly, not many issues to address this time... Yeah.
Let the Music Be Your Master
Chapter 12- I Hear Their Passionate Music
Inuyasha nearly choked, though on what he wasn't certain since he'd already finished eating. "Why?" Real intelligent. What kind of a response is that?
"I... I just want to hear you play. You were really good the other night." Kagome seemed extremely nervous now. "I just wanted to see you play." She looked like she was dreading his answer. She probably expected him to refuse.
Inuyasha looked toward Miroku and Shippo, hoping to find an answer from them. They just kept their faces expressionless, though. Inuyasha sighed in resignation. There really was no good reason to refuse. "Alright. After we leave, we'll go back to my place. We left our instruments there anynway."
Inuyasha tried to shift slightly to hide his face in the dim light when Kagome smiled at him. He could feel a little heat creeping into his cheeks and he knew if Shippo spotted it, he'd never hear the end of it. Inuyasha would just have to worry about figuring out where it came from later.
*************************
Inuyasha remained strangely quiet as Miroku drove back to the Morimoto home. He was trying desperately to sort out his feelings. His train of thought got derailed just outside the station, though, when Kagome put a hand on his shoulder.
"Inuyasha?" she asked timidly. "I just wanted to ask a couple questions. What made you decide to start a band, anyway?"
Inuyasha looked over at the girl beside him, grey eyes filled with curiosity. He had heard the eyes were a window to the soul. He was beginning to think it may be true. "Well... I've always liked music. I guess I just pick up after my mother." Not a very good answer, but it was the best he could do.
Kagome didn't seem bothered by it, though. "Okay, next question. What kind of music do you guys play?"
"I guess you could call us alternative," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "We're definately not punk or pop, I'll tell you that. Stupid record companies. Never really thought about it. We just write music then play it."
Kagome nodded slowly. "You said you had seven songs. What are they called?"
Inuyasha sighed slightly and ticked off the songs on his fingers. "So far we have So I'm A Mutt, So Much Glass, Champions, When Darkness Falls, A Method To My Madness, Rhythm Red, and Otherworld."
"That reminds me," Shippo chimed in, "what's with this 'seven song' BS, huh? We have eight songs."
Miroku glanced in the rearview mirror at Shippo and then turned back to the road. "You gave us the sheet music yesterday, Shippo. We only ran through it once, and you already expect us to count it?"
"Yes," Shippo said defiantly.
"Shippo wrote a song?" Kirara asked deligtedly. "Ooh, what's it called?" she squealed, looking proudly at her boyfriend.
"Ferdinand Magellan, We Hardly Knew Ye," Inuyasha said flatly. "Crashing drums, fast-paced bassline, manic guitar work, and three lines of lyrics in a seven-and-a-half minute song. One of the most bizarre things I've ever heard in my life." Inuyasha tried to supress a gag as Kirara began gushing and Shippo's ego swelled.
Everything changed in an instant though as the sounnd of squealing breaks, shrieking tires, and a dull thud filled the air. "Holy shit, I think I hit something!" Miroku shouted, his composure momentarily shaken.
Everyone leaped out of the car and went to find out just what had happened. With the sun long gone, the only way the group could see anything was in the light of the headlights and street lamps. Sprawled in the grass by the road was a man in black slacks and a polo shirt no more than four feet tall with a large, hooked nose, white hair, and a mustache. Inuyasha stopped breathing as realization hit him.
"Jesus, Joseph, and Mary in Tinsel Town," Shippo squeaked. "We just ran down the Monopoly guy!"
"Monopoly guy nothing!" Inuyasha shouted. "That's my godfather!"
************************
The group sat silently in the living room. This was a real kick in the throat. It had taken a minute, but they managed to get Inuyasha's godfather back to the Morimoto home where Sesshoumaru took the old man to a guest room to see if there was anything he could do for him.
"So I just ran over your godfather?" Miroku asked in disbelief for the fifth time.
"Yes!" Inuyasha snapped.
"How come we never met him before?" Shippo asked.
"He's out of town a lot," Inuyasha explained. "When my father died, he left Myouga in charge of his company. One of the reasons Sessh and I live so comfortably."
As if on cue, Sesshoumaru walked downstairs witha soft smile. "Myouga's going to be alright. Just a few bruises and a lump on the head. We'll let him sleep in the guest room tonight. I wonder what he was doing out so late, anyway?"
"I guess we'll ask him in the morning," Sango said softly. "Damn, it's almost 11 o'clock!"
"Why don't I just call your families and see if you can all spend the night," Sesshoumaru offered. "We have plenty of room and you've all had a rough night. Besides," he added with a smirk, "Spring Break starts tomorrow doesn't it? Strange to make you go back for only a day, but who are we to complain?"
************************
The group naturally accepted Sesshoumaru's offer and everything worked out without a hitch. Shippo and Kirara declined a room, and decided to share a "bed" on the couch in the home theatre.
"So," Shippo said, "our options are to sleep, watch a movie, eat ourselves sick, spend some 'quality time' together, or any combination thereof."
Kirara smiled and snuggled up against Shippo. "How about quality time and a movie?"
"Works for me," the vulpine boy said as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Anything in particular you want to see?"
"The Matrix," Kirara answered without hesitation. "Let's have some gunfights and kung-fu battles in the background while we make out."
Shippo remained silent for a moment until the girl in his arms looked at him questioningly. "Marry me," he said simply, causing her to laugh and bury her face in his chest.
************************
Miroku and Sango sat out on the balcony outside Sango's room. It was a clear, peaceful night with a full moon hanging in the sky. Though Sango tried to deny it, the whole situation was actually pretty romantic. "So will you guys play for us tomorrow?"
Miroku nodded with a soft smile. "Of course. We need some criticism, anyway. Sessh likes our work, but that's one man's opinion."
"Do you guys write the songs together, or do you do them individually?"
"We write most of them as a group, though we each have our own song. Inuyasha wrote our first song himself and Shippo told you he just handed us his Magellan song. I wrote Otherworld."
A cool breeze came up and Sango folded her arms over her chest. It was a fine day to wear short sleeves, but the night was another matter. Much to her surprise, though, Miroku removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Sango tried to supress the blush creeping up into her cheeks, though that was fairly useless. "Thank you," she said timidly.
Miroku just smiled gently. "It's nothing. After all, isn't it expected of me?" he asked jokingly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked back inside. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Sango."
Sango couldn't stop her lips from tilting up into a smile. "Good night... Miroku." When he left the room, she sighed happily and pulled the leather coat tighter to her body. It carried the scent of sandalwood. Was that a cologne he used? Whatever it was, Sango liked it. Why hadn't she ever seen this side to him before?
************************
Back in the home theatre Shippo and Kirara were laying in one another's arms, only paying marginal attention to the movie. Kirara snuggled her head deeper into Shippo's shoulder and purred softly.
The red-haired boy just chuckled lightly in return. "Have I ever told you how perfect you are?"
He was surprised to see Kirara's smile fade. "I'm not so perfect," she mumbled.
"What's wrong?" Shippo asked in concern. "Did I say something wrong or..."
Kirara just cupped his cheek in her hand and looked deep into his eyes. He felt himself drowning in her maroon pools. "You know if there's anything wrong, I'm always listening. I'll always be there to help."
Kirara's eyes moistened slightly. Was she about to cry? Shippo never imagined her ever crying. He began to panic slightly, but before he had a chance to do anything, she buried her face in his chest and let out a few muffled sobs.
"Kirara?" She was crying. Was it something he did? Something he said? "Come on, don't cry. Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help." How? As if he knew, but he had to say something, didn't he?
"Oh, Shippo," Kirara choked, "why do you always have to be so damn sweet? I want to tell you, I really do, but... I can't. I'm so sorry."
Now Shippo knew something was definately up. Whatever was bothering Kirara, it must have been really bad to bring about such an abrupt and dramatic mood swing. The movie forgotten, he pulled Kirara close to him and softly whispered whatever comforting phrases he could in her ear.
"Shippo, please," she whispered desperately, "can we just forget about this? I promise I'll tell you, but not now. Please, not now." It tore at Shippo's heart to hear her voice right now. She sounded like another person. What could have happened to cause this much damage to the woman he loved?
Wait a second, loved? Did he really feel that way about her after only knowing her for under two weeks? Then again, his parents only dated for a week and a half before they got married.
Yes, Shippo did love Kirara. And right at this moment, he would do anything to take her tears away. "Alright. You can tell me whenever you're ready. I'll always be here for you. I promise I will."
That seemed to work since Kirara's sobbing soon gave way to the soft, steady breathing of deep sleep. Cradling the girl in his arms, Shippo slowly drifted off himself. He would not soon forget this and he intended to find out just what the problem was so that he could help solve it.
************************
The next morning, everyone including a now-conscious Myouga and the five family dogs were gathered around the kitchen table as Sesshoumaru served one stack of pancakes after the next. "Feeling better, Myouga?"
"Much better, thank you," the old man grinned.
"Sorry again," Miroku said sheepishly. "I honestly didn't see you until... well..."
"It's alright, my boy," Myouga said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's not the first time and it won't be the last. I've had much worse, besides."
"That's true," Inuyasha muttered. "You've been squashed like a bug more times than I can count."
The old man laughed lightly and looked over at his godchild. "I remember you thought I was a vampire after I survived that plane crash outside Milan thirteen years ago."
Inuyasha reddened slightly at that and shot a dirty look at Shippo who was trying desperately to hold back his laughter. "I was five," he said defensively. "Anyway, when do you girls want to hear us play?"
"How about after we finish?" Kagome suggested.
"Works for me," Miroku said off-handedly.
"Same here," Shippo agreed.
"Alright. As soon as we're finished."
************************
Kagome leafed through a spiral-ring binder that the boys kept all their sheet music in. "So what are your songs about?"
"Well," Inuyasha started, "So I'm a Mutt is about how people spit on those who are different. We'll play that one now."
That alone gave Kagome a small pang of guilt. There was no doubt where he got the inspiration for that song from. She looked at the lyrics as Inuyasha stuck up the intro with harsh chords.
Well I was born and raised a mongrel,
But what the hell's it mean?
Can you give me an explanation,
Do you even know at all?
You're all the same every single one,
The pattern I can see.
I wouldn't trade my dirty old blood,
Whether for nothing or all.
There was a gritty harshness and boldness to the song that Kagome had never heard before. He was telling people through his music just what he thought of all the people who hated him and mocked him for who he was, but how he was the one who would come out on top in the end.
When the song came to an end, Kagome didn't know what to say. The trio were incredibly talented, that much was obvious. She hadn't been sure what to expect, but this was something she was unprepared for.
The band then went through the rest of their songs and Kagome was able to piece together the meanings pretty easily. So Much Glass was about heartbreaks. Champions was about putting your faith in the underdog. When Darkness Falls was a creepy little number about how everything looks different in the dark. A Method To My Madness was one of the strangest songs she had ever heard. Try as she might, it was the only song she could not figure out a meaning to, the lyrics were so cryptic. Rhythm Red was a really nice instrumental, and Otherworld was truly strange. Sango said Mirouk had written that one.
I have heard the poems and tales of lost Xanadu,
And the whispered stories of the old Lost Dutchman mine.
The Moai of Easter Island hold their ancient tongues,
And the lines of Nazca escape the passing of time.
What lies beyond the mundane that mortals cannot see?
The mystic within the mundane; greatest mystery.
This song was particularly long, running almost fifteen minutes. It sounded so indescribably wierd. The girls were spellbouund by the time the boys finished. "Wow. I think you guys have a hit there," Kagome beamed.
"Told you so," Miroku said with a grin to his bandmates. "Now all we need is a name."
"That's right, you guys said you hadn't named yourselves yet, huh?" Kirara remarked.
"Sadly," Shippo replied. "We can't seem to come up with anything cool enough. Every name we come up with turns into a song or a good name for an album."
"Mind if I make a suggestion?" Sango asked timidly.
"At this point, we'll take anything," Inuyasha said somewhat cynically.
Sango smiled sheepishly. "Don't laugh, but I always wanted to see a band called Damage Control. I don't know why, but..."
Kagome looked to the boys who actually had looks of thoughtful surprise on their faces.
After a moment, Miroku's face split into a big grin. "Damage Control... I like that. That's a good idea!"
"Yeah!" Shippo agreed. "Ladies and gentlemen," he shouted in an announcer voice, "we give you Damage Control!" He punctuated his yelling with a loud crash of his cymbols.
"What do you think Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. She could tell he was having one of those male pride issues. "It does have a nice sound to it, don't you think?" She smiled at him, hoping to try and sway him. They needed a name.
"Keh," he snorted after a brief pause. "Whatever. We can't play a gig until we get a name, so we might as well take this one."
"That's Inuyasha's way of saying thank you," Shippo beamed.
Kagome couldn't help but smile. Even with his tough guy act, Inuyasha was a big puppy. You just had to know how to bring it out in him.
************************
Author's Notes: Okay, that's done. Now I actually have a plan. Check out my author's page on the site to see what the next few chapters will be.
I'll tell you this much, though: Next chapter we get on to seeing the band at their first performance and after that we see followed by another chapter that shows how utterly sappy I can be.