Title: The Care-e-oh-ke Machine
Author: Rachel Elizabeth
Email: ceramicprincess (at) fanfiction (dot) net
Status: Tentatively ongoing
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Cavity warning.
Summary: The InuYasha gang dishes out their true feelings, even Naraku and Kikyou.
Proviso: No.
Author's Comments: Er, once again, fixing formatting, etc. This is a little piece I like to write on when one of my muses decides it likes the bar down the street better than my room. I keep asking to go with 'em, but they just laugh at me.
Feedback: As always, much appreciated.
Dedication:
To Nichole, 'cause if I'm not mistaken, she was one of the few people still rootin' for this story.
Chapter Notes: Fiona Apple, I Know


Love's Encore—

What could she say to that? She couldn't say anything; she had no witty repartee for him, because she was left utterly and completely speechless.

How could he just make an announcement like that as if it had been her fault to begin with? Of all the arrogant . . .

"That is it!" Kagome yelled, frustrated beyond belief. "I'm going." She didn't even have to pick out a song she knew exactly which song she was going to sing to that jerk, because if he could go around shouting those things at her then she could sing about her love to him. She wouldn't deny it anymore; everyone knew anyway that she loved the dumb mutt and that was exactly what he was acting like at that point; a dumb mutt.

So much for feelings.

The music finally pushed through the still-talking crowd to Inu Yasha's ears. He had hurried in to make sure that he hadn't hurt her feelings too—Feh. As if I care.

When had he started caring? He couldn't remember, he only knew that every time Kagome sat him he felt as though justice had been paid for his stupidity . . . not that he was ever going to admit that to her.

So be it, I'm your crowbar
If that's what I am so far
Until we get out of this mess
And I will pretend
That I don't know of your sins
Until you are ready to confess
But all the time, all the time
I'll know oh, I'll know
And you can use my skin
To bury secrets in
I will settle you down
And at my own suggestion
I will ask no questions
While I do my thing in the background
But all the time, all the time
I'll know, oh I'll know
Baby—I can't help you out while she is still around
So for the time being, I'm being patient
And amidst this bitterness
If you'll just consider this—even if it don't make sense
All the time—give it time
And when the crowd becomes your burden
And you've early closed your curtains
I'll wait by the backstage door
While you try to find the lines to speak your mind
And pry it open, hoping for an encore
And if it gets too late, for me to wait
For you to find you love me, and tell me so
It's ok, don't need to say it.

Inu Yasha was stunned. That song with her low, intense voice had been his undoing. He didn't even know that that was how she saw . . . Feh, yes I do. I've always known she's been jealous of Kikyou and I've never helped the situation. Stupid wench.

When the song finished Inu Yasha didn't like how Sango and Miroku immediately crowded around her asking questions about what they thought they had heard outside. So instead of waiting for her permission to grab her and yank her outside he just grabbed her and pulled her outside and his first stupid comment ended up coming out before he could stop it was, "You stupid wench. What was that all about?"

Kagome couldn't believe it. She could only stutter out some incoherent reply as she tried to regain her composure. Inu Yasha was completely ignorant of everything that had happened. Typical male. Kagome sighed, "Nothing." She looked at him, he was frowning suspiciously and she knew that he was probably going to ask her more questions but she didn't want to get into it. Too much had been put at stake in only a few minutes and nothing else needed to be added to that.

"Feh." He snorted, going back inside the little hut and sitting down far away from people so that he could brood over things and figure out what was going on in Kagome's mind.

Rin and Sesshoumaru were sitting across from each other and Rin was glaring at him and Sesshoumaru was completely oblivious to anything that Rin had said and that Kagome had said. Unfeeling bastard, Inu Yasha thought. He was going to find out a way to get them to sing a song together. Kagome would like that. Perhaps they could sing together, too. Inu Yasha looked at Kikyou glaring at him.

Or not.