The Club

Christielea54

Chapter Four

Inuyasha sat in his loft above The Club later that night as the lightning flashed outside. No one but Sesshomaru knew that he lived up here, but Sesshomaru didn't count, because he was never around.

The incident with Kagome that afternoon had really shaken him. Why was it that he didn't play in front of anyone else?

With a sigh he got up and padded downstairs. The steps creaked as he went down them. He walked over to his guitar. What was he so afraid of?

He turned it over and over again in his hands in the dark empty room. He'd missed so much school when his mother died that he'd been held back a grade. He never did make too many friends after that. With his long hair and weird eyes, the other kids thought he was a bit of a freak, and he'd been too depressed over his mother to care.

It'd been downhill from there. By the age of fourteen he was a definite loner. Myoga was his official legal guardian, but he'd just hired different nannies every few weeks, only dropping in himself occasionally. Meanwhile Sesshomaru had graduated from some big time law and business university. Sesshomaru had found out that he'd inherited some property from their long dead father in some small old town a few miles from where Inuyasha currently lived. He'd fixed it up as a hangout for local teenagers realizing the money he could make off it. Almost as an afterthought, he'd come to visit fifteen year old Inuyasha.

The disgrace in which Inuyasha had been living was simply not acceptable, so he'd dismissed the many nannies, brought Inuyasha to The Club, and let him live in the extremely small apartment above it. Sesshomaru would pay the bills for him if he worked there after school, and told no one about it. It wasn't exactly legal…

Sesshomaru would call monthly, and visit once a year. If Inuyasha stepped one toe out of line he would be sent to the orphanage. There would be no failing grades, no drugs, no alcohol, and no sex, or it would be hello social services.

Sesshomaru had said that he knew Inuyasha would behave, that he was smarter than he let people think.

Over a year had passed, and then Kikyo had come along. She'd been out of his life as quickly as she came into it. She'd been shipped here, also an orphan, to live with her grandmother, the senile old lady named Kaede who lived on the other side of town. However, considering how small the town was, that wasn't all that far away.

He'd only ever seen Kikyo at school. He doubted that she even knew about him working at The Club, much less his guitar. One day though, she told him that she was running away. She wanted him to come with her. She said that they were both different from everyone else, that together they could make a normal life for themselves somewhere else.

He would have gone too, if it weren't for his stupid heart, telling him that Kikyo didn't love him. That she would take anyone on the trip with her. That she just didn't want to be alone. When he'd confronted her about it, she got angry, and took some bastard named Onigumo instead. He still missed her sometimes though. Which was why he was so surprised to see Kagome the first time he met her. She could have easily passed for Kikyo's twin.

Except for the eyes.

Kikyo had always been very reserved, very cautious around others. The cards life had dealt her had left her rather practical and cynical. Some might even have described as uptight. But Kagome's… those were so bright. So filled with life and hope for the world.

He sighed. He was right back where he started. Why didn't he play in front of anyone? He was far too straightforward to kid himself into thinking it was because he didn't want to perform, because he really did want to. He wanted to show the world what he could do, damnit! But something had always held him back. What?

He just wanted to shut his eyes to the problem and go back to bed, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. So he strummed out a few more chords on his guitar. Deep down he knew the answer, he just didn't want to admit it. He was afraid that he'd be rejected, again. He'd never known his father. His mother had died when he was only seven years old. As a child he'd taken her dying and leaving him as that she didn't love him anymore. Myoga practically ignored his existence. Sesshomaru only cared about the profit he made on this place. Kikyo hadn't even bothered to say goodbye.

He wanted his playing to be perfect before anyone heard it.

An image of Kagome and Miroku cheering him on in a crowd full of happy people came into his mind. His eyes flashed. The fact that this wasn't a real event didn't trouble him in the slightest. This was the kind of confidence that he'd been waiting for! He was back to being his confident old self, and he was going to stay that way if it killed him! He'd show the world what he was made of, and he'd be damn proud of it!

He took a few more deep breaths, and let the strong beat of the music fill his very soul.

Saturday morning rolled around. There was some soft chatter and laughter coming from the comfy chair area. The high school's cheerleaders had come in for their pre-game coffee. Miroku was busy 'entertaining' them. The girls were practically drooling over the cute college boy.

"I didn't know he could read fortunes," Kagome remarked.

"He can't," Inuyasha stated bluntly. "He's making it up as he goes."

"Oh."

The bells above the door rang as the football players came to collect their cheerleading girlfriends for the game.

"Awww," one girl whined. "I didn't get my latté yet!" So the star of the football team ordered two lattés to go. Inuyasha got up and served it to him. "Three dollars."

He paid, took one, tasted it, and purposely knocked it off the counter, spilling it all over the floor. "I said vanilla you dweeb!"

Kagome felt a fire flare up inside her. He had so not said vanilla. If there was one thing she believed in, it was in being fair. She was about to say so too, but Inuyasha beat her to it. Well his fist did anyways. The jock and his friends burst out into mocking laughter right up until Inuyasha's fist landed in his face.

The football player slowly felt his face. It was only a bruise, nothing more. "You're going to regret that!" he shouted, and made to go over the bar top at Inuyasha, but his friends held him back.

Miroku pretended like he'd just walked in and didn't know what was going on. "Is there a problem here?" Kagome was amazed at the change in his voice. Before this, Miroku had been all fun and games, amusement underlining everything he did and said. Now he was dead serious, and his voice rang out with all the solidness of a mountain. She had a feeling he'd be the type to keep a cool head no matter the situation.

"The game man!"

"Yeah man, the game!"

"Don't get hurt right before the game!" After a full two minutes of coaxing, the football players finally managed to get their friend out the door.

The tension left behind in the room could have been cut with a knife. Finally Miroku blew out a noisy sigh, and wearily turned to Inuyasha. "How many times do I have to tell you? No hitting the customers." He enunciated each word as if he were explaining something to a five year old.

Immediately Kagome knew that was the wrong move. Above all else Inuyasha hated being treated like a child.

"Well how about no hitting ON the customers Miroku!" he shouted angrily. Inuyasha got upset easily, but this was by far the angriest she'd ever seen him. Nervously she scurried over to the broom closet cleverly hidden in the walls paneling, and took out a mop.

Inuyasha, taut as a bowstring, strode past Miroku and grabbed the mop out of Kagome's hand. "I'll get it," he said in a tone so dark she hardly recognized it.

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I know, I know. Bad place to stop.

And yes, I'm aware that the whole cheerleader/jock bit was a total stereotype and exaggeration… but it fit in the story.

See you next time!