Authors Note: Hello and thank you so much for giving Keep Me a chance! This is my very first multi-chapter fic (first real fanfic really...) so feedback is so welcome, and much appreciated! I've been a dedicated fan for almost twenty years, so a lot of love has gone into this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters, nor any of the songs mentioned.
Chapter One
The Eavesdropper
Inuyasha gathered his books sluggishly, tossing them haphazardly into his bag. It was well after midnight, and he should have been passed out in bed right now - not doing schoolwork. But here he was, transposing his classmates' songs as a 'learning exercise' for scraping by on the last test with a solid fifty. It was such bullshit! He could play like no tomorrow with a near perfect ear - technique, dynamics and all. What did it matter if he didn't understand all of the components of theory? He knew how to play. Not that transposing was a hard thing to do - it was just tedious and monotonous.
With a grumbled curse, the silver-haired hanyo dragged himself out of the room, heading for the music lounge. Walking down the hall, his sensitive ears suddenly perked up, detecting the faint echo of a piano reverberating through the empty halls, trilling high notes catching his attention. Who the fuck else would be here this time of night? He frowned, the lounge forgotten, his attention honed into the direction of the delicate, haunting melody of the Chopin piece being played. He recognized the comforting tones of the old grand piano on the stage in the auditorium immediately. It was the same piano he used for his own private sessions.
He crept up the stairs of the side stage as silently as possible, hoping to keep his presence hidden. A familiar scent hit him before he even saw who it was - a heady combination of cinnamon and coffee - but he stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes fell on the girl seated at the black and white ivories through the keyhole in the curtains.
Her delicate hands expertly flew over the keys, body swaying along to the melancholy melody as if she were one with the music itself. The way she leaned over the keys as the song climaxed, pouring every ounce of emotion into each dynamic and accent, sent a shiver up his spine, leaving his arms covered in gooseflesh.
He'd heard very few play Chopin with such precision, much less Nocturne Opus Number 13 - which just happened to be his favorite of the Nocturnes. He didn't know she could even play.
He knew Kagome Higurashi from his bio-chemistry class. Well . . . Knew of her. Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon she sat three rows below him, in the fourth chair to his left. And no, he didn't pay that close attention to her, she was just always already there, working on whatever extra assignment she'd taken on, when he walked in the lecture hall ten minutes before the bell. He showed up pretty early compared to most of the class, but who hell showed up that early just to secure a seat? He always just assumed she was a kiss-ass teacher's pet. Though, when he showed up for class that past Tuesday, and the previous morning, it definitely was not a twinge of disappointment he felt when she wasn't there.
He also made the assumption she was a music lover simply from the buds that only left her ears when the professor walked in. Music lover sure, but expert pianist? He never would have guessed.
The Nocturne ended, and without skipping a beat, her hands floated into their new position. Her left hand led an equally wistful number as it swept through arpeggios in E minor for several bars before the right hand was introduced in tender, single notes.
It wasn't a piece he recognized, but the way she made the piano sing with gut wrenching sorrow, it may have just become his new favorite song. He would have to try and pluck it out himself when he had the chance.
He leaned back against the wall behind him, daring to let his eyes close as the music washed over his senses as the tune ebbed and flowed.
Something about this song was like a punch in the chest - like a testament of grief and heartbreak, laced with a subtle twinge of hopefulness. It made him wonder why she was here so late and just what she was going through that the emotion was so tangible, so raw . . . Did it have something to do with why she hadn't been in class?
The keys suddenly stopped, leaving a deafening, reverberating echo of the sustained notes falling into the empty auditorium. "Hello? Is someone there?"
Shit. This wasn't good. Did he come forward? If he did, what would she think about him listening in on her, obviously, private session? He realized it was a total breach of privacy . . . Like eavesdropping on an intimate conversation. Except one where she was bearing her entire heart and soul.
Shitshitshit! She's gonna hate me, and I doubt she even knows my name. C'mon . . . I haven't even gotten the chance to talk to you yet . . .
With that thought solidified in his head, as silently as he had come, he slipped back down the stairs and booked it for the lounge, completely unaware of the glimpse of silver hair she'd caught disappearing through the door.
When Inuyasha finally got home and unceremoniously stripped, leaving a trail of clothes until he crashed into bed, it was close to two in the morning. Boy, was he thankful he didn't have class tomorrow, and even better was he didn't have to be on shift at the campus restaurant until four in the afternoon. He planned on doing nothing but being a lazy slag until he had to get ready, and he was going to start by passing out into the most glorious slumber.
At least he would if he wasn't having such a hard time shutting his brain off. In the silence of his dorm apartment, all he could hear was the dark, somber tones of the grand piano repeating in his head. That unbearably sad song Kagome made the keys sing was haunting him and he couldn't seem to shake the ache that settled in the pit of his chest because of it.
Without thinking about it, he snatched his phone off his bedside table and opened it to Instagram, quickly typing her name into the search bar. Her profile was the first to appear in the list, but unsurprisingly, it was also private. He stared at her display picture for a moment. It was just a simple, candid photo in black and white, but she looked happy - radiant even, with a wide grin and crinkled eyes. It was a stark contrast to the Kagome he saw in class. The girl wore a perpetually blank face and kept to herself. She didn't participate much in class unless called on, nor did she go out of her way to socialize with her peers. She was always the first to arrive and the last to leave - usually staying behind to, what he assumed, was finishing her notes.
Looking over what information he had from her profile, her personality didn't seem to match the online persona being portrayed. She had over two thousand followers, and only followed a couple hundred. Her bio read:
Kagome Higs 🌺 24
ShikonU 💎
Mental health advocate 💪
"Where words fail, music speaks." - H.C. Anderson
Inuyasha contemplated on following her in hopes of seeing what her feed could tell him, but given that they've never said two words to one another, and he almost got caught eavesdropping, he thought it may come across a little creepy.
Until he saw two very familiar usernames that were mutuals, who may just be able to help him out.
Four in the afternoon came much too quickly for Inuyasha, yawning while swiping his employee card at the POS to punch in at Hakurei Lounge. For being dead center in the middle of Shikon University, the restaurant was actually decent. They served a unique mix of traditional Japanese and new-American cuisine, with an ample bar boasting a slew of signature drinks that could definitely be considered "hipster". The interior was fairly modern, with Asian inspiration, as could be told by the wood decor, low hanging lights covered in domed red glass, and hand painted abstract murals of Buddha's, geisha, waves, sakura trees, and of course Mount Hakurei - the holy mountain of which Shikon sat several miles from.
The restaurant was fairly dead at the moment, only a few of the tables being occupied. Using the downtime, Inuyasha rifled through the bar, doing a quick count to see what he needed to be fully stocked on liquor and mix before the dinner rush came through, and even worse, the late night rush.
"Hey! You're on bar tonight?" A familiar female voice rang out from behind him, causing him to look over his shoulder at the daytime bartender, and friend, standing a few feet away.
"Hey Sango. Yeah, I switched shifts with Miroku so he's on the floor instead."
"Oh, thank God." The brunette physically relaxed. "I can't stand working with that lecherous moron."
"Keh, he's not that bad. Ya know he means well." Inuyasha grinned, making for the fridge to check out the garnish situation. "You an over dinner?"
"Means well or not, the guy is a creep." Sango cringed again, tensing just at the thought of his endlessly wandering eyes, and overly friendly demeanor. "Unfortunately, yes, and maybe later if Yuki doesn't show up again. Whatever, I need the money. Oh, we need maraschino cherries, lemons, oranges . . . Maybe just fully stock all the garnishes."
"What? It was busy today, and I only had Hojo in the dining room." The woman shrugged at the nearly empty container Inuyasha held up, housing a whopping three lime wedges.
"Ya wanna talk about a moron . . ."
"At least he knows how to keep his hands to himself!"
"Yeah, yeah. Yell if you seat me. I'll be in the kitchen." Taking the container with him to be washed, the silver haired student made his way to the kitchen where he set to work cutting fruit until he had two large containers full. Afterwards, he crafted about three-dozen Caesar toppers - each skewer with a cherry pepper, two spicy pickle slices, and two green olives. Finishing off, he grabbed a fresh jar of those disgusting fake cherries, and a jar of olives - which he found equally disgusting. He really didn't understand how anyone could stomach drinking dirty martinis, let alone eat the damn things.
Once he carried everything back to the bar, he made his final rounds of gathering the necessary liquor and mix before Sango finally yelled for him with a table.
It was a table of four kitsune's, probably in their freshman year if he were to guess. They were a bit rowdy, but then who here wasn't, with a bunch of university kids. He just hoped it would help the night go by quickly.
The dinner rush came and went without incident, finally lulling to an easy four tables. It had been decent for tips so far, and figured he'd have an easy two or three hundred bucks in his pocket by close. Sango on the other hand would be walking out of here with a wad of cash, the way she schmoozed with customers. She was good that way - at being personable and energetic. It also didn't hurt that she was an attractive woman with nice features and figure. He could understand why the "lecherous moron" had a thing for her.
"God, I fucking hate people." She growled under her breath, just loud enough for Inuyasha to hear, carelessly free pouring what probably ended up being two ounces of tequila into a shaker cup. ""Can I get a virgin Frigid Fox, except made with Tequila? Can you make it really strong for me?" That's not a fucking virgin, you dumb bitch, but sure whatever, you want it strong? You'll get strong. Strong like my foot up your pretentious ass." Sango mocked, adding the rest of the ingredients and aggressively shaking the shit out of the lidded cup. And that was exactly why Inuyasha did not have a thing for his co-bartender. As pretty as she was, she was not someone he would ever make the mistake of fucking with.
"Having a good night, Sango?" Inuyasha chided, suppressing the urge to laugh, topping off the head of the draft beer he poured.
"You want my foot up your ass too?"
"Tempting, but not my thing. Ask Miroku - I'm sure he'd be into that." He heard him approach before he saw the tall, lean, black haired man leaning against the server station at the end of the bar.
"What is that I'd be into?"
"Oh both of you can shove it." The woman ground out, taking her finished abomination of a drink back to the table, her fake smile plastered back on her face as she did so.
"That woman scares me. God she's so hot." Miroku stared longingly from across the bar, ignoring the beer Inuyasha slid in front of him.
"Oi, Miroku, I gotta question for ya."
"Oh, for me? But of course, Inuyasha! What can I do for you, my friend?"
Fuck, this is not a good idea. "Ugh. Do ya know Higurashi?"
Miroku frowned, momentarily taking his eyes off Sango's ass long enough to register what was being asked of him. "As in Kagome Higurashi, Higurashi? We're not friends, per-say, but we talk here and there. She's in my psychology class. Why do you ask? Do you want me to put in a good word for you?" He waggled his black eyebrows in Inuyasha's direction just long enough to almost start agreeing with Sango's sentiment.
"Yeah, no, absolutely not. And definitely not from you. I saw her last ni-. . . Last week, in bio-chem, but she hasn't been in class this week. Was just wondering if you knew anything, s'all." Slick. Nice save, idiot.
Miroku hummed, still wearing the frown, but now also eyeing him suspiciously. "You have a thing for her, don't you?"
"What?! No! I've never even talked to her."
"And yet you're concerned why she isn't in class?"
Fuck, bringing this up with Miroku of all people was a stupid idea. I shoulda just asked Sango. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and tapped on the pint, which was rapidly losing its head.
"This conversation isn't over, Inuyasha." A discomforting glint shone in Miroku's violet eyes as he grinned, finally whisking the hoppy beverage away to his table and leaving Inuyasha wanting to stick his own foot up his ass.
Over the next two hours, Inuyasha cashed out the handful of tables he had, which was quickly replaced by three more, and two at the bar. One of which, he was absolutely not prepared for.
Sitting in the last chair, at the corner of the bar, was none other than Kagome herself. Her black hair was piled in a messy bun atop her head, with loose tendrils framing her porcelain face, which sported a bit of makeup. The dark green knit sweater she wore hung off one shoulder, leaving her smooth, pale skin exposed. She toyed with the cellphone in her hands, thumbs easily gliding over the screen with whatever she was doing.
Inuyasha's mouth went dry. A lump formed in his throat, making it hard to swallow. Is this what talking about her got him? Accidentally conjuring her into existence?
Schooling his features as best he could, he grabbed a coaster and a menu, and sauntered down the bar rail to place them in front of her. Just treat her like any other customer . . . I have to talk to her. It's part of my job. C'mon ya whimp, just do it! "What can I get for ya?" He barely recognized his own voice. Did he really sound like that much of a whelp?
She didn't answer him right away. Instead a hand lifted to her ear and she tapped on the bud that was hidden by her hair. A soft blush coloured her cheeks, followed by a meager smile. "Sorry, what did you say?"
A smirk of his own pulled at the corner of his lips. Of course she had headphones in. "Something to drink?"
"Oh, just a Vodka soda with extra lime, please."
Her voice was soft, quiet even, but held a melodic lilt that seemed to caress his senses with a feather light touch. He tried to ignore the odd sensation filling his gut but between her voice, her scent, and how unbelievably beautiful she was . . . He felt like he was gonna pass out. He wasn't sure he'd ever been face to face with her. He definitely didn't know she had the most incredible blue eyes he'd ever seen - it was like staring into a sea of electric currents.
.
He had to fight himself to walk away and make her drink. He did have four other tables to tend to, afterall, and he couldn't ignore them - as much as he wanted to.
Grabbing a rocks glass, he filled it with ice and poured in a shot of the chosen liquor, followed by soda water, and two lime wedges on the rim. Placing it on the coaster, he mumbled something about giving her a few minutes with the menu before distracting himself with the other patrons.
Several food and drink orders later, when he was sure everyone was happy and taken care of, he went back to check on the lone girl hiding in the corner.
"Grabbing anything to eat?"
When her hand once again reached for her ear with a guilty smile, he couldn't help but laugh.
"I haven't looked at the menu, honestly. I could use another drink though." A manicured nail, painted in a light purple, tapped on the side of her glass.
He did as she bid, talking as he went. "Uh, not sure what you're into, but the ramen here is pretty good."
Kagome hummed, taking a small sip of the mixed liquor once it was back in her possession, which left a glistening sheen along her bottom lip. "Is that your favorite?"
"Uh . . . My favorite? From here or in general?" She probably means from here, dumbass. Why would she care what my favorite food is?
"In general."
He deadpanned. What? "Ye-yeah. Ramen is my go-to, I guess."
"Ramen it is, then." She took another sip, eyes not leaving his. Is she baiting me? He definitely felt like he was being baited.
"Hey, Yash, I just cashed out my last table, are you good if I get out of here . . ." Sango's voice trailed off as she approached, almost as if in surprise. "Kagome! Hi! Everything okay?"
Inuyasha frowned at Sango's question, but stayed silent as Kagome smiled and shrugged. "I was getting bored at home. I figured I might find you here."
"Oh, yeah, sorry - I should have text but I haven't had a chance to look at my phone. I haven't even gotten the chance to pee, damn it. I was an over-dinner, and then Yuki didn't show up again so I stayed to help the guys out." She sent a side-eyed glance Inuyasha's way. It was a weary look that warned him to rethink whatever he was potentially thinking of saying.
"I figured. It's okay! You've probably made some good money today, huh?"
The bartender snorted and pulled a thick stack of receipts from her serving pouch. "We shall see. I'm going to do my cashout now. Are you . . . ?"
Kagome shook her head, idly tapping her nails against her glass. "I think I'm going to hang out here for a little bit. I'll meet you at home?"
Sango looked between the girl who was obviously her roommate and Inuyasha, and back again, while shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Uh, yeah, okay, sure. I'll see you at home then."
Why is Sango acting so fucking weird? "I'll uh, I'm gonna get your order placed now." Inuyasha turned away from the uncomfortable scene that just played out in front of him, moving to the POS to enter in the information, before ambling off to the kitchen to check on his other table's food and pin the new chits. Figuring he'd kill more time and let them work out whatever was clearly transpiring, he went about doing side prep for the upcoming plates, and running the food that was up.
When the waiter returned to the kitchen, he found Sango propped up against the expo table waiting for him. "Look, I don't care how you and Kagome know each other, but the last thing she needs right now is to be getting involved with anyone. Not that I think you're a bad guy or anything, just don't get any ideas, alright?"
"Keh! I've never talked to the girl before tonight, and you think I have some intention of trying to get with her? I'm not Miroku."
"Inuyasha! How you wound me." Miroku gasped as he entered the kitchen as if on cue, clutching his chest.
"Oh for fuck sakes. Here we go. Look - all I'm saying is that Kagome needs friends right now. Just friends."
"Kagome is here? Huh. Would you look at that?"
"Look at what?" Sango barked. Inuyasha face palmed, a soft growl welling in the depths of his throat, warning the moron to not say another word. "Inuyasha, what is the letcher talking about?"
Miroku gasped again. "Well aren't you two a pair? Nothing, my dearest Sango. Just a coincidence is all."
Sango glared between the two men before grabbing both of them by the collars and dragging them into her space. "I don't know what's going on here, but so help me god, I will kill both of you if either of you step out of line with her. Got it?"
"Keh! Whatever." Inuyasha easily broke from her grasp, feebly attempting to rub the wrinkles out of his shirt.
Miroku on the other hand, like the submissive he was, didn't bother struggling out of Sango's death grip. In fact, it was probably the most intimate contact he'd ever gotten from her, save for a slap upside the head. He was probably savoring every second of it.
With a scoff, she pushed Miroku out of the way and stomped into the back office.
Inuyasha pegged his co-worker with a glare of his own once he was sure Sango was out of earshot. "What the hell was that for?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about. It is a coincidence, is it not?"
Clenching his jaw, deciding against dragging the conversation out any longer, he grabbed the two plates that were up in Miroku's section and forcibly handed them to him, before taking plates of his own back to the bar area.
This time, when Inuyasha returned to Kagome, she was already pausing whatever was playing through the buds. "The ramen should be up in about ten. Refill?" His eyes shifted to the glass, now bearing mostly melted ice.
The raven haired woman pushed her glass across the bar toward him, a sheepish smile playing on her plush lips. "Thank you . . . Yash? Was it?"
"Inuyasha. Sango's too lazy to say the whole thing." He made up a fresh drink and replaced her tumbler with the new one, dutifully ignoring the way the nickname rolled off her tongue sent a chill down his spine.
"Inuyasha . . . Hmm, it suits you. I'm Kagome."
"I know." He replied way too quickly, and very much so without thinking. Mostly so he didn't choke. Kami take the wheel. He'd never expected to like the way his own name sounded so much, but it fit so perfectly in her mouth. "I mean, I know who you are. We uh, we have a class together. And Sango said your name."
Kagome hid her smile behind the glass, taking another sip. "I thought I recognized you. Totosai's, right?"
The bartender nodded, looking off at the other patrons at the bar and the other tables, anywhere but her painfully beautiful face. He felt awkward after being confronted by Sango, and witnessing the odd exchange between the two women. Not to mention stumbling across her playing less than twenty-four hours ago.
Whatever was going on with Kagome, it was something heavy, and though it shouldn't bother him - it did. It bothered the shit out of him.
She seemed like a sweet girl. He highly doubted she deserved to be going through something bad enough that would make Sango threaten him.
She needs friends. Just friends. He could be her friend . . . Or at least try to be. He wondered briefly if she would have any interest in even being friends with him, but her behavior and scent didn't tell him otherwise.
"Yep. That old geezer is a bastard when it comes to graded work, but he's a helluva teacher. What other courses do ya have this semester?"
"Gender studies and psychology. What about you?"
"Pretty heavy course load you got there. What field are you tryna get into? I'm in history and uh, music."
"It's not all bad. I find it fascinating, so I don't mind doing the work. Totosai's class is definitely the hardest, though. I want to go into forensic psychology, or behavioral analysis, or something hands-on in the criminal field. What are you doing in bio-chem if you're arts focused?"
So you're one of those girls. Probably grew up watching CSI and Criminal Minds, and have an affinity for serial killers, right? Inuyasha really thought about saying it, but this wasn't the time nor place to dive into a conversation of that depth. "Not sure yet, honestly. I took it because it seemed interesting. Haven't really figured out what I want to do."
Kagome raised a neatly waxed eyebrow and brought the half full glass to her pink lips. "And music? What do you play?"
Inuyasha shrugged, averting his eyes again to scan his patrons. "A bit of everything." Don't give yourself away. "Excuse me." He bowed his head and hurried back to the kitchen to check on his table's food, but mostly to put space between himself and Kagome. He felt like he was being baited again and he had a sneaking suspicion he knew why.
She knew. Somehow, some way, she knew it was him watching her last night. He thought he'd been careful, quiet, and quick enough to make his escape unscathed, but this said otherwise. It was the perfect ruse after all - showing up here and using Sango as an unsuspecting scapegoat, despite Inuyasha having never once seen her so much as step foot through the entrance doors in the year he'd worked here. Hell, he didn't even know Sango knew her, much less them being roommates. Suddenly she appears out of thin air? He didn't buy it.
Wait a minute . . . How did she know where I work? She definitely didn't ask Sango, otherwise she wouldn't have been surprised by her appearance either . . . How else- Inuyasha's spiraling thoughts grinded to an abrupt halt as the realization crept in. She has psychology with Miroku.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, the bartender let out an exasperated sigh, but couldn't help but to snicker to himself at the irony of it. No wonder Miroku had gone all 'wing-man' on him when he asked about Kagome, and then feigned ignorance when she showed up. Hell, he probably sat her at the bar himself.
"Order up!" The dinging of the bell ripped Inuyasha from his speculation once again, bringing him back to the kitchen he was brooding in. The tantalizing scent of savory broth, soy sauce, chicken, bamboo, and egg overcame his senses, both making his mouth water and reminding him that he hadn't eaten yet.
"Shippo, when ya have a minute can you whip up another ramen for me? I'll ring it in after." Inuyasha called to the young cook through the warmer, getting a clawed thumbs up in response. He grabbed a tray as a barrier for the piping hot bowl and the necessary utensils before making his way back to the bar with it. On his way down the hall, an offensive smell cut through the ramens pleasant aroma that made Inuyasha's nose scrunch and his stomach churn. It was the stench of wolves.
Sure enough a group of six wolf yokai had sat themselves at a high top table in the bar, each decked out in the school's soccer uniforms. They'd obviously come from a game, if not for the uniforms but the smell of them. He recognized a few of the mangy demons that frequented the bar as Hakakku and Ginta, with their ring leader Koga. The other three he wasn't familiar with, but it didn't matter. They were all the same arrogant, obnoxious, pretentious, sleaze bags. Koga just happened to be the worst of them.
Inuyasha locked eyes with the icy blues of the alpha, sending a subtle nod his way that he'd be over in a minute.
Great. Just what I wanted to deal with tonight - playing fetch for the walking slimeball.
To top off the grand finale to this shift, when he rounded the corner to the bar rail, he found Kagome's seat vacant. Instinctively assuming she'd gone to the bathroom, he paid no mind to it until he stood in front of the empty glass being used as a weight for the money left behind. The only thing remaining of Kagome's presence was the fading scent of cinnamon, coffee, and salt.
Was she . . . Crying?
Beneath the tumbler and stack of bills, he found the coaster, radiating her salted scent, marred with blue ink that bore a simple message.
I'm sorry - K
Inuyasha didn't have time to stop and think before he found himself heading for the front door, his nose following her trail. He exited into the night's mild spring air, looking and smelling every which way to see where she went, but the early blooming of sakura quickly clouded his senses.
She was gone.
"Inuyasha - hey man, you okay?" Miroku's voice sounded from behind him, concern etched in his tone.
"Did you see Kagome leave?"
"I can't say I did, no. Everything okay?"
Inuyasha turned, still clutching the coaster, and tossed it Miroku's way without saying a word before stalking back inside.
Song Inspos:
Nocturne No. 13 In C Minor, Op. 48 No. 1 - Frederic Chopin
Keep Me - Elliot Ziegler
Jesus Christ - Brand New
I'm God - Clams Casino, Imogen Heap