I have created a Spotify Playlist of the songs used, so you don't have to go hunting for them. The Playlist will be updated as the fic is updated, so there'll be no spoilers about what's coming down the road.

Link is in my Profile.

"Kagome!"

She turned at the sound of her name, her expression immediately brightening seeing Sango and the others approach her and Hojo in the emptying club, "Sango!"

"Soo? What'd you think?" Sango asked.

"That was such a great show! You guys were amazing! I'm so glad you convinced me to come out!" Kagome eagerly replied, before she caught Inuyasha's golden eyed stare again. She felt her cheeks grow hot, thinking he'd be upset to see her there, but his expression was a lot softer than it had been before. His stare seemed more appreciative than hostile.

Kagome meekly turned away from his gaze, realizing Hojo was still beside her, anxiously, but excitedly, looking at the bandmates in front of them. "Oh! I'm so sorry! This is Hojo, a classmate of mine from the conservatory."

Hojo gave a polite but stiff bow to them, "It's a pleasure to meet you! I've been listening to your music for a while now, and I'm a big fan!"

Kagome gently patted his back, lightly laughing while saying he didn't need to be so formal. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo courteously thanked him for coming to see the show, though Inuyasha remained aloof and uninterested in the small talk.

"Did you two come together?" Miroku asked none too subtly, implying Kagome brought Hojo as a date.

"Oh! No, it was just a coincidence," Kagome quickly corrected, waving a hand to brush it off.

"Ah, well, Hojo, if you'd like to join us, we're heading to a bar not too far from here," Miroku said warmly.

"R-Really? You'd let me come with you?" he stammered meekly.

"Sure! That is, if you're alright with it, Kagome?" Sango asked, giving her friend a look saying 'say yes!'

Kagome gave a nervous laugh, "Of course! Why would I mind?"

"You guys go on ahead," cut in Inuyasha's gruffer voice, "I'll meet up with you in a bit. Just gonna load the gear, so I don't have to worry about it later."

"Sounds good! You know where to find us," Shippo replied before Inuyasha turned headed back to the backstage area of the club.

As the group stepped out into the cool evening above ground, Kagome shivered, "Oh, I forgot my coat! You guys head on over, I'll be there in a bit."

"You sure, Higurashi? I can come with you," Hojo offered.

"Don't worry, I remember where I left it. It'll just take a sec," she replied with a wave as she disappeared back down the stairs.

The club was nearly empty, save for a few staff members who were cleaning up and a few stragglers. She approached the table that she used when she first arrived, she found her coat to be missing from the chair she'd left it on, "What the…? Someone stole my coat?!"

She heaved a heavy sigh, frustrated with her predicament, "That coat was expensive too…"

"Lookin' for somethin'?" she heard a somewhat smug sounding voice come from behind her. She turned, shocked to see Inuyasha standing there with her coat in his hand, reaching out to offer it back to her.

"Uh… thanks," she said softly, gently taking the suede garment from him.

"Figured it was yours. It had your scent all over it," he said with a bit of a smirk.

Kagome blushed, "My scent?"

"Dog-demon, remember?" he replied, lightly tapping the side of his nose, "After you guys left, I could still smell something of yours here, and found the coat just sittin' there," he explained, "Figured I'd bring it back to you when I came over to the bar."

"Oh," she breathed out before smiling, "I was worried someone had snatched it up. Thanks for grabbing it."

She almost missed the hint of red that appeared on his cheeks as he weakly mumbled," Don't worry about it," before he turned to finishing packing up their gear.

She didn't know why – maybe it was because he'd been thoughtful enough to grab her coat – but she asked, "Do you need any help?" Kagome offered, "Packing up, I mean."

Inuyasha quickly shook his head, "It's alright. You go on ahead with the others, I'll catch up soon."

"You sure? I don't mind," Kagome offered again.

Inuyasha turned towards her and he could feel part of the air in his lungs escape when he caught a look in her deep blue eyes. It was warm and honest.

He turned away bashfully, "Well… yeah, sure, if you want."

Kagome smiled before putting down her things to help him. He quietly directed her to the cases that held his and Miroku's instruments, and where to take them. She helped carry them outside and loaded into his truck, secretly impressed at Inuyasha's strength, seeing him carry multiple heavy amps in one go. She knew how heavy those were, and to see him carry a bunch without breaking a sweat… 'He must be super-strong.'

Kagome caught herself staring at his arms that were hidden under the off-white Henley shirt he wore, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The shirt wasn't super tight to his form, and she could only imagine what his muscles looked like beyond that fabric.

'What am I thinking?!' she shook herself form her stupor, trying to hide the embarrassed blush that crept back onto her cheeks, 'What's wrong with me? I've never been this guy-crazy before…'

"Thanks for coming to the show… by the way," Inuyasha said passively, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Sorry?" she asked nervously, unsure she heard him right.

Inuyasha pushed the last of the equipment onto the truck bed before latching it up to secure it, before repeating, "I said, Thanks for coming out tonight. We don't get a lot of friendly faces coming out these days."

"Didn't think you considered me a friendly face, based on when we last met," Kagome joked, unsure where this sudden nicety was coming from. It seemed totally disconnected from the personality she'd meet previously. It was like the guy in front of her was the nice twin of the guy she met a few days prior.

"I can take back the thanks, if you'd prefer," he snidely responded.

'There he is,' Kagome laughed to herself.

Before she could respond with her own clap back, he continued, "Honestly, I know Sango was really looking forward to you coming tonight. Just thought… you're a good friend to support her like that. It can hard to perform without someone you know there to cheer you on."

Kagome bashfully tried to brush it off, "It's nothing, really. I know she'd do the same for me. Besides," she paused for a second, wanting to lighten the somber tone," You're not too bad a singer."

"Keh, that supposed to be a compliment?" he teased, "'Cause you suck at it."

"Hey!" Kagome jabbed, "Who's the professional musician here?"

"Technically, me," Inuyasha chided back, opening the door to head back inside, allowing Kagome to walk through first.

As they rounded the corner to the stairs landing, Inuyasha paused, causing Kagome to turn back to look up at him from a few steps down and ask, "What's wrong?"

"Listen…" he started, his head lowered before tilting up to look at her blinking and confused blue eyes. He took a breath before saying, "I want to apologize for how I acted the last time we all hung out. I was being a dick, and it had nothing to do with you, so… maybe we can start over?"

Kagome was taken aback, and nervously asked, "Did… did Sango say something to you?"

Inuyasha's ears flipped up at that, "I mean, she chewed me out for being an asshole after you left the studio, but…nothin' after that. Why?"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" she quickly brushed it off, a delicate smile on her lips.

Inuyasha blinked at the whiplash, "Really? That's it?"

"Yeah!" Kagome approached him and extended her hand, "Let's just… start over... like you said! Okay?"

Inuyasha gave her a dubious look at first, but soon smirked at the open gesture, tentatively taking her hand in his, his eyes flickering back up to hers. Her smile was radiant, and he swore he could hear her heart rate increase, though it may have been his imagination.

"Deal," he replied confidently, giving her hand a gentle but firm squeeze.

Kagome could feel the intensity of his gaze again, a sensation she'd grown keenly aware of, except now, it only existed as sparks of electricity between them. She slowly released her grip on his hand, turning to continue down the stairs.

"So how did you and Sango meet anyways?" she heard him ask from behind her.

"Oh!" Kagome mouthed, "She... never told you guys?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders as he slid his jacket onto his shoulders, careful to pull his long hair out of the collar," What? Is it some kind of big secret, or somethin'?"

Kagome blushed as she pulled on her long suede coat, "I mean… no, not really."

Inuyasha could hear the tension in her response, "Don't worry, forget I asked."

Kagome looked up at him, silently thanking him with a gentle smile on her lips, before cheerily changing the subject, "I have a question for you, though."

"What's that?"

"How come you guys don't have like a record deal or something?" She asked politely, "Your music is great, and I can't imagine it would've been hard for you get a contract," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha's ears twitched excitedly at her compliment, before trying to smoothly answer, "Uh… well, it's not like it wasn't offered."

The pair walked up the stairs and out into the main street, strolling towards the bar they were to meet the others at shortly.

Kagome pressed, her curiosity clear in her voice, "Really? So… why didn't you take it?"

Inuyasha pushed his hands into his pockets as he kind of shrugged, keeping his eyes forward, not tempting to look her way, "Just never seemed like a priority. We all like being independent, and setting our own hours and schedules. We all work as sessions musicians, and that's kind of enough for us. We can release whatever music we want online, make some extra cash with side gigs, and we never have to answer to anyone about what we put out there, or when, or how."

"But what about the fame and riches?" Kagome asked almost jokingly, but still honestly, "You could make so much money from your music."

"I make enough," Inuyasha replied nonchalantly.

She smiled in a teasing way, "Not your cup of tea then?"

She could see him peer at her from the corner of her eye, but kept her gaze forward, "Fame is never something I really cared about, and money doesn't change anything. I have what I need, that's all that matters," he said thoughtfully, "I get to play what I want, and that's all that mattered to me."

Kagome kind of liked that, the simplicity of it. He clearly wasn't a complicated guy when it came to music. He knew what he was about, and wasn't willing to compromise for it. She kind of… admired that.

"I wish I had that stuff figured out," Kagome said quietly, earning another peek from Inuyasha.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I've never really known what I want to do with my music. I just… kinda always knew I was good at it, but… I didn't have much in terms of direction for where I wanted to go with it, so I just kind of did whatever made sense to make sure that if I pursued it in any meaningful way, I'd have the best chance of being a success, "she explained.

"What, like you were pressured into going to music school?" Inuyasha pressed.

"No, I was the one who wanted to go. But… sometimes I wonder after I graduate, what am I going to do with it...? What the point of it all is…? You know?" she answered before turning towards him and giving a small laugh, "Sorry, I don't know if I'm making any sense."

Inuyasha's face softened, "You're still young, and you're figuring out your voice. It takes time. So… don't beat yourself up for not knowing where you wanna take this right now."

Kagome smiled up at him, enjoying the moment, "Thanks… sometimes it's nice to be reminded of that."

When they arrived, Kagome could see that Hojo had been talking all their ears off.

"Oh, there you are!" she heard Hojo say as she and Inuyasha joined them at the table, "I was getting worried that you'd gotten lost!"

Kagome smiled politely and explained what had happened, occasionally exchanging glances with Inuyasha.

"So, Inuyasha, the others were telling me that you're the person responsible for the songwriting?" Hojo said in a probing tone, "I was just wondering where you learned to write like that?"

Kagome peered over at Inuyasha, genuinely interested in his answer. She'd been so curious since Hojo had brought it up at the club, who the songwriter was for their lyrics, and she was honestly surprised to find out it was him.

Inuyasha merely shrugged lifting his pint to his lips, answered in a fairly casual tone, "How does anyone learn anything? Practice."

Hojo laughed, "Well, yes, of course. But I was saying to Kagome earlier how I'd never heard lyrics that quite hit the way yours do. I was just curious if there was some kind of methodology for your writing."

Inuyasha put his glass down, lightly shaking his head, "I dunno what to tell ya, kid. I write what makes sense to me in the moment. Best answer I can come up with is keep a notebook by your bed, 'cause I almost always get the ideas after waking up in the middle of the night."

Hojo nodded eagerly, listening attentively, "I'll have to give that a try!"

The night pressed on uneventfully, with Hojo being his overly eager self. At around 1am, the bar was starting to close up, and the group soon began to part ways. Sango hugged Kagome, thanking her again for coming out, and left with Miroku. Shippo organized something to pick up some equipment from Inuyasha over the next day or two, before he too took his leave.

"Higurashi, do you want me to walk you home?" Hojo offered.

"Don't worry about me, Hojo," Kagome waved off, "You're all the way on the other end of the city. You won't get home until almost dawn if you walk me."

"Are you sure? I'd hate to think you were walking around at this time of night all alone," he replied, pushing the subject.

"I'll take her home," Inuyasha interjected. Kagome turned abruptly to see him approaching them, "I've gotta go get my truck anyways form the club. I can drive."

"That's not necessary, "Kagome replied.

"I'd appreciate it," Hojo answered, as if he didn't even hear her.

"Huh?" Kagome spun back to face Hojo.

"Alright, you have a good night, Higurashi! I had a great time, and I hope we can hang out more often, you know, after we graduate?" there was a tone in his voice, that seemed expectant.

Kagome felt her heart race at being put on the spot, especially with Inuyasha standing right behind her, "Um… yeah, sure. It'd be nice to hang out more once we've finished our finals performance."

"Great! Well, you both have a good night!" Hojo called as he turned to leave for the subway. Kagome stood there somewhat dumbfounded, nervous to turn around.

Eventually, she didn't have to, as Inuyasha walked by, and said, "Well, let's get going, if you wanna get home at a decent hour."

"Hey! I never agreed to you giving me a ride," she retorted.

Inuyasha paused mid-stride, turning back to her, casually stating, "I have to go past the conservatory to go the studio and drop our gear off anyways. It's no big deal. I can take you."

Kagome's initial hesitation soon melted away at his explanation, and replied, "Really? You don't mind?"

He smirked at her, and she felt like her heart skipped a beat at the sight, "If I did, I wouldn't have offered. Besides, we're starting over, right?"

Kagome smiled appreciatively, 'This guy… I can't figure him out.'

"Come on!" he continued before resuming his step, leaving Kagome rushing to catch up with him.

When they got back to the club, Inuyasha helped her get into the truck, as it was quite high off the ground, and she wasn't exactly wearing the most appropriate footwear to climb up the massive vehicle. He opened the door, and offered a hand.

"What a gentleman," she joked, taking his hand in hers. His hands were calloused and rough, but they were also warm. She was kind of amazed; seeing his claws, and the strength with which he'd lifted the equipment earlier, she assumed his grip would be harder. Rougher. But he was… surprisingly gentle.

"Don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my reputation, "he replied in the same tone as he easily lifted her up into the truck, and she seated herself gracefully. Her legs folding neatly to the side as she got in, and she gave him a grateful nod.

After securing the gear, Inuyasha slide into the driver's seat easily and the truck roared to life. He pulled out of the alleyway, and asked, "So, remind me how to get there?"

Kagome giggled, "I thought you knew where the conservatory was…"

Inuyasha smirked, "I do… Just wanted to make sure I had my directions right."

Placating him, Kagome instructed him where to turn and for a bit, they shared a companionable silence.

As they reached an intersection and waited for the light to change, Kagome broke the silence and asked, "So… what else do you do other than music?"

"Small talk?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I… Just curious, is all," she replied.

Inuyasha smirked, "I actually have another job."

"Three jobs?!" Kagome almost exclaimed, "How do you have the energy?"

Inuyasha turned and gave her a look, "Part demon, remember?"

Kagome mouthed an 'oh' as he continued, "I work with a blacksmith. He looked out for me when I was younger, and gave me a job straight outta school as a kind of favor to my dad."

"That's nice of him. I take it you're a blacksmith too?" Kagome questioned.

"Yup."

"I, honestly, didn't even know blacksmiths still existed. I thought it was something that died out with the Industrial Revolution," she giggled, admitting her lack of knowledge on the subject.

"You'd be surprised how many people still use them. There's not many of us, but there's always demand for the craft," he expanded, casually discussing it as he resumed driving, "I work enough to pay for the space above his shop, so I live somewhat rent free, and it gives me the flexibility I need to still do the music stuff."

"That's quite the favor. Is your father also a blacksmith?"

Inuyasha hesitated in his answer, "He wasn't, no…"

Kagome inferred from his tone, and the use of past-tense, what the situation, "Oh... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Don't worry. It's fine, "he smirked to reassure her, "He died when I was really young. If I didn't have the photos, I'd probably have forgotten what he looked like a long time ago."

Kagome grew quiet.

Sensing her sudden discomfort, Inuyasha rushed to speak, "Honestly, it's okay. It happened a long time ago."

"We don't have to talk about it," she interjected quickly, but demurely.

Inuyasha gave her a quick look, and saw the suddenly melancholy and somber look on her face. After a few quiet moments, he resumed, "So, you were saying to that Hobo guy that you've got a performance coming up?"

Kagome giggled at the insulting nickname for her classmate before nodding, "His name is Hojo. And yeah, it's part of our finals. They usually have a lot of industry people there, as a sort of audition for the students, and it's how a lot of us get work after we graduate."

"Sounds intimidating," Inuyasha posited.

"Heh, it is," Kagome agreed, "I've been practicing like crazy because I'm so nervous. Sango had to practically beg me to come out tonight because I was going to just practice more."

"Don't stress yourself over it," Inuyasha said calmly.

Kagome smiled, "Got any advice for me? You perform a lot."

He let out a contented sigh, thinking it over, "Well, I'm sure you've heard the one about imagining the audience in their underwear, but trust me, that doesn't help."

Kagome let out a full laugh. His ears flickered towards her, enjoying the sound of her laugh and pleased that he'd been able to cheer her up a little.

"Okay, well, what then?" she asked in a jovial tone.

"Lots of water, lots of rest, and…" he paused for a moment, "Just do it like it's last time you'll ever be able to. You never know when it'll be the last time you can. Just… make sure it's a performance you'll be proud of."

That piece of advice gave Kagome a moment of pause as she turned to look his way. A soft smile grew on her lips as her eyes softened, "Thanks. I think that's exactly what I needed to hear."

Inuyasha gave her a quick sideways glance and smirk before Kagome faced forward again, the conservatory coming into view.

Inuyasha pulled over, turning off the engine and getting out.

Kagome tried to stop him, "It's okay, I can get out myself."

He was already outside her door and opening it before she could finish the thought. He again offered his hand, and Kagome, eager to feel his skin against hers again, took hold of it and eased herself onto the sidewalk.

The touch between their hands lingered for a moment longer than would have been considered appropriate, and Kagome could feel that electricity from before again, radiating between them as his eyes remained fixed on hers, shifting from one to the next and back. She quietly spoke, "Thank you… for taking me home."

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha tried to play it off causally as he slowly disconnected from her grip, immediately missing the feeling, before saying, "Thanks again… for coming out tonight."

Kagome averted her eyes downward to hide the flush that rose, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Inuyasha followed the motion, wishing he'd reached out to brush her hair aside, wondering how it would feel against his fingers.

She was pondering something, unsure if she should even ask. But she was feeling unusually brave, "Listen… I was going to ask Sango if she wanted to come to my performance. If you're interested, as a fellow musician… and since we're starting over…" she tried to excuse her reasoning, but she went for it, "I wouldn't be opposed if you and the others came as well."

Inuyasha's ears swiveled, unsure if he heard her properly, "Really? You'd want us to come?"

Slightly embarrassed, she tempted looking up at him as she explained, "I mean, I came to your show… right? It's only fair. Friends support their friends."

The way her eyes looked at him through her lashes, he was powerless to resist, "I'll ask the guys for you, but I'm sure they'd love to come. I know I'm down."

Her smile grew inexplicably at his answer, and he'd temporarily forgotten what words were, "Great! I'll grab the tickets then," she replied, unsure how to say goodbye, "Well, I guess I'll see you later then?"

Inuyasha was brought back to earth for a moment, nodding his head, "Yeah… Have a good night."

She smiled again, "You too," before turning slowly away from him and walking up the stairs to the main entrance of the building, disappearing behind the glass doors.

Inuyasha was rooted to the spot for a good few minutes, even after she'd faded from his view. He slowly closed the truck door, leaning against it, unsure of what just happened. He hadn't felt this way around anyone in so long, it felt so foreign to him, yet all too familiar. For some reason, just being around her… she brought out something in him he hadn't exposed to anyone since…

He quickly tried to shake it off as he got back into the driver's seat and turned the key, though his mind never stopped racing or thinking of the ocean blue eyes that had just entranced him all evening. Ever since he spotted her in the audience, watching them perform. She'd had his unconditional attention.

Again, bit of a shorter chapter, but more is coming soon.

Let me know if you enjoyed that by favoring or following the story, and be sure to leave a review! I really appreciate any and all constructive comments.

Until Next Time…