Melodies by Yoru_Shakou

Musical Memories

DISCLAIMER-I do not own any part of Inuyasha.

Chapter One

She sat at the bench of the black grand piano. The instrument itself was atleast seventy years old. It had belonged to her grandfather who had given it to her when he passed. She could play it. Both her father and grandfather had been her teachers. She had begun to play when she was only four.

FLASHBACK

A little girl banged on the white and black keys of the small piano. Noise could be heard throughout the shrine house. An old man rushed into the nearly empty room at the sound. Followed by a younger man both with identical features.

“Little onyx, you must not treat something with such beauty that way.” chastised the old man gently as he took her hands in his.

“Pop is right sweetheart. You must be gentle to a fragile beauty. Like how we are gentle with you.” spoke the younger as he picked her up and set her in his lap.

“Daddy, you and pop always play with it. I wanted to play too. You never play enough with me now. I don’t see how either of you like it. Its noisy.” spoke the four year old as she pushed a few keys, glaring at the object with hatred.

Smiling her father reached around her and placed his hands gently on the keys. Slowly he began to play a soft melody to the girl as he rested his head on her small shoulder.

“Little onyx, when you are gentle, she will sing so sweetly to you. Listen as your father plays. Do you here? The smooth sounds coming from her, that is music.” her grandfather explained.

The little girl tilted her head away from her father as she watch the shiny white and black keys her father gently pushed as the sounds came from the once noisy contraption. A smile spread across her face when she realized the song he was playing was the one he hummed to her when she was going to sleep.

“Daddy, that’s my song! Pop listen! It sounds pretty when you play it on this. Teach me to play too daddy!” she said enthusiastically.

END FLASHBACK

She smiled at her memories. Slowly she rested her fingers on the keys. The smooth ebony and ivory keys shined as she softly pressed on them letting her lullaby play in the nearly emptied house. Tears fell down her face as she played. Splashing on the keys as she moved her fingers.

Her lullaby was the last thing her father had played for her those nine years ago. He’d been diagnosed with brain cancer and had stopped playing the piano. The doctors had given him a year to live at best. Everyday she would try to get him to play. When he refused she would play for him.

Finally when he had yet again refused to play she grew angry. She had yelled at him and told him she refused to play ever again. She never touched the piano after that. She would sit for hours, ones she usually spent playing and watched the piano. Praying for it to play. To utter one note in the quite air as she sat there.

Still it remained abnormally quite in the home. A sadness hung over the small family. She had grown to avoid the piano during the days. She could not bear to even look at it for fear she would one day play it. She busied herself with the sheet music. Writing down all the melodies she had played out in her head on the small music sheets.

One night, with her father slowly passing into death she heard her lullaby playing. Running down the stairs and into the room where the piano was kept she cried as she saw her father playing. He was breathing heavy and sweating badly. Yet, he played the song like always. Slow and in time. She sat beside him as he continued to play. She laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist. When he was finished he made her promise to always play. Never let anything come between her and the piano.

She had sworn to him. In the next hours she had played for him and he had died leaning against her as she played one of the many melodies she had written in her separation from the piano. She had cried the whole time and had named her piece for her father. She never played it again after he had died. It hurt to play her own lullaby when he was no longer alive to do so for her.

It had been a scant two years since her grandfather had too passed. He’d left all he had to her. She was packing it all to storage in the city, with the exception of the piano. The shrine grounds were hers and she wanted to move back here. Moving the piano from the shrine was not right to her. Closing the shrine was not an option. She made plenty of money to keep the shrine going.

When she was moved in she would hold the celebration of her first published piece of music. A piece dedicated to her grandfather.

“Kagome? Everything’s packed. The movers are leaving now. I called Inuyasha and Miroku, they are bringing the stuff from your place here. They said they were hungry. I was going to order pizza. You want some?” asked a girl only a few years older then she herself.

Wiping the tears from her eyes she slid the cover over the keys and turned to her friend. Sango had light brown eyes and her mid-back hair was a shade darker. She liked to wear clothes that showed off her butt. Now she wore ass tight jeans and a pink ribbed shirt and stood bare foot on the marbled floor of the piano room.

“Sure Sango. Pizza sounds great.” she said and paused. “I was thinking of the party. I want to play more then the one song. Maybe three total. What do you think?” she asked after a moment.

Sango eyed her friend. Her grey blue eyes were a little red from crying her black hair looked a mess in its hap hazard bun. The length was to long for a bun to look decent. Approaching her friend she fixed her hair, pulling it up into a high ponytail and braiding it down to her waist.

Unlike Sango, Kagome always chose to wear loose jeans and a plain t-shirt, which was usually black. She was always trying to hide behind something even though Sango had told her she was beautiful. That she never needed to hide her body behind hideous clothes. However Kagome was never one to listen to someone.

“You know I love your music. Especially your lullaby. I remember when you played it for me the first time. It was wonderful. I know! Let Inuyasha pick one and then Miroku pick the other. That way you play a variety. We all differ in your music.” Sango decided.

Kagome smiled at her friend. Sango had always been a good friend. Ever since they had met that day at the talent show in fifth grade. Sango had been practicing her talent which was getting a neko to do tricks, near the small keyboard that Kagome was going to use for her talent. Kirara had jumped on the keys and had stayed there when Kagome had come in. They had become instant friends.

“Okay so, pizza. We got a few minutes before the guys get here.” Sango said as she pulled out her phone and placed her order.

“Don’t forget to get mountain dew!” she called to her friend as she went to wait out side.

The grounds had been decorated for the evening of the party. It looked beautiful now and would even more when the sun had set. She could see it now. All the lanterns lit up that were spread throughout the trees and the paths lined with the flowers her mother had first planted when she was little.

“Hey! Where’s the food?!” hollered someone from the house.

Turning back she came to the kitchen to see a hanyou. White hair fell down his back and amber eyes searched the room for food. She smiled as the twin puppy ears on the top of his head twitched around as they picked up on the different sounds. He wore jeans with holes in the knees and a bright red shirt that a bone on the front and in black letter said, “touch at own risk”.

“I thought you’d said you’d never be caught wearing that shirt Inu. What changed your mind?” she asked as she approached him.

Automatically he swept her up in a fierce hug. Letting loose slightly he eyed her before pulling her in again. She hugged him back just as hard waiting for him to decide that he had had enough.

“You gave me this shirt, you should know I’d ware it when the time came. I’m so proud of you Kagome.” he told her when he finally put some distance between the two.

She flashed him a bright smile as he took hold of her hand and led her back to the house. They entered the back door to the welcoming smell of pizza and garlic butter. Releasing her hand Inuyasha grabbed him a piece of the meat lovers pizza. Stuffing his face as he reached for a two liter of Big Red he never saw the container of garlic butter come flying at him.

“Pervert!” Sango screamed behind Inuyasha, causing him to turn and come face to face with the greasy substance.

Kagome couldn’t help but laugh at her friends. Miroku laid on his back with a red hand print forming on the right side of his face. She could only guess he had run his hand along Sango’s bottom. Startling her into smacking him hard and throwing the garlic butter toward Inuyasha.

“GAH! SANGO!” The inu hanyou screamed as he tried to wipe the substance from his white hair.

“When will you learn Miroku? I’m beginning to think you like the pain.” Kagome teased him as she retrieved a wash cloth for her friend.

Kagome smiled as Miroku rubbed his cheek and began to help her friend with his hair problem. Getting most of it out she giggled when he sniffed his hair and sneezed. Growling, he stuffed more pizza in his mouth. Then chased it with the Big Red he had been getting when the whole thing started.

“So does everyone know what to do for tomorrow night?” she asked and when she received nods she continued. “Good. Be sure to be here by Seven. I’ll start playing by eight. Then by the time everyone is ready to go I’ll play more for us. Okay?” she asked them.

“Sure Kagome-sama, that sounds great. Tell me, what do you intend to play?” spoke Miroku from the floor.

“The published piece, one of Inu’s favorites and then the one you and Sango love. That way I get one for you all. How’s that?” she answered.

They grinned before they nodded their heads and returned to eating the pizza. All of them thought about the part tomorrow and what it could bring.

AN: this is my first fanfic posting. tell me what you think and how i can make it better. R&R Thanks!