A Time for Changes

Author’s Notes: Hey everyone. Isn’t it funny how if your story remains idle for a little while the reviews seem to pour back in? It’s nice to see so many encouraging reviews asking/pleading with me to continue the story.

For some reason I am unable to add the entire chapter to my story in one easy swoop. So I’m dividing the chapter into two sub parts. I hope you forgive me

‘Inner thoughts’ = sometimes used for Koga’s beast too
“ Verbal thoughts”

Chapter Six: Worlds Collide as Heaven Pulls Us Through Pt 1


She turned in her sleep releasing a frigid unhappy whimper, something clearly plaguing her thoughts. The clock by the side of the bed read 3:02AM, but she still slept.

‘Boy….wake up’
Koga groaned and cursed mentally, squinting his eyes shut.
‘Boy, don’t ignore me. The girl, she needs you.’
Koga opened his eyes, ‘Whaddya want?’
‘The girl, she seems to be fearful of something.’

Koga sat up in bed suddenly, turning his head to his left; there she slept, eyes furrowed, face twitching in a frown. Her fingers were twisted in the sheets, her whole body trembling. The wolf youkai frowned lightly and laid a hand on her bare shoulder, “Kagome?”

Her body flinched under contact, but her eyes managed to open. Kagome turned to him slowly, as if still unsure if she was in her home or in the dream. His hand followed her, gently stroking her shoulder down to her elbow. “Koga?”

His strong arms pulled her to his bare chest; she buried her face against him, her warm breath tickling his toned muscles. “You were having a nightmare?”

She nodded as her grip around his waist tightened. “Bad…” she mumbled slowly, relaxing as his fingers slowly worked their way into her hair. It’d been like this for a few weeks now, since that special night. Not much had changed other than a few sweet kisses hello and goodbye, that and, this arrangement. One night after a nightmare he’d invited her into his bed with no impure intentions and since then she hadn’t left. The nightmares too joined the duo in bed, something the beast cried about. His beast was unhappy that all the purring and affection in the world would not stop the horrid nightmares.

“What was this one about?” Koga-kun asked quietly, his chin resting on the crown of her head.

“Different….” Kagome muttered, shifting so she tilted her head to look at him. “Three people, shouting, so much shouting, and blood.”

“No Souta-san?”

“No, he wasn’t there. You, me, and two other people; there was blood, lots of it.”

‘Not about Souta… seems suspicious, watch over her today.’
‘I know you stupid beast, its not like I normally don’t.’
‘Hah. We shall see’

Although lost in grogginess, Kagome was always ashamed of her horrid nightmares. This time with Koga-kun was the first time in a long while that she felt well…secure, and still she gave no notification of this due to her nightmares. Every night, something bad, every single night; most of the time her nightmares were the ‘what ifs’ about how Souta could have died, variety of forms, sometimes completely irrelevant to the war. Koga usually held her and soon enough she’d fall back asleep, but there was never a completely peaceful night. Even prescribed medication could not help this tortured soul.

Sango sometimes questioned this chronic nightmare condition Kagome had contracted; she asked Kagome if maybe this was a sign that she and Koga were not meant to be. Kagome simply said that Koga was all she had right now and chose him; it was not the cosmos controlling her affections.

Koga sighed and kissed her temple gently, “Why not try and get a little bit more sleep. You have classes this morning, it’s me with the day off, not you.”

Kagome nodded slowly and kissed his heart before closing her eyes. “Gomen, Koga-kun, I don’t…”

“I know, Kagome, I know.” Koga squeezed her tight until he sensed her breathing slowed, signaling she was finally asleep again. Once he knew she was safe he put on some sweats and wandered into his den.

He took up the same seat Kagome usually did, the one that faced the city skyline. The chair had been imprinted with her scent; she seemed to sit here whenever she wanted to sketch.

‘How long has it been now, that she’s stayed here?’
‘Maybe a cycle of a moon or so, why?’
‘Do you think she’ll always be this way? So, unhappy?’
‘Unhappy is hardly the word, boy. Only do her dreams taunt her with vicious pains.’
‘But, if I cannot stop them, how can she feel happiness?’
‘You decide that, not me.’

Two hours later the alarm clock in their room started to blare it’s ugly noise. Koga listened to Kagome jump out of bed with an eep and frantically run about to the shower. This brought a smile to his face; somehow Kagome was always innocent and was never ever going to be a morning person. He had already showered during the few hours of her sleep and was sipping at a cup of coffee, still in Kagome’s chair.
She emerged from the room fully dressed for class a little while later. Her hair was tied back in a high bun, little makeup, and a simple blouse and pants. To Koga, Kagome always looked amazing, her beauty was something that no other ningen could match. Still, Koga could recognize the façade that kept her inner emotions guarded. Although Souta’s presence lived within this home, Koga was not sure if Kagome was properly mourning his death.

“---Koga-kun.”

He blinked, surprised at himself for missing what his sweet dear was saying to him. Tilting his head to the right he smiled, “What did you say, koi?”

“I was asking you if you wanted breakfast.” She huffed lightly and put her hands on her hips. “Honestly, what were you so transfixed on that you zoned out?”

“Nothing important, sorry.” He rose from the chair and approached her, running a hand through her hair watching her smile. “You seem happy today, despite not sleeping.”

“Well after I fell back asleep I didn’t dream again, it was this peaceful kind of sleep.” She wandered over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup before pausing to speak again. “Maybe they were taking pity on me.”

“And who are these they?” Koga chuckled, following her into the kitchen nook.

She shrugged and then laughed, “How would I know? Maybe there’s some evil demon controlling my mind and feeding off my happy thoughts.” Her watched beeped. Kagome took another big gulp of coffee then put the cup in the sink. “Crap, I’m going to be late for class.”

She ran up to Koga and stood on the tips of her toes, giving him a nice chastise kiss. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her only a second longer. When she pulled back he nuzzled the side of her hair. “What time are you coming home tonight?”

“Not too late. I have classes and then a small shift; I’m helping set up for a minor’s birthday party. I thankfully don’t have to stay, parties for little kids always get really messy and out of hand.”

With one more kiss he pushed her towards the door, “You better get going then, or you’ll be late for class. Have a good day, Kagome.”

She arrived to her lecture class with only eight minutes to spare. With a huff she slid into a chair in the far back, opening up a notebook, clicking a pen, then finally relaxing. Running in heels through the city was never that much fun, but alas she did it every time she had class. This was her feudalistic Japan history course. This was where the majority of her art inspiration came from---

Her phone vibrated with a text message, cutting off her thoughts.

From: Sango-chan
To: Kagome-chan

Are we still hanging out tomorrow night into Saturday?

Kagome looked around the room, seeing no sign of the professor she quickly replied back.

To Sango-chan
From: Kagome-chan

Of course! I get off of work at 3 tomorrow; I’ll swing by right after that.


“Talking to your roommate?”

Kagome fumbled with her phone and upturned her head to see Taishou-san grinning down at her. He slid into the seat beside her. “Taishou-san? Have you always been in this class?”

“Yeah, but did I attend it that often, no. I worked it out with my professor I’d get the notes online and still hand in the assignments so I could keep working.” He pulled out his chair and sat down. He was wearing a yellow bandana today, Kagome-chan noticed.

She was about to ask about him about the bandanas when he recalled their last encounter.

‘If you don’t mind me asking, how do you two know each other?” Her eyes slanted slightly, as if she wanted to pierce holes through Kagome’s nearly anorexic body.

“I’m—“
“She’s a local at the café, you know, where I work? I ran into her at a museum too once, she left her sketch pad there so I returned it to her the next time she came in for a cup of coffee, the baka. Nothing special.”’

She cleared her throat and turned her eyes back down to the papers, slowly writing the date on the top of her page. “I hope everything’s been going well for you and Kikyo-sama, Taishou-san.”

There, he felt it, the shift in aura. Kagome’s open and usually happy pink aura slowly withdrew into a black darkness. He suddenly felt barriers being put between them, barriers that seemed to tug at his heartstring. Maybe she didn’t realize that the potency of her aura was magnified from her miko backgrounds, but it was enough to inflict a whimper from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha scratched the back of his head and continued to gaze at Kagome, “We’re ‘aight. She comes and goes a lot, says stuff about work. She won’t move back in with me.”

“It’s a huge commitment, I suppose,” Kagome answered nonchalantly, turning her attention to the front of the room as the professor walked in.

“Yeah, I guess,” Inuyasha mumbled, giving up for the time being.

The two sat next to each other but didn’t say a lot throughout the lecture. Although the class was big enough they could’ve easily gotten away with it, the silence between them grew. Inuyasha’s beast was truly troubled by the rumbling aura of the girl, as was Inuyasha, who understood her change in attitude. He had wanted to apologize to her for a long time.

Kagome absorbed herself in taking notes, which were infrequent. Inuyasha watched her as her pen wandered past the margins of the pages, slowly filling them with sketches. The doodles were simple, a rose, a teardrop, three people, a red hand against a window. She seemed to sketch without losing focus of what was going on the class. What he did notice though was each time she sketched the aura changed slightly, to what, he couldn’t understand.

“What do you think, Taishou-san?”

“Huh?” Inuyasha’s eyes rose from the paper to the professor at the front of the room. The old bear youkai tapped his fingers against his elbow. “Erm….”

“Class, does anyone want to help Mr. Taishou out and tell him what was the mysterious object that captured the attention of all humans and demons alike during Sengoku period?”

“Jewel of Four Souls, also known as the Shikon no Tama forged by the great miko Midoriko…” Kagome whispered. She didn’t know of his demon hearing, she merely mumbled it and continued working on her art.

“The Jewel of the Four Souls,” Inuyasha spat out quickly, sending a glare back at the professor who was, surprised, to say the least that Inuyasha had managed to pull out the answer.

“Very good, Taishou-san.” His attention moved to the young miko beside him, “Tell me, Higurashi-chan, what made this jewel so desirable?”

“It was the solution,” Kagome answered quietly.

“I’m afraid I’ll need you to elaborate more.”

Kagome put down her pen and looked up to the professor, “The answer. It is said that the Jewel of the Four Souls was forged from both Miko Midoriko’s power and the souls of demons alike. Ultimately it was a source of power, the legend says whoever possessed the jewel could wield the ultimate source of power. Other’s says that the jewel gave out one unrestricted wish to the possessor. It was the solution, your heart’s greatest desires could be yours if you possessed such a vile creation.”

Again, the professor seemed shocked, “Vile?”

“Mortals, even the immortal youkai, were never meant to possess such a thing. It was a power belonging to the gods. We who exist on this plane are foolish and incomplete. Is there anyone in this world who could resist the temptation of the jewel and make a wish unselfishly?”

“You make a valid point, Higurashi-san, perhaps you belong in our school’s philosophy classes. Your knowledge of this era is most impressive though, I must say.” There was a faint rumble of chuckles, but they died quickly with the ringing of the bell.

Before Inuyasha had much of a chance to open his mouth to speak Kagome had already gathered her supplies and was heading towards the door. “Wait, Kagome-chan, wait up for a second!”

“I’m sorry Taishou-san, but I have places I need to be,” she told him coldly without turning back.

Again his heart hurt, his beast inside yelping with pain. He grabbed her wrist, watching her cerulean eyes turn to him in shock. “Onegai, I just want to…to apologize. Please, let me make it up to you. Let me explain myself to you?”

“There is no need for you to explain yourself to me, I’m not demanding one,” Kagome-chan whispered. “I’m nothing special, remember?”

‘But you are! Please, you have to know that…’

“Please, Kagome-chan…please?”

She sighed slowly and rubbed her temples, “I have a short shift after class. I’m going to need to run back home and change after that. What did you have in mind?”

Inuyasha hadn’t thought that far ahead, mentally he was cursing, “How about…coffee? It’s where this whole damn mess came from…sort of. Please? Let me make it up to you and prove to you I’m not a totally ass.”

After a pause that seemed like forever she huffed, “Fine, but you better give me the best white tea and scone you have. I’ll meet you at ten, now I’ve got to get to my next class!” With that, the raven-haired girl vanished into the crowd.

Koga yawned and stretched slightly in Kagome’s chair. He’d been awake for a long time now and accomplished quite a bit; he’d gone for a very easy five-mile run, made himself a proper breakfast, cleaned his home, and done some extra work. Now, he was completely bored and it was only five o’clock.

“What can I do for Kagome…”
‘Why not call her ningen friend, I’m sure she could tell you something.’
“Not a bad idea.”

He flipped open his phone and quickly punched in Sango-chan’s number.

“Hello?”

“Ah, hello, Sango-chan. How are you today?”

“I’m fine, no classes today so I’m relaxing. What’s up?”

“I have the day off too, and I feel like I should do something nice for Kagome-chan.”

“Well, a lot of her old stuff is still here. I mean, for all the times she sleeps over it’s convenient, but I’m sure there are a few things here that belong at your place now. A lot of her artwork is here. She swears it’s not good enough to put up in an art gallery, but maybe you could submit some for her and see what happens. There’s a really great one of Miroku—“

“How are you handling that, Miroku-san being gone?”

“He’ll be home eventually, he calls me more than I do. I think it’s that lecher whose homesick. I’m managing though, it lets me pick up extra shifts at work so although I miss him I’m benefiting.”

“Hah, I’m glad you’ve found a positive in the situation. What time would be best for me to swing on by your place?”

“Now’s fine, I have a shift starting at 7 but it’s right down the street.”

“See you in, fifteen minutes?”

“That’s fine! See ya then.”

The day went by quickly for Kagome-chan. She didn’t see Taishou-san the rest of the day, but was uneasy throughout the afternoon. It wasn’t that she found his emotions insincere, but she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to hear his explanation. She feared the explanation was that Taishou-san had to belittle Kagome to keep Kikyo-san at bay. Kagome didn’t want to forgive Inuyasha and then be told she could not be friends with him because of his girlfriend.

Kagome remembered her eyes, how cold they were to her. They felt empty, but still beyond that, they held great depth, a secret. She wondered if the secret was being shielded from Taishou-san. It was strange; it was as if Kagome could see straight into the elusive Kikyo-sama’s soul.

At about eight thirty Kagome came to Koga’s door; ‘Strange, the door’s locked.’ With the key he’d given her she pushed the door open to find an unlit apartment. “Koga, are you here?”

There was no response. She slowly made her way inside, pulling off her shoes and hanging up her purse. As pulled a water bottle from the refridgerator and after closing it she found a note on the fridge.

--For My Love, Kagome

Ran out for a little while. I’m bringing home Chinese for you because I know it’s your favorite. I should be home around nine! Cell died earlier today, it’s charging.---

She decided to take advantage of Koga’s absence and turn on his stereo, blasting the local radio station as loud as she wanted. With the music blaring in the background she went to take a shower and prepare for her “meeting” with Taishou-san (she had no idea what else to call it other than meeting)

When she remerged from the bathroom a half hour later she heard the door swing open slowly. Gazing into the mirror in their room she called out to him, “That you, Koga?”

Nothing.

“Koga?”

The stereo turned off.

She wandered to the threshold of their bedroom and peaked outside, “What, do you hate my taste of music, Koga-kun?”

“Who the hell are you?”

That was when Kagome noticed the shift in aura; the lady demon was releasing a minor portion of her power. Across the room stood a tale female wolf youkai, Koga’s mother she assumed. Although the mother, she looked very little like Koga. Her hair was blue with streaks of natural grey, her body curvaceous, and eyes sunshine orange. She was dressed in a formal business suit and black heels.

“Well, are you deaf, ningen, who the hell are you?”

“Hi—Higurashi Kagome, madam.” Kagome could feel the hairs on her arms begin to stand on end. The female youkai’s power was slowly suffocating the room.

“What are you doing here? Where is my son?” She took a step forward.

Kagome sidestepped out of their bedroom and against the foyer wall. “Well, according to the note he left me—“

“Oh, he leaves you notes? So you’re here often then?” She sniffed slowly and then scowled, “You slut, your scent has tainted this entire apartment.” Her eyes narrowed, “Do you live here with my son?”

“He—He said he’d be home by nine…if…if you want to wait for him. He told me you and your husband were abroad for business,” Kagome squeaked out. The picture frames on the walls were beginning to shake.

“Ah yes, so us being away on business was the perfect opportunity for you to take advantage of my son’s kind heart and move in here? Ah but me coming home for a small visit put a wrench in your perfect gold-digging plan didn’t it, you slut!”

“Please…you don’t understand…I love Koga…”

“Love?” her anger was increasing, along with her overwhelming power. “You love him you say? Ah how long have you known my son, a few hours? Was he just well endowed, thought you could milk his pockets a little longer?”

Kagome frowned, desperation trembling in her eyes. “Please! I’m not some whore! I’ve known Koga for years. I’m not after his money!”

“Koga, so you drop honorifics now? Do you honestly think a tramp like you is equal or better than my son? You’re nothing but a ningen, a worthless ningen who has corrupted my son’s mind!” The air around her was glowing a slight red; a few picture frames fell, glass shards falling across the floor.

“You’re wrong!” Kagome screamed, feeling tears of terror and sorrow bursting from her eyes. “He’s taken care of me. He loves me…and I love him!”

Before Kagome could blink again she felt a cold hand clasp around her neck, cutting off whatever long-winded rebuttal that was going to follow. A cough escaped her lips as she attempted to breath.

The demonness glared at her, eyes now red, white stripes appearing on her face, “I’m wrong am I? I’m wrong? Tell me, what makes you think a worthless ningen like you has that right? You don’t have the right to even speak to me, to him, to any youkai! You are a mere ningen, worthless, a whore only looking for money! I will kill you for your insolence!”

‘Koga….please, please help me.’

--Meanwhile—

Koga had selected about half a dozen pieces from Sango’s apartment and decided to run them around town. The application process he found out was very daunting. A lot of the information he managed to fill out, and some galleries were impressed with the one painting he brought as a sample. Sango seemed pleased that Koga was really trying to be a good boyfriend. It wasn’t that she doubted the love in their relationship, but Sango had been troubled by Kagome’s frequent calls of her nightmares. Somehow those sorts of things meant trouble for her pal Kagome.

He’d managed to grab a few contact numbers and the Chinese food before heading home. Once he got into the main lobby though, he knew something was wrong. He knew this scent anywhere. The plastic bags containing the few fell to the ground as he sprinted for the stairs, unlocking his demonic speed, up the flights of stairs, past the unsuspecting people and demons alike.

‘Please no…please Kagome don’t be home.’

Too late, he found the door unlocked and wide open.

“Kagome!”

His eyes bulged with horror. There, his love, was squirming for her life as his mother held her against the wall, hands around her neck, at any minute ready to snap Kagome like a twig.

No, this could not happen, this would not. Immediately his beast sprung to life, his energy matching his mothers. His eyes turned white, stripes matched on his face; his fangs grew, while he growled, “Put her down, mother.”

Turning to look over her shoulder, a wicked grin overcame her face. “Oh, so happy to see me, my dear son? I was just taking out the trash for you.”

“Put Down Kagome!”

Kagome felt to the floor with a gasp, curling up into a ball as she tried to breath. Coughs laced in blood filled the room.

“Now my son, is that any way to say hello to me?” She slowly turned around, heels clicking against the floor. “I am your alpha after all, I do believe a proper greeting is in order.” Her energy still danced around her wildly as she continued to approach her son. “You’d know this better than anyone, wouldn’t you, my dear Koga-kun.”

Growls rumbled in his throat. Wolves were very different from another other youkai; there was a society, an order, within their pack. Koga was beneath his parents, he was their inferior, both in stature, and in strength. Still, his beast was overwhelmed with rage; his trembling white eyes went back and forth between his mother and Kagome. Kagome had yet to sit up yet, she was still folded over in pain.

”Why should I greet you? You have harmed my intended.”

A vile laugh filled the already suffocating room, “Intended you say? When did you plan on seeking out our approval?” She let out a faux gasp and brought a hand to her mouth, “Oh dear, did you plan on mating her before we could return? Mate this ningen in secret because even a fool like you knew it was a mistake?”

“Do not mock my love for Kagome!” Koga’s beast roared, the room trembling still. Despite his anger, despite his fury, he found himself unable to move. To disobey his alpha female would be most deadly. She was a woman of great power.

“I will kill this foolish love.”

Kagome, finally feeling consciousness return to her, lifted her head from the floor. The side of her cheek was prickled with glass, blood dripping from her chin. She sat up and leaned against the wall in shock. She knew that his parents hated humans. How could she have forgotten this? How had she allowed herself…. to put Koga in this mess? Slowly she raised, weak legs, knees shaking. Again, before she could blink, she was face to face with his mother.

Pain. Immense pain. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t scream. Blood sprayed the wall behind her. She had no idea she was in motion either. One flick of the woman’s wrist and her shoulders both were cut open. Again, she fell.

‘I…. I didn’t even see her coming…I…I can’t move my body.’

Her eyes found Koga’s, the blue returning to them as he stared in shock. “Ka…Kagome…No…”

“You have ten seconds to get her out of my sight and return here, or I will hunt her down and kill her.” The words were cruel, the words were unloving, how was it possible this was his mother? “Ten…”

Cold air. Kagome looked around slowly, she was outside the apartment, downstairs. Warmth, textured tongue, brushing against her blood. In another situation this might have been arousing…that’s right…another situation. She closed her eyes and winced in pain. She was unaware of the saliva’s medicinal capabilities. Her knees were giving way.

“Nine”

“Hold on, Kagome, hold on,” he begged as he continued to lick at her wounds.

“Ko…Koga?” The blood loss was terrible for a human. The pain was shutting off her nervous system. What the woman had done to her without seemingly moving, she didn’t know. Tears fell from her eyes. “I’m…. sorry, Koga.”

“Eight!”

He pulled his face away from the wounds, forehead to forehead, crying for her. “No, Kagome, no. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He cried still, unable to do anything else for her. The wounds were healed enough not to be life threatening. He held her tightly in his arms, crying.

“Seven!”

“Koga….I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…if…this was a m—“

“No it wasn’t! Please god no it wasn’t!” He stared her in the eyes, “I love you, I love you more than anything. Please. Don’t say this was a mistake. I’ll fix this, I promise you my life I’ll fix this.”

“Six!”

He turned his head up, knowing she was waiting overhead, a mili-second away from killing them both. “Run. Kagome, you must run.” He draped his jacket over her bloodied shoulders. “The demons will come for your blood soon, Kagome. You can’t stand here and wait for police.”

Her eyes were glazed over in a broken daze. Her hands touched his face, “Koga….”

“Five!”

“I’m afraid, Koga.” He held her again, as if his arms could be the shield that protected her. “Don’t die, Koga. Don’t die like they all did…”

“I’ll come back for you. I’ll fix this and come for you. Believe in me, Kagome, believe in me!”

“Four!”

His tears were falling onto his own jacket; his grip was as tight as it could be without bringing her more pain. Never, had Kagome seen the wolf prince this fragile. She wanted to protect him. Funny, isn’t it, how even drowning in her own pain, she wanted to save him first. Their lips met in one last desperate kiss, tears tantalizing lips, both of them crying, before he vanished from view. He would fight the hardest battle of his life.

Taishou-san was nervous, so nervous he’d shown up at the café too early. He felt like an idiot, sitting alone on the big yellow couch, a couch he realized now totally clashed with his outfit, bandana included. His left leg was bouncing up and down with a slight twitch. He had a coffee in his hand, his eyes out the window.

He was dressed pretty casual, it wasn't like this was a date. TOnight he had on a black baseball cap, tired of hurting his ears with a tight bandana. He had on a pair of loose jeans and a blue t-shirt, simple. Inuyasha really didn't have just ordinary female friends, and he and Kikyou really didn't date, they sort of declared their love for each other and were together, there hadn't been any of the dating or foreplay. He hadn't heard from Kikyou in three days, she claimed she was out of town on business. Somewhere in his mind he wondered if Kikyou should be his first concern, not mending this void between he and Kagome-chan.

‘I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I just want to make things right…I was such a prick. Stupid Miroku of all people had to yell at me. God, for him to notice I was wrong, damnit, I must’ve been such a fucking ass. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t want Kikyo mad at me. God damnit…’

He took a final sip of his coffee before tossing it away. He decided that maybe a walk would help calm his nerves. The bells chimed overhead as he walked outside. The wind was blowing, a slight chill factor that made even him zip up his coat. Otherwise it was a lovely night, the stars were out, the moon was…

‘What’s that smell? I’d know that smell anywhere…it’s…it’s…blood.’

“Ta...Taishou...san"

Her fingers caught the store window before she fell. He’d moved to catch her but she was already unconscious, so she couldn’t’ have known.

“Kagome? KAGOME!”

‘What the hell is going on?’

Author’s Note: Title lyrics from the song “Beautiful Love” by The Afters. Listen to the acoustic version.