Disclaimer: I double-checked, and I still don't own Inuyasha...*sniff*
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The next day began as usual for Kagome, with one minor difference.
At the breakfast table Kagome, Kikyo, Souta, and their mother sat eating their customary meal of eggs, bacon and assorted fruits. Lady Higurashi ate her food while reading the morning paper and opening the mail. One large envelope came into her hands and she opened it curiously. Her eyes skimmed the letter and she shrieked in surprise and joy. Kagome almost spit out the water she had begun to sip, and little Souta almost dropped all the food in his mouth.
"My goodness! Kagome, you have been invited to the annual Youkai Ball! Do you have any idea how hard it is to be invited to this?" Kagome's mother cried.
Kagome took a large gulp of her water and shook her head.
"Why, only the most exclusive people get in! My dear girl! This is so wonderful!"
"Of course mother," Kagome murmured softly. She looked across the table and noticed Kikyo's cold gaze. Kagome lowered her head. She didn't know why her sister was suddenly so mad with her, but she wanted Kikyo to like her again.
"Well, it says here," Lady Higurashi continued, "that you may bring your family and a guest if it is your wish. Goodness, I will RSVP immediately!" Lady Higurashi put her hands on her cheeks. "Goodness! The woman at the garden society are not going to believe this! Oh! What are we going to wear!"
Kagome's mother let the table in a hurry, muttering a "to do" list under her breath.
The three siblings were left in silence. Souta was the first to speak. "Does this mean I can go this time?"
Kagome smiled over at him. "Of course. If I have to, I will beg mother to let you come. I need someone there to talk to anyway."
"What makes you think you won't have anyone to talk to?" Kikyo asked coolly.
Kagome looked startled at the question. "Well, you know I am not someone who likes to be around those kind of people. And those people don't exactly like talking to me. They treat me like I am a little child, to be seen and not heard."
"'Those kind of people?'" Kikyo demanded. "Those kind of people are our kind of people Kagome. And you will most likely marry one of those men, and live like one of those women. Why not? You seem to be ever so popular now!"
Kagome looked hurt. "But you know I don't want to live like that. I want to be like Grandpa."
Kikyo rolled her eyes. "Grow up Kagome. You don't have a choice. You were born a socialite, and if mother can help it, you will die a socialite. Besides, Grandfather is a fool who believes in silly superstitions. You should learn to not hang around him so much."
"I like Grandpa," Souta said.
"Oh, shut up Souta. You are just a kid. One day you will understand what it means to be a man in our world," Kikyo snapped.
"There is only one world Kikyo," Kagome muttered softly.
"So speaks the fool," Kikyo shot back. She stood, and looked down at Kagome and Souta with distain. "Grow up Kagome. You have to sometime."
Then she left in a whirl of cloth and expensive perfume.
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Kagome looked her reflection up and down. The dress was a shiny dark green, beautiful in design, and yet looked simple and elegant. "I like this one."
"Wonderful," Lady Higurashi cried. She turned to the next mirror, where Kikyo was wearing a beautiful red and white dress that split on one side. "You look beautiful Kikyo," their mother told her.
Kikyo inspected her reflection thoroughly. "Yes. This will do nicely."
"Fantastic! Wonderful choices my dears!"
As their mother arranged for the dresses to be altered and sent to them later, Kagome sat in the waiting room of the expensive boutique and glanced at her sister in the corner of her eye. Kikyo sat straight as an arrow, and was blatantly refusing to look at Kagome.
Kagome opened her mouth, then closed it quickly. She opened it again, and paused.
"Continue to do that and you might actually turn into a fish," a familiar dry voice inserted.
Kagome craned her neck up to look at Sesshoumaru. He was smiling mockingly down at her, a beautiful woman clinging to his arm. "Why Miss Kagome, it is a pleasure!" He took Kagome's hand and kissed it. Kagome smiled brightly, and tried to covertly wipe the back of her hand on her skirt. There was something about Sesshoumaru that scared her. Apparently she wasn't covert enough, because Sesshoumaru caught her action and merely smiled at it. His smile looked of a predator eyeing it's prey. Kagome shivered.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Lady Higurashi gushed as she noticed his presence.
"Lady Higurashi, how nice it is to see you once again," Sesshoumaru told her, his face emotionless.
"You have two exquisite daughters Lady Higurashi," Sesshoumaru added. He looked Kikyo up and down, and his smile widened. He returned his attention back to their mother. "Of course, niether's beauty can compare to their mother."
Kagome's mother blushed a deep red and giggled like a school girl. Kagome fought to keep her face emotionless, instead of breaking into a look of disgust. Sesshoumaru was a clever charmer. Her father once told her that people like that were sometimes dangerous.
Sesshoumaru's model/woman tugged slightly on his arm, and Sesshoumaru looked down at her with annoyance. He kept to good manners however, and continued out of the boutique after saying his goodbyes.
Kikyo moved to block the view of his retreat and smiled at her mother. "This is going to be an interesting party!"
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Kagome stared across the ballroom floor at the many dancing men and women, all smiling and laughing. Kagome had nothing to laugh about. In the three days after the boutique Kikyo had still yet to get over whatever it was that was making her angry at Kagome, and her best friend, who normally jumped at the chance to attend affairs such as this, couldn't come. So Kagome sat with Souta, watching the festivities with a bored frown. Souta was no better. He fidgeted in his seat and tugged at the annoying tie his mother had forced him to wear. "This is boring," Souta whined.
Kagome nodded. "You got that right."
Kagome looked over at where her sister stood, surrounded by many men, laughing and flirting with the lot of them. "Well, at least Kikyo is having fun."
"Who cares about Kikyo?" Souta said, "I want to have some fun!"
"I never said balls and dances were fun, did I?" Kagome asked.
"No," Souta conceded, "You are right, you never have."
Kagome lay her head on her arms crossed on the table.
"But come on, the least these people can do is put on some music from this century! Only old people listen to this kind of stuff!" Souta cried.
Kagome did her best not to laugh.
Her mirth faded as her eyes fell on the dance floor, where Inuyasha was twirling some girl around, smiling at her, looking into her eyes...
"Kagome?" Souta prompted, passing a hand in front of her eyes.
"Wha?" Kagome asked, blinking rapidly.
"You wanna go outside and walk around for a while?" Souta asked.
"Sure."
Kagome rose and took her brother's hand. Together they walk out to the terraces and down the steps into the garden.
Souta looked at the gorgeous display of plants, illuminated by the garden lights, casting soft shadows here and there. "Wow. Here is one thing for those Youkai brothers, they sure do live well. The garden is bigger than our penthouse!"
Kagome laughed.
"And did you see those rooms we passed by on the way to the ballroom?" Souta whistled. "What I wouldn't give to live in a place like this!"
Kagome smiled sadly. "Well, to live in a place like this you would have to give up a lot."
"Really?" Souta asked.
"Yes. Father said that to live in the kind of world the Youkais and the high class live in you have to give up two thinks: you sanity and your heart, for one can not exist without the other. And no matter what, both are always sacrificed," Kagome said.
"Wow," Souta replied, glancing around him.
"Well, of course there are exceptions. As far as I can see Inuyasha and his brother aren't crazy, nor are they heartless. Well, Inuyasha isn't, I don't know about Lord Sesshoumaru."
"Your tactless humor never ceases to amuse me," an all too familiar voice called out.
Kagome froze, and felt a blush flood her cheeks. 'Please no, don't be who I think it is' she begged silently.
She turned, and there he was, Lord Sesshoumaru himself. Kagome gave him a small smile. "Lord Youkai, it is a pleasure to see you." She curtsied, begging her face to go back to it's normal color.
"I saw you and this young boy here venture out of the ball, and I thought I might come and see how you were. We can't have two displeased guests, can we?" Sesshoumaru asked.
Kagome gave him a bright smile. "Of course not Lord Youkai. However my brother and I are quite fine, thank you."
"Actually," Souta argued, "I would like to talk to someone around here about getting the music in there into the 21st century."
Sesshoumaru's eyes lit in reluctant amusement. He took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Souta. "Here, it is a request card. Hand it to the man in charge of the music, and he will do everything in his power to see that your request is met."
"Cool!" Souta yelped, and raced back inside, furiously searching his pockets for a writing utensil.
Kagome watched him go...and abandon her with dread. She was now alone with Sesshoumaru. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Sesshoumaru moved beside her and stared out at the garden before them.
'Please go away, please go away,' Kagome chanted in her head.
"You don't like me very much do you?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly.
Kagome started. "Ummm...I...I hardly know you Lord Youkai. I don't know enough about you to form an opinion, bad or otherwise."
"But I make you uncomfortable." It was a statement.
Kagome ignored it. "Thank you for making my brother happy. He hasn't really been to these kind of events you see, and he didn't know--"
Kagome stopped as Sesshoumaru moved in closer and took her hand. "I want to be your friend Kagome," he whispered, his face moving closer and closer. Kagome began to panic. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone, but she didn't want him to get mad at her. As his face was almost touching hers, a cold voice interrupted.
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha barked.
Sesshoumaru paused in his advance, and his golden eyes flickered to Kagome's face, a satisfied smile on his face. "Until later, my lady," he whispered, and moved away.
"Hello dear brother," Sesshoumaru greeted, his tone completely sarcastic.
Inuyasha glanced at Kagome's shocked and embarrassed flushed face, and then turned to his brother. "Your woman is waiting for you inside. She wants to go home."
Sesshoumaru inclined his head and strode off toward his mansion home.
Inuyasha turned back to Kagome and viewed her paralyzed expression. "Are you okay Kagome?" he asked worriedly.
"Of course," Kagome replied quietly.
Inuyasha looked unconvinced. "You should watch out for my brother. He is a womanizer of the worst sort."
Kagome blink, unsure as to why he was telling her this. She was a nobody, something she was reminded of everyday when she say pictures of Inuyasha with many different women in the newspapers or magazines. "Can I go back to the ballroom now," she asked stiltedly.
"Of course," Inuyasha replied. He took her hand and placed it on the crook of his arm as he lead the way back into his home.
When they entered the ballroom, Kagome was mortified to find that all eyes were upon them. She turned to excuse herself from Inuyasha, but was stopped when her eyes met his breath-taking gold eyes. "May I have this dance Lady Kagome?" he asked softly.
As if in a trance, Kagome nodded, and followed him to the dance floor. He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder, then took the other in his own. A waltz flowed through the speakers covertly positioned at different ends of the room. Inuyasha twirled her around and around, and Kagome hoped that that instant would last forever. But as the final cords of the waltz faded, a loud, upbeat sound burst into life. The people in the room gazed around in surprise and displeasure as a familiar song from the radio came filtering through. Kagome smiled. 'Souta found the music man!'
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As Kagome lay down in her bed that night she stared up at the ceiling, hundreds of thoughts floating around in her head. In the ride home Kikyo had once again been silent, the air around her palpable. Kikyo was angry about something, but Kagome didn't know what. And Sesshoumaru. Suddenly he seemed so interested in what Kagome was doing, that she was beginning to feel completely confused. The dance with Inuyasha was the most prominent thought in her mind. It seemed when he touched her that anything was possible.
Kagome closed her eyes. 'Please make him love me,' she thought, weeping silently on the inside.
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A/N: Hoped you like this next chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it! You are all wonderful! Take care now!
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The next day began as usual for Kagome, with one minor difference.
At the breakfast table Kagome, Kikyo, Souta, and their mother sat eating their customary meal of eggs, bacon and assorted fruits. Lady Higurashi ate her food while reading the morning paper and opening the mail. One large envelope came into her hands and she opened it curiously. Her eyes skimmed the letter and she shrieked in surprise and joy. Kagome almost spit out the water she had begun to sip, and little Souta almost dropped all the food in his mouth.
"My goodness! Kagome, you have been invited to the annual Youkai Ball! Do you have any idea how hard it is to be invited to this?" Kagome's mother cried.
Kagome took a large gulp of her water and shook her head.
"Why, only the most exclusive people get in! My dear girl! This is so wonderful!"
"Of course mother," Kagome murmured softly. She looked across the table and noticed Kikyo's cold gaze. Kagome lowered her head. She didn't know why her sister was suddenly so mad with her, but she wanted Kikyo to like her again.
"Well, it says here," Lady Higurashi continued, "that you may bring your family and a guest if it is your wish. Goodness, I will RSVP immediately!" Lady Higurashi put her hands on her cheeks. "Goodness! The woman at the garden society are not going to believe this! Oh! What are we going to wear!"
Kagome's mother let the table in a hurry, muttering a "to do" list under her breath.
The three siblings were left in silence. Souta was the first to speak. "Does this mean I can go this time?"
Kagome smiled over at him. "Of course. If I have to, I will beg mother to let you come. I need someone there to talk to anyway."
"What makes you think you won't have anyone to talk to?" Kikyo asked coolly.
Kagome looked startled at the question. "Well, you know I am not someone who likes to be around those kind of people. And those people don't exactly like talking to me. They treat me like I am a little child, to be seen and not heard."
"'Those kind of people?'" Kikyo demanded. "Those kind of people are our kind of people Kagome. And you will most likely marry one of those men, and live like one of those women. Why not? You seem to be ever so popular now!"
Kagome looked hurt. "But you know I don't want to live like that. I want to be like Grandpa."
Kikyo rolled her eyes. "Grow up Kagome. You don't have a choice. You were born a socialite, and if mother can help it, you will die a socialite. Besides, Grandfather is a fool who believes in silly superstitions. You should learn to not hang around him so much."
"I like Grandpa," Souta said.
"Oh, shut up Souta. You are just a kid. One day you will understand what it means to be a man in our world," Kikyo snapped.
"There is only one world Kikyo," Kagome muttered softly.
"So speaks the fool," Kikyo shot back. She stood, and looked down at Kagome and Souta with distain. "Grow up Kagome. You have to sometime."
Then she left in a whirl of cloth and expensive perfume.
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Kagome looked her reflection up and down. The dress was a shiny dark green, beautiful in design, and yet looked simple and elegant. "I like this one."
"Wonderful," Lady Higurashi cried. She turned to the next mirror, where Kikyo was wearing a beautiful red and white dress that split on one side. "You look beautiful Kikyo," their mother told her.
Kikyo inspected her reflection thoroughly. "Yes. This will do nicely."
"Fantastic! Wonderful choices my dears!"
As their mother arranged for the dresses to be altered and sent to them later, Kagome sat in the waiting room of the expensive boutique and glanced at her sister in the corner of her eye. Kikyo sat straight as an arrow, and was blatantly refusing to look at Kagome.
Kagome opened her mouth, then closed it quickly. She opened it again, and paused.
"Continue to do that and you might actually turn into a fish," a familiar dry voice inserted.
Kagome craned her neck up to look at Sesshoumaru. He was smiling mockingly down at her, a beautiful woman clinging to his arm. "Why Miss Kagome, it is a pleasure!" He took Kagome's hand and kissed it. Kagome smiled brightly, and tried to covertly wipe the back of her hand on her skirt. There was something about Sesshoumaru that scared her. Apparently she wasn't covert enough, because Sesshoumaru caught her action and merely smiled at it. His smile looked of a predator eyeing it's prey. Kagome shivered.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Lady Higurashi gushed as she noticed his presence.
"Lady Higurashi, how nice it is to see you once again," Sesshoumaru told her, his face emotionless.
"You have two exquisite daughters Lady Higurashi," Sesshoumaru added. He looked Kikyo up and down, and his smile widened. He returned his attention back to their mother. "Of course, niether's beauty can compare to their mother."
Kagome's mother blushed a deep red and giggled like a school girl. Kagome fought to keep her face emotionless, instead of breaking into a look of disgust. Sesshoumaru was a clever charmer. Her father once told her that people like that were sometimes dangerous.
Sesshoumaru's model/woman tugged slightly on his arm, and Sesshoumaru looked down at her with annoyance. He kept to good manners however, and continued out of the boutique after saying his goodbyes.
Kikyo moved to block the view of his retreat and smiled at her mother. "This is going to be an interesting party!"
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Kagome stared across the ballroom floor at the many dancing men and women, all smiling and laughing. Kagome had nothing to laugh about. In the three days after the boutique Kikyo had still yet to get over whatever it was that was making her angry at Kagome, and her best friend, who normally jumped at the chance to attend affairs such as this, couldn't come. So Kagome sat with Souta, watching the festivities with a bored frown. Souta was no better. He fidgeted in his seat and tugged at the annoying tie his mother had forced him to wear. "This is boring," Souta whined.
Kagome nodded. "You got that right."
Kagome looked over at where her sister stood, surrounded by many men, laughing and flirting with the lot of them. "Well, at least Kikyo is having fun."
"Who cares about Kikyo?" Souta said, "I want to have some fun!"
"I never said balls and dances were fun, did I?" Kagome asked.
"No," Souta conceded, "You are right, you never have."
Kagome lay her head on her arms crossed on the table.
"But come on, the least these people can do is put on some music from this century! Only old people listen to this kind of stuff!" Souta cried.
Kagome did her best not to laugh.
Her mirth faded as her eyes fell on the dance floor, where Inuyasha was twirling some girl around, smiling at her, looking into her eyes...
"Kagome?" Souta prompted, passing a hand in front of her eyes.
"Wha?" Kagome asked, blinking rapidly.
"You wanna go outside and walk around for a while?" Souta asked.
"Sure."
Kagome rose and took her brother's hand. Together they walk out to the terraces and down the steps into the garden.
Souta looked at the gorgeous display of plants, illuminated by the garden lights, casting soft shadows here and there. "Wow. Here is one thing for those Youkai brothers, they sure do live well. The garden is bigger than our penthouse!"
Kagome laughed.
"And did you see those rooms we passed by on the way to the ballroom?" Souta whistled. "What I wouldn't give to live in a place like this!"
Kagome smiled sadly. "Well, to live in a place like this you would have to give up a lot."
"Really?" Souta asked.
"Yes. Father said that to live in the kind of world the Youkais and the high class live in you have to give up two thinks: you sanity and your heart, for one can not exist without the other. And no matter what, both are always sacrificed," Kagome said.
"Wow," Souta replied, glancing around him.
"Well, of course there are exceptions. As far as I can see Inuyasha and his brother aren't crazy, nor are they heartless. Well, Inuyasha isn't, I don't know about Lord Sesshoumaru."
"Your tactless humor never ceases to amuse me," an all too familiar voice called out.
Kagome froze, and felt a blush flood her cheeks. 'Please no, don't be who I think it is' she begged silently.
She turned, and there he was, Lord Sesshoumaru himself. Kagome gave him a small smile. "Lord Youkai, it is a pleasure to see you." She curtsied, begging her face to go back to it's normal color.
"I saw you and this young boy here venture out of the ball, and I thought I might come and see how you were. We can't have two displeased guests, can we?" Sesshoumaru asked.
Kagome gave him a bright smile. "Of course not Lord Youkai. However my brother and I are quite fine, thank you."
"Actually," Souta argued, "I would like to talk to someone around here about getting the music in there into the 21st century."
Sesshoumaru's eyes lit in reluctant amusement. He took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Souta. "Here, it is a request card. Hand it to the man in charge of the music, and he will do everything in his power to see that your request is met."
"Cool!" Souta yelped, and raced back inside, furiously searching his pockets for a writing utensil.
Kagome watched him go...and abandon her with dread. She was now alone with Sesshoumaru. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Sesshoumaru moved beside her and stared out at the garden before them.
'Please go away, please go away,' Kagome chanted in her head.
"You don't like me very much do you?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly.
Kagome started. "Ummm...I...I hardly know you Lord Youkai. I don't know enough about you to form an opinion, bad or otherwise."
"But I make you uncomfortable." It was a statement.
Kagome ignored it. "Thank you for making my brother happy. He hasn't really been to these kind of events you see, and he didn't know--"
Kagome stopped as Sesshoumaru moved in closer and took her hand. "I want to be your friend Kagome," he whispered, his face moving closer and closer. Kagome began to panic. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone, but she didn't want him to get mad at her. As his face was almost touching hers, a cold voice interrupted.
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha barked.
Sesshoumaru paused in his advance, and his golden eyes flickered to Kagome's face, a satisfied smile on his face. "Until later, my lady," he whispered, and moved away.
"Hello dear brother," Sesshoumaru greeted, his tone completely sarcastic.
Inuyasha glanced at Kagome's shocked and embarrassed flushed face, and then turned to his brother. "Your woman is waiting for you inside. She wants to go home."
Sesshoumaru inclined his head and strode off toward his mansion home.
Inuyasha turned back to Kagome and viewed her paralyzed expression. "Are you okay Kagome?" he asked worriedly.
"Of course," Kagome replied quietly.
Inuyasha looked unconvinced. "You should watch out for my brother. He is a womanizer of the worst sort."
Kagome blink, unsure as to why he was telling her this. She was a nobody, something she was reminded of everyday when she say pictures of Inuyasha with many different women in the newspapers or magazines. "Can I go back to the ballroom now," she asked stiltedly.
"Of course," Inuyasha replied. He took her hand and placed it on the crook of his arm as he lead the way back into his home.
When they entered the ballroom, Kagome was mortified to find that all eyes were upon them. She turned to excuse herself from Inuyasha, but was stopped when her eyes met his breath-taking gold eyes. "May I have this dance Lady Kagome?" he asked softly.
As if in a trance, Kagome nodded, and followed him to the dance floor. He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder, then took the other in his own. A waltz flowed through the speakers covertly positioned at different ends of the room. Inuyasha twirled her around and around, and Kagome hoped that that instant would last forever. But as the final cords of the waltz faded, a loud, upbeat sound burst into life. The people in the room gazed around in surprise and displeasure as a familiar song from the radio came filtering through. Kagome smiled. 'Souta found the music man!'
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As Kagome lay down in her bed that night she stared up at the ceiling, hundreds of thoughts floating around in her head. In the ride home Kikyo had once again been silent, the air around her palpable. Kikyo was angry about something, but Kagome didn't know what. And Sesshoumaru. Suddenly he seemed so interested in what Kagome was doing, that she was beginning to feel completely confused. The dance with Inuyasha was the most prominent thought in her mind. It seemed when he touched her that anything was possible.
Kagome closed her eyes. 'Please make him love me,' she thought, weeping silently on the inside.
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A/N: Hoped you like this next chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it! You are all wonderful! Take care now!