Sway With Me by Aura

Excuse You

“ARRRRRRRRRGGGGG!  I CANNOT TAKE THIS ANYMORE I QUIT!!!”

The screaming resounded through the different areas of the dance studio, bringing several of the people in the multi-roomed building to a pause as they glanced toward their doors.  A dark haired girl was speeding down the hall just at a speed just short of breaking into a run.  Her heels echoing with sharp hateful clicks against the hardwood as she stormed toward the door.  Fumbling after her, sounding as if he’d half fallen down the steps in his rush to catch up to her, was a short chubby older man.

“It’ll be a wonder if Mr. Myoga ever gets the Demon a partner that lasts more than a few days.”  Yuri commented in amusement as they watched the latest, one of the elite level girls called Kagura, grow tired of the demanding Kairin brother.

Yuri was next to Kagome as they went through their position practice, the girls were all in body suits with frilled pale fabric around the waste (tu-tu’s) for them to practice in smoothly.  Ballet wasn’t Kagome’s favorite but she still had to train in it an hour a week as required by the school’s lead dancing coach; Ms. Kaede.  In general most of the dancers had to train in a number of styles if they wanted to even try to get one of the schools spots for competitions in the area.  Being a business the only way people could wear school colors at such events is if they were personally approved by the instructors to represent the place.

Kagome knew all too well what her friend meant, nodding lightly but not gossiping as she herself was the subject of it too often for her comfort.  Kagome was here on a scholarship program unlike most of the students; even Yuri next to her had her grandmother pay for her tuition.  Kagome had become the subject of a lot of dislike from it, she was certainly one of the more advanced dancers in her level even if she wasn’t with the elite dancers on the higher floor she would have one of the spots of competition this year and that earned her a lot of envy and the animosity that accompanied such green feelings.

            Yuri and a few other girls didn’t care as much; a few had even said she earned it much more than most of the rich kids.  Kagome did spend any free moment in practice of some kind where most of the spoiled kids just did it as a hobby where she wanted to do it for a living.  It was nice to know she had some people in her corner but she still had to be careful because the wrong word or move and she might lose her scholarship.  As it was she feared meeting the boy that had inspired such dislike in so many women.  That was the third partner that had run off just this week and it was Thursday.  A few girls were whispering about if he’d lose another one tomorrow or not.  It’d likely become a bet. 

While she hadn’t met Sesshomaru personally, she got the idea he was nothing like his half-brother Inuyasha.  Inuyasha was her current dancing partner, and while they certainly get on exceptionally well he had good moments.  Generally she got annoyed with him cause he was pig-headed to an extreme fault and usually had a grumpy vibe.  When you pushed those things aside he could be sweet, even charming, it often depended on how he was dancing that day.  He also couldn’t stand his older half brother and Kagome had gotten to hear him complain about the guy often.

Sesshomaru was a year older than Inuyasha, and most of the rumors about him people talked about him being a full blooded demon.  It appeared to have become his nickname around the studio as long as he wasn’t around to hear it.  Inuyasha preferred to call him more colorful names that tended to involve a lot of curse words and language Kagome rarely or never used personally.  According to everything she’d heard Sesshomaru was nothing like Inuyasha beyond them having the same colored hair and eyes.  Sesshomaru was cool and calculated, often to the point of cruelty if the tears on many of the faces of dejected partners were any clue.  Inuyasha was easy going most of the time but he tended to get angry easily and wear his emotions on his sleeve.  The girls always talked about how cute both the boys were and while Kagome hadn’t seen Sesshomaru she had to admit that Inuyasha was pretty cute.

Inuyasha had silver hair and yellow eyes with slight ears that stuck from his roguish unkempt style, she still wanted to reach up and touch them but hadn’t gotten the gall yet.  All signatures of his demonic stature even if he was only a half-breed, demons were rare, and most of them were watered down with only a few families possessing pure blood.  They were always rich and powerful and Inuyasha’s family the Kairin were certainly amongst that according to all the kids at the school.  The Kairin were one of the richest families in Japan with all matter of investments in a number of areas and a lot of sway in financial industries.  Demons weren’t common but they lived longer lives than humans, they were faster, stronger, tougher.  Generally normal people were jealous of them but Kagome didn’t know how to feel about them.  There was so much hatred in their history, for a long while they were nearly hunted out and now they lived alongside humans though often in quiet ways and keeping to their own.

A lot of racism still followed the partial demons not accepted in the demon society.  Japan was certainly not as bad as many countries had been through the years.  There were still definitely areas that reacted poorly to the presence of any type of demon, and particularly to half-breeds.  She felt pity for the situation Inuyasha was in, for as far as she knew his own family wasn’t always the nicest to him, particularly his older brother.

It didn’t knowing Inuyasha long before you learned how little love was between the siblings.  At least on Inuyasha’s end if his words about his brother’s cold attitude were to be believed.  Perhaps it wasn’t a clever nickname; ‘The Demon’ but from all Kagome had heard it was an accurate one.

“Kagome, Yuri, you two care to tell us what you are chatting about since it’s so much more important than the lesson?” The shrill comments from the older woman that had caught them chatting made both wince slightly.  “You two are done.  Yuri, leave, we’ll discuss how you’ll make up the rest of the lesson later.  Kagome, report upstairs, you and Inuyasha have training to finish and it appears there will now be an open room.  Practice on your own until Inuyasha and I come up, go on.”

Yuri sent Kagome an apologetic glance as the girl headed out of the room, her girly chatting had been meant in earnest not to get her friend into trouble.  Kagome wasn’t far behind, looking at the steps with pursed lips as she headed upstairs.  She had to be more careful, she wanted friends but if she annoyed the main instructor that wouldn’t do anything for her future.  She retreated with a blush a little more quickly when she heard the smattering of snickers from the girls behind her.  She left on the ballet costume as it was as good a thing as any to practice in, taking the steps two at a time.  She was putting her hair up into a quick makeshift ponytail as she rounded a corner into the only unoccupied space, nearly bumping into someone.

The person in question snatched her elbow and spun her away from them swiftly leaving her flailing ungracefully a moment before she caught her feet.  It had been effortless for them to simply relocate her.  A scowl formed on her face as she snapped,  “Excuse you…”

            She froze a moment after she said it; the tall young man that had been heading away was dressed in black with long silver that drifted to his lower back.  That coloring of hair could only mean one thing, and when they paused to look at her a golden eye narrowed slightly and she recognized why he’d earned his nickname.  It had to be Sesshomaru.  He and Inuyasha were the richest students here, if she went annoying either one they could probably find a way to get her free ride revoked.  Kagome was quietly cursing her temper as she looked back at him giving her a once over.

He was taller than Inuyasha, his muscles were lithe and corded where Inuyasha’s were bulkier.  His face had more refined lines and had a dignified heir where Inuyasha’s was softer with larger eyes that were easily friendlier. 

           “Inuyasha’s latest partner, the scholarship student yes?” Apparently he didn’t even care to know her by name, but he knew more about her than she would expect from all she’d heard.

            Kagome nodded slightly, still frowning a bit but not pushing her temper more despite his rude behavior.  Instead she nodded slowly.  “Yes.  You’re Sesshomaru right?”

            The contemplative expression on his face didn’t make her comfortable at all, he didn’t deign to answer that as though she should already be aware of who he was.  Then he walked past her into the room again, flipping the lights on and taking a seat in the chair the instructor generally used.  The command he made making both her brows vanish into her bangs.

“Dance."

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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