Vacant Perfection by Kae

Making Friends...and Enemies

A/N: Yes, I am starting another story without updating my old ones. Sorry, I couldn't help it. But I should be updating TD soon. In the meantime, enjoy the story told in Kagome's perspective. Written for Stella's AU Challenge.

DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha is not mine.

~

“Are you sure you want to start back today? You could wait until Monday.” Mama asked me.

I nodded gravely. “Yes. I’ve taken enough time off of school. I just want things to get back to normal.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. Have a nice day, sweetheart.”

So I headed down the shrine steps and hopped on the first bus downtown. A little while later I entered my new school, Shikon Academy. I was surprised when I was accepted into the school. I knew I had spiritual abilities but to be accepted into a school known for highly gifted youkai, mikos and monks, it would be safe to say it floored me.

I found a teacher that directed me to an empty shoe locker and I promptly changed into my school shoes. I then went to the main office and was directed to my homeroom.

After knocking on the door, the teacher answered and asked me to introduce myself to the class. As I gave my name and interests, my eyes scanned through my new classmates. That’s when I first saw him. He sat in the far back close to the door. He caught my attention because, while he was looking in my direction, he wasn’t really looking at me. He was more looking through me. And also, he was tremendously attractive. Long silver hair flowed down his back, piercing golden eyes in an alabaster face marked with a blue crescent moon on his forehead and twin magenta stripes on each cheek. He was captivating.

When I finished my introduction, I was given the seat one row over and two seats up from the beautiful boy. When I sat down, I glanced back at him. Unlike every other student in the class, he paid me no mind. This only made me want to get to know him even more.

When lunch arrived, I turned to introduce myself but he was already gone and when I turned back, I was mobbed by nearly everyone in class. They asked me question after question until my head spun and I had to excuse myself to the ladies room. Finally lunch ended and we returned to class.

As the end of the school day neared, I decided I would be proactive and clean my desk before class ended so I could catch him before he left but again when I turned, he was already out of his seat. I saw his silver hair disappear through the door before I could even blink.

Sighing, I collected my things and walked to the gym for my ballet lesson. I made sure my mother signed me up for it as soon as I learned we were moving into the shrine. Dancing was definitely something I didn’t want to give up just because we were moving.

After changing into my leotard and stretching out, the class’s mistress, Kaede, asked me to introduce myself and demonstrate what I was capable of. So I repeated what I said earlier in homeroom and began to dance an adagio combination that I had learned in my last class. My fellow dancers were impressed by my skill and Kaede started the lesson when I was finished.

When the lesson was over, the girls went to change in the locker room but I lingered to stretch out my muscles on the bar by the mirror wall. After two or three floor stretches, I lifted my heel up onto the bar and bent over. While I was still bent I heard someone ask, “What are you doing?”

When I looked up, it was the beautiful boy from school. He had such a silky voice! And deep for a boy our age. I smiled. I would finally be able to speak to him! I straightened and answered, “Cool down stretches. You should stretch before and after exercising your muscles. Before keeps the muscles from locking up and cramping during the exercise but after prevents them from seizing and cramping later.”

“Oh. I see.” The boy seemed out of his element talking to a stranger so I smiled in encouragement. He swallowed nervously and continued to talk. “My name is Sesshoumaru Taisho. May I ask your name?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. He was so formal. “Nice to meet you, Sesshoumaru. I’m Kagome Higurashi.”

After a short pause, he suddenly smirked. This caught me off guard. The expression made him even more beautiful, if that was even possible. “Are you new here?” he asked. “I have been taking kendo here for a long time and I am pretty sure I have never seen you before.”

My heart sunk as he spoke. I didn’t really want to talk about the move. It was still so painful. But he asked so I’ll tell him. “Yes. I just moved here. When my father died my family moved in with my grandfather at Sunset Shrine.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes filled with understanding and he nodded gravely. “I am sorry for your loss. Do not worry, time dulls the pain.”

It was obvious that he spoke from experience so I asked, “Who did you lose?”

“My mother.”

“I’m sorry.”

He nodded in thanks but seemed uncomfortable talking about emotions so he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “You are an excellent dancer.”

I liked where this was going. “You think so?”

“You are very graceful.”

Coming from a demon, that was saying something. “Really?”

“Hn, you rival the grace of a demon.”

How flattering! “Thank you! That is the most wonderful compliment I’ve ever gotten!” And before I even thought about it, I threw myself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. He smelled nice. Kind of like how the air smells after a thunderstorm.

“Um, you are welcome,” he said patting my back awkwardly.

That woke me up to what I was doing and I stepped away embarrassed. “I should be getting home now. It was nice talking to you,” I said. Turning away, I called back to him, “See you later, Sesshoumaru!” And I walked towards the girls’ locker room.

I heard him say, “Right, later,” just a little bit too late. My hug seemed to have shocked him. I giggled as I entered the locker room.

As I was changing, a girl came over. “What’s going on between you and Sesshoumaru?”

I pulled my t-shirt over my head. “Nothing. Why?”

The girl’s blood red eyes bored into me. That's not a human eye color. She must be youkai. “I saw you talking to him.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Back off. He’s mine.”

Sesshoumaru had a girlfriend? Bummer. But still, who did this girl think she was, ordering me around like that? “I'll do whatever I please, thank you very much. Besides, he came up to me.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “I don’t believe you. Sesshoumaru doesn’t talk to anyone.”

I raised my eyebrow at her. That seemed difficult to believe. He seemed perfectly articulate to me. “Not even you?”

I saw something flash in her eyes before she cast them onto the floor. “I’ve been trying to catch his eye for months,” she murmured

Ah. Then she wasn’t Sesshoumaru’s girlfriend. She just wanted to be. So he’s still available. Cool. “Well, he talked to me.” She shot me the evil eye but I just shrugged it off. I finished dressing and gathered my things. “I have to go home now. See you next class, Miss…” I left my sentence hanging, fishing for her name.

“Kijo. Kagura Kijo.”

So I nodded at her and left.

~

When I got home, Mama asked me to help prepare dinner. When we were well into the task, she asked, “How was your day? Did you make any friends?”

I continued chopping the green onion as I responded. “I’m pretty sure I made both a friend and an enemy.”

“An enemy? Who?”

“A girl in my ballet class.” I sighed and continued. “I talked to a boy she likes.”

Mama nodded in understanding. “I see. And the friend?”

I smiled. “The boy I talked to. He’s very proper but nice.”

“What’s his name?”

“Sesshoumaru Taisho.”

She nodded at first but then she froze. “Taisho? As in Taisho Inc?”

“I guess, why?”

She turned back to dinner. “Nothing. The name just startled me is all. I’m glad you made a friend.” She smiled warmly at me.

“Me too.”

So we finished with dinner then sat down as a family to eat it. Then I went up to my room, did my homework, took a bath and went to bed. My dreams that night were filled with silver, gold and thunderstorms.

~

A/N: There you have it, chapter one! Let me know what you think in a review! And if you have an idea of what I should title this story let me know! It will be very much appreciated.

*EDIT* 1/22/13 - Thank you u2pias for the title suggestion!