Part I: 12's a crowd.
What's dark, loud, and usually full of pretty obnoxious people? School dances of course. But amid all of the spastic blinking of strobe lights and blasting of relatively decent music, there was a strange high of hanging out with your friends (and enemies), and dancing away your troubles. Botan had always loved them, though most of her old friends did not. But tonight was different. How so you might ask? Easy, tonight was Botan's first dance at her new school.
She had always been an outcast, pariah, recluse. But for the first time in her life she felt like she belonged. Every single, solitary person in the crowded gym was exactly like her: far from ordinary. They ranged from being vampires to faeries, demons to sprites. Even creatures considered legendary among mortals, mermaids, leprechauns, and capixies like Botan herself. And as she peered around at her fellow classmates, friends, enemies, and teachers, she realized she was finally home. With a genuine grin she ran over to her best friend, enveloping her in a laughing embrace.
Kagome, a reincarnated priestess, wrapped her arms around her best friend, giggling at the tickling sensation from her friend's twitching tail. Kagome stood with her boyfriend, Inuyasha, a dog demon brought to the good side by none other than herself, and laughed as Botan and Inuyasha playfully swatted at each other.
"Knock it off you two, before somebody loses a tail," she chastised as she shoved Inuyasha back to his companions so she could speak to Botan in private. Pulling her into the seclusion of an alcove between the wooden bleachers the two girls whispered excitedly over Botan's crush, Miroku, Inuyasha's best friend.
"Kagome I can't talk to him, he hates me!" Botan hissed through the darkness, just barely making out the faint outline of Kagome's features.
"First of all, he doesn't hate you. He just hasn't thought of you as anything more than just a friend; at least…I don't think he has..." She trailed off thoughtfully.
"Whateve---" Botan was cut off by a roar from the crowd as the music started, one of her favorite songs, she dashed out of the alcove and started dancing to the somewhat Celtic sounds of Flogging Molly. She was soon joined by more of her friends in a giant circle: Kagome, Inuyasha, Lulu, Shizuru, Legato, Nicholas, Naruto, Yusuke, Keiko, Rem, Koenma, and of course, Miroku. Botan was in and out of the center as they swung around each other, switching partners as they whirled from arm to arm. She couldn't help but burst out laughing as they formed a giant line and started doing the can-can; this was going to be a night to remember.
As the song faded into the "Cha-Cha Slide" she noticed that Miroku seemed to be watching her as she danced. They met eyes once or twice before she looked away blushing. Before Botan knew it, the song was over only to be replaced by a slow song that sounded exceptionally sappy. She made her way over to the snack table to get a soda, determined that her friends not see that tears that were rolling down her cheeks, this had been their song. She shook her head in a feeble attempt to rid herself of the picture of him left imprinted in her mind. Her ex-boyfriend had sang this to her on their one year anniversary. The day before he broke up with her for her ex-best friend. She reached into the ice filled bucket and pulled out a Pepsi dripping with frigid water, she opened it and took a sip, turning to go back to the spot where her friends were waltzing dreamily. THUD!
"Shit, sorry Botan," came an all too familiar male voice from in front of her. Botan looked up and gasped, there was Miroku with an apologetic look on his oh-so adorable face.
"Issokay," she whispered breathlessly, grabbing a napkin for each of them and handing one to him. "It was my fault; I wasn't paying attention, as usual."
Miroku surveyed the soda-soaked girl in front of him, and his eyes widened as she lifted the drenched tank top over her wings and head, only to reveal another one underneath. He frowned.
Botan glanced up at him. Was he…disappointed! She rolled her eyes at him, "You're such a perv, Miroku. You didn't actually think you would see anything, did you? Not like there's anything to see."
He opened his mouth to respond but another song was starting, an AFI song, Botan's favorite band. He watched as she absolutely freaked out and ran back to the rest of the group just as Inuyasha appeared at his side.
"Smooth move monk-ey."
"Shut up dog-boy. It was an accident."
"I'm not talking about the soda dipshit! I'm talking about you not saying anything else to her."
Miroku grimaced. He had liked Botan since the moment he laid eyes on her. Hair and eyes that changed with her mood, silver cat ears and tail, opaque wings that shimmered in the light, and of course her……….assets………didn't hurt either. Though he did fear her fangs, he had seen her literally bite the hand off of a girl. The thought made him shudder. Now as Miroku made his way back to the group with Inuyasha, he allowed himself to stare at her body following the beat of the music. That was until Sango interrupted him.
What was there to say about her? Sango was tall, strong, beautiful, and coveted by nearly every guy at the institute, except for Miroku and a select few others. Her toned arms wound their way around his waist as she pulled him close to her, her lips finding his neck. Inuyasha snorted and walked away, leaving Miroku alone and helpless with Sango. Miroku glowered and attempted to distance himself from her but was foiled by her tight grip.
"Stay and dance with me, I'll bear your child." She smirked at him, catching him off guard by using his favorite pick up line.
"I'd rather not." Miroku shoved her away and trudged back to his group. All the girls were swaying their hips seductively while singing the racy lyrics to "Lady Marmalade", the guys had chosen to just sit and watch them. Miroku's jaw dropped as Botan's hair changed from midnight blue to a deep scarlet her eyes a piercing blue, he plopped down beside Inuyasha who merely looked over at him and smirked. At the end of the song, a roar of applause sounded from their section as all of the boyfriends leaped up to meet their girlfriends.
Botan didn't dwell on the fact that she was single; she instead started moving in a series of intricate steps as the next song started, paying no mind to the boy that was gaping at her. She smiled thinking of the way her dad would react if he ever saw her dancing like this, he'd probably call her a slut, but compared to some of the other girls like Sango, Botan was like the Virgin Mary, but we all know that isn't the case.
A few minutes later, Rem, Lulu, Shizuru, and Keiko all left for the bathroom, leaving Botan and Kagome alone among the boys, but not before throwing a few worried glances over their shoulders. The two females left howled with laughter and continued to dance, the guys surrounding them in a ring of movement. After a grand total of 10 minutes Lulu appeared and dragged Legato off, apparently going somewhere with Sesshy, Naraku, Amon, Hiei, Haku, Yuki, Tsume, Kiba, and Vicious.
Botan murmured quietly to Kagome "What's the bet we find them in 45 minutes smashed?" They both looked at each other utterly serious, then cracked up. It was true too; Lulu and Legato were associated with the "bad kids", though all of them were kinda nice to Botan and Kagome. The thing was that the "bad kids" usually ended up drunk, in some random spot.
Rem and Keiko came back a quarter of an hour after Lulu and Legato had left, they both looked paler than normal and slightly green. Just as the song "I Wanna Be Sedated" came on, Yusuke and Naruto were forced to carry the two sicklings home. Nobody knew what had happened to Rem and Keiko, it was sad, in a pathetic way, because everyone knew what probably happened. The punch had been spiked. No doubt by one of the "bad kids" hoping to get a laugh. Ironic that the two people from the group with the greatest sense of ethics, who pledged never to drink, ended up with hang-overs and, a strange craving for fruit punch.
Finally Shizuru returned, grinning from ear to ear. Supposedly, Sango had tragically fallen ill as well and was in the bathroom with the rest of the egotistical slut-bags in her posse, puking their brains out. Shizuru managed to imitate them for the enjoyment of her friends and shouts of anger from the jocks, all of whom cared deeply for Sango and the other whores. Basically, they all wanted to fuck her. A travesty really, that so many people worshipped a piece of shit like her.
Botan, Kagome, and Shizuru were now the only girls from their group left. It also seemed as if they were some of the only people remaining at the dance, due to the spiked punch and people being excessively sexually inclined. And that was including the teachers. Disgustingly the DJ decided to play another slow song. Botan resigned to her post on the bleachers, one of the last rows in the top corner. Naturally, Miroku followed her, though he was starting to sweat nervously. Especially since Inuyasha had threatened to kill him if he didn't talk to Botan during one of the slow songs. He reckoned now would be the best time if any to talk to her and he approached cautiously.
Her eyelids drooped slightly and she leaned against the cool concrete, her wings folded tightly to her back. She thought she had seen Miroku coming up to her but figured it was just wishful thinking.
"Erm…Botan? Are you alright?"
The voice snapped her back to reality from La-La land and she tilted her face upward. Her eyes locked onto his an inch away from her face, she squeaked and scuttled backward, straight into the next row. It wasn't just wishful thinking!
"Is it ok if I sit down?" he asked, praying that she would say yes. He took her nodding as an open invitation and flopped down beside her, after sitting in silence for a moment or so he sat up and turned himself towards her.
Botan could feel him staring at her, but at that moment it didn't matter. Her world was spinning into a flashing haze and she could barely keep her eyes open. Miroku was gawking at her and Kagome and Inuyasha were rushing over, Shizuru and Nick appeared to be worried. Black was a pretty color she decided as her eyelids drew to a close and her head smacked with a sickening clunk against the wood of the bleacher.
Miroku gathered the unconscious form of Botan into his arms and peered up at Kagome with a resolute expression. Kagome knew exactly what he wanted her to do but all she could do was stare helplessly at him.
"Kagome, there must be something you can do…"
"Miroku I already told you, there's nothing I can do! We just hafta wait till she comes to!" Kagome snapped.
"Why don't we take her back to your room so we can lay her down?" Shizuru chimed in. It was agreed and they set off to the room Botan and Kagome shared. Miroku carried Botan the whole way, often times running into walls because he was staring down at the girl he held protectively. Halfway to the rooms they ran into Lulu and the rest of the "bad kids" hanging out in the chem lab, cigarettes hanging limply from their mouths, empty beer cans and vodka bottles littering the floor around them.
"What happens after you find the giant radioactive rubber pants?" Yuki asked in a dreamy voice.
Lulu pondered this for a minute before answering, "And then my friend, you die." She laughed and then took a long drag from the cig held fast between her forefinger and middle finger.
Kagome was completely annoyed at this point. "What in the fucking hell does that have to do with anything!" she all but yelled at Lulu.
"Me and the squirrel are friends…" she stated as she pulled a very confused and very scared Legato into a one armed embrace.
Kagome rolled her eyes and told them to get up to their dorms before teachers found them, then they continued on their way to the room located on the fourth floor. It took awhile to get there; the elevator had jammed again, so they were forced to take the stairs. By the second flight everybody was exhausted. And yet, Miroku insisted on holding Botan, though Nick and Inuyasha offered to carry her. It seemed like the group had crossed the Sahara Desert by the way they were panting upon entering the cramped room. Immediately Miroku laid Botan gently down on her bed and kneeled beside her, grasping her hand in his.
"AAAAAWWWWW….how sweet." The four other teenagers cooed then gagged, receiving a menacing glare from Miroku. He ignored them and returned his focus back to Botan. Her eyes fluttered open, trying to adjust to the bright light that illuminated the room. Miroku smiled down at her and smoothed a fly-away strand of dark mahogany hair away from her face.
Shizuru yawned tiredly and ruffled her friend's hair, "I'm gonna go, 'kay?" Botan nodded and watched as Shizuru and Nick left, lowering their number to four. It was exactly the way it had been before the dance, the four of them had sat around talking and now it was the same way. Only there was a tension so thick you could've cut it with tiny blunt object. Kagome quickly fixed that problem by falling asleep on her bed and cutting that tension with quiet snores. Inuyasha covered her up then curled up beside her, waving good night to Botan and Miroku. Momentarily his snores joined the chorus of Kagome's, signaling that sleep had taken over half of the room. It was almost always like that anyways, Kagome and Inuyasha curled up together.
Miroku, seeing this as his last opportunity said in hushed voice, "Botan I need to tell you something," and he turned his face to hers, to find that she was….asleep. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead, then laid down next to her, his arm circling her waist. "G'night Botan." His last words before slumber overcame him.