Take a Bow
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha or any of the characters.
I also do not own the song. It's called Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked, and also from the television show Glee! Not mine! It's a great song though! You should hear it!
Warning: This is an A/U and the first chapter has a lot of explanation to set the scene. Bear with me! It will get good!
Chapter 1:
The wind softly whispered against her skin. Closing her chocolate eyes, she leaned against the railing and simply enjoyed the soft kiss of the warm sun. Her wavy raven locks billowed gently. She was the perfect image of tranquility. A small smile graced her lips.
It's so peaceful up here, she thought contently to herself.
Sudden laughter cut her out of her reverie. Kagome's eyes snapped open, her moment ruined. Turning around, her eyes widened behind the lenses of her thick glasses. What are they doing up here?
Standing before her were "The Hunters", or at least that's what she called them. In reality, they were the popular kids that everyone wanted a piece of. Everyone except her, that is. They picked on the not so popular kids and the outcasts. They made snide remarks and played pranks on the other students who weren't "in", simply because they could. In fact, she would swear that they made it their mission to "hunt out" the social outcasts for their own amusement.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Inu Yasha smirked as the group came to a halt a few feet from her.
She sighed. Her day was definitely ruined. She wasn't afraid of them though. Well, not really. Okay, so maybe they intimidate me a little, she admitted to herself, but who wouldn't be intimidated? Inu Yasha only owns the school and could get me expelled in an instant. His dad IS the school's largest benefactor.
She stood in silence, not sure what to say.
"What? Are we deaf now, girl? You are a girl right? You're so flat, the walls would be jealous."
The four of them snickered. Who were the four of them? Well, the big shots in the school.
Inu Yasha was the leader of the pack. It was only natural. He was the best looking, with alluring silver hair and the most enrapturing shade of golden eyes. His father was also the biggest and most powerful businessman in the entire Eurasian continent and that wasn't even including what the Taiyou family had accumulated from being the ruling Demon Lords of the West for centuries. Not only was he a billionaire, but he was the star football player too. He was the starting quarter back and had won many trophies for his great accomplishments in his sport. He may not have been too smart, but Inu Yasha was the perfect mascot for the popular kids.
Kikyou was his current girl friend. She was perfect in every way. Not only was she filthy rich, being a super model and all, but she scored high marks and had the brains to accompany the beauty. She was tall and skinny, but not sickeningly so. She was the picture of natural beauty. She was athletic and an awarded archer on the international level. She was the perfect trophy for Inu Yasha. Next to her, a delicate porcelain figurine, Kagome felt like a rag doll.
Then there was Miroku; school pervert and Inu Yasha's best friend. His family owned a huge chain of museums and other historically preserved landmarks. Of course, even though his family owned a whole bunch of (in Kagome's opinion) precious shrines, didn't mean he was much of a monk. He had dated and broken almost every heart in the school and had a reputation for being the playboy. His looks were a bonus to his money. He had a childish glint in his eyes and sported the bad boy look. Miroku had an ear piercing and tied his chin length hair in a low ponytail. Yup, he was bad boy and he had no problem being the ladies man, even with the reputation he had.
Lastly, there was Sango. Kagome didn't really know much about her, except that she was the school's star jock. Sango was good at every sport, often carrying the schools female sports teams to nationals. She was tall, at a good 5'8, and slim with an athletic build and a body Kagome would die for. But she was the quieter one of the group usually. Kagome liked her. She at least didn't pick on people directly.
Coming back to the moment, Kagome realized that she would be in for a whole 15 minutes of torture and ridicule if she didn't escape her situation. She was, after all, backed up against the railing on the roof of her high school with nowhere to go, but over the edge and down towards the cement five floors below.
Dissatisfied with Kagome's despondence, Inu Yasha had advanced on her and shoved her shoulder with a leer. "Oi wench! What's the matter with you? You mute or something?"
She swallowed hard and cast her eyes away from his intense glare. Instead, she stared at the hem of her skirt. "I'm not deaf or mute," she mumbled in a barely audible voice.
"What's that girl? Speak up, so we can hear you! Or can your mind not comprehend the words leaving our lips?" Kikyou piped in from behind, her arms crossed confidently over her chest.
"Aw, we should leave the poor girl alone guys. It doesn't really do my reputation any good to be standing by a girl who looks like that." Miroku nonchalantly threw in.
Kagome's eyes began to water, but she refused to cry in front of them. She knew she wasn't attractive. Her hair was wild and wavy and it never listened to her. Her thick glasses made her eyes look like bug eyes and she wasn't athletically toned with a sexy body. She didn't have big boobs like Kikyou or Sango. A lady bug had more sex appeal than she did. But their words cut her, even if she hated them, even if she knew she shouldn't mind them.
Inu Yasha stepped back at the smell of her tears. He frowned. "Oi!" He called to his posse. "Let's go. She's boring and she smells like shit." He sneered at her one more time before turning to leave, his group following suit.
Kagome allowed herself to shut her eyes tightly and slowly sink to the floor. Great, she thought with a hint of bitterness and remorse, they've found me out. She loved the roof. It was her sanctuary. Now that they knew she was here, she could never be sure of when she could have the place to herself in peace.
"Oh well," she whispered to herself, "At least I had it to myself for the last 2 years. They were bound to find me eventually." She was actually shocked that it had taken them so long, although, she hadn't really been a social outcast, not in the beginning anyways.
The school bell broke her from her thoughts and she picked up her backpack that lay beside the door that led back inside. Revelling in the slight autumn breeze, Kagome opened the door and headed down the stairwell to her favourite class: music.
It had been a long day, and that stupid Kagoya girl hadn't helped it much. Or was her name Kogame? Whatever, it was, the girl on the roof had to spoil his mood. First she wouldn't react to his taunts, which was never any fun, and then she had to go and cry. He hated it when girls cried. He hated the smell of tears in general. Inu Yasha scowled at the memory and closed his locker. Football practice was over.
Picking up his things, he left the change room with a holler of goodbye to his team mates and made his way to the parking lot where his brand new Mercedes was waiting for him. His ears twitched on top of his head. Someone was singing. It stopped.
Shaking his head, he continued down the long hallway. I must be imagining things.
Then he heard it again. It was powerful but sweet. The voice was rich. The singing had stirred his curiosity. Who would be at school singing this late? It was well past school hours. Maybe I can actually get a reaction out of this one. Smirking, as thoughts of mischief entered his mind, he followed the voice to the school's theatre.
As he drew closer and closer, he became more mesmerized, slowly forgetting his intent of torture. Reaching the auditorium doors, he opened them quietly and moved to stand in the shadows of the seats. Looking down from his spot, over the auditorium seats that sloped down towards the big stage, he was more than shocked to find the girl from before standing centre stage.
It had been a bad day, but Kagome felt great. She loved singing. It was the only thing she had to her name, but the best thing was, she could keep it for herself. She never sang for anyone or in front of other people. Her singing was hers and hers alone. It was private. It was her time to speak her mind and make it hers.
Standing on stage, she felt exhilarated. Her eyes were closed as she belted out one of her favourite songs to sing. She filled the theatre with her song:
Something had changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
of someone else's game
Too late for second guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
Her voice gradually grew louder until she was belting out the chorus from the depths of her soul:
It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
And you won't bring me down
Inu Yasha stood frozen, his jaw slightly ajar. Every particle in his body tingled, the hair on his body stood on end. He had never heard a voice like that. He had never thought singers were anything more than the wannabes at the bottom of the social ladder, the choir geeks, but now... now he wasn't sure what they were. His mouth was dry as he stood listening to this nerd, this girl, sing her heart out.
By the time he came back to reality, she had finished and appeared to be lost in her own quiet moment. Before he knew what he was doing, he was clapping for her.
Kagome's head snapped up at the sound of someone else in the auditorium. Panicked, her eyes widened, when she caught sight of the infamous silver hair. Her mouth ran dry and her legs suddenly seemed like jelly. No one had ever heard her sing before. She had never let anyone into her world. She stood glued to the spot, afraid to break the fragile tension.
Unsure of what to do, Inu Yasha stood there awkwardly for a few moments before reaching a resolve. He moved out from the shadows and slowly began to descend towards her. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, she had picked up her things and darted off stage.
Alone in the dimly lit room and the penetrating silence, he came to his sense.
"I'm a jock. What the fuck am I doing clapping for some retard?" Shaking his head in frustration with his momentary lapse of supposed sanity, he gathered his things and left, leaving the girl and her voice behind in the empty theatre.
Kagome stood panting in the girls' bathroom, leaned up against the door of one of the stalls. What was that, that moment between her and Inu Yasha? The way his eyes captured her breathe... the way her heart skipped a beat... What was that?
Her eyes glazed over in contemplation, whispering softly to herself, "What was that?"
^-^ So that's about it for now. I know it's a slow start... I hope it wasn't too boring, but things will get interesting (I hope anyways!) What do you guys think? _ Constructive criticism welcomed, although flames do amuse me!
Again, I don't own Inu Yasha, although I wish I did. I don't own the song either! Thanks for reading! ^-^