Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I do not own the sport of figure skating. I do, however, own the liberties I've taken with certain details of both. You'll see what I mean.
CHAPTER ONE:
KAGOME HIGURASHI
She was all alone in the ice rink as it was after public business hours. The North Tokyo Ice Arena was a second home to her; she worked, trained, and practiced here. If she wasn't at home or competing, she came here. The dark-haired girl finished tying up her practice skates and tottered on the blades over to the ice.
Pumping her feet across the frozen surface, she tugged at her sweatshirt, trying to warm up. It was cold, but she didn't mind cold anymore. The ice was where she belonged, and nothing would change that. She skated around the ice, reveling in the feeling of belonging. Gradually, her feet began to alter their steady rhythm and form invisible patterns in the ice. Figure eights and curlicues were painted behind her, slowly disappearing in her wake like the trail of a jet. In less than five minutes, her skate had become a dance.
She smiled, exhilarated by the speed, as she hurled across the rink, skates forming their graceful patterns in time to a silent song. Her arms rose above her head as she slowly spiraled into a spin. It was truly and art, the shape of her revolving body and the perfect balance she maintained coming together, mixing with her passion, to form a true masterpiece. Her body shifted, still twirling, creating new shapes and patterns. The moment lasted forever as she continued to spin. There was no past and no future, only the here and now. Her smile widened and her eyes almost glowed as she spun around and around, and a feeling of peace enveloped her. She was immune to everything: dizziness and sickness, hardship and time.
Her leg lifted into an arabesque as she began to slow, gliding away from that spot in the ice. She seemed to float around the end of the rink, not a care in the world. The airborne foot lowered and she danced down the ice still smiling. Changing direction and readying herself, she skated backwards a few paces before lifting off into the air.
The jump was her freedom, her hope, her dreams, all those and more in physical form. Adrenaline pumped through her body as it performed all three turns. Poetry in motion. The perfection she strove for was evident in the fluidity of her movement and the rigidity of her body. They came together in the girl, two opposites forming a glorious whole. In the few parts of a second she felt every emotion ever related to skating: fear, courage, love, passion, confidence, defeat, victory. It was all there for her to savor.
The flawless landing left her intoxicated with the feeling of success. Pure joy rushed through her veins as liquid fire, warming and exciting her as she rushed on to the next leap, eager to fly again. Because to her, it was flight. The air above the ice was the sky.
She glided and soared through the rest of the dance, feet and arms continually moving but her smile implacable. The lonely performance drew to a close as her movements became gracefully slower and slower. Feeling the last bars of a nonexistent tune fade away, she finished with a final pose that in no way suggested her flight of moments before. She knelt, one knee bent and the other in contact with the frozen, cold, solid surface of the ice. Her hands found there ways to each opposite shoulder in a gesture of calmness and peace. As a last touch, her pony-tailed head bowed elegantly over her crossed forearms as she experienced odd emotions. She reveled in the finality of her dance but simultaneously wished it could last longer.
She paused for a moment as she enjoyed the feelings her sport brought. The giant room was just as still as it had been when she arrived. The girl rose and smiled even more widely, brown eyes glittering with happiness in the afterglow of her dance, her work, her passion.
This girl was Kagome Higurashi, a petite figure skater with glorious dreams dwarfed only by her love of skating.
She looked around at this frigid second home of hers. It was cold, but that didn't make any difference to the sweat dripping down her face and along the back of her neck. Dancing out here, sharp blades on her feet, was both beautiful and difficult. The balance always excited her and amazed her with its continual temptations of winning and triumphing.
The applause of a single person's claps broke into her thoughts, reaching her ears sharply. She turned slowly, skimming the seats, looking for the person who dared intrude in on her peace. A girl appeared. A girl a few years older than Kagome with long hair in a high pony-tail was walking towards the skater, a proud smile on her face. Kagome skated over to chat with her, recognizing her sister.
"Hey Sango!" She gulped down some water as her sister watched and waited. "What are you doing here?" She dropped her water bottle and looked at the older girl.
"Mr. Ichido called me and said to make sure you didn't stay all night." Kagome made a face at the mention of the rinks owner, her employer and coach.
"Why can't I? I mean, he gave me the key, didn't he?"
"You can't because Mama wants us home for dinner on time and we're..." Sango checked her watch. "...already five minutes late."
"Great...," mumbled Kagome. She rummaged through her yellow sportsbag and scanned the floor, looking for her shoes. "Aha!" She undid the laces and wriggled out of the skates, tossing them into the bag with her water bottle before zipping it up. She slipped on the blue flip-flops muttering, "...stupid things were hiding under the bench again..."
Sango laughed and pulled her towards the door. They stopped at the control booth to shut off the lights and turn on the security system...making sure it would delay about five minutes. Kagome locked the doors from the inside before the two girls exited.
Kagome tossed her yellow bag into the back seat before sitting next to Sango who already occupied the driver's seat of her car. It was after seven, but still light outside as the ignition was fired in to ignition. The beginning of August heralded earlier sunsets and later sunrises but there was still a feeling of summer in the air. The younger girl sighed contentedly as the car pulled out of the parking lot, leaving it absolutely deserted.
"Your dance in there was really great, Kagome. You're so good by myself, I can't help but wonder why you waste your time with Kouga," Sango teased musingly.
Her younger sister laughed at the reference to her arrogant partner.
"I'm serious," Sango continued. "You're good enough to go pro by yourself, why do you put up with that idiot, anyway?"
"He's not that much of an idiot."
The older girl raised an eyebrow at her sister before turning her eyes back to the road. "Hmmm...do tell."
"Well...maybe he is. But I like having a partner."
"But it's Kouga."
"Sooo?"
"C'mon Kagome, you know as well as I do that he's a braincase. He's obsessed."
"Don't you think that's just a little strong, Sango? I mean I'll accept nutcase and idiot...but obsessed?"
"It's true," she insisted. "He's obsessed with skating—"
"Well so am I."
"But he's also run away with the idea that you two are...dating or something. You know, he thinks you're in love or something. I'm sure you've heard him address you as 'his partner' at least once."
"Well, yes, but I never gave that much though to it. He's my partner, and I can't exactly do pairs figure skating by myself."
"Why do pairs at all? Why don't you go on by yourself?"
"...sharing my skating with someone is just...I don't know." Kagome looked out the window as downtown Tokyo flashed past. "It just seems more...fulfilling, I guess."
"Hmmmm." With a final, indistinct noise from Sango, they rode through the city in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable...they were each lost in their own thoughts as they watched the sun go down in a fantastic display of color.
Kagome glared at her desk, willing the practice test to complete itself. Her mother had been cross when she and Sango missed dinner and punishment was eating in their rooms while doing homework. It wasn't really much punishment (the assignments needed to be done anyway) but it sure felt like it was. As far as Kagome was concerned, math was synonymous with torture.
Growling, she bent back over her geometry. Just a few more problems and she could go take a bath. Just a few more...who was she kidding? At this rate, her high school work would be finished while she resided in a nursing home. She struggled through them, waging a furious battle against the evil forces of mathematics. Her pencil moved reluctantly, uncertainly. 'Sort of like my feet when I was learning to ice skate...' Smiling faintly, she wondered if there was anything that didn't remind her of skating...No. Must. Finish. Math.
'Most of this is probably wrong...' Ah, the last problem! Finally! She carefully measured the angle with her protractor and recorded the dimensions. 'Sine, cosine, tangent. Pythagoras' Theorem. I hate triangles.' The answer was on the paper...and her ordeal was over!!!
Standing and stretching, she yawned. The thought of a bath was calling to her, and she intended to answer it. Picking up pajamas in one hand and used dishes in the other, she made her way out of the room. She dropped the dishes off in the kitchen before heading back upstairs. Not her night for dishes. A nice long soak in hot water, then sleep. That sounded wonderful. The simple things were all she needed. She walked through the bathroom door and set her clothes beside the sink, closing the door behind her.
Turning the tap and leaving the water to stream into the tub, she began to strip off her practice clothes. She pulled off the sweatshirt, then the flexible leggings. She turned off the water and stepped into the near-boiling water. Leaning against the sloping edge, she relaxed in the water, thinking. Her grandfather, her manager, had mentioned some upcoming new deal today. What could that be? Knowing him, anything. It could be the matter of new music and routines, or it could be about upcoming competitions. Or even a new partner. Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation with Sango earlier in the evening. It was all too much for one person to think about, especially after suffering through math.
Closing her eyes, Kagome's mind went blank as she soaked. It was soooo relaxing. One of her three favorite things. Baths, sleep, and skating. Wonderful things.
"Hey sis, you alive in there?"
A brown eye cracked open and shifted to the door. "What is it, Souta?"
"You've been in there for twenty minutes, could you hurry up? There are other people who need to use the bathroom, you know."
"I'll be out in a bit."
"Hurry up!" he urged again.
She sighed and reluctantly got out of the tub. That was the problem with having three siblings...bathroom time was competitive. She drained the water and dried off, wrapping one towel around her body and another around her hair. She looked into the foggy mirror and made a face, pinching the bags under each eye gently. Oh yes, sleep was a must.
She dried off and put on her pajamas, just a pair of flannel drawstring pants and a cotton t-shirt. She hung up the towels and walked out of the bathroom clutching her clothes and brushing her wet hair. "All yours, Souta."
Dumping the sweaty clothes in a hamper, she wandered downstairs to find her parents and grandfather and say goodnight. "Mama?"
"We're in the living room, Kag."
The girl walked through the dining room to reach her destination, finding the adults and Sango seated around the television. Kagome sat beside her sister on the loveseat and half-watched the news while braiding her hair back. Nothing much, just a few traffic and weather reports and a short look at a local business. She yawned again.
"Well, 'night everyone, I'm gonna turn in."
"Goodnight, Kagome," said her mother, smiling at her gently.
"'Night!"
Upstairs in her bedroom, Kagome cleared her bed of all the daily debris and lay down, out of the covers, the weather still being too hot to use blankets. She curled up, head sunk into the pillow and lay with her eyes open, thinking about nothing in particular. Her thoughts followed the same pattern as they had during her bath. Her life, though wonderful in many aspects, held several dark unknowns at present, and they were eating away at her curiosity like a science project gone wrong.
Tired brown eyes closed as she mentally pushed her wonders and worries aside. They could wait until the morning, and any sleep was precious. Her thoughts seemed to vanish with her consciousness, and her mind drifted into ethereal, bright, glistening dreams of skating and hope.
"And...in...out...lift...spin...down...left turn...glide...very good, you two!" Kagome's grandfather (and manager) clapped his hands ecstaticly as the coach, the same Mr. Ichido who owned the ice rink, complimented the team on their practice routine. Kagome and Kouga had been partners for...well, ever since they'd started pairs' figure skating and they worked well together. They both smiled happily as they skated over to the two men.
"So, how'd you like our routine, gramps?" Kagome asked expectantly.
"It was absolutely wonderful; I'm very glad you've been practicing as hard as you have!"
She grinned at the praise. She had been practicing quite a bit, and it made her happy to know that her grandfather noticed the difference.
"Now, Kagome, there's a matter I would like to discuss with you, if you'd be so kind as to come with me over here for a moment. I'm sure Mr. Ichido won't mind."
"Not at all. Kouga, why don't you take a break?"
"Surely I am entitled to hear all news regarding my partner." A glare from Kagome and her grandfather silenced him. As he retreated towards his sportsbag, Kagome rolled her eyes.
"Never liked that boy very much," said the old man, glaring and puffing after Kouga. "Too cocky for his own good. He'll suffer someday, you take my word for it."
"Surrrrre, gramps. Now what did you want to say?"
"Ah, yes, that. Well, Kagome, we'll be attending a little dinner party tomorrow, so you'll have to leave early." She made a face at the thought of missing practice.
"Who're we having dinner with?"
"Just another family – the Utagawas. They're another family very much involved with skating."
The girl was slightly wary of her grandfather's dinner plans, but if it meant less time with Kouga today, missing practice wouldn't really end up as the end of the world. After the conversation with Sango the night before, she was really starting to notice just how much of a pain he really was: a humongous, arrogant, selfish pain. Whatever Gramps had in mind, it couldn't be wholly bad, especially if they could talk about skating.
Waving goodbye, she ambled carefully over to her sports bag next to Kouga's. She dug through the contents and dug out her water bottle, taking several deep gulps. When her thirst had been satiated, she turned her head and found Kouga's accusing glare meeting her eyes. "What was that about, Kagome? You have to tell me because you're my partner."
"I'm leaving practice early tomorrow because my family is going to have dinner with a few friends." Forget the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; Kouga didn't really deserve the patience she had for dealing with him.
"Who?" 'What? When? Where? Why?'
"Just some of Grandpa's skating-manager buddies. That's all. Now can we go do some more practicing?"
He followed her grudgingly toward the rink as she ignored his annoyed, gruff objections. She shouldn't do anything to do with skating without him. He should be involved in all of her affairs. She was his partner. 'Why do I have to put up with this every day? Did I commit some terrible sin in a past life? What did I do to deserve this and him'
"Kouga!"
His rant was sharply broken, and he looked over at her, mouth still gaping. "Wha?"
"Would you stop talking so we can concentrate on the routine?" she hissed, as the music began to play.
"Oh, sorry Kag..." She rolled her eyes dramatically and let herself fall into the pattern of her skating. 'Just a few more hours...'
"Popcorn?"
"Check."
"Chips?"
"Check."
"Soda?"
"Check."
"Extra pillows?"
"Check."
"Napkins?"
"We use napkins?"
"Nevermind. Movies?"
"Check!"
A similar grin flashed across the faces of every one of the four Higurashi children. The tradition was about to be continued.
"Everyone all set?" asked Sango.
Wider grins and nods all round.
"Then it's time for Higurashi Movie Night!"
"Let the pigging out begin!" crowed Souta.
Kohaku set the first movie into the VCR, then all of the siblings grabbed some junk food and sat back to enjoy the evening. Every Friday night, they celebrated getting through the week by gorging themselves on sugary, greasy foods and three or four movies. The adults were welcome to join them, but they declined out of regard for their own personal safety. Kagome grinned with satisfaction, eyes glued to the television screen.
Movie Nights were the only times when she could ignore her strict skating diet. Forget the vegetables, a few boxes of chocolate pocky were all she needed. And forget the carbs. There were few things better than spending time pigging out with her siblings. Her mind went blank, and the dinner party the next night flew from her consciousness. Thank goodness for family traditions!
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! This fic is rather pointless and dumb and was written only for entertainment purposes, but it's fun! Think it sucks? Well, that's okay. But if you liked it, please let me know! Next chapter: Inuyasha!
--Kouou03