*I don't own InuYasha or any of its characters. I also don't own 'El Tango de Roxanne' from the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack, which inspired this piece.
A/N: *whispers* Speaking of that song, you should listen to it as you read this. It makes it that much better.
She stands in the middle of the dark dance floor, her head bowed as her long ebony locks cascaded down to the middle of her red dress.
Suddenly, the music begins to play, softly yet with a sense of anticipation. The lights brighten slowly, and as they do she slowly lifts her head up. Although she can't see them yet, she can hear others start to walk onto the dance floor. Instinctively, she knows that they are the ones who will join her for this tango, and that she must choose one of them for the end.
The music suddenly changes, and she is swept into her first partner's arms. Kind brown eyes stare at her from behind a white mask, topped with short brown hair… as she dances the opening bars with him, something doesn't feel quite right. He seems too sweet, too gentle for her, she can tell by the way he holds her as if she is easily breakable. She knows quickly that he is not the one she will choose.
As a man starts to sing a song that she is vaguely familiar with, she is stolen from the first man's arms. This one has long black hair tied up high into a ponytail, while blue eyes gaze at her from behind a wolf mask. Dancing together, she senses that he's not here simply for her, but rather for something that she can do. While she knows that he wouldn't be bad… he is definitely not the one, either.
The music continues, and she is once more stolen. This man has long white hair, two single jagged blue streaks on each side of his face, and gold eyes from beyond a dog mask. Entrancing, he teases her memory… where had she seen him before? A brief flash of the ending of a battle, where a father congratulated his sons for defeating a powerful foe, appears in her memory. Her eyebrows furrow at this shadow… he might be a possibility, but she would rather continue to look for the one that fits her best.
A second man starts to sing, and someone else cuts into her dance. Also white-haired and golden-eyed, this one has a peculiar addition- two white triangular ears sit on the top of his head. His mask is also strange- the left half is a dog similar to the previous man's, the right is definitely human. As they dance, it's obvious they have great chemistry… yet, she could hear faint echoes of someone insulting her, calling her names and putting her down. Even though she somehow knows that he'll protect her from many things, she senses that he sees someone else through her eyes. That is not what she wants, and she pulls away from him.
Briefly alone, someone across the dance floor catches her eye. He bears a distinct resemblance to the previous two men she danced with… however, at the same time he is very different. His hair is more silver than white, and his golden eyes hold more dimension then the two others she has seen. Two maroon stripes grace each of his cheeks, and his dog mask does not hide the crescent moon gracing his forehead. She senses that while to others he holds a cold side, to those he deems worthy he is caring, so much so that he will protect them with all of his strength.
Before she can take in more, however, someone jerks her into his arms. She stares into red eyes staring back at her from behind a terrifying spider mask. Feeling a shiver of fear running down her spine, she has the urge to run as far away from this man as she can. However, the tight grip he has on her prevents any chance of escape. Suddenly spinning her around, he shows her the men she has previously danced with. Each one now has a different partner- the first with a girl that seems as gentle as he, the second with a red-haired girl also wearing a wolf mask, the third with a beautiful woman who reminded her of a princess, and the fourth with a woman who looks much like her.
As she sees this, her heart breaks, and the music reflects this by slowing. Could anyone truly be with her at the end? Will anyone want her, and only her? She starts to wonder if she should choose this man who scares her… however, something draws her attention to the left. The man she had seen briefly before is still alone. The music starts to slowly swell as he raises a hand, offering himself. Gasping, she realizes that he had deemed her worthy, and she craves the protection she knows he can give her. In that moment, she knows that it is he whom she will choose.
The man who has her, though, is intent on not letting her go. As the music reflects her struggles to get away, he smiles an evil smile and only holds her tighter. Desperate, she turns pleading blue eyes towards her chosen man.
He notices, and starts to rush across the dance floor. As the music swells, however, the others bar his path with their own dances.
Suddenly, a woman with ruby eyes and a feather mask appears on the dance floor. A hopeful look is aimed towards the chosen man, however he shakes his head, obviously rebuffing her gently. As time runs short, he points towards the man with the spider mask.
Seeing her captured by him, the newcomer smiles. It was not a happy smile, however, but a smile of revenge finally being close at hand. She wastes no time and somehow manages to separate the spider from his chosen prey. As the man snarls, she merely smirks and prevents him from escaping.
Sending a grateful nod towards her savior, and earning a nod in return, she rushes towards the final man. He sweeps her into his arms as the end of the song finally comes.
Everyone else on the dance floor stops and stares at the two who were finally together, the fireworks erupting between the two dancers obvious to them all. Enraptured by each other, however, the two dancers don't even notice as they dance their hearts out. It is passionate, it is loving… but most of all, it is right.
As the final note sounds, he lowers her into a dramatic dip. His eyelids lower to half-mast as his face moves closer, however suddenly she is torn away from him.
Kagome Higurashi jolted as she was woken violently by her new alarm clock.
"Of course, the alarm goes off just before the best part," she grumbles as she slammed a fist down to silence the annoying thing.\
A/N: Yep, totally inspired by some of the many Kagome pairings, ending with one of my favorites! ;)