1,000 Paper Cranes
Chapter Six: Practice
Sesshoumaru was silent. In fact, he had been so silent for so long that Kagome thought he didn't hear her or that he simply found her plea too idiotic to give a response to. But to her surprise, Sesshoumaru slowly turned around and faced her. His facial expression was still grim, but stoic, but it was a vast improvement from staring at his back.
"What makes you believe I would allow you back?" he asked her.
"Because I've come to understand you over the past couple of weeks," Kagome replied without hesitation. "You wouldn't have spent those few minutes saying those words to me if I wouldn't have the possibility of being a good asset to your company."
Sesshoumaru pondered over her words, surprised at just how well she could understand him despite their limited contact. He stared at her, silently challenging her and testing her. Kagome stared straight into his eyes, unwavering, subconsciously realizing what he was doing. She refused to look away until she saw him nod slightly. Then, all at once, her body relaxed and it felt like the burden upon her shoulders was released.
"Very well. You may resume your previous plans," Sesshoumaru relented.
"Thank you," Kagome whispered, too grateful to say anything else. She buried her face in her hands and inhaled deeply before wiping away stray tears. When she lifted her head, she found herself face to face with a pair of keys; her house keys.
Her gaze traveled from her shiny keys to the clawed fingers that held it to the magenta strips upon the wrist and finally to Sesshoumaru himself.
"What?" Kagome asked, not comprehending what she was seeing.
"You fell asleep that night," Sesshoumaru explained, "and I needed to return to my home."
"Oh… thank you," she replied, reaching up to grab her keys. Pocketing them, she looked at him again. "And thank you for giving me another chance."
"Hn," Sesshoumaru responded before turning away and continued walking down the hall towards his office.
It was only until he was about to shut his door did he hear Kagome's loud exclamation echoing from the hallway.
"…WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE!"
He smirked and shut the door firmly behind him.
The light slowly flickered on inside the Tashio auditorium and Kagome had to shield her eyes to prevent herself from being temporarily blinded. Dropping her bag beside the door, she slowly walked up the steps to the stage. Hesitantly, she walked to the center and stared out at all the empty seats in front of her. Her hands moved to tighten her ponytail, needing something to do to quell the nervous sensation.
She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I can do this," she whispered. "I've got to."
Noticing a stereo left on the stage floor, she walked over to it and plugged it in. She slipped her disc inside and pushed play. Moving to the microphone stand, she grasped it with both hands tightly and closed her eyes, concentrating on the notes. When her singing cue began, she could feel her breath catching in her throat, but she pushed herself forward and began to sing.
Kagome winced when her voice cracked upon the first note, but she pressed forward, determined to make it through the practice she had set up for herself. She only had two more days until the performance was going to take place. She couldn't believe how fast time flew by and how unsure she was about her performance.
For the past three days, she had taken the taxi home rather than getting a ride from Sango. Now that she had her keys back, she was living back at home, but she couldn't believe that all this time, Sesshoumaru had been in possession of her keys. It was incredibly inconsiderate of him to not return the keys to her for a week. Even if he had been busy, it would have only taken him less than a minute to return them to her. She had been at the dance studio every single day for at least eight hours so he had plenty of opportunities to track her down.
The irritation she felt at just the thought of Sesshoumaru's inconsideration made her hit a wrong note and she paused. Letting go of the microphone to run her fingers through her bangs, she restarted the CD and tried again. This time, she made it through the song successfully, but it still wasn't her best. Kagome could feel her frustration growing. Why couldn't she seem to get it right?
"It would prove to be helpful if you were not so tense."
Startled, Kagome spun around with a small shriek, searching for a face to the voice even though she already knew who it was. There was no possible way she could mistaken the deep baritone voice for someone else.
"Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on someone?" she snapped.
"Don't you know it's against company policy to be here after eight?" Sesshoumaru countered back, leaning against the wall casually with his hands tucked in his pockets. His tie had been loosened and the first two buttons of his shirt was open. It was the most casual she had seen of Sesshoumaru but his posture was still ramrod straight.
"I need the practice," Kagome muttered, looking away from him, "but I can't practice if you're here."
"How so?"
"I can't sing when I have an audience," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders.
"Then having you perform would be a futile attempt. You might as well leave right now," Sesshoumaru suggested, his tone hard.
"I'm trying, alright? I said I would!" Kagome responded, gritting her teeth as she stormed over to the stereo to hit play again.
As soon as she opened her mouth, she knew it would come out wrong. She was angry whereas the song needed to be soft and gentle and the sound that escaped her was just the opposite. She stopped and sighed, reaching down for her water bottle to take a quick swig of water.
Sesshoumaru pushed himself away from the wall and strolled down the auditorium aisles. He stopped at the first row and sat down in the seat right in front of Kagome. "Attempt it once more," he commanded, his citrine eyes serious and his attention unwavering.
Nodding with determination, Kagome closed her eyes and sang the song from the beginning. About half way through, Sesshoumaru stopped her. "Your vocals are becoming too shrill, Higurashi. Again."
Over and over, Kagome attempted the song, but Sesshoumaru kept stopping her at different intervals to point out her mistakes. With each pause, Kagome's mood and attitude became more negative until she was so frustrated, she ripped out her hair band and threw it as hard as she could across the room.
"I can't do it!" she cried, resisting the urge to stomp her foot like a child.
"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself, Higurashi," he said, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat. "What did I say to you earlier tonight?"
Pausing to think, Kagome suddenly realized what he was talking about. She was too tense and too nervous. She closed her eyes again, focusing on centering herself. She inhaled deeply, allowing peace to enter her body. Then, she exhaled loudly to release the tension.
For several minutes, the auditorium was silent save for the sounds of Kagome's meditation. When Sesshoumaru was beginning to suspect that she had fallen asleep, Kagome opened her eyes. Her stance now loose and relaxed, she flashed him a grateful smile before pushing play on the stereo again.
While the beginning instrumentals played, Kagome kept her eyes focused on him. Somehow, singing in front of him didn't feel as scary or as intimidating as before. Maybe she had simply gotten used to his presence, so instead of singing with shut eyes, she decided to try something different.
At her cue, she began belting out the words to the song, her sapphire eyes locked upon golden ones. Neither looked away from each other and Kagome felt her confidence grow when Sesshoumaru made no move to interrupt her. Even when her last note trailed to a soft silence, he still did not speak ill of her performance.
Filled with newfound courage, Kagome replayed the track and attempted it again. Joy filled her when Sesshoumaru nodded his approval.
And for the rest of the night, Kagome practiced while Sesshoumaru watched on, silently assisting her in the shadows of the auditorium.
"Thank you for all your help, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome remarked as the two of them descended the stairs and walked out the lobby doors. "I don't think I could have improved so much if you hadn't been there to offer your advice."
Sesshoumaru made a noise in the back of his throat to acknowledge her comment, but offered no additional response. His eyes scanned the area, searching for her vehicle but he came up empty handed. "How do you intent on getting home, Higurashi?"
"I'm going to catch a cab," Kagome replied, looking left and right for any incoming taxis, but not seeing any.
"It would not inconvenience me to assist you with a mode of transportation," Sesshoumaru offered.
"Are you sure?" Kagome asked, trying not to sound too excited, but the way her eyes lit up gave it away.
"I would not have offered if I were uncertain of my decision," Sesshoumaru remarked dryly.
"Then I would really appreciate it," she replied genuinely, a soft smile on her face.
Together, the two walked to Sesshoumaru's vehicle. They were silent, but they walked beside each other with comfort and ease, as if all barriers, demon and human, man and woman, employer and employee, cold and hot, had been removed or forgotten.
The car ride the second time around was vastly different from the first. Kagome's whimsical humming and singing filled the otherwise silence in the vehicle. She was able to practice for her upcoming performance while Sesshoumaru was able to continue hearing a very skilled and talented voice singing.
"Do not forget what you have learned today," Sesshoumaru advised to her at one point, his eyes concentrated solely on the road in front of him.
"I won't let you regret the time you took to help me tonight and I won't let you regret having given me another chance," Kagome promised in response.
"You will do well," he complimented.
And although it was simple, those words made Kagome's smile wider and she had to look out the window to hide it because try as she might, her smile wouldn't fade.
Sooner than she liked, Sesshoumaru pulled to a stop in front of her house. She unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at him for a brief moment. "Will you be there tomorrow evening?"
"I have plans I can not escape from," he told her, resting an arm upon the steering wheel as he looked at her. "But as you are well aware, I will be present for the performance."
Nodding, Kagome exited the car and thanked him before closing the door.
She thought he would have driven off right away, but he didn't. Surprised, she continued to stand there, waiting for his departure as it was the polite thing to do considering he had given her a ride home. The window from the passenger side rolled down and Sesshoumaru's liquid voice drifted to her ears.
"I will come for you tomorrow morning at seven. Do not be tardy."
Before she could respond, the window was rolled back up and Sesshoumaru drove off, tail lights blinking at her from a distance.
Dumbfounded, Kagome continued to stand there until she was able to snap out of her daze. With a goofy smile upon her face, she entered her house, humming all the while.
A/N: As always, I'm loving the reviews I'm getting because it allows me to understand your thoughts on my writing. I appreciate everyone's honesty, support, and encouragement. For the positive things, I'll continue doing my best. For the negative things, I'll try to improve. Thank you, my lovely readers!
auto review: (if you're not sure what to say, drop me one of these anyway!)
"Dear Raine,
Was that just the smallest bit of fluff I saw?
Did Sesshoumaru really help Kagome practice?
Are they getting closer?
I can't wait for the next chapter!
Update soon... or else!
Signed,
(enter name)"
