Chapter 9: Tryouts
That Friday, Kagome had a script of Romeo and Juliet in her hand as she practice furiously during lunch time.
"Romeo o Romeo, where for art thou Romeo…" she mumbled to herself, trying to remember the lines…
"Are you still practicing that Kagome?" Inuyasha asked over her shoulder.
"Of course! Tryouts are in five minutes! Why aren't you freaking out like I am?" Kagome exclaimed.
He shrugged, "I know my lines."
"What?" she gasped, "but I haven't seen you practice once! How could you have memorized them?"
He shrugged again, taking a bite of his sandwich, "I looked it over a few times, no big deal really."
Kagome sighed, "Who are you trying out for anyway?"
"Romeo," he smiled.
Kagome smiled back. That would be so perfect…if Inuyasha was Romeo and she was Juliet…
The bell suddenly went and Inuyasha, Kagome and Sango hurried down to the theatre.
They took there seats just as Mr. Totosai took the center stage.
"Alright then…" he began, "Tryouts for…Romeo and Juliet? Yes! Romeo and Juliet will begin now…so…shall we start with people who wish to be Juliet?"
Kagome choked as she approached the stage.
"You can do it Kagome!" Sango smiled.
Kagome was the second girl to try out and when she took the center stage she had to squint her eyes against the bright lights. The light made it appear as if there was no one in the audience…just her. She took a deep breath and began her monologue.
She remembered every single line, every face expression, and when she finished she smiled and did a small bow. The theatre erupted in applause and she quickly went back to her seat, ignoring Mr. Totosai's words of praise.
Inuyasha squeezed her hand and Sango smiled.
"That was awesome Kagome!" Sango said, "You'll get the part for sure."
"Thanks Sango."
Next, the guys tried out for Romeo, and Inuyasha was the one out of three guys to try out. The others were Hojo and Ginta.
When it was Inuyasha's turn, Kagome had to hold her breath.
He looked calm, as if he owned the stage.
When he began she could hear everyone go silent.
He was amazing…
He was doing the part when he was in Juliet's tomb and he was preparing to die. Kagome could feel the pain in his words, she could feel the passion…
When he was done he simply walked off the stage and sat down, everyone applauding him. Hojo and Ginta looked disappointed for they knew that they had lost.
"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed, "That was…amazing."
He looked over at her and smiled, his eyes shone with so many emotions that Kagome had to look away.
When school was finally over Kagome headed to the gym for archery practice. When she entered she was surprised to see the janitor moping up some water.
"What's going on?" Kagome asked.
The short man with scruffy brown hair looked at her, "Some freshman thought it would be funny to flood the boys locker room. Now I'm stuck cleaning up this mess…"
"So is archery practice cancelled?" Kagome asked.
He nodded.
Sighing she grabbed her bags from her locker and went to her car. Inuyasha and her were going to see a movie tonight with Sango and Miroku, so she decided to go home and shower before they went out.
As she approached her car she noticed someone standing there.
"Kouga?" Kagome asked as she figured out who it was.
He turned to her, a big smile on his face and a rose in his hand.
"Hi Kagome, this is for you," he said, handing her the flower.
"Thank you Kouga," she said, taking the flower cautiously.
Could he really be the one watching her? Or was he just trying to get her to fall for him like Inuyasha had said?
"So have you thought about it?" he asked.
"Thought about what?"
"About going to the dance with me," Kouga said.
Kagome sighed…
He just never gives up…
"Kouga, I already told you. I'm with Inuyasha now, you can't keep doing this," Kagome tried to make it come out nice. She didn't want to hurt his feelings.
He sighed and grabbed her hands, holding them to his chest.
"You don't have to deny your feelings for me Kagome, I know how you feel," he said softly.
Kagome was about to say something when his hand shot out and he placed a finger to her lips.
"Don't say anything Kagome, I know…I know," he smiled, "Kagome…I love you."
She was shocked…
But what shocked her even more was when he swept down and kissed her right on the lips, silencing her protests.
She knew it was wrong…but he was a good kisser…
Not as good as Inuyasha, but still very impressive.
But her conscious brought her back to the reality of things and she shoved him away from her.
"Kouga! What are you doing?" she yelled, "I told you! I'm with Inuyasha! I like him, not you! So would you just stop?"
He looked a little shocked, but a small smirk crossed his lips.
"You'll be mine one day Kagome…I promise you that," he said.
And then he was gone…he just ran off.
Kagome got in her car, fuming.
"Thank god Inuyasha didn't see that, I don't need him and Kouga fighting," she said as she blared her music and headed home.
She couldn't wait until tonight…she needed to talk to Sango. She hadn't told her about what Sesshomaru had said, and she needed to tell her.
…………LATER THAT NIGHT………..
"Kagome!" Souta yelled up the stairs, "Inuyasha is here!"
Kagome finished putting on some mascara and then she looked at herself in the mirror. She wore dark jeans with a rip on the knee and thigh. On her wrists were a variety of bracelets and her watch. She wore a white muscle shirt with a dark denim jacket over it. To finish it off she put on two large beaded necklaces.
Of course…she also wore her favorite converse shoes.
She hurried down the stairs to see Inuyasha hitting Shippo over the head.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, "Don't hit him! He's just a kid!"
Inuyasha growled, "He's getting on my nerves…"
Kagome smiled and grabbed his arm, "Come on, we don't want to keep Miroku and Sango waiting."
They got into his car and headed off toward the cinema.
"What movie are we going to see anyway?" Kagome asked.
"Um…I think it's called the Longest Yard," Inuyasha said.
Kagome nodded. She had heard that that movie was hilarious.
They parked and started to walk into the theatre when Inuyasha stopped her.
"What is it?" Kagome became nervous. Had he seen Kouga kiss her?
"I never got to say hello," he smiled.
Kagome was relieved and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him.
The memory of Kouga kissing her faded instantly. This is where she belonged, with Inuyasha…Kouga could never come close to how she felt when she was with Inuyasha…
They pulled apart and Inuyasha smiled down at her.
"Let's go," he said.
she nodded and they went hand in hand into the theatre. Miroku and Sango were waiting for them at the entrance. Miroku had his hand around Sango's waist, and for the first time, she didn't slap him for touching her…
"Hey Sango, hey Miroku," Kagome greeted.
"Hey you two," Miroku smiled.
They purchased their tickets and went to get seats. As they settled the lights went down and the movie began. Inuyasha put his arm around Kagome and she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.
He smelt so good…
Kagome glanced beside her and noticed the Sango and Miroku were in the same position and Miroku was stroking her hair.
Kagome couldn't help but smile to herself. This was too perfect. She had an amazing boyfriend, and perfect friends. Nothing could destroy her good mood…
It was then that she remembered the events of the past few days. She still had to tell Sango about Sesshomaru and Kouga.
She decided to wait until the end of the movie, and she pushed the thought out of her mind, turning her attention back to the screen.
Later, the four of them walked out of the theatre, still laughing.
"That was a really good movie," Inuyasha smiled.
Everyone agreed and as they approached the exit they noticed that it was pouring outside.
"I'll go and get the car Kagome," Inuyasha said, "you wait here."
"Same for you Sango," Miroku said.
Then they left and Sango and Kagome were alone.
This was her chance…
"Sango?" Kagome asked.
She looked at her and smiled, "Yes Kagome?"
"I…I have to tell you something," Kagome bit her lip.
Sango's smile fell, "What's wrong Kagome? Tell me…"
So Kagome started from the beginning when Sesshomaru had warned her. But she still didn't tell anyone about what Sesshomaru had said about her helping Inuyasha 'live'. She wanted to figure that one out on her own. When she got to the part when Kouga kissed her Sango looked shocked.
"I think Inuyasha is right you know," Sango said after Kagome had finished, "It sounds like something Kouga would do. He had kind of a bad reputation ever since the tenth grade."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he would always be really possessive with the girls he liked. He use to date this one girl named Hikaru. She hated how clingy he was, so she dumped him. He got mad and started following her wherever she went. One day she just stopped showing up to school. One girl had her email and so she asked where she was. Hikaru said that she had moved because she had almost been raped."
Kagome gasped, "Kouga tried to rape her?"
Sango shrugged, "That's what everyone says."
Kagome couldn't believe it. Kouga was a little pushy but she never would have imagined that he would do something like that.
"What do I do Sango?" Kagome asked.
Sango hugged her friend, "Just stay safe Kagome. Me and the others will protect you, you don't have to worry about it. We won't let anything happen to you."
"Thank you Sango."
Inuyasha pulled up just then and Kagome waved goodbye.
"You ok?" Inuyasha asked when Kagome got in the car.
She smiled, "Yeah, everything is great Inuyasha."
He smiled softly and they started back to Kagome's house. When they arrived Kagome leaned over and kissed Inuyasha softly.
"Goodnight Inuyasha," she smiled.
"I'll call you tomorrow ok?" he asked.
"Sure," she said.
She watched him drive away and then went in the house. It was already late, almost one in the morning and everyone was asleep.
Changing into some pajamas Kagome got into bed and turned out the light.
………….THE NEXT DAY………….
The bright light of a beautiful Saturday morning shone through Kagome's window and into her eyes. She yawned and stretched, crawling out of bed and into her bathroom.
She took a long bubble bath and then put on a pair of jeans and a black tank top under a white bunny hug. She quickly blew dry her hair and then went downstairs.
"Good morning Kagome," her grandfather greeted her.
"Good morning grandpa, where is mom and Souta?" she asked.
"Souta went to that young boy, Shippo's house for the afternoon and your mother went to get groceries," he said as he flipped through the paper.
"Ok. Well, I'm going for a walk. So if mom comes home, make sure you tell her ok?" Kagome said.
He grandfather nodded.
As soon as Kagome steppe outside she was hit with a chilly wind. She put her hands in her bunny hug pockets and started to walk toward the small park she liked to visit.
As she walked she notice that the streets were very quite.
"People must be staying inside because of the weather," she said to herself.
When she got to the park she noticed that it was deserted except for one figure sitting on her bench.
It was Sesshomaru.
What was he doing here?
Taking a deep breath she walked up to him.
She needed to talk to him.
"Hey Sesshomaru," she smiled at him.
He looked at her with his blank expression and signaled for her to sit beside him.
"You wanted to talk to me?" he asked.
She was taken aback…how did he know?
"Yeah, I was wondering…if you could tell me…who is watching me," she asked softly.
He continued to stare out onto the pond, "I cannot say for he is watching as we speak."
Kagome frantically looked around, but there was no one there, "How can he be watching? There is no one else here?"
"He has other ways," Sesshomaru said simply.
"Can't you tell me who it is?" Kagome asked.
"If I did, he would come after you. Or after someone you care about. He does not like having his plans ruined."
"But if he's watching, does he not know that you are telling me?"
Sesshomaru nodded, "He does know. He approached me about it, but he knows better then to try to attack me."
Kagome gasped, "He tried to attack you?"
"As I said, he does not like people meddling with his plans. I would tell you more…but…he…"
He paused.
"He what Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked softly.
Sesshomaru clenched his fists, although his face stayed blank, "He threatened to hurt her if I told you who he was…"
Her?
Who was he talking about?
Kagome was going to ask but Sesshomaru stood up, "I told you to not be caught alone. Stay in groups."
He began to walk away when Kagome jumped up and grabbed his arm.
"Wait," she said, "I need you to explain something to me."
He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, his eyes telling her to continue.
"I need you to explain what you meant when you said I was 'helping Inuyasha live'", she said.
Sesshomaru continued to walk.
Kagome was about to call out to him when he spoke.
"Follow me," he said simply.
So she did.