I glance at my watch again as the minutes tick by, concern growing with each passing second. Kagome had insisted on meeting at the convention center rather than coming together, something about errands beforehand. However, I can see now I should have made more of an effort in persuading her otherwise. The hanyou and his friends arrive, puzzled expressions on their faces.
"Where's Kagome?" Sango asks, looking around for the miko.
"She assures me she is on her way," I inform the group. Several expressions turn from confusion to exasperation, while InuYasha seems barely capable of containing his amusement.
"I've heard that before. We might as well pack it - "
"I'm here!" A car door slams and the rustling of fabric draws everyone's attention to the woman in question, clearly struggling under the two garment bags in her arms. "The woman dying my skirts was running late and I couldn't not have them," she explains, taking a moment to hug everyone in turn. "I can't believe you're all here!"
"Of course we are, we wouldn't miss this for the world!" Sango smiles at her longtime friend, only to be pushed aside by a much shorter fox demon.
"I'm here too!" Kagome's face lights up as she throws her bags into my waiting arms to hug the small kitsune.
"Shippou, I'm so happy to see you! I thought you said you didn't have a way here?"
"I made InuYasha drive me," he explains, rather smugly. The hanyou in question glares at the redheaded teen.
"Yeah, little runt got food all over my back seat."
"I said I'd clean it up!"
"If he said he'd clean it up, he'll do it, don't make such a fuss, InuYasha," Kagome chastises, placing her arm around the fox's shoulders. "Come on, we gotta go check in!" Just inside the door, she turns around quickly, clearly having just remembered she was no longer in possession of her skirts. I shake my head when she tries to retrieve them. At her puzzled expression, I place my hand on the small of her back and guide her towards the table in the center of the room.
"You will require both hands to sign forms, will you not?" She shrugs, but does not pull away.
"Well, yeah, but I'll manage, I always do." Suppressing an eye roll, I breathe out a sigh.
"This one will hold your items until you require them." She purses her lips, seemingly debating whether to push the matter, before delicately shaking her head.
"Thanks." She smiles up at me before returning her attention to her friends. I catch InuYasha's gaze over everyone's heads and glare at the all too knowing look on his face. A shiver runs down his spine as he quickly looks away, a smirk pulling at my lips. Kagome handles the paperwork and attains our numbers while the others are directed towards their seats. Final hugs and well wishes are exchanged before Kagome and I are left to ourselves. She leads me towards the opposite end of the room where the dressing rooms are. "I told you you could have brought the suit to wear, it can't be that comfortable." Her concern is evident in her tone as she reaches for her garment bags again. I relinquish them, making sure he has them before fully letting go.
"This one is used to it." She rolls her eyes as she directs me to a waiting area across from the dressing rooms where several other dancers wait for their partners to finish getting ready. She promises to be out in ten minutes before she disappears behind another door. A quick glance at my phone reveals we have twenty before we are to relocate backstage to await our turn for the first dance. Surely she does not require so little time to prepare, I wonder, noting several of the other men appear to have been waiting for quite some time already. A few couples sit around a large television at the other end of the room, watching the current dancers and making their own judgements. I text Jaken to check on Rin, unable to to place my phone back in my pocket before it alerts me of a new message, assuring me that all is well, her homework is done, and she passes on her best wishes. At ten minutes exactly, Kagome walks out and I am forced to remind myself how to breath.
Her torso and arms are covered in sheer white lace, scalloped along the neck accentuating her… assets. Sage coloured skirts flow with each step she takes, a small bow tied at her hip. Half of her hair is tied back in its natural raven waves and she is not half as made up as the other women in the room. A shimmery eyeshadow in a natural shades catches the light, emphasising her deep blue gaze perfectly. The slightest bit of glitter dances across her cheekbones and the tip of her nose and I catch myself staring at her berry stained lips a moment longer than would be deemed necessary. She smiles nervously at me, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I'm not as good at makeup as most of the other women here, and I don't really like that really thick look. We can't all be so effortlessly perfect as some people present," she jokes, clearly uncomfortable. I push some of her loose layers behind her ear, painfully aware of the racing of her heart and the hitch in her breath as my fingers graze her skin.
"It is the other women who pale in comparison," I assure her. Her cheeks tinge pink as struggles to meet my gaze. I wait, allowing her a moment to gather herself, and grimace as she pulls away.
"We should get backstage," she suggests, biting her lower lip. "It's gonna start soon." I nod my head, gesturing for her to lead the way. As I move to follow, I notice her top is completely backless and bite back the growl itching to rip its way from my throat. Focus, I remind myself, quickly regaining my composure as I hold the door for her. She smiles her thanks and leads the way down the hallway and through several other doors to a very dark room. The sound of music and voices filters through the air, loud enough that it would be difficult for humans to communicate with each other. Kagome picks up her skirts, carefully stepping over various wires, leaning down in an attempt to better see as we make our way toward several curtains. "Oh!" She quickly faces me and gestures for me to turn around so she can pin the number to my jacket. Once she's done, she pins her own to the hip of her skirt, opposite the bow. We stop just behind the third set of curtains and are granted a clear view of the couple currently dancing and some of the audience. She taps my arm behind her before pointing across the room where her friends are seated at a table just at the edge of the stage. I arch an eyebrow at her as she shrugs, leaning into my ear. "I wanted them to have good seats." I hear her heart beat faster as the couple's song nears its end, We must be next. The audience erupts into applause as they take their bows and Kagome takes a deep breath, smiling up at me. I nod once in reply, nearly smiling as she squeezes my hand.
"Next up, Higurashi and Taisho!" The announcer calls out over the crowd, eliciting more applause. I step out from behind the curtain to my designated spot in the center of the floor. The crowd quiets as the music starts, a piano tapping out the initial notes of our waltz accompanied by a flute and violins. I head Kagome's quiet steps just before the vocalist joins in, entering the floor in time to the beat as she takes in the room.
"A waltz when she walks in the room, she pulls back the hair from her face." I turn to face her just as she tucks the same piece of hair I had fixed earlier behind her ear, glancing up at me from under her lashes even from across the floor. "She turns to the window to sway in the moonlight, even her shadow has grace." She gazes out at the audience before turning away, her skirts swaying around her. I take my cue to clasp my wrist behind my back, walking across from her as though stuck on the hands of a clock, always to watch but never to touch. "A waltz for the girl out of reach. She lifts her hands up to the sky." She turns again, bending her front knee to allow her back leg to glide across the floor in an arc as one hand reaches for the ground while the other grazes her chest, drawing her gaze skyward, the most delicate of smiles on her face. "She moves with the music, the song is her lover, the melody's making her cry." Slowly, her hands draw inwards to wrap herself in them as she sways to the melody. I close the distance between us, my hands hovering over her own, not making contact as she looks passed me with sorrow in her eyes.
"So she dances, in and out of the crowd like a glance." She spins out of her own embrace, arms out to the side while I parrot her actions, never touching, as we begin to dance together. "This romance is, from afar, calling me silently." She spins out away from me, completing a box turn as I step into her space, inches apart, before backing away from her. "A waltz for the chance I should take." I resume my previous distance, parroting her steps and motions from a distance, once again watching her from across the floor. "But how will I know where to start? She's spinning between constellations and dreams, her rhythm is my beating heart." Finally, we lock eyes, a blush rising to her cheeks as we seemingly dance through a crowd of people though perfectly in synch.
"So she dances in and out of the crowd like a glance. This romance is, from afar, calling me silently." I square my shoulders and begin making my way to her once more, continuing with the illusion there is a crowd between us. "I can't keep on watching forever, I give up this view just to tell her." On the last note, I take her hand in mine, gently guiding her left to my shoulder as she stares at me with wide eyes. Gently, I brush another strand of hair behind her ear as we begin a slow box step, never breaking eye contact. "When I close my eyes I can see the spotlights are bright on you and me. We've got the floor, and you're in my arms, how could I ask for more?" She smiles up at me as I lead her across the floor, our steps larger, grander than before now that we are able to properly use each other.
"So she dances in and out of the crowd like a glance. This romance is, from afar, calling me silently." I spin her away from me, meeting her on her other side perfectly in my arms, much to the crowd's amazement. "I can't keep on watching forever, and I'm givin' up this view just to tell her." She steps out to my right, hand still in mine, as we dance toward the edge of the stage, eyes locked the entire time. I raise my arm as she spins under it, delicately stopping in front of me as she tilts her chin up. The music ends and the crowd erupts once more. After a second, Kagome's face breaks into a smile as she brings bother hands up to cover her mouth, looking at all the people cheering for her.
"That was really lovely," the middle judge yells over the crowd. "You two were so in synch with each other the entire time, it was like you were one person." Kagome smiles, cheeks flushing at the praise.
"I agree," the older gentleman on the left admits. "It was perhaps a little safe, but if you had to play it safe with one dance, this would be the one to do it. I look forward to seeing the rest of your routines." Kagome nods her head, smiling at the last judge who rolls his eyes at the former.
"It was perfect, don't listen to him." The announcer ushers us off the floor as he announces the next couple. Kagome is practically bouncing the whole way back to the dressing room.
"They loved it! We really couldn't have gotten off to a better start, I mean, this is incredible!" She raves as we make our way to a fairly secluded corner of the room. "We might really have a chance to win." She smiles up at me as she takes a seat on the sofa, buzzing with excitement. I allow a smirk to escape as I sit next to her.
"You doubted us?" She stares at me skeptically.
"You didn't?" She asks, clearly believing the contrary to be true.
"Not for a second." She looks taken aback at my confession. "After all, you are the best choreographer here." She scoffs in disbelief. "This one has been watching. No one here has created anything even remotely similar to our routines, nor do they possess the same heart for the dances that you do. It is my firm belief, Ms Higurashi," I watch from the corner of my eye as she chuckles at the reminder of the formality with which I have not addressed her since our first meeting. "That you will be leaving today with far fewer problems than you arrived." I turn my gaze to the television across the room, though am still able to see the smile growing across her face as she settles into the couch a little more comfortably.