Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter thirty-two: Can't Buy Me Love
"If a tire rotates at 400 revolutions per minute when the car is traveling 72km/h, what is the circumference of the tire?...circumference of the tire? What? Ugh! Houjo I don't get this at all. How am I–…No, the answers aren't in the back. Should I just skip it? I mean it's just summer homework but next Monday is my first day of school and my new teacher wants us to turn it in first thing…Does math get any easier in tenth grade? Thanks for trying to help. I'll probably IM Sesshoumaru tonight and get his help." Kagome smiled and swiveled around in her white chair, one of her legs tucked up against her chest with the heel of her foot braced against the seat's edge. It was well past ten o'clock on a Wednesday night and her math homework was taking far longer to complete than she had planned for. There were other things needed doing that night and it was time to call it quits since not even her boyfriend could help.
"Oh Buyo…what to do? I don't want to do English homework or dance or do anything slightly productive." The fat calico cat in question was laying on her bed, looking unsympathetic to her plight. "Why can't I just be a cat? And then I can be as lazy and fat as I want to be. You have such an easy life," The two stared at each other for a few seconds, though Kagome's reason was that she was too bored to do much of anything else, until her phone lit up with a text message. Upon checking who it was from, she smiled at the name and text before jumping up from her chair with a renewed enthusiasm. Buyo watched with lazy, disinterested eyes as his owner skipped across the room towards the door. Standing in the open frame, Kagome smirked when she saw Inuyasha doing the same with a playful grin of his own stretching across his face. The hallway between them was dark, barely illuminated by the night sky's light that filtered through the window; but they could see each other perfectly. While she was wearing a pair of blue pajama shorts and an over-sized t-shirt that had once belonged to Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha wore his favorite pair of basketball shorts and a simple white shirt that perfectly outlined his muscular frame.
The year was 2009, and everyone had changed in the passing years. Kagome was now a budding fifteen-year-old, while Inuyasha was a strapping seventeen-year-old. He was taller, having gone through a much needed growth-spurt, and was nearing six feet in height. The years of basketball and obsessive trips to the gym had sculpted Inuyasha's body into one that a young man could be proud of, and yet it seemed that his face would always remain babyish and expressive. The long, silvery mane he'd been growing since childhood, however, had been cut down to size. It ended just after his shoulder blades and was usually pulled back in a messy bun, but it strangely didn't detract from his inherited good looks and bad-boy persona that everyone knew him to have. He had begun to gravitate towards the music scene and was now a very skilled guitarist, it being the only discipline in his life nowadays. While Izayoi remained as supportive as always, the fact that Inuyasha would rather strum his guitar than study often inspired a fight between him and his father. Though, without Sesshoumaru around, Inuyasha was the only remaining male heir to devote time and energy into. The father and son rarely saw eye-to-eye on most issues in life, and found that watching sports was really the only bonding material they had to work with. Inu-Taisho wanted his son to go into business, like Sesshoumaru had, but Inuyasha often spoke of taking off after graduation to travel and perform; showing no serious intent to follow the traditional roles that the men in their family took on.
The risk of financial insecurity worried Izayoi and her husband, but their son's stubborn personality was far too difficult to fight now that he had a mind of his own and had the means to get what he wanted without them. Luckily, Inu-Taisho had another son who was willing and eager to take over the business and was doing everything to further his knowledge and experience. Sesshoumaru was now a second year student at the University of Tokyo, riding a swimming scholarship all the way to a master's degree in business. His absence from the home had severely affected everyone at first, Kagome and Inu-Taisho almost went into depression over it, but thankfully he made a point to visit during his summer breaks and video chatted regularly. He and Kagome still maintained a tight bond, and it still bothered the bajeezes out of Inuyasha. He was happy at least that the pompous jerk was out of the house, meaning less pressure on him to be just like his stuffy older brother.
Kagome, on the other hand, was happy growing up just how her parents wanted her to. Still keeping up with her dancing, she was now one of the most advanced students in the dance academy and was known at school as the 'ballet girl' (a title she wore with pride). With many trophies and ribbons under her belt, it was safe to say that this would become a career goal for the not so distant future. With the support of her parents, mentors, and fellow dancer/boyfriend, it didn't seem like an unrealistic goal at all. Kagome lived to dance, though her grades did suffer from time to time due to her natural inclination to practice rather than study; and she relished in the feeling of being on stage. After so many years of dance instruction, her body had developed into one fit for a dancer, though Kagome found herself feeling self-conscious about it when she wasn't in a tutu or leotard. Her sinew and lean frame didn't lend much room for curves or cleavage like the other girls in her grade had, and clothes just didn't seem to fit well on her at all. She was petite, very small for her age, and many times Kagome was mistaken to be a younger student. There were a few who liked to tease her for it, but thankfully she had someone who thought the world of her and saw her as the most beautiful person in the entire world. The fact that she would be entering the tenth grade in a week was scary and nerve-wracking, but Kagome trusted that her friends would help ease her through the transition and stay loyal through even the cruelest of bullying; which would most likely come from Kikyou. That girl still had her clutches in Inuyasha, and though for a short while she and Kagome hadn't run into each other due to grade differences, there was now the potential for them to share some classes together and with that came new opportunities for teasing and taunting.
"You busy?" Inuyasha whispered to her from across the hall, getting a playful shake of the head in return.
"Are they asleep?" She asked, and Inuyasha gave her thumbs up and a motion to join him in his bedroom. Going on the balls of her feet, she lightly padded into his room before he gently shut the door behind her. Once the exit had been closed off, Kagome let out a single laugh and jumped onto Inuyasha's bed, crossing her legs as she waited for him to join her. "Can we please play a game that I like?" She asked hopefully, being met with a sarcastic mocking from Inuyasha as he lowered himself onto his messy bed as well. With all the years he'd had to mature, Inuyasha still sucked at keeping a clean and orderly room. What was once littered with trucks and legos was now covered by clothes, shoes, and video game cases. The only part of the room that seemed even slightly organized was the corner that housed his guitar and amps, which looked almost like a shrine to music from the way he arranged it all.
Huffing angrily when he didn't answer her question, Kagome gave a sharp jab to Inuyasha's shoulder as he loaded Halo into the PlayStation. He always picked stupid shooter games when it was a known fact between them that Kagome sucked at them the most. The dark room became illuminated by the glow of his television being turned on, and their faces were cast in a soft light.
"Listen, you can pick the game when you find games that are actually fun to play; none of that stupid dancing or singing shit." He stated in his gravelly voice that was now distinctly his. Inuyasha was very much different from his brother and father, who both clearly resembled each other in almost every way. If Inuyasha hadn't inherited the trademark white hair or golden eyes, one might easily assume he wasn't even related.
"Hey! Don't even act like you don't like Just Dance. Every time Ayame and Sango come over and we play, you always barge in just to do that Wild West song." Ending her statement with a sarcastic sassy snap of her fingers, Kagome watched as Inuyasha navigated through the menus and starter screens of the game before she was finally handed a controller of her own. The two fell into an easy silence as the game commenced, and they eventually found a comfortable position next to each other on the bed, no longer afraid of the accidental thigh graze or elbow touch. Alone, they were completely at home together and weren't afraid of what others might think; but at school they continued to perpetrate their ruse to fool the student body that they were merely acquaintances that shared the same pool of friends. Kagome knew that eventually their lie would catch up with them, people were starting to notice and some probably already knew the truth, but she no longer gave it as much thought as she once did. There was no hostility between her and Inuyasha anymore, and with that came the end of her vehement defense and protection of their carefully schemed lie.
"Jesus, will you stop getting stuck in corners? I swear to god I'm gonna just kill you now and just take this round solo. Kagome get out of the fucking corner! What are you doing–…no texting god dammit!" Quickly pausing the game once he noticed that Kagome wasn't even paying attention, Inuyasha yanked her phone away and shoved it deeply into his pocket where she couldn't easily get to. His movement was so fast that Kagome hadn't been able to react quickly enough to stop him, but that didn't stop her from protesting.
"Sesshoumaru answered my email I need to reply before he goes to classes. Ugh! Inuyasha give it back to me!" She whined and went to reach around him for the phone. He laughed and twisted away, leaning back so that it was impossible for her to reach it.
"When you're using me to avoid homework, you play by my rules. So shut up, nut up, and play the damn game!" After giving her a rough shove, not hard enough to hurt her, Inuyasha sat back up and smirked as Kagome let out a frustrated noise and pouted. She reluctantly continued the game until five minutes later when her phone vibrated in his pocket. They both knew it was Sesshoumaru, but only one of them cared enough to do anything about it.
"Give me my phone!" She exclaimed and launched herself across his lap to reclaim it. It quickly became a wrestling match as Inuyasha did everything in his power to keep the phone lodged in his pocket while Kagome used all her strength to weasel her hand through his defenses to get it. The older boy fell back onto his bed and rolled over so the phone would be trapped against the mattress, but by then neither person was seriously angry as they were just having some innocent fun with each other. Kagome smiled excitedly as she began to tickle his side, earning a loud laugh to erupt from the boy below her and the two instantly realized that it was time to stop before the parents heard and came to investigate. That didn't stop either of them from laughing softly while trying to quiet down at the same time. Inuyasha's chest shook with the force of his silent laughter as tears beaded in the corners of his eyes, and Kagome had to cover her mouth to muffle her girlish giggles from getting too loud. Eventually though, their laughter subsided into softer, staccato releases and all that was left were the two of them in a very compromising position.
As their eyes locked in the darkness of his room, the television providing the only light to see by, both Kagome and Inuyasha's minds raced with nervous thoughts. When had she gotten on top of him? Why were her legs on either side of his waist? Kagome's wild and unkempt hair formed a dark halo around her face as she looked down at him, tendrils of it falling in her eyes and curling around her mouth. As she let out each soft breath through her parted lips, those hairs lightly swayed back and forth and Inuyasha found himself being hypnotized by the bright set of blue eyes that gazed down at him. At the same time, Kagome couldn't look away from his intimidating, yellow stare that always seemed to mesmerize her. He was so handsome, and feeling his solid body under her was new and strangely exciting to the naïve girl. The tension between them continued to build until finally his phone began to vibrate somewhere in his room, probably under a pile of clothes. It was enough of a wake-up call to make them realize what exactly was going on and they quickly scrambled to get away from each other.
"What the hell, get off me you creep," Inuyasha's words were meant to hurt her, but they were said in such a nervous rush that it lost all harshness. He gave her body a sudden push and she went falling backwards onto the floor with only a small sound of surprise as her reaction. When she landed on her back, there was a particularly painful shoe that caught her and sent a dull, aching pain up her spine and she had to suck some air through her teeth to keep from cursing. Inuyasha sat up and looked down at her awkwardly sprawled body, his face unsympathetic and mostly just flustered. Kagome, on the other hand, was mad and glared up at him when her pain went away.
"You play too rough!" Quickly getting up, Kagome fixed her shirt angrily and gave Inuyasha's shoulder a few good slaps (to which he tried to deflect and hit back) before forcefully taking her phone back from the loose confines of his pocket. With a scowl on her face, Kagome made sure that she had the last punch before storming out of his room and back into hers. Both of their tempers were boiling once their doors were shut and securely locked, but as they sat on their respective beds; the anger subsided and something else lingered in its place. Inuyasha, who was still seated in the same place on his bed, had a slight blush that reached from his ears to his cheeks and caused his stomach to flip a few times as he thought about the position he'd just been in. Likewise, Kagome was on her bed with a stuffed animal held tightly to her chest and her red face half-buried in its soft fur. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and it increased every time she closed her eyes and saw his intense expression in her mind. 'What were these weird feeling', they both wondered.
"You guys! Oh my gosh, you won't believe what I just heard." Ayame, the bright and bubbly red-head, came running into the courtyard towards the lunch table with a tray of food in hand. Her green eyes dazzled against the contrasting colors of her hair, which was pulled into high pigtails on either side of her head. There was an excitement in them that made everyone curious. Already seated at the circular table were Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Kouga; and all were looking at Ayame with a clueless expression. The excited sixteen-year-old squeezed into a spot between Kagome and Kouga, forcing the other girl to scoot closer to Sango, and flashed a pretty smile at her group of friends. She knew that her boyfriend had a little crush on Kagome, but his affection for (and fear of) Ayame prevented him from ever pursuing the other. Likewise, Kagome was obviously happy with her relationship and never made attempts for Kouga; settling any of Ayame's concerns.
"What's so exciting?" Sango asked first and leaned forward so she could peer around Kagome to see the third part of their trio. The three girls were as close as anyone could imagine, and it was evident in the way they interacted. Each one brought a different element to the group; Sango was the loyal and very stubborn backbone, Ayame was the enthusiasm and ambitious excitement, and Kagome was the loveable and funny glue. Not one girl preferred one over another, and it was always rightly assumed that they had each other's backs. It was the second month into the sophomore year of high school for the girls, and while the rest of their friends were at least a year or two ahead of them, they were grateful to have each other to suffer through the four years of school.
"Is this some theatre thing?" Miroku chimed in as he ate a few more edamame beans. He, along with the rest of their group, had changed greatly since his youth. When he turned thirteen, the long-lost father that had abandoned Miroku and his mother returned with a new outlook on life. He had traveled to and come back from Asia a changed man, all through the teachings of Buddha. Although his wife would not take the spiritually saved man back, Miroku welcomed his father and the teachings of Buddhism with open arms. His disposition was much calmer now, and he wore the traditional beads of a Buddhist follower, and yet there was still a naughty streak in him that came out from time to time when Sango or another pretty lady walked by. Currently though, he was happy to have his arm around Sango's shoulders.
"Yes! There's going to be a talent show! Apparently, last year the theatre department made a vote to have some sort of event that got the other students on the stage, and they decided on a talent show! Anyone can tryout and I'm going to do it!" Letting out a shrill cry of joy, Ayame didn't notice the slightly braced expressions on her group's faces at her sudden noise. Kouga was the first to react though, and gave his girl a friendly peck on the cheek before taking a bite of his food.
"Good job, baby girl. You gonna do some musical thing? What about that song from Enchanted? You're always singing that one." Though his words were inquisitive, the older boy's tone was less than curious as he chowed down. Ayame went to answer him, but upon seeing his brutish way of eating, her nose curled and eyes squinted before her hand shot out to strike his shoulder. Kouga nearly choked on his food from the sudden action. Looking at her with a slack-jawed, clueless face, he waited for the girl to explain herself. "What woman?!" He shouted when she didn't quickly speak up.
"Woman? Woman?! Kouga you sound like a freaking hillbilly!" Ayame shouted, but quickly regretted it when Houjo began approaching the table with a smile on his handsome, tanned face. He'd grown up nicely as well, tall and very muscular (just as any good male dancer would hope to be). It was no secret that his father was a prominent Texas oil-tycoon and that he'd been raised in a southern household, and he was proud of it! So, when Ayame balked and quickly began apologizing to him for the 'hillbilly' comment, Houjo just blinked and stood behind Kagome with a clueless expression. He did not take such words as insults.
"Hey Kagome, are you ready?" He asked once the cloud of awkwardness had lifted. Kagome looked up over her shoulder at the boy and smiled, to which he returned the gesture and leaned down to place a tender kiss to the top of her head. That was the most they usually did, as Kagome didn't feel compelled to take it further yet. Thankfully though, Houjo was a patient and loyal boyfriend, almost to a fault. Sometimes, Kagome found herself growing bored with his predictability, but it wasn't in her ability to bring it up with him. Besides, they went well together! He and she were their mentor's favorite pupils and spent almost every day at the studio after school honing their skills as dancers. He was as close a friend as Sango or Ayame, but her romantic feelings towards him seemed to be weening.
"Yep! Guys, we're gonna go practice so I'll see you after school. Ayame, Sango, you're still gonna come home with me right?" She asked as Houjo happily took his girlfriend's backpack for her. The students who remained seated looked sad to see their friend go, but Sango and Ayame quickly answered with approving nods.
"Yes! I have more to tell you guys about the talent show. I'll tell Sango now, and we'll fill you in on it when we get to your house. Bye! Have fun!" With her bright, congenial smile stretching across her face, Ayame waved as Kagome was basically dragged away from the courtyard. Kagome knew that Houjo had only reserved the dance room during the lunch period, but she was still sad to leave her friends. As the two made their departure, another pair came into play.
"Inuyasha! I thought you had lunch detention today." Miroku's mellow voice became animated when he saw his best friend coming towards the table with another person hanging on his arm. Just the sound of Inuyasha's name brought dissatisfied frowns to Sango and Ayame's faces, because wherever he went Kikyou went as well. They only separated during the day when they had different classes, and it was positively irritating to the two younger girls, as well as Kagome. The original group that was comprised of Sango, Kikyou, Miroku, and Inuyasha had known each other the longest; and it was evident in how they interacted with each other. Before Kagome came along, Sango and Kikyou called themselves best friends; though in hindsight it was far from that. Neither had ever really trusted the other, but fell into that role because the two boys in the group were already each other's best friends. It only made sense.
"No, I'm doing that tomorrow. Hey man, how's it going?" Inuyasha grinned at his good friend Miroku and Kouga, taking a seat between them while Kikyou fell into the empty space left by Kagome between Sango and Ayame. She was only a year older than them, but when placed side-by-side, an impartial observer could easily assume she was in her twenties rather than seventeen. While Ayame and Sango's bodies were developing at the normal rate for girls their age, Kikyou was much more enhanced (some of it artificial rather than natural). Her hair was as long and perfectly straight as it had always been, and her skin was smooth and pale. She was a beauty to behold, not even having to adorn flamboyant makeup and jewelry to attract attention; which was almost negated by the fact that her entire torso and bottom half had been nipped and tucked until she looked like something no high-schooler should resemble. Even her uniform, which was technically the same as everyone else's, had been altered to accentuate her ample curves. The jacket had been taken in around the chest area and the hem of her skirt was a good two inches shorter than dress-code required; yet there were never any repercussions for it. Many of the male student-body greatly enjoyed the sight of her strutting down the halls, and envied Inuyasha, but nearly all of the girls resented Kikyou. Still, none of it seemed to faze the girl whose whole world revolved around her man.
"I can't complain. Got everything I need right here," Miroku grinned cheekily as he rested his head against Sango's shoulder, which she jerked away when she felt his hand traveling down her back suggestively. Her brown eyes narrowed at him dangerously, but were betrayed by a playful smile.
"Don't do that, okay? It's embarrassing." She said bashfully and took a sip of her drink, but a scoff coming from her side caused the lacrosse player to cut her eyes at Kikyou. "What?" she asked in a deadpan voice. Kikyou just shrugged her shoulders, feigning innocence as she admired her nails.
"Oh nothing," She said in a flippant voice and crossed her legs under the table. There was a visible twitch in Sango's eye, and in her lap her hand balled into a tight fist, but she decided to take the high road and attempted to calm down. Ayame chewed on her lip nervously, unsure of how to handle herself around Kikyou, and tried to turn her attention to Kouga. But he and the two other boys at the table were in a deep conversation about boy things that didn't intrigue her in the least. With a soft sigh, the theatrical girl opted to just occupy her attention with her phone until lunch was over. This was how it went many days during the week. Once Kagome left, that meant it was fair game for Inuyasha and Kikyou to join and ruin the relaxed mood. He and Kagome never tried to be around each other, so it was naturally assumed that they got to spend time with their friends in shifts. It was a confusing and frustrating dance that would eventually be for naught, as their secret friendship wouldn't remain a secret for very long.
The beautiful song 'Hungarian Dance No. 1' filled the nearly empty dance studio, though the small stereo it came from did little justice to its beautiful melody. It was the song Kagome and Houjo had been given to perform to, as their next recital was coming up, and the two dedicated students spent as much time practicing as they could. So, there they were, in the midst of a beautiful song performing graceful movements in perfect harmony. They had been dancing together for so long that they knew what the other's next movement would be without needing verbal acknowledgement. As Houjo brought Kagome into a lift above his head, his strong hands at her hips, she pulled her right leg back as far as it could go, letting her foot strain to point as straight as possible. This pose lasted a few seconds as he took a few steps in a graceful manor before he slowly lowered her back to the hardwood floor. And as she came down, their bodies pressed against each other and faces slowly came into eye level with each other, Kagome's arms wrapped around Houjo's strong shoulders in a desperate and theatrical embrace made even more intense by the music. Their dance continued for another minute or so, and by the end the two were panting and had beads of sweat on their brow; along with big smiles.
"That might be our best run through so far! I can't believe we didn't have to start over at all," Kagome said breathlessly as she assumed a normal standing position and let her muscles take a break. Houjo smiled brightly and went over to the stereo to put a stop to the beautiful music. As he bent down to unplug the stereo, effectively ending the session, Houjo looked back at Kagome with a pleasant smile. He and she had successfully gone through the routine in just under ten minutes, and there was a little more than twenty minutes left to the lunch period. That gave them more than enough time to dress and be ready for their next classes. Returning to his girlfriend's side, stereo and dance bag hanging on his broad shoulder, Houjo decided that now was the best time to bring up something that had been on his mind for a while.
"Hey, since we have so much time to kill, can we sit and talk for a bit?" He asked peacefully, still smiling happily and unassumingly, giving Kagome no reason to be wary. She complied and sat on the hardwood floor with him.
"What do you want to talk about?" She inquired simply and relaxed on the palms of her hands. Houjo held up his index-finger for a second before pulling out a pamphlet from his dance bag. He handed it to Kagome and smiled excitedly.
"This summer, the Houston ballet is hosting a camp for young dancers and my mother has been asked to fly over to help instruct. It's this really big thing Kagome and I'm getting to go for free, and my mother told me that you can go for free too. Its six weeks long and we get to go to premier ballets and work with professional dancers and we'll even be part of a production too. I really think that it'll be a great experience for us." Houjo seemed to have practiced this in his mind, because the words came out much faster than how he normally spoke. It left Kagome taken back a little, but her initial thoughts were of curiosity and excitement. She opened the tri-folded pamphlet and read through the information, finding herself more and more intrigued by the prospect of attending such a prestigious retreat. Her blue eyes gazed up at Houjo's eager face and a smiled appeared on her face, accenting the soft dimples in her cheeks.
"It seems really cool Houjo. But you know I'll have to talk to mom and dad before I make any decisions. When do you need an answer?" Kagome asked as she moved to stand up. Houjo quickly got up onto his feet so to help her, and answered her question.
"Not for another month. Mom has until then to give the coordinators the number of tickets she needs; see she's vouching for me, possibly you, and three other dancers from madam's academy. Think your parents will be able to decide by then?" He asked hopefully as they walked towards the studio's doors. Kagome smiled and nodded quickly, thanking him for holding the door open as she walked through.
"Yeah, I'm sure they'll only need a week to come to a decision. Mom will probably be okay with it, but Dad is a bit more protective; especially ever since Sesshoumaru left for school. But trust me, I'll do everything I can to convince him." Her words of reassurance were comforting to Houjo, and he seemed happy with how things were going. Kagome noticed as he let out a big sigh and couldn't help but laugh softly and give his side a playful nudge. "Were you nervous or something?" She asked teasingly and the two fell into a friendly and comfortable conversation.
"Hello miss Kagome, miss Ayame, miss Sango." Carlton stood next to the black car, the back door held open to allow the girls to slide in, and smiled at the trio as they approached. He was older now, almost forty years old, and had been appointed as Kagome's driver until the day came that she no longer required one. The two were close, as he went everywhere with her, and had built up a comfortable relationship. As the girls moved into the car, and he shut the door for them before moving back around to the driver's side, Kagome smiled and leaned back into the seat with an exhausted sigh. "I'm good, how are you Carlton?" She asked her driver as he turned the engine on. The older man glanced back at her through the rear-view mirror and smiled politely.
"I've had a very productive day, miss. I was told that your dance lesson was canceled for today, so shall I take you straight home or would you like to stop somewhere else?" He questioned as the car made its way through the parking lot towards the street. But as he turned to exit into the street, a red car suddenly appeared and caused Carlton to put on the breaks; jerking every passenger inside. Kagome let out a gruff sound when she saw the occupants of the red car, and would definitely give Inuyasha an earful when she got home. He knew perfectly well that this was one of their father's cars and that he could have easily caused an accident. Carlton, who had become used to Inuyasha's antics, recovered quickly and looked back at the girls.
"Just take us to the house please," Sango said with a nervous smile when Kagome seemed too upset over the scare Inuyasha had given them to speak. Carlton simply nodded and began driving again. "Kagome, just forget it." The level-headed friend advised before Ayame chimed in.
"So! Now I can tell you both about my idea for the talent show." Her excitement was interrupted when Kagome voiced her confusion.
"Didn't you already tell Sango-chan?" She asked curiously, but got a declining shake of the head from the other two.
"Anyway, I want to do a song and dance number with you guys! I have the song picked out and everything; all I need is Kagome-chan to come up with choreography. What do you think?" Her enthusiasm and eagerness was evident, but was not matched by the two other girls sitting in the backseat. Kagome and Sango had similar expressions of nervous and hesitation. They weren't prepared for such a proposition, and had no idea as how to let their friend down gently.
"Um, not that we aren't honored that you want us to be part of your act, but don't you think there are others who'd be better than us?" Sango's calm attempt to back out was met with a dismissive wave of Ayame's hand and a playful, oblivious laugh. Kagome sighed and let her head fall back onto the rest behind her, knowing already that getting out of this was nearly impossible.
"No, no, no! It wouldn't be any fun without you two as backup singers! Besides, who would be better at making up dance moves than Kagome-chan?" Ayame offered, but was quickly answered when Kagome cut in.
"I'm a ballet dancer; I haven't taken a hip-hop class in years." As if to realize her words might be rude, Kagome leaned forward to look Ayame in the eye and smiled weakly. She could tell that her friend was really hoping for some backup, and saying no would hurt her feelings very quickly. "But, if you're set on me helping, I promise that I'll give it my best try." Those were the words Ayame needed to hear, because a moment later she was clapping excitedly and bouncing in her seat. It was enough of a disturbance to draw Carlton's gaze to the rearview mirror.
"Thank you so much Kagome-chan! I know that whatever you come up with will be perfect. Now, all we have to do is convince Sango." Green eyes slowly cut over to the most hesitant friend and a sly grin appeared. "What do you say, Sango-chan?" She asked sneakily, with a strange, but devious inflection in her voice. Kagome watched as Sango fell forward dejectedly, letting out a saddened moan as well. She was the only one out of the three of them who wasn't comfortable on stage, so getting her to agree to this would be a miracle. Ayame sighed and gave her friend a gentle shake and made a begging noise. "Come on! You won't admit it but you've got a great voice! I mean, it's not trained or anything, but it's good enough for a talent show. And Kagome certainly can't be my only background singer because she sucks! So if I don't have you, there's no way I'll win. Please, please, please!" Kagome's mouth fell open in offense at her friend's harsh words, but she did nothing as Ayame continued to shake Sango's frame, repeating 'please' incessantly until finally the sporty girl sat back up and threw her hands in the air.
"Fine! But I don't have a good voice and you can't blame me if we don't win. Which we won't! But whatever, it's just my reputation and dignity I'm risking. At least you two like being the center of attention…I always get stage fright." With her arms folded in front of her, Sango began sulking between the two of her best friends and instantly gave the both of them a guilt trip. Ayame and Kagome exchanged a single glance before trying to cheer up their friend.
"Hey, don't think about it as us being more comfortable with attention, but just with a different kind of attention. You're the captain on the lacrosse team and everyone always pays attention to you during games. But you're so focused on making a goal, or punching someone's face, that you don't notice it," Kagome hoped that this offer of kind words would make her friend feel better. She leaned in closer to Sango, played with the perfect ends of her hair, and smiled sweetly. Ayame did similarly and hugged Sango's arm to her chest; thankfully, the attention was having a positive effect on Sango.
"Yeah, it's the same for us when we get on stage. So, if you think of the talent show as a game, and the performance is like making the winning goal, you'll do great!" Their supportive words encouraged the nervous friend, and eventually Sango caved in and gave them a reluctant, but beautiful, smile. The rest of the ride home, the girls continued on with making plans for the act they would perform; all now looking forward to beginning practice.