Chapter 2 - The New Sophie

After a lot of prompting the group eventually broke off and returned to the foyer, dressed in normal clothes again and still whispering stories about the ghost. The main area was grandiose as the school was often only attended by the richest or the best of the art and many that did graduate offered money back to their alma mater. The floor was completely marble and a paired grand staircase circled around a grand fountain of the nine greek muses. Coins twinkling in the bottom from dreamers that made wishes to the elusive creatures.

On the first landing Sango ran into Inuyasha, one of the people that had put a lot of money behind the school recently. He frowned only a moment at the bump before nodding in recognition to Kaede's daughter, a smile resurfacing quickly on his young features.

"You did very well tonight." He offered the compliment still glancing around as if looking for someone else. "And Kagome Higurashi...what a triumph!"

"Not likely." Sango commented watching the young man as if he'd lost his mind. "She was still barely passing her singing lessons last I saw her a few months ago. I need by however, some of the girls and I are planning to go out to the market and relax after the weekend. If I miss the cab I can't afford to pay for one myself."

The school wasn't too far from Seattle, and the Pike Place Market had become somewhere they liked to go walk around and look for deals on jewelry or whatever else the many stalls held. Even if you didn't have a lot of money you could enjoy the lovely view of the ocean that nearly touched the market's edge.

She moved off from the foyer to outside as it was steadily getting crowded with people talking after the performance. Inuyasha had been right; rarely had performances ever come close to this one. She had performed a stunning job as Sophie from Mamma Mia, gaining more talk than the singer that had been on as the main character; Donna. Other singers had been on and off and a set of separate performances had been put in between scenes of the currently popular play.

She had been replacing Kikyo, a favorite at the school because her parents had given much money to get it started and continued to donate. She had come down ill and hadn't been able to perform so Kagome had taken over as her understudy. Though most people were pleased with the change and went on about the lovely, seraphic voice of the young woman.

It was a mystery that she'd done so well amongst many of the attendees, most of them had heard horrible notes from her throat not more than a month before. Only the students that shared direct singing classes with her had seen the quick transformation in her voice. In weeks time she'd gone from frog to angel, and even they weren't sure why she was suddenly doing so well where she had struggled before. She didn't stay after classes for extra time and she rarely left her tiny room unshared with any other students on the first floor. Some thought she was simply faking the first half of the class to make it easier later and had made the change too quickly. Others noted her shyness and lack of much social interaction but didn't believe her capable of such deception. She'd mentioned to the teacher several times she would spend her time practicing, but so much in such little time seemed a miracle.

The Comte Toshai, standing up in his box, listened to all this frenzy and took part in it by loudly applauding. Sesshomaru Comte Toshai was nearing thirty years of age. He was a great aristocrat and a good-looking man, above middle height and with attractive features, in spite of his hard forehead and his rather cold eyes. He was exquisitely polite to the women and a little haughty to the men, who did not always forgive him for his successes in society. He had an excellent heart and an irreproachable conscience. On the death of old Count Toshai, he became the head of one of the oldest and most distinguished families in the world, whose arms dated back to the times of the bible. The Toshai's owned a great deal of property; and, when the old count, who was a widower, died, it was no easy task for Sesshomaru to accept the management of so large an estate. His brother, Inuyasha, would not hear of a division and waived their claim to their shares, leaving themselves entirely in Sesshomaru's hands, as though the right of primogeniture had never ceased to exist.

The mother of the Toshai brothers, had died giving birth to Inuyasha who was born twenty years after his elder brother. At the time of the old count's death, Inuyasha was still barely a babe. Sesshomaru busied himself actively with finding caretakers for the youngster while he pursued his own business matters. He was assisted by an old aunt of the family that lived near the ocean front and had given Inuyasha a taste for the sea. He'd entered the navy and made trips the world over for four years before leaving again. Meanwhile Sesshomaru had already volunteered in the military even before his brother's birth and spent his years building a large business in weaponry, staying connected to the military. Now he was stuck with his younger brother again, needing to teach him the way of the company, as their father had legally left a great portion to him once he was ready to take it on.

He was aggressive and acted without thinking often, so much so the stupidity he showed off at times was remarkable. It was as if all the special schools and money spent was neatly wasted. His manners were barely passable even at events such as this, but the school made as good a place as any to train the pup. He was barely over twenty, having graduated and entered the service at sixteen, yet he still looked as if he could blend into the student body easily. He had long silver hair like the rest of the family, golden eyes which were another trademark. He was short but lean and pulled consistently at the suit he'd been given to dress in for the occasion.

Many thought that Sesshomaru spoiled Inuyasha but it was rather the opposite. It had been simply easier to keep his busy and therefor out of the way up until the point that he exited the military. Sesshomaru blamed the youth for the death's of both of their parents. Mother had died giving birth to him, and father hadn't lasted long without her. In hoping he would start to learn more easily and pick up the proper manner he began to bring him along on any sort of work or social outing Sessomaru indulged in himself. It was perhaps strange that he, one of the heads of a military weapons development business, would take in broadway. However he considered it a luxury for those with the money to afford it, it wasn't a cheap hobby and the stage took much more skill than those behind a camera. You only had a single chance to make it right live.

Sesshomaru himself had a character leaned much more toward work but he used his love of theater as an outlet to indulge personal pleasures; his demeanor was always faultless; and he was incapable of setting his brother a bad example. He took him with him wherever he went. He even introduced him to the foyer of the ballet. It was bothersome that he had begun to learn names of the students, likely he wouldn't hesitate to deflower one that would be quick to lay a law suit if they happened to 'break up'. If he hadn't insisted several times and continued to go on about wanting to see the back stage for the last several events he wouldn't have stayed at all after the performances.

"Let's go see Kagome." He repeated again. "She never sang like that before."

He frowned at his brother, disliking the way this was going. It was easy to see by the way he fidgeted as they walked that he was enamored of the girl. Something that was bothersome but would fix itself soon enough.

They reached the stage and pressed through the crowd of gentlemen, ladies, scene-shifters, and chorus-girls, Inuyasha leading the way at this point. His face set with passion and feeling his feet would take him where he needed to be. Sesshomaru followed with a complete lack of mirth, not even faking a smile. Several of the chorus and other actors were blocking the thin passage to the dressing rooms and he got several comments and even a pinch before he managed to reach the end of the hall.

Sesshomaru was mildly surprised he knew the way, he'd certainly never taken him to this area and had to conclude he'd already visited the girl prior to this when he'd been speaking to the new superintendents and the other board holders as to changes to be made or rules to be kept with them taking over.

Postponing his visit to that office he instead continued to follow his brother to the door of the dressing room, though it had never been so crammed on this end of the hallway until this evening. The entire school seemed excited by her success and also by her fainting at the end of her performance to the applauds. The schools live in nurse had already arrived ahead of them and while they forced their way to the door many separated, most of the school was a bit afraid of Sesshomaru.

"Don't you think, Nurse, that the rest of these should clear the hall?" Inuyasha asked cooly. "There's no way for her to relax or breath."

"Quite right." The nurse agreed, glanced at the hall and sending them away except for her personal assistant and the two brothers. During the commotion Sesshomaru leaned to tell his brother to come soon and attend the meeting. He didn't actually want him there, but better than here getting into trouble Sesshomaru couldn't watch.

The new superintendents, Kouga and Hachi had arrived to give congratulations as well as sympathy found themselves being turned around. Kouga laughed as he saw the people at the door, leaning to whisper to his partner.

"Well his brother is quite the rogue." He was obviously speaking of Inuyasha. "Can't blame him, I went after a high school girl or two in my day."

Kagome uttered a deep sigh, groaned, turned her head and jumped when she saw Inuyasha. She looked to the nurse, who earned a smile, the assistant, then Inuyasha again. "Who are you?"

"Kagome." He grinned at her and shook his long silver locks. "All that work running to save your red scarf. I was soaked to the bone that day."

She just blinked at him.

"I can't believe you don't recognize me. May we speak in private?" He asked still excited to see his childhood friend.

"When I feel better maybe." She answered nervously.

"Yes." The nurse agreed, shooing at him with her hands. "You also need to allow her to rest like all the others. Let me look her over and give her time to recover."

"I am not ill now." Kagome stated, standing up with an unexpected energy, pressing her hand over her cheeks and nodding. "Thank you Nurse but I'd like to be alone for a while. I think just some of that rest would do me well."

The nurse thought about protesting but her check of vitals hadn't given her anything out of the ordinary. "Okay but I want you to check in with me tomorrow morning whenever you get up. Before you go out on the town but after breakfast."

She followed out with Inuyasha and her assistant, shaking her head a little. "You'll have to forgive her sir, she'd not herself after all the attention. She normally is more polite."

Then the nurse and assistant left and Inuyasha was left alone outside her room, he could still pick up her perfume barely beneath the dust of the basement level. This part of the threater was now deserted, the farewell speech Kagura was working so hard on taking place in the main area after the break. Thinking after she redressed Kagome might want to attend he waited in the hallway. He hid a little further way and stared at the door, he wanted to speak to her so much he couldn't yet walk away even if he wasn't listening to his brother's orders. Sesshomaru pissed him off most of the time anyway, he'd never be good enough compared to the success his older brother was.

Eventually he took his chances and walked closer to the door, if he knocked then just a few moments of her time couldn't hurt her more. Hardly breathing he crept up to the dressing room and before he could knock he heard a man's voice that was familiar yet mysterious on the other side.

"Kagome, you must continue to practice!"

Kagome's voice, trembling and with a sorrow that made Inuyasha instantly angry, he could picture the tears in her eyes, replied. "How can you talk like that? I sing only for you! I worked for hours and hours to get it just right."

Inuyasha leaned against the opposite wall, hoping the cool of the concrete would help him relax. His heart seemed to throb so heavily in his chest that it echoed in the empty passage. If it was nearly deafening for him then they were bound to hear him and catch him eavesdropping like a fool.

Then the voice spoke again, giving him a moment to realize he hadn't been discovered yet. "Are you very tired?"

"Oh, tonight I sang so much I feel part of my soul has left me. I am dead tired." Kagome answered.

"Your soul is a beautiful thing child." the haunting but beautiful voice replied. "and I thank you. No man ever received so lovely a gift. The angels wept tonight."

Inuyasha heard nothing after that. But he refused to go away, instead returning a bit down the hall in fear of being overheard if he stumbled. He was determined to wait for the man to leave the room. He knew now why there was a thin line between love and hate. He loved Kagome but he had to know the face of the man he now hated. To his great astonishment, the door opened and Kagome appeared, dressed in normal clothes again and with a coat over her arm. She closed the door behind her, probably heading back to her dorm room, her head toward the floor as if lost in thought. She walked right by him, but he had his eyes on the door, which did not open again for some time.

Once she'd vanished he waited another moment, returned and opened the door of the dressing room, went in and shut the door. He found himself in absolute darkness, she'd flipped the switch off when she left and he was searching for it.

"There is someone here!" He said with a bravado he didn't completely feel now that he was stuck in a dark room. "What are you hiding for?"

All was darkness and silence. Inuyasha heard only the sound of his own breathing.

"You won't leave this room until I let you!" He exclaimed. "If you don't answer, you are a coward! But I'll expose you!"

He found the switch and hit it, the neon lights coming to life with a low hum. But there was no one in the room! He checked the closets, behind the furniture, felt the walls over just to be certain but there was nothing.

"Am I going mad?" He asked himself aloud, frowning, he was certain he hadn't imagined a man's voice, there was no other way out of the backstage from this point.

He stood for a whole ten minutes listening to his heartbeat slowly calming and the hum of the lighting. Lover though he hoped to be, he couldn't bring himself to steal a ribbon that would give him the lovely perfume of the woman he loved. He instead left the room, moving toward the upstairs numbly.

At least Sesshomaru didn't yell at him for being late, he failed to notice that his older brother had entered only shortly before he himself had arrived.

End Chapter