Chapter Three - The Mysterious Reason
As previously mentioned; the farewell ceremony was taking place. The occasion of the retirement of the previous superintendents Totosai and Myoga. They were meeting within the single board room that existed usually for professor and superintendent gatherings. The group of men on the board of the school chatting with a few of the students that worked as assistant instructors. A couple in particular interested in Kagura after her farewell speech. She was eighteen and a senior, which meant being of legal age had a few of the less faithful men on the board chatting in hopes of more than details about dance instruction.
Most of the students had left either back to their dormitory rooms or to visit the city. A lot of the parents and people that had come to watch the productions were still getting into cars or already driving out of the long path that lead up to the gate, that mixed with the cabs picking up students eager for a night out to a movie, shopping, or dinner (or all of the above) made for a bit of congestion in the parking lot.
Inside the demeanor was politely serious but friendly, the usual businesslike American ambience in such a situation. It was the way of anyone with money these days, irregardless of other things going on you put on a smile and you politely speak of current events or the weather for less well known individuals. It's all a masked ball, with the board room functioning as the magnificently and neatly kept dance floor. It was cool, almost devoid of color or feeling, there was a single picture on a wall of a simple landscape that could be seen in most waiting areas these days.
Someone gasped and eyes went to Sesshomaru, who had arrived a little late, enough that a couple people whispered they were certain the busy C.E.O. would have left for other things instead of the small informal meeting. His interest had been renewed as of late as to his position at the table though and people offered forced smiles as he looked around with a much colder expression.
"The Opera Ghost." Kagura rolled her eyes as one of the people near her brought it up. "Hardly worth speaking of. Just a bunch of popular rumors among bored youths with overactive imaginations."
Some of the others nearby nodded agreement to the words, making a few jokes that this 'ghost' should have been there for the lovely rendition of the performance tonight. People that frequented the place and offered smaller donations that still made up a large portion of the funding that kept the school capable of many of it's extra nights like this. They talked of having him perhaps pick up some of the costs himself if he wanted to stay here, all in good fun and with a bit of the champaign that had been broken for the occasion.
Kagura was glad to deflect the conversation away from the speech she'd given, it had barely been suitable and only because she had a good enough memory. As the ghost had been the subject that interrupted her studies it only seemed fair to be the subject to save her now. Everyone seemed pretty happy with the new topic of conversations, a few of the people saying the mysterious specter should have dropped by for a congratulatory toast; both to the now retired superintendents and the students that'd done so well.
Sesshomaru was distracted shortly by a conversation on putting on a Cats show. A demanding idea for any theater, though the one here was large enough it would be more getting all the section heads on board. He however gave his agreement to the others talking and would make it official during the next meeting. He didn't notice Inuyasha arrive until he'd finished that conversation and moved over to him.
"I have a meeting I need to attend." He told his younger brother coldly. "If you don't care to behave yourself go and get a cab home."
"You don't have to be so rude about it." Inuyasha grumbled at him with a frown. Though the eldest brother was already walking away, he knew his orders were to be obeyed. Inuyasha added after him in a mutter. "Jerk."
Then the new superintendents, Kouga and Hachi, arrived. They weren't well known yet but were received well by most of the board, with friendship and flattery. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at it all, the superficial nature of it he didn't like. He preferred to take the cab and perhaps stop at a bar for a while, he had a fake I.D.
He was sad he hadn't been able to see Kagome, it'd been years sense he'd seen her on the beaches where they used to run and play together. She'd grown older and much more beautiful, enough that his fondness wasn't simply that of an old friend. Most of the room didn't really note the passing of the younger brother now that Sesshomaru had already left, they were used to seeing one follow the other.
The new superintendents were doing a short change of station by passing over the master keys and the final paperwork they'd needed to run things here. The side conversations ended, but it was short enough that no one bothered to take a seat that wasn't there already. People clapping politely when they finished with a handshake.
"The Opera Ghost..." Ayumi, the assistant lightning senior student in attendance gasped so clearly most of the room paused. She'd gone completely pale and was staring with her eyes so wide it seemed they might roll out of her skull at any moment.
She slowly raised a shaky hand to point at a chair at the opposite end of the board room not being as used as the one they were on, the lights on that side hadn't even been turned on. Her voice was broken, frightened as she repeated herself. "It's him, it's the opera ghost..."
The figure didn't move or speak, though it had certainly suddenly become the center of attention. It's mask the most easily seen in the shaded half of the space, completely white as if a face were floating there on the other side of the room. The silver hair was almost translucent and the figure seemed to have a small glow that left an ambience of unease among the previously cheery celebrators.
Several of the people within stayed quiet, uncomfortable, until finally Kouga spoke up. "You there, who are you?"
Though then the fellow was just gone, no one saw him vanish, but somehow he had. Everyone had glanced to the speaker and then the target of the question was no longer there. It was terribly frightening and left the light mood of the evening much less so as people decided to start filing out. Half-hearted jokes about something in the champaign as they went, anything to try to ignore the strange events, though more rumors were bound to start shortly.
Elsewhere...
Kagome was sitting back in her desk's chair, alone in her dorm room as Sango had left to enjoy the market for a time. Though it was just as well for her as she very much desired the time to think, she wasn't sure what to consider as to what had happened to her. She couldn't tell anyone that an angel was her new tutor, that the heavenly guardian of music was the one that had inspired her great voice that evening. She knew that she had still not done well enough, that her voice still required much work before she disappointed him again, yet she was glad that he'd complimented her.
Remembering the resonant seraphic tones of his voice as he offered words of praise made her chest rise and stomach quiver with delight. She was exhausted and yet thinking of her angelic teacher made her giddy with excitement. Grabbing her pillow from her bed she jumped onto it and covered herself, shivering with joy and exhaustion as she thought of how lovely her teacher must be. Not that he ever showed himself to her, she only ever heard his flawless baritone, another reason she hesitated to mention it to anyone. She did not wish for them to only consider her crazy, if she was and it was all some fanciful dream, she didn't want them to pull her from it.
Her family had always tried to support her, but it had been difficult after father had died. Her mother and younger brother hadn't been much help, her grandfather had been detrimental trying to teach her music. It had been a task when she first arrived to relearn things completely in the correct way, so much so that she still owed Sango for the long hours her kind hearted roommate had put in helping her adjust to the correct ways. No, her father had been the only musically gifted member of the family and before he'd died had told her he'd send her an angel to watch over her, she simply hadn't expected it to be here and now or in this manner. She'd always had a natural way with dance, it was why she'd been accepted into the school in the first place when she'd applied, but song had always been more troubling for her.
Now though, she'd gone from barely managing to stay in the school because of fighting to master the correct techniques to being hailed for her performance that evening. She'd overheard one student calling it a miracle, but they had no real idea how spot on the statement actually was. The angel had helped her build, and while he was very strict as to her personal schedule and practice she appreciated he was also so incredibly gentle at times that she had to forgive him the moments where he became more outspoken with her.
He'd only grown cross with her once, for going out but forgetting her scarf when she went, she'd gotten a cold and her practice was forced to wait several days while her body recovered. She had since stopped spending as many of the free days away from the school and more in her dressing room in the basement. Though she'd had the excuse of practicing for the role she was to take on in Kikyo's stead she as much went there hoping for the smallest whisper from her unseen mentor. With that gone she would have to be careful not to spend too much time in the basement until she'd managed to get another role or people would grow suspicious of her.
She was already an outcast compared to many here, most were only interested in Kikyo and though they weren't related by blood many had confused them for sisters in the past when they'd been together. They were uncannily similar, and if they used a bit of make up or changed the style of their hair they could probably have passed as twins. Though the resemblance ended there, Kikyo was loud, prideful, and vindictive where Kagome was quiet, humble, and gentle. Not that the other girl wasn't talented, but she often treated Kagome and many of the other members of the student body that weren't on her good side poorly. With her parents donating so much of their money to the school there was very little she wasn't allowed to get away with.
It made her sigh and turn to the other side, such thoughts troubling the mind made it difficult for one to sleep even if exhausted.
Then there was Inuyasha...she had never forgotten him. The very best friend of her youth, he wasn't much different now than he had been then but after the shock of her faint she really hadn't recognized him at first. She remembered him running out and getting sick to save her favorite scarf from when she was that young, it made her wish she'd brought it to the school with her other belongings at the beginning of the semester. They had spent so much time together then, playing on the beach of the Pacific. Running in the sand, laughing, climbing the trees of the forests and getting sticky with the sap of the ever-greens abundant to the area, telling scary stories to each other at night just to keep themselves up a little longer.
As cute a boy as he'd grown into, she couldn't just be wandering off or talking to him alone where rumors could begin. She'd heard before that he wandered here and that he'd dated Kikyo some years back, that the girl had been interested in him once she'd learned he'd be accompanying his older brother. Though irritating the girl that could make her life hell was a part of her decision to pretend she didn't know him there was more to it. It didn't matter even if she had wanted to see him, the angel had been perfectly clear that she had to remain chaste if she wanted his help. Dating was off-limits, she normally didn't mind as none of the boys here did she have an interest in, though in this case she wondered if it would really matter if she met with an old friend just to discuss the good old days camping out beneath the stars.
She smiled a little as she nodded to herself, just a little talk between friends couldn't hurt anything, she could see about contacting him tomorrow then. His email should be in the list of people that donate near his brothers. That much made her smile a little, her thoughts finally settling enough to allow her to drift innocently into a much needed slumber.
There was no way for her to be aware that her 'angel' was watching her from between the walls, looking out at her from the long mirror that covered one of the places. He watched the blanket raise and lower twice before frowning behind the ivory mask, here he was so close and he couldn't reach out and touch her
Originally he only started it as a way to see things that were happening outside of the narrow view he possessed as someone only donating money to the cause. It was amusing that the girls had taken to rumor so quickly, he'd rarely actually been seen by anyone, but now his little game was turning out to be more useful than he'd originally planned.
He had already subverted some manner of control over the last managers through his otherworldly appearances, now it was just a matter of doing it again. He could easily sway them through nothing more than the image of poor luck following his demands not being met.
Even if he donated a lot of money to the cause, most of his contacts that knew of it believed it to only be a way in which to write off taxes. Very few people in the weapons business cared for Broadway, but he'd risk losing a few of the people interested out of thoughtless bias if he allowed them to become aware of how much he liked the arts. He couldn't get so involved as to help with casting or specifics as himself, but as a demanding spectre?
The frown faded and his poker face returned, though it wasn't visible anyway thanks to the garb he'd adorned for his acting as the ghost. Even if he hadn't continued after tonight, the expressions of the people inside the boardroom were worth the small act. He held a gloved hand to the back of the glass, holding it up as if through will alone he could make it open and allow him to brush the strands of hair that had fallen into her face.
The damn girl had stolen away his wiser nature and left him often stalking her or the halls of the school as this persona much more often than he would like. She was incredible though, despite her often soft-spoken nature she had a voice of gold, as pure as a winter's fresh snow, when she knew how to use it properly. Teaching her had been difficult at times but always fulfilling, she was much further along than when they had begun and now she would play a lead role in the coming play. Replacing that god awful girl the rest of the board always pushed because of her parent's money.
He knew that physically they looked similar but the moment the mouth opened it wasn't even a challenge to tell them apart. Kikyo, the worthless creature was loud, possessive, rude and generally a spoiled brat with no sense of art or talent. Kagome meanwhile was the opposite in every way, her personality was what continued to draw him in like a moth to a flame.
There wasn't a latch on this mirror that would allow him access to her room, or he would have taken it already, just to see her a little more closely after all the time he had to spend behind mirrors watching her would be a heavenly release. His willpower was immense, but it was getting more and more difficult not to give himself away, something he couldn't do if he really wanted to have her in a long term manner.
First he had to make her a star, then when she graduated and became more famous he could reach out and begin to court her openly. But first, he had other matters that needed tending to. Threatening new managers, causing ghostly ruckus, all a means to an end.
End Chapter