Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

A/N: Okay, I just need to warn y'all, that this chapter might be a bit boring. It's more of an informative chapter than anything, just to explain a few things.

Kagome sighed, staring at her reflection as she pulled the small pins out of her hair. She was attractive, sure, but she didn't see what the big deal about her was. There were plenty of good-looking people around. Looks, looks, it was always about looks. That's all she was complimented on, her looks. Her talent was after, her accomplishments next, and her personality last. She was tired of it. Not once did she ever voice this complaint, she'd only be labeled off as an ungrateful brat. After all, who the hell complained about being pretty?

She always had dreams of becoming an actress, there was nothing she wanted more than to see her face one day on billboards, to watch herself on a huge screen, to have adoring fans from all around, and to be able to have a career doing what she loved best. Of course, there were negatives that accompanied her dream. She had no privacy, every little move she made was scrutinized, and she always had to be perfect for the public. Nevertheless, she wouldn't change a thing about her life. All the blood, sweat, and tears were all worth it in the end because she, Kagome Higurashi, at the age of 25, was hailed as an icon.

Before she made it, her friends and family thought she was crazy. They shook their head at her dreams. Impossible, they always use to say. She was smart in school, so they couldn't understand why she didn't just stick to dreams that involved college and a normal career. She usually came home with A's and a couple B's, she wasn't exceptionally intelligent, but she was definitely smart. Her weakest subject was math and her strongest was literature. She loved to read romance novels, especially those that involved fantasy. Her head was always high in the clouds, her friends and family thought. She needed to accept reality and stop fantasizing.

But look where she was at now. She made it with millions of adoring fans along with her long resume of accomplishments and experience. Then, there were all the awards she won, all delicately placed in a private room. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing her face at least once. She was on billboards, magazine covers, advertisements, campaigns, everywhere. It wasn't easy to reach the top. Even as a child, she was aware of how difficult her aspirations were, but all she ever wanted was to be an actress, and she refused to give it up without a fight.

It was extremely difficult in the beginning. No one would take her seriously. "You're just a pretty face." They all said. Back then, she was never "right" for roles. She just wasn't "it" a lot of the casting directors said. Either she was too young or too mature or she just didn't have enough edge to her. She was just at the ripe age of 16 when she really started trying to make things happen and fulfill her dreams. She paid for her own head shots with saved money from her job at the local flower shop. She took acting lessons to improve her skills, she even took some singing and dancing lessons just encase the extra skills would come in handy. Directors always appreciated well rounded talent, right? She knew that in most cases, agents/managers were definitely a must, but she could never find one.

Where the hell did you look for managers or talent agents at anyway?

She was almost ready to give up, not completely, just a small break from her dream. All the rejection was taking a toll on her and she couldn't afford to keep spending money on lessons and head shots. Until finally, when she was working one day at the flower shop, disheartened and depressed, a woman came in.

Kagome smiled, remembering how awed she was by the woman. The woman was beautiful, so very beautiful with sleek black hair and almond shaped eyes. She was a classic beauty, and her entire aura oozed with confidence.

Rich brown eyes, full of intelligence, along with a certain softness focused on her and Kagome squirmed nervously under her gaze. Then, the woman asked for a bouquet of holly's, lilly's and casablanca's. Her voice was just as pretty as her face, it was sweet and sensual. "Your name is as pretty as you are Miss..?" Kagome trailed off and the woman smiled. "Kikyo Suzuki," She said, "My name is Kikyo Suzuki." And they chatted as Kagome made the customized bouquet.

Apparently, she was Kaede's older sister. The kind woman in her mid twenties that owned the flower shop and the bouquet was for Kaede in congratulations to the birth of her first child. She could see the resemblance between Kaede and the beautiful woman, but while Kaede dressed in simple clothing, this woman's elegant apparel was clearly expensive. She could have been a model.

Kagome started brushing through her long hair, taking out the small knots gently and running over smoothed strands with her finger. Still lost in reminiscing.

They talked more and Kagome started feeling her mood lift through out their conversation. She was starting to forget all about the rut she was in with her dreams. That is, until the woman asked why she looked so sad. Kagome blushed in embarrassment, she didn't realize that her sour mood was so obvious.

Suddenly, she found herself confessing everything to the beautiful woman. How hard she worked, how much she tried, how strongly she felt. After she finally finished with her emotional ranting, she expected Kikyo to say she was just as foolish as her family and friends thought she was, but surprisingly, all she did was stare at her with a tiny smile. "Perform for me right now." Kikyo said and Kagome blinked in shock. "Pardon me?"

"Perform, here, now. Dance, sing, act. You choose."

Kagome was still in shock.

"I want to see if you have any talent. So perform anything for me right now. Sing a song, show me a dance routine, or act out some monologue."

Never one to turn down a challenge, Kagome squared her shoulders and moved to stand closer to the woman. "Fine," She muttered. Then, she performed a favorite monologue of hers. It was actually an excerpt from one of her favorite novels, she loved the excerpt so much that she memorized every single word, but she never once performed it for her auditions, it would hurt her pride too much if she was turned away after performing it. It was special to her, a story about a girl who loved someone so much that she had to learn to let him go. They were from two different era's and even their love for eachother couldn't keep them together. It was a touching novel and no matter how many times she read it, it always brought tears to her eyes.

When she was finished, she watched as Kikyo just stared at her in silence. She suddenly felt self conscious and she looked away from the beautiful woman. Did she do that badly? Was it horrible? Heat started to spread from her neck to her cheeks. Maybe, maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

"Tomorrow, I'll be back here tomorrow at 4 o'clock sharp to pick you up." That was all Kikyo said before handing Kagome a small card and leaving with her bouqet of holly's, lilly's, and casablanca's after.

Kikyo Suzuki

Ichiro Ent.

103-0013-923-1283

Kagome stood stiffly, her eyes wide with disbelief. Ichiro Enterprises? That was the biggest talent agencies in Tokyo! Suddenly, she found herself giddy, giggling and spinning until she was too dizzy to prevent herself from falling.

After she finished brushing the tangles out of her hair and scrubbing her face clean of make up, she made her way to her bedroom. A fond smile on her face. She was almost ready to (temporarily) give up on her dreams, until fate decided to be kind and surprised her with Kikyo.

The beautiful, mysterious woman answered her prayers. Of course, she couldn't forget Kaede. Kaede was the reason the woman even came to Kyoto. For that, Kagome would eternally be grateful to her former boss.

Kagome stared at the papers with her signature on it, quivering. She still couldn't believe that she finally found herself a manager. With one, she had more of a chance to land roles. She could feel her eyes growing moist and her nose start to sting. She hugged Kikyo, trying to prevent her tears from falling. She didn't want to embarrass herself by crying. "This means so much to me ."

Kikyo smiled, tenderly patting the girl's head. "You can call me Kikyo hun." Kagome nodded and returned the smile, listening intently as Kikyo spoke again. "You know, Kaede always found ways to bring you up when she was around me. Actually, she told me about you so much that sometimes it made my head ache!" Kikyo chuckled, "But now I regret ignoring her and not visiting you even sooner." Kagome blinked, "She talks about me?"

"Yes, quite a lot. She really believes in you. I was always so busy in Tokyo and I only had time to visit her in Kyoto a few times a month. Every time I came to visit, she would always try and convince me to meet you, to watch you perform. She said that your performances were always moving."

Kagome blushed, she knew that Kaede enjoyed watching her practice for auditions, but she didn't think that she liked her performances that much!

"Finally after visiting her at the hospital and seeing my new nephew, I asked her if she wanted me to get her anything as a congratulatory gift. She told me she wanted me to go to her flower shop, I assumed she wanted a bouquet of flowers, but she said that all she wanted was for me to meet you. She said that if I did, I'd see why you were so special."

Kagome felt her cheeks grow even hotter. Special? She was special? Kikyo reached for both of her hands and smiled down at her gently. "When I first laid eyes on you, I was trying to figure out what was so special about you. Sure, you were easy on the eyes, but it takes more than looks to make a star."

Kikyo sighed, "and then, I saw it. I saw what Kaede meant. When you started telling me about your dreams, I saw that spark in your eyes and I caught a glimpse of what my little sister was referring to, but it wasn't until I watched you perform that I really saw it. You shined so brightly then. A true diamond in the rough."

Kagome remained silent.

"And I promise you, Kagome that with my help, you'll be recognized as a star in no time."

All she could do was nod at her new manager, still in shock with all that was happening. Any time now, It felt like her heart would explode from happiness. A part of her expected to wake up any minute and find out that this was all a dream.

"Thank you - I mean.. Kikyo."

With Kikyo's help and guidance, Kagome finally landed her first gig, a small role in a low-budget film, but Kagome was happy nonetheless. Slowly, she worked her way up from commercials to minor roles. Then, to bigger and bigger roles. Until finally, she nabbed a starring role as the protagonist of a dramatic movie. It was a commercial success, and it seemed that Kagome blew up overnight to others when in reality, it took her years. In the time they've spent together, Kikyo and Kagome's relationship went from acquaintances to a close bond.

Always, Kagome wondered why Kikyo herself didn't try to crack into the business, and when she finally asked, Kikyo simply smiled. "My passion doesn't involve singing, acting, dancing, or posing in-front of camera's. My passion is nurturing talent, diamond's in the rough, and making their dreams come true."

Kikyo became somewhat of a second mother to Kagome. Even thought she was only 28 when they first met, she always had the power to soothe her young protege when something was troubling her. For nine years, they've been together, both loyal to the other. Although Kikyo had a few other clients, Kagome was always her main priority and although there were plenty of others who approached Kagome after she gained commercial success, she would never leave the care of her original manager. Even at the age of 25, sometimes Kagome still felt like a naive teenager around Kikyo and even at Kikyo's age of 37, she still looked exactly like the 28 year old mystery woman that Kagome first met.

Sighing again, Kagome sat on her bed, pulling the mauve colored sheets a bit and placing herself underneath smooth satin. She loved what she did and she loved the fact that she proved everyone who ever doubted her wrong. Sometimes, she just wished that her looks weren't all that she was recognized for. Sometimes, she just wanted to be recognized for talent alone.

She refused to be just another pretty face that faded in the background and become some has-been when some new, younger starlet came along to take their spot. No, she would not be knocked off her pedestal.

With a sleepy moan, she snuggled against a cool pillow and felt herself fall into her dreams. She had to prepare herself for another hectic day, full of running around doing publicity and screaming fans.

A/N: So, this chapter was pretty boring, I know. I just had to explain some things, hope no one fell asleep while reading this chapter! LOL. (X

As always, reviews are appreciated. (: