A/N: This is a totally not planned chapter, but since you all were so excited, I decided to include this in the story too
aBeta; Cstorm86

The Miko is a Terroriffic Dancer

A man sat in a tree, a random one growing in the forest, pretty near the Sacred Tree meadow. He was smiling as he cradled a cup of sake in his hands. His bright eyes were trained on a pair of people moving in the shadow of the ancient tree. He sipped his drink, enjoying the spectacle.

After all, they were training for his entertainment.

.

Kagome stood in the middle of a small space that was her dancing floor. It was the smoothest part of the meadow housing the Sacred Tree. Inuyasha stood leaning back against the wide, smooth trunk of the tree, his hands in his sleeves as he watched her. She'd just show all the steps she already knew.

"So, how is it?" she asked and bit her lip a little when he didn't comment on her skills.

Golden eyes glanced from the bells in her hand to her eyes.

"You know that kagura is a dance and not a set of poses to strike, right?" he finally asked.

"I know that! Grandpa tried to explain to me all the symbolisms of each pose, but I kinda forgot them and..."

"It's a dance. It is easier to perform when you think of it as a dance. A weird, old one, but still. It has to go fluidly through each step, so the energy carries to the next one. Here, let me show you."

Kagome handed the bells to the hanyou, who came to her side and waved a hand for her to back a few steps. It was... Not what she'd expected. He hadn't opposed the idea of teaching her. He had made it look like he wanted to torment her as a teacher, but so far, he was being helpful and nice. She wondered what went through his mind when he glanced back at her and lifted his hands in the beginning of the dance.

Then he started and Kagome watched in awe how the awfully agile and graceful being she called a friend moved, no gesture overdone, no motion hastened to arrive at a pose, that was perfect anyway. The bells in his hands made just enough noise and didn't ring unless a decisive move of a wrist prompted them to.

Inuyasha went through a few of the starting steps and stopped to look back at her. Kagome clasped her hands in front of herself

"Inuyasha..."

"What? What is that doe-eyed look for?" he asked, warily.

"Can you dance the kagura this year?"

"That's your duty. Now, come here, I want to drag your ass through the first steps," he reached and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards himself.

Kagome gasped and found her standing with her back facing him, a slight distance between them. He transferred the bells to her hand and grabbed her by her other wrist. A nudge of a bare foot against her calf prompted her to shift her stance. Her face flushed at the close proximity of him.

His hold on her wrists was firm, his skin warm and rough against hers. His breath (smelling suspiciously of her toothpaste) warmed her ear as he lowered his head.

"This is the pose you start. Now," he pulled her to the side, making her take a small step, her hands up and held correctly.

Kagome realized that she had made a great, grave mistake. No, not because Inuyasha was likely to be a merciless trainer that would make her repeat each step over and over again.

He would brush against her. Not intentionally and never for long, but often the miko could feel the warm, firm body behind her. His clawed fingers held her wrists in a restrictive manner, but never too tightly. The tips of his claws barely grazed her skin when he shifted his hold. His breath tickled the side of her neck and his gruff voice sounded almost intimate when he spoke quietly right into her ear. Her heart beat fast and she had trouble following the lesson. She felt too hot and unsure what to do. She wanted him to hold her, to embrace her, but... did he want to? Was he even affected?

His breathing was deep and controlled, his hands a bit sweaty, but nothing that could indicate a swirl of feelings akin to what she felt. She tried to focus, feeling a pang of unhappiness at the thought that her crush felt nothing of being so close to her, holding her. Was it just a matter of shrine pride to him? Was it just a simple agreement among friends for him?

'Not Kagome,' she heard a faint chant in the back of her mind. It made her thoughts a pause. Who...? She gasped softly at the realization. 'Not Kagome. Not Kagome.'

It was usually her who messed up and sent Inuyasha a thought by mistake. He, having so many years of practice in mental speaking, was way better at it.

And yet, now, she could hear his mind voice chanting, as if he was focusing on the thought so much that it had no other option than to spill into her mind.

'No? Why not?' she dared to send a tentative thought.

The hanyou leading her through the steps, froze just for a second.

A mental image of Inuyasha standing in the meadow, under the Sacred Tree, came to her mind. It was just like in the real world, with this one exception that it was Lady Kaede instead of her.

As she examined the image, the reality seemed to seep in, distorting the image of the ghost of an aged miko, replacing it with Kagome's visage.

A gasp, which wasn't her own and Inuyasha stepped back, letting go of her abruptly, stuffing his hands in his sleeves and looking away. The last thing she felt from him was a mental yelp of embarrassment before his mind wall was reinforced.

When she looked his way, his ears were lowered in his hair and a bright blush covered his cheeks.

"Uh, you can try to repeat that now," he grumbled, referring to the steps they just did.

Kagome felt a wave of relief. She wasn't the only one affected. Maybe, just maybe, he was a bit attracted to her too. It made her happy and she couldn't help herself, but smile at him brilliantly. He scowled.

"What are you grinning at? Get at it!"

The miko wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say. She didn't want to tease the skittish hanyou, nor was she brave enough to admit to her feelings for him. So, she gave a nod and went to try and repeat the steps.

.

A man walked up a mountain road. He was young and fairly handsome, with a thin ponytail of black hair. He wore a black shirt with purple swirls and black pants, a big back pack hung over one shoulder while he walked, a staff held in one hand hit the ground in regular intervals. His dark eyes looked ahead at a particular mountain that loomed in front of him.

'Soon,' he decided, nodding his head to the music that played in the buds stuck in his ears. 'Soon, dear cousin Yuka will owe me one and I will have a lovely miko wishing to show me some gratitude. If she's as feisty as Yuka says... Well... Maybe it will be the start of something new...?'

A smile graced his lips.