It wasn't like she didn't witness magic in her daily life, but it was what she made it to be, not the work of fairy godmothers or spells. Her grandfather was a realist, constantly telling her to get her head out of the clouds. Magic came from hard work and perseverance.

Not for Kagome.

Science had stolen away the bewilderment of rainbows and thunderstorms, but no one could convince her that magic didn't exist when she saw it on the faces of the kids who visited her restaurant every day. Being a server was a means to an end, paying her bills while she finished her university courses, but she still enjoyed it.

Some of the customers were in terrible moods when they walked in, but Kagome had made it her mission that they left with a smile. Sometimes it took more than folding their napkins into cranes or bunnies, but their steps were always a little lighter by the end of their visit.

Making a mental note to brush up on her origami skills when she got home, she tried to focus on the movie. A love story was involved, but she'd instantly been captured by the man cast as the villain. There was something beyond his sneer, though that might've been his facial markings and long silver hair.

Whoever was in charge of makeup needed to be congratulated. She couldn't even tell they were fake. And the way he moved was pure poetry. They'd been leading up to a huge fight scene, but she didn't even care about the plot anymore. She leaned forward in her seat, popcorn forgotten as she watched his every move. He was attractive—she doubted he'd been cast in the role if he wasn't—but it was more than that. Something about the way he moved was different than his heroic counterpart.

"Told you he was hot," Sango whispered once the movie ended.

"I wasn't looking at his face," Kagome said, still in awe.

"Damn, girl! I didn't know you were that thirsty."

She smacked Sango's arm. "Unlike some people, I'm not a complete perv." Sango flashed her a grin, completely unrepentant, and Kagome sighed. "He moves like the wind. Like he really was a god."

"He's definitely that."

"I'm going to tell Kouga that you were fawning all over a make-believe character," she threatened.

"Go for it," Sango said breezily. "He fawns over him just as much as I do. Have you seen those abs?"

She had, but it wasn't what had caught her attention. Kagome's younger brother had been in kendo since he could walk. He'd followed their grandfather around with a stick before being gifted a wooden sword for this fifth birthday. She'd been to all his tests and competitions; she knew how much work went into perfecting those skills.

Taisho hadn't needed a stunt double for those scenes.

She'd kept a sharp eye on his face each time the camera had switched, looking for telltale signs of it being someone else, but the shots had been long, going from closeups to full-body shots. Taisho had been in all of them.

"Does his bio say where he trained?" she asked, unaware that a pair of hazel eyes followed her behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

Her friend shrugged. "Can't say I've ever been interested enough to look it up."

Kagome clicked her tongue. "I wonder if Souta would know. He was obsessed with the high-rank champions before becoming one himself." They walked out of the theatre, Kagome lost in thought as Sango continued to swoon over every scene where Taisho had shown even the slightest bit of skin. Kagome let her talk, knowing it was better to get it out sooner rather than later.

She thanked her friend for bringing her along. Sango waved her off. "We can't always get in a girls' night with you working at Shikon's, so this was the next best thing." They got to Sango's car, the lights blinking as she unlocked it. "You're booked for the next couple weekends, right?"

Kagome slid into the passenger seat. "Unfortunately. Kagura's got exams and asked me to cover her shifts." It wouldn't be so bad. Kagura usually lucked out with people coming in a little tipsier than normal, and they were more willing to part with their hard-earned cash for tips.

"Maybe I'll swing by with Kouga before we head out on our skiing trip," she said.

Kagome's brows raised. Maybe Kouga had already told her about the trip. "You're going skiing?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Apparently. He's got this whole thing planned." Sango smirked, revving the engine. "I think he feels guilty about missing our anniversary."

"Make him buy you something sparkly while you're there," Kagome said, eyes gleaming.

"You say that like I don't already have a list catalogued and alphabetized." They both laughed as she pulled out of the parking lot, coming up with all kinds of ways she could empty Kouga's wallet.