InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Sacred Treasure and a Hanyou ❯ The Tango and the Finale ( Chapter 17 )

A/N: This chapter is a little short and is the final one for this story. I was going to do a sequel, but I haven't found the inspiration to continue this particular thread. This was my very first attempt at doing a fanfiction and, while I've written others, they don't seem to be as well-liked...So, I figure maybe I should just leave it at this...

Also, you may have noticed that the chapters are messed up. I explained in the first chapter that something went terribly awry and this was the result. If anything seems to be missing, let me know. However, I think all of the chapters are here, they're just numbered wrong -__-

Enjoy.

 

Chapter 16

The Tango and the Finale

 

“Come on, Kagome! We're going to be late!”

Kagome leaned forward to rub her lip gloss into her lips with the tip of her finger. She flicked an invisible piece of lint from the knee length black skirt before sighing and walking out of the bathroom.

“Since when do you care about being late?” she asked, stuffing her cell phone in her purse.

Sango glared at her mockingly. “Don't be mean just because you've already found the man of your dreams,” she said, pulling Kagome out of the door, locking it behind them.

“From what Kouga's told me, you have too.” Kagome laughed at her friend gave her a pained look.

“That silly boy? The only thing he wants from me is to cop a feel. Besides, you've already introduced Inuyasha to your mother.”

“You're trying to change the subject, Sango,” Kagome pointed out, and then laughed again when Sango stuck her tongue out at her. “I think you like him.”

Sango snorted in wry amusement. “Don't get me wrong, he is handsome,” she said, linking her arm through Kagome's as they walked down the street. “But he spends as much time looking at other women as he does me. I don't want a guy that's going to make me constantly worry about him cheating on me.”

“Miroku Hakaisou, hm? I know who he is.”

Sango peered at her. “You do?”

Kagome nodded. “Sure. He's the executive director for the city ballet.” She paused and then grinned at her friend. “If you hadn't been so adamant about hearing about my sex life, you would have seen that he was the one who sent me the letter for my audition next week.” Kagome didn't add that she had occasionally seen the man in the hallways of the academy, seemingly seducing giggling ballerinas.

Sango drew her bottom lip in between her teeth - which Kagome knew she would complain about later since it effectively took the gloss off her lip- and got a contemplative look on her face. “The executive director? So...I'm assuming that means he's rich, huh?”

Kagome blinked at her friend and then laughed. “You're going to worry about him cheating on you, while he's going to worry about you taking him for everything he's worth,” she said, when Sango gave her a questioning look.

“Maybe we can make this work after all,” Sango said, smiling.

 

*

Dinner was an easy affair, the small group chatting and joking as though they had always been friends. Kagome was quite impressed with Miroku. He was very charming, which had immediately put her on guard. But he seemed to be making every effort to get Sango, if not in bed with him, then certainly to go out with him again. His eyes never strayed outside of the group and Kagome caught him looking, staring, at Sango as though she were some newly discovered butterfly from exotic lands. He looked up to find Kagome watching him, gave her a sheepish grin and she saw the blood rise to his cheeks. That was what decided her. Even if neither of them knew it yet, Miroku had completely fallen for Sango.

They had decided to eat at a place called The Rose, a cozy restaurant that was the basement of a gallery. The walls were bare, rough red brick, covered in framed, old Parisian posters from the Metro. The lights were low, candles giving light to the tables, making the place warm and comfortable. At the front was a platform where a small orchestra played. In front of the stage, the floor was a dark, lacquered black, a place where couples could dance if they wished. A rare moment of silence fell among the little group, the beginnings of a waltz floating toward their table.

Miroku stood and put his hands on the back of Sango's chair, leaning forward to whisper into her ear. The brunette's eyes widened fractionally, her cheeks became slightly darker before she nodded her head and took his proffered hand.

Kagome slanted a glance at Inuyasha, who was watching the two with amusement. “What do you look so satisfied about?” she asked.

Inuyasha turned to her, giving her a toothy grin. “What do you mean, love?”

She narrowed her eyes. “You look like the cat that swallowed the canary,” she said. “Or, I suppose, the dog that did.”

Inuyasha chuckled, reaching down to intertwine his fingers with hers. “I think they make a good couple,” he said, nodding to their friends. “I think that Sango will be the one to finally take off running with his heart.”

“I hope he's in shape,” Kagome said, shifting so she could rest her head on Inuyasha's shoulder. “She runs fast.”

Inuyasha laughed again. “Would you like to dance, love?” he asked.

Kagome smiled. “Since when do you dance?”

She felt him shrug. “I don't, really. But I'm sure there's something they can play that won't have me stepping on your beautiful toes too much.”

Before Kagome could reply, he stood, leaving her where she was and walking toward the stage. She watching him as he leaned forward to talk to one of the musicians, saw him shake the man's hand, and then turn back to her. He crooked a finger and beckoned her to him.

Laughing, Kagome put her napkin on the table and joined him on the dance floor. Inuyasha, never taking his eyes from hers, placed his hand lightly on her back, slipped the other lightly into hers, holding it up and away from them. Kagome, a little confused even as she placed her free hand on his bicep, wondered what exactly he was up to, wondered if he was trying to be funny.

The music started ponderously slow, Inuyasha pulling her toward himself, moving them around the floor to the simple beat, turning them in a lazy circle, neatly avoided the other dancers. As he walked forward, she was forced to walk backward, and she instictively turned her head to the right.

“La Caminata,” she heard him say, softly, as if to himself.

She looked up at him as they came to a slow stop in the middle of the floor. His hips suddenly pressed toward her, taking a step forward as she rocked away from him and took a step back, then taking a step back as she took one forward. They repeated this pattern, Inuyasha looking in her eyes the whole time, but not really seeing her.

She realized what he was doing when he murmured, “La Cadencia.”

She laughed softly. “Inuyasha.” She waited until his eyes truly met hers. “Don't think about it. You know the steps -and how, you will have to tell me later. This dance isn't about counting, it's about sex and passion.” She smiled up at him. “Just dance.”

With her words, the beat started to increase. Kagome fought the urge to lead, letting his body tell her where he was going. As they moved, still with the beat but still a little lazily, something seemed to finally let go inside of Inuyasha.

She had never danced the tango like this. Her lessons had taught her to keep space between herself and her partner, had taught her to dance for the stage, so that every move was visible to the audience. This, though....this was exactly what she had told him it should be. His hands never moved from where they were, except to occasionally shift on her back when her hips rotated in the twisting steps he led her through. But, they didn't have to touch her anywhere else. Their bodies stayed close together, parting every once in awhile when she did high steps, and his eyes were constantly on hers, their glowing amber heavily lidded as though he had become intoxicated.

He led her through intricate, swiveling steps that forced their legs to move rapidly through each others as the violin sped through a fast run. Kagome felt herself loosing her breath as he picked her up and spun her in a quick turn. Her feet touched the ground and they were once again turning around the floor, this time without the danger of running into anyone else.

It was sex, pure, unbridled sex, put into form by their bodies moving across the floor, by the way their hips and feet swiveled in complex patterns. Inuyasha lunged forward slightly, spinning her so that she rested on his thigh. She immediately brought her knee up and felt him run his hand up her leg. He spun her off of him again, keeping his body against hers as he moved her back across the floor. When the music paused for a heartbeat, so did his body, pushing her into a small dip, her leg straight behind her, the other coming up to wrap around his waist. Kagome caught her breath as he caught her leg under the knee, keeping it where it was. Her hands dropped from his arms as he pulled her across the floor, her foot trailing behind. He dropped her leg, drew her tightly up against him and started moving through those elaborate little steps again, which made her have to step from the knee, causing the hem of her skirt to flip flirtatiously.

And, when the music ended, she found herself wrapped completely in his arms, her back arched, her head thrown back in a dip. His body leaned over hers and she felt his hand trace her jaw, the line of her neck in a slow caress. He pulled her up, framed her face with his hands and brushed his lips gently over her mouth.

They walked back to their table amidst applause. Kagome felt breathless and slightly exposed, not because of the kiss, but because of the dance. She felt as though something that should only be seen in the bedroom had suddenly been placed before all these people to watch. With that feeling, came a rush of exhilaration. It was different than when she had performed at Onadoru. There, the dance was less clean, more about lust. The tango, too, was about lust, but it was different. It was about passionate lusting for the dance, for the person held in one's arms. It was about looking into their eyes and wanting all of them, not just their body.

Sango stared at them, wide eyed. “Wow,” was all she said as they sat.

Kagome felt herself blush, heard Inuyasha chuckle next to her. She turned on him, frowning.

“Where did you learn to do that?” she asked.

He smiled at her. “While you were in London,” he told her. “Miroku introduced me to a friend of his who was very patient.”

Kagome's eyes narrowed. “There's no way you could have learned to move like that in four weeks,” she pointed out.

Inuyasha shrugged. “I'm a fast learner,” was all he would say.

 

*

He had insisted, when they had returned from London, that she move in with him.

“Don't get me wrong, love. Even I'm a little afraid of Sango,” he had told her, making her smile despite herself. “But I would just feel better if you were here. Besides, you're already over here most of the time anyway,” he added. What he didn't say was that he was worried something might happen to her, was afraid that, even though the demon was across the sea in London, that Naraku would come after her. He didn't have to say it; she knew the real reason.

Kagome had frowned, sighed, and then relented. Two days after their dinner with Miroku and Sango, they packed up all of her belongings and moved them into the mansion.

Inuyasha pulled off the bandana he had been using to keep his hair out of his face, watching Kagome as she surveyed the stack of boxed with a slight frown.

“What's wrong, little dancer?” he asked, crossing the room and pulling her into his arms.

“I never realized how much stuff I had accumulated in three years,” she said, unconsciously leaning back against him. Her back pressed into his chest and she immediately pulled out of his arms. “You're disgusting,” she said, wrinkling her nose and trying to hide a smile. “You're all sweaty. Go take a shower,” she said, pushing him away when he tried to grab her. Inuyasha pouted, which only made her laugh at him. “Go,” she said, neatly avoiding his hands again.

“I need someone to scrub my back,” he said. “And maybe other parts,” he added, with a grin.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “I thought we were beyond the point of sexual induenos,” she said. “If you want to have sex, just say so.”

His grin stretched into a lecherous smile. “Who said I wanted to have sex with you?” he asked, leaning toward her. “You stink too.”

Inuyasha laughed as her mouth dropped and her eyes widened. Before she could say anything, he turned and made his way to the bathroom.

 

*

Kagome felt an eerie sense of déjà vu when she had entered the studio for her audition. Even though nothing was the same, even though the people were different -even though Miroku was there, smiling at her when she walked in- she couldn't stop the chill from running up her spine.

She had spent every waking moment since returning from her mother's dancing, practicing, trying to work out the muscles that had become stiff, trying to stretch out the scarred muscles in her side. She had even gone to Madame Tatienne, the one person she knew that would push her to her limits. She had told her former teacher about her injury, saying only that she had had an accident while in London. Madame Tatienne had eyed her for a moment before nodding her head and putting her through a grueling workout every day until the auditions.

The group Kagome auditioned with was smaller than the one in London. The Director, a small, stern looking woman with short brown hair, watched them all with a critical eye, nodding occasionally, frowning more often than not. Kagome was one of the last to dance, and had spent her idle time watching the others, watching the director. She had been nervous at first and then, when her name was called, realized she had no reason to be. She had just survived an audition and near death in London with a youkai, for gods' sake, what could possibly be harder than that?

The thought made a smile pull at her lips, kept it there as she moved across the floor, moving without thinking about anything but the way her body responded how it should. She smiled even as a small pain tugged at her side when she did a leaping turn that caused her torso to stretch. When she was finished, she bowed her head slightly to the director and Miroku -who flashed her another smile- turned, and gathered her belongings before walking out the door.

Kagome had realized, as she danced, that she could care less if she was accepted into the ballet. She was so much more than just a ballerina. She was the reincarnation of a great miko, was a powerful miko herself. She was the guardian of the Shikon no Tama. Though it was incomplete, she had a feeling that she would make it whole once again. She raised a hand to hail a taxi, dropped her fingers to the jewel that hung around her neck, still smiling.

“Where to, Miss?” the cab driver asked, eyeing her in the review mirror.

“Takahashi Manor,” she said, the words feeling at once strange and familiar.

Home, she thought, to a man that loved her, a youkai that possessed her.

And a hanyou that wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms forever.