Dance With Me

Chapter 4: Picture Of Perfection
A/N: Hope you’re all enjoying the story so far, because I am really having a lot of fun writing it! I still sadly do not own Inuyasha, but I’m still borrowing him for your entertainment purposes =) Enjoy!

Chapter summary: Kagome wakes up in the middle of the night from nightmares of the night Hojo raped her and can’t force herself back to sleep. She decides to go down to the park to clear her head. Inuyasha is there mourning his mother’s memory and sees Kagome dancing.

Kagome’s breathing became shallow and seemed almost desperate as she clutched at one of her pillows in obvious fear of whatever was haunting her dreams. Rolling from her side onto her back she flinched and murmured a small whimper of fear. After seeming to find a comfortable position her breathing seemed to become steady and she appeared to be slipping into a more serene slumber.

A short while passed before Kagome’s brow creased in frustration and a frown crept it’s way onto her angelic face. She tossed quickly back onto her side whispering a plea for the nightmare to end. “No….please don’t! Hojo….no!”

Her slender fingers clutched at the sheets so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “No Hojo….stop!” Suddenly Kagome sat bolt upright in the middle of her bed her smoky blue gray eyes snapping open quickly. Her right hand flew up to her chest and pressed against it. She could feel the rapid hammering of her racing heart against her palm.

Pushing back the blanket Kagome swung her legs over the side of the bed wincing when her bare feet came into contact with the cold wood floor. She glanced at her alarm clock to see it was almost four in the morning. With a soft groan of annoyance Kagome padded over to her closet and flicked on the light. Shielding her eyes from the sudden brightness of the light she crept into her closet. Kagome grabbed her white fleece jacket that had a hood and zipped up the front and then grabbed her black knit yoga pants that had a white stripe running down the side of either leg.

She carefully pulled her yoga pants up over her simple white cotton bikini panties and then reached for her jacket. Pulling the white fleece jacket on over her thin white tank top Kagome zipped it up quickly. She pulled her long ebony locks into a messy ponytail before pulling on her old black satin covered pointe shoes and tying them around her slender ankles. Kagome padded into the bathroom she shared with Kikyo and quietly brushed her teeth so she wouldn’t wake her sister.

There was no way in hell she was going to get back to sleep anytime soon since the rape had plagued her dreams all night long. Kagome needed to clear her head and there was only one way for her to do that. That one thing was ballet and it had always been ballet. Dancing was like a way for Kagome to escape from reality without really leaving.

She grabbed her keys with her small bottle of pepper spray dangling from the key chain off the kitchen countertop before walking out the front door. Quietly locking the front door behind her she headed down the stairs until she reached the side exit of Juilliard. Kagome crept out into the cold early morning air and began walking towards the nearby park. Soon she found herself standing in the middle of the basketball court staring up into the dark purple star filled night sky.

A few thin wispy pale gray clouds floated through the velvety sky momentarily blanketing the large pearl moon giving it an almost eerie look. Raising her slender arms towards the sky she stood up on the very tips of her worn pointe shoes. Kagome began gliding across the cold concrete basketball court gracefully as she danced her troubled thoughts away.

Inuyasha stared down at his feet as he walked into what he thought would be a completely empty park. Giving a tortured sigh he pushed back the tears that had been threatening to leak from his amber eyes. It was tomorrow. The day that he had been forced to say goodbye to his precious mother and allow her soul to embark on it’s journey to heaven. He sank down onto one of the cold metal benches scowling only slightly as the iciness of the cold metal seemed to seep through his blue jeans.

His ears twitched when they picked up a faint tapping sound coming from somewhere not far from where he sat. They swiveled toward the direction the sound had come from. Glancing up his amber eyes widened when they fell on Kagome’s graceful form. She was bent at the waist and her right leg hung in the air behind her. Both of her arms were stretched out at her sides delicately and her eyes were closed as if she were deeply concentrating on holding that pose.

Her milky skin was kissed by the lights that surrounded the basketball court and it gave her an almost other worldly appearance. She was the most breathtaking creature Inuyasha had ever seen and he couldn’t help but continue to stare at her In awe as she glided into another position.

Suddenly feeling a pair of eyes burning into her she broke her graceful poise and glanced out across the park. Kagome gave a small gasp when she saw Inuyasha sitting on one of the metal benches that was closest to the basketball court. She walked quietly over to where the silver haired young man sat and stood in front of him. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

He shook his head and Kagome sank down onto the freezing metal bench beside him wincing a little when the cold metal bit through her not so thick yoga pants. “What are you doing out here alone in the middle of the night Kagome?”

“I had a bad dream and I couldn’t get back to sleep. What about you?”

“I just had a lot on my mind that’s all.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Yeah sure.” His amber eyes turned upward as they noticed the first flurries of snow beginning to fall to earth from the heavens. “Why don’t we go someplace out of the snow to talk Kagome?”

“And where could we go at this hour?”

“We could go back to my dorm if you want?”

“Yeah okay.” The two stood and Inuyasha once again offered his arm to Kagome. She accepted his offer and slipped her slender arm through his much larger one as they walked down the empty street towards Bridgeview.

Kagome’s heart was thundering so loudly in her chest she could hear it perfectly in her ears. She just knew that since Inuyasha was a half demon that he could probably hear her hammering heart but was just being sweet by not mentioning it. The two walked in silence nearly the entire trip to Bridgeview. They walked quietly up the white stone steps and into the main entrance of the dimly lit school.

Inuyasha led Kagome up the stairs to the floor where his room was. Upon reaching his dorm he fished his key out of his back pocket and carefully opened the door. Since his roommate Miroku was probably asleep by now Inuyasha tried to lead Kagome down the hall without turning on any lights. They managed to make it to Inuyasha’s room without making too much noise and then shut the door behind them.

Inuyasha easily made his way over to his bed and flicked on his bedside lamp to give them a little bit of light to talk. Kagome’s blue gray eyes traveled around the room taking in her surroundings as she stood at the door quietly. “So this is your place huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like it here?”

“Yeah it’s okay for one of the best art schools in the country I guess.”

She grinned at his remark before moving to sit on his large four poster pine bed. “You don’t mind me sitting on your bed do you?”

“Oh no, make yourself at home. Are you thirsty?”

“No I’m fine thanks.” Inuyasha took off his red hoodie sweatshirt to reveal his thin black muscle shirt underneath it. Kagome couldn’t help but blush as she stared at his perfectly chiseled body beneath his tight shirt.

“So Kagome, you said you had a bad dream huh?”

“Yeah that’s right.”

“What was the dream about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’ll just say it was about my ex boyfriend.”

“Oh I see.”

“So how come you were out so late at night?”

“I was just trying to clear my head.”

“From what?”

“Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of my mother’s death.”

“Oh I’m so sorry! You poor baby, that must be so awful for you!” Before Inuyasha could respond Kagome pulled him into an unexpected embrace. The two both blushed when their eyes met after they pulled away.

“Uh thanks.”

“So are you going to go visit her grave?”

“Not until this weekend when I don’t have class to work around.”

“Oh I see.”

“This may sound a bit weird to you Kagome, but would you like to go with me?”

“Sure, and no it doesn’t sound weird.”

“So Kagome, how long have you been dancing?”

“Ever since I was old enough to walk I’ve been in ballet classes. Both my half sister Kikyo and I have been in ballet classes all our lives.”

“That’s really cool that you two share the same passion.”

“What about you? How long have you had an interest in art?”

“Since I was a very small boy. My mother loved to draw and paint. She was very artistic and I think that’s where my extreme love for art comes from.”

“Does your brother paint too?”

“Half brother and no he doesn’t have the artist’s gene running through his veins.”

“Is painting a way for you to get away from everything? Because that’s what ballet is for me.”

“You mean like an escape from reality?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah more or less.”

“So what else are you interested in besides art?”

“I like to play lacrosse.”

“Is that the sport where you have to catch the ball in that funny little net thing on a stick?”

Inuyasha burst out laughing at Kagome’s choice of words. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, you’re just absolutely adorable. Yes that’s lacrosse.”

“I’ve never played it because it looks a bit too rough.”

“Yeah it’s a little tough but it’s a lot of fun. So what else do you like besides ballet?”

“Well I like to sing and I like to cook.”

“A girl that cooks huh?”

“Yep.”

“Wow. Now that’s something you don’t find very often.”

“Yeah not very many girls my age know how to cook now.”

“How did you learn?”

“Well since my jerk of a father left Kikyo and I had to start helping my mama cook dinner since she had to work a lot to support us all.”

“Id say your mom was very lucky that she had you two to help her.”

“Yeah, but not as lucky as we are to have a mother as wonderful as she is.”

“It sounds like you come from a very close family?”

“Yeah we had to take care of each other and it brought us closer together.”

“I was only close to my mother. She and my dad had separated because my dad didn’t quite know how to behave like a married man should.”

“Oh I can relate to that. So what happened?”

“My mom and I moved out of my dad’s mansion and into the two bedroom apartment we shared for just a year before she was diagnosed with leukemia.” Kagome unzipped her fleece jacket and slipped it off her shoulders. Inuyasha watched Kagome as she carefully folded the jacket and placed it on the nightstand. His amber eyes swept from her face down to her neck that was now perfectly visible since she had taken off her jacket.

Kagome stretched and then laid her head against the pillows on the bed. Inuyasha lay back against the pillows as well and then shifted onto his side so he could look at Kagome. Kagome yawned and shifted onto her side also. “So are you feeling better from your bad dream now Kagome?”

“Yeah. Thanks for inviting me to hang out with you.”

“Thanks for accepting the offer.” Not being able to fight it off any longer Kagome allowed her tired blue gray eyes to droop shut and she could instantly feel herself falling asleep from the wonderful feeling of the incredibly soft mattress beneath her.

“You know something Kagome, I’m really glad that you ran over me that day at the park. Kagome, are you listening to me? Kagome?”

Inuyasha glanced over to see that Kagome was now nestled snugly against his pillows and had fallen fast asleep. Her fingers gently clutched the pillow and she murmured something under her breath. He grinned to himself as he carefully pulled the blanket up over the both of them.

Setting his alarm for ten he then turned the lamp off to settle in for what was left of the night. At about six forty five Inuyasha woke up when he felt something soft and warm cuddle up close to his side. Glancing down he saw a thick mass of ebony hair that was now only loosely being held back into a ponytail. A few long strands of hair sprawled across his chest since they had escaped the elastic band that had held them back from their owner’s face.

Flashing a lopsided grin he gently wrapped his right arm around Kagome’s waist and pulled her closer against him. His amber eyes slipped closed and he easily fell back asleep. Kagome slept soundly and her dreams were not invaded by painful memories of the night Hojo raped her. She felt completely at peace in Inuyasha’s arms while she slept but all that tranquility would quickly dissolve when she woke up in the morning.

A/N: Kagome flips out when she wakes up in bed next to Inuyasha. Will Inuyasha get her to calm down? Oh and to answer a question that was asked, Kikyo will be paired with Sesshomaru in this story.