Deadly Beauty

~I Want It, But I Can’t Have It~

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, but use them because they are fantastic.

Fall was passing fast and Homecoming was upon the school. Posters were everywhere and everyone was in a frenzy for the Homecoming football game and dance. At lunch there were people shouting to vote for the princesses for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors, and then to vote for homecoming court for the Seniors. It was all anyone talked about, but it eluded Kagome. Although she got back the stability in her life that she wanted, she had been on bad terms with InuYasha for weeks now.

As soon as the school day ended, the day InuYasha and Kikyo started going out, Kagome went to the Studio and requested that her schedule be changed so she and InuYasha would not meet. Anytime they passed in the halls, she avoided his looks and acted cold to him. She was not stupid enough to fall for his tricks, not when the pain was still fresh in her mind.

**********

InuYasha was frustrated beyond hell. He wanted to talk to Kagome, to get her to understand but she had been ignoring him for weeks now. She even changed her schedule at the Studio. Every time he found a minute to go over to Kagome he had been sidetracked by Kikyo, accompanying her on outings with her family, friends, and whatever else she had planned. Kikyo kept him extremely busy. He didn’t like it but he had to keep it up so that Kagome’s family would be okay. He yearned to talk to Kagome, to see her smiling face. It had been so long since he had. Sometimes he woke up at night, haunted by her broken figure, or her hurt eyes the day she found out he was ‘dating’ Kikyo. He couldn’t take much more and was trying to figure out a way so they could meet.

**********

Kagome got home that day without much homework or anything to really do. She looked at her cell phone, which she left on the coffee table in front of her couch. She had one voicemail. She dialed her voicemail number while walking to the fridge. She pulled out a water as Monique’s voice came through the speaker.

“Kagome, I need you down here the cover the Studio for a while and teach class. Hara wants me to run out and check on some things at the warehouse. Come over as quick as you can. I promise it will be a slow day. Hurry, okay?”

‘Alright,’ thought Kagome. ‘Better than sitting around here.’ She quickly grabbed her things and uniform. She walked to the Studio at a leisurely pace. She knew that Monique wanted her there quickly, but how could she not take time to enjoy the walk.

The leaves on the trees were changing colors from green into a mixture of gold and red. The birds made fantastic formations in the sky as they headed towards a warmer climate. The clouds were condensing as rain season began looming on the horizon. Everything was changing and Kagome couldn’t help but feel something was going to change for her too.

Kagome reached the Studio, a little too quickly for her taste, but decided to look forward to spending the afternoon with the kids. Monique rushed her as soon as she came in.

“Thanks so much Kagome. I will be back around early evening to take the night class watch at the desk.” She handed her the keys and then left to her car. Kagome laughed. It seemed that woman was always on the go. She didn’t have a single memory of her when she wasn’t moving around.

Kagome deposited her belongings in the back room. Instead of staying at the desk, she decided to go onto the mats and warm up for the class she was going to teach. She began by stretching out her limbs. She did a few round kicks to the pads loosening her muscles. Then, she followed up with punches. She then stood straight up and bent down to touch her toes. While stretching she heard the door opened. It was probably Hojo, the guy she usually taught with. He has had a crush on her ever since he first joined up with the Studio and Kagome thought he was a sweet guy and everything, just a little too safe.

InuYasha walked into the Studio and saw a girl stretching on the mats.

‘Maybe Ayame’, he thought indifferently as he went to put his stuff away. Kagome got up and saw him retreat into the back room. She walked over to go greet him when he turned around and she was looking directly into a pair of golden orbs.

“InuYasha…”

“Kagome…”

They both said simultaneously. InuYasha had seen Kagome in the halls from far away, but couldn’t get close to her because of Kikyo. He forgot how beautiful her exotic face was and how enchanting her brown eyes were especially when laced with a rage that made her even more irresistible.

‘Uh oh,’ he thought. ‘Rage.’

“Kagome,” he said again, “ can we talk…”

“Save it InuYasha. I really don’t give a damn about what you have to say.”

“Kagome, wait. There’s been a misunderstanding, please let me explain.”

“Sorry, but when you called me worm, it seemed pretty clear to me.” InuYasha forgot about that time. He was about to retaliate when the first batch of parents and kids came in. Kagome added quietly to him, “Let’s just get through this class civilly, without arguments.” He nodded. He would try to talk to her after the class was over.

The atmosphere was tense as they taught. The students could feel it. It made them fall silent instead of keeping up their usual chatter. Whenever InuYasha and Kagome got close to each other, electricity seemed to spark between them. Kagome never looked at InuYasha while all InuYasha seemed to do was look at her.

Once the class was over, the students seemed glad to leave the two. Kagome cleaned up the mats as InuYasha watched the lingering students and parents walk out the door before finally turning on her.

“Kagome, please listen to me.”

“Just shut up InuYasha. Save your crap for Kikyo. I already know you were just using me to fill her place, before she said yes to dating you.” She retorted without looking up.

“No!” InuYasha yelled. “You have it all wrong!”

“You know what InuYasha? I think I have exactly right. You’re a rich playboy with time to spare so why not go play with the loner girl’s feelings. Am I right?!” Kagome shouted back. “Well, I am done with you and your sick games.”

“Just listen, you damn stubborn girl!” Kagome turned around and caught InuYasha’s eyes with an unwavering stare. In a quiet, deadly voiced she hissed:

“Leave me alone.”

She quickly gathered her things and left the Studio before InuYasha could form a coherent sentence. He watched her turn the corner outside the Studio door. He fucked up big time, and he knew. Exasperated, he turned around and punched the wooden structure around the entrance to the mats. A sickening crack could be heard around the room as his knuckles connected with the hard surface. He pulled his hand back and saw blood dripping from it and his middle knuckle contorted in a weird position. He should have immediately went to the hospital, but instead he stood there, letting the pain seep into him, letting the bright, brilliant pain punish him for hurting the only person he ever felt a true connection with.

**********

Kikyo sat at her vanity mirror watching her reflection brush her long shiny hair. Everything was perfect. InuYasha was her ‘boyfriend’ but she would soon get rid of those quotations. She was ready, now that they settled into the pattern of boyfriend and girlfriend, to dangle her bait and reel in the fish. Their families were entering into an alliance that would secure her all the money in the world, Kagome was a burden of the past, and on top of all that, her hair had never looked better.

‘Evil brings out the best in me,’ she thought with a smile, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger and then letting in bounce back to place. She stood up from her chair and made her way over to the door while humming the tune ‘Be Prepared’ from the Lion King.

**********

Kagome stomped angrily along the sidewalk. InuYasha was trying to trick her again she knew it! She felt extremely wound up but couldn’t head home without alarming her already fragile mother with her agitated state. She decided to walk straight pass the shrine to a different destination. She reached her target place just as twilight hit.

Kagome was in front of an elementary school, her old school. She walked around the familiar buildings; weaving in and out of old passages she remembered taking. She smiled as her path brought back old memories. Then, Kagome eyed her favorite spot in the dimming sunlight, the swing set. She made a beeline for the old worn out swings, all the blue painted chipped off, and the metal rusted. Still, she could not help but like it. Kagome sat down and the old set squeaked, not use to her weight. She adjusted herself in the seat and rocked a little bit to make sure it would not collapse on her. When she was satisfied with the equipment, she began to slowly sway back and forth; pumping her legs now and then but mostly letting the autumn wind push her as it pleased.

In the past, when Kagome found life to be overwhelming, she would come to this same swing set to think. As the world around her changed, she knew this would be the one place that would remain the same. It comforted her in her youth and continued to do so as she developed into a young adult.

Kagome delighted in the sound of her body cutting through the air on the swings and the slight breeze on her face. Her hair danced around her while the moon began to rise, ushering the light away. She sat in silence, with nothing but the crickets to keep her company.

‘If only every night could be as pleasant as this,’ she thought, but then realized why she came here in the first place, InuYasha. She felt so frustrated. Why must he persist on talking to her and seeing her, trying to feed her more lies? Didn’t she have enough to deal with already, without adding him into the mix? She wanted him to leave her alone, that much was true, but Kagome couldn’t help but miss the connection they had before. She found it to be something special, a little piece of comfort, but obviously he didn’t feel the same. He was willing to throw it away the minute Kikyo came into the picture. It still hurt when she thought back to him calling her a worm, that day, many weeks ago.

She knew he was bad news, but why did her heart suddenly begin to leap when he spoke her name, or gave her a tender look. He hurt her, but she still wanted him. Kagome began to pump harder, trying to out swing the images and thoughts.

‘I’m so stupid,’ her mind echoed as she stopped swinging letting everything catch up to her. The swing came to a stop and her feet connected with the ground.

“I’m so stupid,” she whispered out quietly to the wind as a lone tear fell down her face.