InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ "Shards of Our Memories": The Soap Opera ❯ Chapter 2: Kouga, the Bold and the Beautiful ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha, unfortunately.

A/N: A new chapter for all of you who enjoyed the first! (And a very plot-centric one…)

Before this chapter, I just want to give thanks to my beautiful muses- Anna, Shan-chan and my dear Sara for their support in this fic and toleration of my Inuyasha-crazed freakishness. Also, thanks to Precious for her wonderful review!

Lastly, one note to all who are reading this- this is NOT, I repeat- NOT A KOUGA/KAGOME FIC! I'm just writing Kouga as I believe his character would act in these situations. However it might seem at some points, I am a die-hard InuKag fan, and nothing can ever come between them….ever. ^_^ And that's final.

Now, shoo! Read!

CHAPTER 2: The Bold and the Beautiful

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Kagome arrived at the studio the next day, with a smile lighting her face. Knowing that this would soon be her workplace, she became excited all over again, and, if she hadn't been in public, she might have done her own little happy dance. She entered through the glass doors of the studio, already relishing the buzz of the inside corridors.

As she looked around, she saw that there were at least a hundred very well-dressed and good-looking guys spread out across the lobby. Some had their muscles flexed, chests pushed out, and their fingers hooked in their belt loops, trying to keep a constant sexy pose. There were others who were less showy, and relegated themselves to conversing politely with the opposition. And, to her amusement, she noticed a few who were trying to practice the romantic scene between Maya and Damien with each other, while still trying to look macho. Kagome giggled to herself, and hustled through the throng to get to the soundstage.

She didn't notice as most of the eyes followed her as she left, admiring her long legs and warm curves. The competition for winning the part of Damien suddenly grew more desperate….

As she entered the soundstage, she saw Hiten and his assistant seated in front of the stage, busy planning the details of the auditions. As she entered, Hiten raised his head slowly. With a warm and rather absent smile lighting the eyes behind his shining glasses, he leapt up to greet her.

"Ah, our beautiful Miss Higurashi. Please, please- take a seat over here…" He motioned to one of the foldout chairs beside his. "We're going to bring in some of these boys to try out for Damien…. Now, did you like the selection out there?"

He winked suggestively and nodded towards the bustling lobby. Kagome flushed and grinned. He studied her over the edge of his glasses for a moment, then snapped back sharply and turned to face his assistant.

"Souten! Why don't you call in our first Damien….."

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It had been three painful, long hours of rigorous auditioning.

While Kagome had at first been eager to find a leading man, they weren't having much success. In fact, take that back. They hadn't had any success at all. Every prospective Damien she had pretended to fawn over and prance around with, had five times the muscle of Hojo, but sadly, had even less of his acting skills. After the umpteenth audition had concluded, and the strong-jawed actor had been ushered out, Kagome let out a rush of air and a groan, sitting gingerly on her metal chair. By this time, she had learned to hate Scene 3 of the pilot episode- along with the pungent smell of men's cologne- with every fiber of her being…

Hiten sighed with as much irritation as he could muster under his exhaustion. "Well, Kagome….it looks as if we've got a couple guys left…if we don't find him soon, I say we stop for today." Kagome prayed silently that they could find at least one decent actor among the horde, as she tried to massage the tension from her brow.

Hiten picked up the remaining audition forms and began to shuffle through the black-and-white headshots. "Well….why don't we try this guy? Anything is worth a shot at this point…" He slid one of the forms out, and moved tiredly to the lobby door.

Hiten was gone for a few seconds, and then returned with the next man.

Right away, Kagome noticed that there was something different about him.

It wasn't his looks- all of the other actors had been this handsome and muscled to a fault. Maybe it was the way he walked in as if he owned the show, his body swaggering in self-confidence. His long hair swung impudently from its ponytail and he flashed a deadly grin to the room itself as he walked in. Maybe it was that smile that did it. Maybe Kagome just needed to see someone with an ounce of personality.

Or perhaps it was the way that he had grasped Kagome's hands in his, before she even had time to register what he was doing. His warm hands enveloped hers in size, and his bright eyes locked with hers as he smirked casually. Yes, those hands were the reason he blew every other candidate out of the water…

"My woman, Kagome…."

He said it as a statement, as if there had been no room for question in the first place. Kagome raised her eyebrows a little as he stared down at her, but she couldn't help but blush as she felt his gaze and his fingers wrapped around hers.

She nodded slowly. "It's….nice to meet you," she breathed, caught up in the surprise of the moment.

He winked wolfishly at her, his sharp, perfectly white teeth practically sparkling in the stage lights. "The name's Kouga."

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Needless to say, Kouga was the perfect soap star. He practically oozed the sensuality and arrogance that Damien had been written to personify. As she performed her part in the scene, Kagome automatically felt the chemistry between them, or at least the ability to bounce the lines off each other correctly. And he impressed her immediately with his skilled delivery of the lines.

When Kagome rushed to bury herself in his broad chest just like she had in each previous audition, he actually took the initiative to wrap his strong arms around her waist, appealing to the camera in front of them. He delivered his lines to her with ease, his voice rumbling in her ears, and he lifted his fingers to run through her hair.

Now, Kagome was a practical and grounded girl, and she, under no circumstances, was about to fall for any guy immediately. But even she had difficulty not getting slightly flustered as Kouga petted her like this in front of a rolling camera and an audience of two watching them intently.

She pulled back to speak her line about fate pulling them together, but this time, she was acting against a responsive and experienced body. With all her effort, she worked to measure up to his acting prowess. Slowly, Kagome looked up to see his bronzed face fixated on hers, felt his hot breath on her lips. Before her line had completely escaped her lips, his mouth was on hers, fingers pressing against her lower back.

Kagome felt a shock of surprise, and tried to gain her balance as she began to melt a little into his arms, her limbs feeling like putty. Surely none of the other men had kissed her like this. Of course, they had seemed too afraid to do so. But Kouga just went right at it, obviously fully enjoying his task.

As she fell a little into his chest by surprise, he deepened the kiss, even going as far as to gently press his tongue into hers. Just as Kagome was sure she couldn't hold her breath any longer and that she might go weak in the knees under any more attention, Kouga finally unlatched his lips from hers.

As he stepped away, she swayed a little, and, after a few moments, found the ability to open up her eyes. His blue-green eyes were flashing at her, amused, and he winked surreptitiously.

There were a few seconds of silence until Hiten began clapping wildly.

He was automatically at their sides, a hand placed on each of their shoulders. "Bravo, you two! I think it's safe to say that we've found our Damien Court."

Kouga's face split into a grin again, as he finally turned his eyes from Kagome. "Thank you very much, Mr. Raiken. I'm very happy to be working with Kakera studios….and with Kagome." He shot her another sidelong glance.

Hiten looked pleased, handing Souten Kouga's information and instructing her to dismiss the remaining few candidates. He then turned to Kagome and Kouga, and eyed them with a satisfied expression.

"Well, we're planning to begin filming of the pilot next week. Just as soon as we finish casting, we'll be able to do a reading with your cast mates, and then begin rehearsals."

Kouga nodded. "And….contract negotiations…?"

"That will come in due time, after the pilot gets out and we get a response. We'll also have a meeting with the show's producer next week so we can get started on rehearsals as soon as possible."

He nodded to them, checking to make sure they had understood. "Any questions? Wonderful! We'll be sure to get in contact with you both very soon. Good work, you two. I'm sure we'll all get along splendidly."

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The moment Kagome exited into the lobby, she found Kouga at her side.

She smiled warmly at him, and he took it as an invitation.

"You were very good in there, Kagome. I was wondering….if you'd like to go out for some drinks tonight?"

--Well, he just dives right in, doesn't he?--, the loudly sardonic voice in her head retorted. But, she decided to let herself be flattered by the quick invitation. After all, it wasn't every day that you could brag about getting a kiss and being asked out by a handsome actor all in a day's work.

"Thanks, Kouga. You were wonderful, also. But, my agent and his assistant already promised to treat me to dinner in celebration of my getting the part….Though….I guess you're welcome to come along…if you like…."

He nodded, and grinned widely. "I'd like that."

When the two exited the lobby, Miroku's shabby, 15-year-old sedan was pulling up to the front of the parking lot. Well, more like heaving and clunking onto the asphalt. Kagome had always felt a little embarrassment for her agent at the bucket of junk he drove around. Miroku had always joked about his old "Bertha," who had stood by him like an old friend…but it looked as if Bertha would gladly wheeze and fall dead onto the pavement if she was driven once more. As Kagome lead a slightly bewildered Kouga to the purple car, she made a mental note to help Miroku save up for a car that he deserved, once she started getting paychecks.

As she pried open the back door of the car, she greeted her two friends with a genuine smile.

"Be careful with that," Miroku laughed, from the driver's seat. "It just might pop off if you're not gentle."

" Yeah, I'm treating the old baby with care. Hey, you guys don't mind if Kouga joins us for dinner?" They both nodded their approval, and Kagome and Kouga piled into the backseat, cramming their legs into the tight space.

Kouga reached over the duct-taped seat to shake Miroku's hand, giving the dark-haired agent a suave grin. "Kouga Murane. Nice to meet you."

"Miroku Inoue. I'm Kagome's agent and bodyguard."

Rin chuckled. "Bodyguard? You, lightweight?"

"Lightweight? See if I ever protect you from bodily harm!" he grumbled back, his face twisted stubbornly as he gently shifted the car's gears into Drive.

"And that's Rin, his assistant," Kagome said, rolling her eyes at their bickering.

"Kouga was just cast as Damien!" she announced. Miroku, normally very protective against any man who was within ten feet of Kagome, still managed to look impressed. As he tried to get another glimpse of Kouga through the rearview mirror, Rin flipped around in her seat to start up a conversation with the actor.

"So, Kouga," she began, smiling cheerfully. "How long have you been acting?"

He preened his dark brown hair and huffed thoughtfully. "About ten years now….I've been doing musical theater, mostly…a couple of other soaps….but I think I've found my niche here at Kakera Studios…." He buckled his seatbelt carefully.

"You must have done a lot before this, Kagome, judging by your audition," he observed, turning towards the black-haired girl beside him.

"Ahh…no….no, actually, this is my first major role." Kagome blushed, admitting her inexperience. Kouga looked taken aback, though quite impressed.

"I did a Wacdnald's commercial before this, and a couple of chorus roles in some stage productions…..I mostly get turned away from parts like this, because I'm too young, or too inexperienced, I guess….or maybe I just don't look like a soap star….."

"Well, I think you're beautiful…." He smiled brilliantly at her, and she wasn't quite sure how to respond except with a smile. -Well, he's certainly quite the charmer.--

Miroku grumbled a little from the front seat, but said nothing.

"I wouldn't have gotten where I am without Miroku's help, though…"

The grumbling mysteriously stopped.

As the car rolled on forward down the city streets that were bustling with nightlife, Kagome relaxed in to her seat, the realization hitting her once again- her dreams were becoming a reality….

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Kagome didn't wake up until very late on Saturday morning, her brain having shut down after a week of stressing over auditions. It felt very nice to be able to lie comfortably and not worry about whether or not her next unsuccessful round of auditioning would result in her flipping burgers for the rest of her so-called acting career. She stretched luxuriously across the silky sheets of her bed, resting against the pile of soft pillows, and sighing softly.

As she glanced lazily at the telephone on her nightstand, she realized that she had slept through a message on her answering machine. -Wow, I guess I was conked out worse than usual..,that phone practically screams bloody murder when it rings...-- Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she rolled over, untangling her feet from the covers. After the monotone voice of her machine pierced her eardrums, the message play out into the quiet of her bedroom.

"Kagome! It's Kouga! I was calling to make sure you got home safe last night….soooo, call me if you get the chance……bye!"

Kagome pressed the `erase' button and smiled wryly as she sighed. Of course she had gotten home safe…Kouga had been in the car when Miroku had dropped her off. In fact, he had insisted on walking her to her apartment door.

Not to say that she hadn't thoroughly enjoyed herself the night before... Rin and Miroku had always been a blast to hang out with, with their silly stories and childish fights. Kouga got along well with her friends, though his over-confident and arrogant nature hadn't quite fit into the easy surroundings of the musty café, or close bonds of the old friends. Nevertheless, Kagome was felt flattered that he was so interested in her well-being

--He certainly is persistent--. She grinned to herself, recalling how he had plainly tried to squeeze as close as possible to her in the spacious booth. --At least he's a competent actor...--

She decidedly pushed Kouga to the back of her mind for the moment, as she soon became entranced with the promise of a nice, hot breakfast. Food was necessary in order make her coherent. She stepped out of bed, pulling a thick sweatshirt over her mass of matted dark hair, and then she shuffled out to her cramped kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the cold tile.

Moving expertly around the tiny kitchen, she pulled the styrofoam carton of eggs from the refrigerator, plunked a small skillet on the creaky stove, and then dove head-first into the sink cabinet to find the elusive spatula. As she felt for the pile of assorted cooking utensils in the back of the cabinet, the phone rang out shrilly. Grumbling a little, she reached out to hit the `speakerphone' button.

Her head buried in the cabinet, she yelled out a muffled greeting to the caller. "HELLO!?"

There was a brief moment of dead air, as the person on the other end paused in a very confused silence. "…Miss Higurashi…?" A deep, cool voice spoke her name succinctly, practiced. She didn't recognize the voice, though he sounded much more important than her usual callers.

Trying to move out of the cabinet quickly, she accidentally smacked the side of her head on the underside of the counter. Groaning, she rubbed her temple fiercely, and tried to prevent the string of cuss words from alarming her important caller. "Yeah!…I mean…err…Kagome Higurashi speaking!"

The man cleared his throat. "Ah…Miss Higurashi, this is Sesshomaru Tanaka. I'm the head producer at Kakera Studios….Is this a bad time?"

Kagome cursed herself for her clumsiness, as she fought the numbing pain in her head. "No…no….It's just fine, Mr. Tanaka…"

"Very well, then. I was just calling to congratulate you on becoming our Maya Dupri!"

"Thanks…thank you very much, Mr. Tanaka. Everyone at Kakera Studios has been very kind…"

"I'm pleased." He didn't exactly radiate pleasantness, as he sped through to the next topic, leaving Kagome's already-spinning head….well, spinning even faster. "More importantly, on Monday at 2 pm there is a scheduled meeting between the cast members, Mr. Raiken, who will be in charge of direction, and I, so that you may become acquainted with the script and our filming schedule. We'll begin script read-throughs as soon as possible, and rehearsals will begin on Wednesday. We hope to start filming by Saturday."

Kagome hurriedly scribbled the information on the back of the envelope from the phone company, trying to follow his quick, precise words. "Monday at 2…? Of course, yes….whenever you need me! Anything else?"

"No, that will suffice. Thank you very much for your time, Miss Higurashi. We'll be looking forward to seeing you on Monday."

"Thank you…"

Sesshomaru Tanaka swiftly ended the call with a click, leaving Kagome standing alone in her kitchen, spatula in hand, chastising herself for being so unrefined with her new producer. Hopefully they wouldn't fire her for her lack of phone skills….

Shaking off the heavy thought, she sighed and cracked an egg onto the hot, flat skillet. She watched it spread out and sizzle delectably as the yellow and white liquid began to bubble and solidify. Leaning forward on her elbows, she watched the frying egg, her mouth beginning to water, her brain beginning to stir into motion.

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"So…he called you at home…!?" Rin picked up the shirt, holding it against Kagome to see if it matched her hair and eye color.

"…Who….?"

"Sesshomaru Tanaka! Kakera Studios…your producer?! Unless there was someone else that called you yesterday?" She snatched the shirt back, incredulously, fixing Kagome with a stare of mock disapproval.

Kagome began pushing the hangers along the metal rack, sampling the textures of the cloths with her fingers. "Well, Kouga left a message this morning, but…."

"Kouga?" Rin burst in. "Man, is he in love with you or what? Calling after he saw you less than twelve hours ago!"

"Rin!" Kagome protested, feeling a little embarrassed. "We just met for the first time two days ago!"

"So? He certainly seems very interested in you!"

"He was just calling to make sure I was OK!"

"Excuses!" Rin clucked, grinning. "Of course you were OK! He was with you all the way to your doorstep. And, if I do say so myself, he would have gladly gone past that doorstep if you had invited him!" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Kagome has a dashing soap opera lover!" she sang loudly, watching Kagome roll her eyes in defiance of the idea. Unfortunately, Rin caught the ears and eyes of many of the shoppers in the store, making Kagome wish that hell would choose this moment to crack open under her friend's feet. Perhaps that would shut her up…

Rin laughed as Kagome shot her a searing glare. "OK, I was just teasing…..but.. how do you feel about Kouga, anyway?"

Thinking over Kouga again, Kagome's face softened. "I don't know…I've only just met him, but I guess I just don't have those kinds of feelings for him….I'm sure he's just as nice to all the girls he meets, anyway……He's very respectful, very nice…." She drifted off, thoughtfully.

Rin couldn't resist jabbing Kagome in the side with her elbow. "….Very nice kisser…?"

Kagome turned beet red in mention of the forgotten kiss. "NO! I mean…yes…..I mean…..SHUT UP!" Kagome had clearly lost the battle of wits.

Rin laughed, patting Kagome on the back. "Sorry, hon……you're just way too fun to tease!" She turned back to the rows of clothing, chuckling, leaving Kagome to fight off her blush and ignore the stares from the other women in the clothing department.

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Kagome arrived at the parking lot of the studio at 2 pm on Monday in a panicked state, hoping that they hadn't started the meeting without her. Her stomach was a jumble of nerves, dread and excitement. After all, her career as a TV actress, however short or successful it would be, started today. An official meeting with big-name producers….famous actors and actresses….it took some pinching to remind herself that she was still awake, and that the previous week hadn't been a result of elaborate hallucination.

She fluffed her hair nervously in the reflection in the glass doors of the building. As she entered, the receptionist looked up from her work, greeting her with a smile on her painted red lips. "Hello, Kagome. They'll be in the board room right now….you're right on time…" The door next to the receptionist's desk unlocked with a buzz and a click. After motioning for Kagome to go through the door, the woman returned to her work.

Kagome pored her eyes over the warm-colored interior of the hallway as she made her way quickly to the double doors at the end of the hall. She hesitantly pushed one of the doors open, hoping not to interrupt any important discussion.

Right away, she was taken aback by what she saw.

Although the room was furnished with high-backed chairs and a long, mahogany board table, the attendees were acting anything but formal. Hiten and Souten were sitting at one end, forms and loose papers strewn around them. Several half-empty cups of coffee were sitting around the edges, along with a box of donuts and a smattering of napkins and paper plates. Sesshomaru Tanaka had not even arrived yet, and there were only five other people seated at the table- Kouga, and four women.

The woman sitting directly across from Kouga was leggy and wiry, long red hair curling around her face, with green eyes flashing excitedly. Beside her, there was a woman with piercing, dark eyes, almost reddish in appearance. Her full lips pouted in continuous sensuality, and her face was curved gracefully. She was curled up in her chair with a bored look on her face, using a stray piece of paper, which she had folded up delicately, as a makeshift fan.

She was seated beside a younger girl who looked no older than sixteen. The girl was the exact opposite of the dark-eyed woman, and pretty in an innocent kind of way. Her hair and skin were as pale as pale could be, her features glassy and emotionless. Kagome moved quickly to introduce herself to her new colleagues with an amiable smile lighting her face. One by one she shook their hands, learning their names in turn- Ayame, Kagura, and Kanna. The first shook her hand warmly, the second, brushed her off with a nonchalant wave, and the third held her hand lightly, but did not return the smile.

Not to be discouraged by the other actresses, Kagome moved to meet the fourth woman at the farthest end of the table, who was currently focused intently on her laptop, her skilled fingers flying with ease along the keyboard. She was far older than the rest of the people at the board table, but still looked spry and sturdy, with the shine of youth in her dark eyes. She extended her weathered hand to Kagome, a broad smile on her face. "Kaede Minamoru. I'm the head writer for the show."

Kagome nodded to her pleasantly as she carefully took a seat next to Kouga. She returned his smile with a bright one of her own as they greeted each other, though she found it difficult to meet his eyes without remembering her conversation with Rin from the day before.

Before the hesitant silence in the room could even come close to being uncomfortable, the door had swung open, and an imposing figure moved through the doorway, followed close behind by an assistant.

Even without hearing him speak, Kagome knew this was Sesshomaru Tanaka. He was tall and lanky with long limbs, though he moved gracefully in his starched suit. He had long, flowing locks of silver that hung down his back. His facial features, though, were the most stunning thing about him. They were sculpted smoothly like a figure of Michelangelo's, but they were focused and stern with the sharpness of a shrewd businessman.

As Sesshomaru placed his briefcase on the table, all of the eyes in the room were fixed on him, waiting for the word that would begin the meeting. He pulled a neat stack of papers from his briefcase, barely giving his waiting audience a glance. Slowly and deliberately, he cleared his throat, settling his elbows on the table.

"I assume you all have met one another?" he inquired. The room nodded in unison.

Kagura spoke up quickly, her voice cutting the silence with its rich texture. "Is this the entire cast? When I agreed to this, I was under the impression that this show was going to be bigger…." She asked the question almost defiantly, implying that she had far better opportunities lined up.

Sesshomaru's assistant shifted in his seat, huffing at her tone. The assistant was dressed in a faded brown suit. His skin was pasty and pock-marked and had an almost greenish tint to it. As he shot Kagura a sniveling glare, his skin pulled tightly over his sallow face and beaked mouth.

Kagome had been slightly taken aback by Kagura's attitude, wondering if the deadly-looking producer might take the initiative to gut an actress out in the middle of a board room. But, Sesshomaru didn't respond to his assistant's actions, and completely ignored Kagura's tone.

"No….this is not the entire cast.." he replied, stonily. He leaned back in his chair, the tips of his fingers pressed to one another. "Our story is meant to focus on a key event between two people, and as the effects of their decisions spread, the number of people involved will also grow." Kagome, as enthusiastic as she was about the project, had never expected a soap opera summed up in such simple, even noble terms.

"But, I am not as familiar as some, with the key ideas of the plot. We have our head writer here, and I'm sure she would like to brief you on the basic plot outline." He nodded solemnly to Kaede, giving her the floor.

Kaede took her time in removing her rimmed glasses, and finishing off her last sentence on the keyboard. With a delighted grin, she shut her laptop, and turned to face the cast members. "Well, it certainly seems as if Hiten and Souten have done an accurate job casting everyone….We have quite a wild plot prepared for this show, and it may require some tough actors, but I trust that you all will be able to handle it." She gave them all a wink. "Now, as Sesshomaru has already mentioned, we'll need more cast members as the story gets more complicated."

As Kaede mentioned the story, she motioned for Souten to pass out the thick scripts to the actors. Kagome received hers excitedly, her hands relishing the weight of the smooth pages. She fingered the front of it, lovingly, looking at the typed title: "Shards of Our Memories," with pride. As she opened to the second page, she read her name in the cast list, along with the others in the room.

Kagome Higurashi.…………………..…..Maya Dupri

Kouga Murane…….…………………̷ 0;Damien Court

Ayame Kogoro.……..……………….….. . Jessie Court

Kagura Ayatachi…..…………………..Jillian Prescott

Kanna Tegura……..…………………. 230;.Lila Prescott

Kagome noticed Ayame chuckling softly to herself as she read the cast list to herself. "So," she laughed, "Is Kouga going to get all the women in the cast? I didn't know this was a harem…He's the only guy here…."

Kaede smiled wryly, as Kouga looked more than slightly pleased at his position. "Don't worry, there will certainly be more boys. Any good soap opera cannot function without it's handsome men…..but, for the pilot episode, we'll be focusing on the origins of the relationship between Maya and Damien, and the betrayal of your character, Ayame," she explained.

Hiten glanced at his copy of the script appreciatively, his face shining with excitement. Kagome was sure it was possible to see the screws turning in his brain. "Well, it seems as if the best way to get you acquainted with the episode would be to start our read-through. If you would all open to the third page of the script, we can begin…." The cast responded accordingly, folding their scripts back to reveal the opening lines of the first scene.

Kagome realized, with a rush of adrenaline, that hers was the first line of the episode….smoothing back her hair and clearing her throat, she took a deep breath…then began the reading with her clear and practiced voice, hoping that she lived up to the role Mr. Raiken had cast her in.

"Damien…I love you more than words can say….."

As the words came out as she had hoped they would, she relaxed further into her seat, waiting for Kouga to speak his lines to her. The happy blush settled on her cheeks, Kagome soon fell into rhythm of the scene.

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A/N: Silly Sesshomaru. I don't care if you're a producer! There's no need for that deadpan "I'll-kill-you-if-you-get-in-my-way" attitude in the middle of a soap opera! (Oh well, what can I say….he's not really a smiley man……No matter how hard Rin may try

^_^ )

Have no fear- Inuyasha is here!….errr….well, he's in the next chapter. Some questions just may be answered for you….such as, where is our hanyou in all of this? What will Sango's role be? What is the meaning of life? (OK, just maybe I won't have an answer to that one….)

Review?……please?…….thank you. ^_______^

-Sadia -