InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Race of The Heart ❯ Victory And A Secret Admirer ( Chapter 3 )

Victory And A Secret Admirer

The soft and melodious tones of Pachabel's Cannon in D filled his ears, providing a relaxing and soothing environment in the midst of the chaos that surrounded him.

Track meets were social events in which runners would do anything to fill the time. Meets were long and drawn out events, a runner's races usually spread out across three or more hours.

As he walked across the field in the middle of the track, headphones discouraging anyone from talking to him, he took in the familiar sights that constituted a track meet.

Groups of runners warming up and stretching on the infield, jumpers finding their marks on the runway, officials setting up starting blocks and pounding them into the ground, relay teams testing their timing one last time, and coaches running furiously around with a stop watch desperately timing their runners. This was the chaos and confusion that was track, it was his home.

He had been attracted to the sport because of the individual nature of it. It was not a team sport, excluding the relay's he never ran on of course. The idea that victory was achieved by the strength and merit of one held great appeal for him. He did not like to rely on others, if he failed he could only blame himself and if he succeeded he had done so on his own. The fruits of victory and the spoils, they all fell to one.

In track he did not have to deal with the inferiority of others. He loved this sport and its solitary nature that very much reflected his own.

His eyes darted across the field until they landed on a dark haired figure at the edge of the track. She was lying down with her hands across her face much as she had done two days before. With a pair of headphones on she was immersed in her own world and oblivious to the noise surrounding her, just as he was.

He walked towards her, silently approving of the fact that she seemed to be concentrating on the race ahead rather than socializing. He glanced at the discarded CD case that lay by her side. The Phantom of The Opera, he inwardly smirked. At least she had taste in music. He had half expected to find her listening to the ever annoying pop idols that were so popular with high school girls.

She was nervous; he knew that, he had seen it flash in her eyes that day. He had intentionally made her angry. Not that it was hard to irritate her, it was amusingly easy and he found himself enjoying the ability to annoy her. By making her angry he had distracted her from the worry that clouded her mind. Not that he cared if she was worried, no, he just wanted to make sure she was not distracted. He wanted to her to perform at her best because it would reflect well on him. At least that is what he told himself.

He sat down next to her and none too gently pushed her. He fought the urge to smile when she jolted into a sitting position that sent her discman flying the air. She also was an easy person to startle.

"Damnit Sesshoumaru!" She yelled loud enough for him to hear through the pulsating music in his ears. "You scared me!" She stated, punching him in the arm.

Slowly taking the headphones out of his ears, Sesshoumaru spared a glance for the angry girl who sat next to him. His attention absently wandered to the low throb of pain her punch had created. She was stronger than she looked.

"Have you checked in yet?" He questioned. She was running the 100 meter sprint; the race was due to start in 15 minutes.

"Of course I have, you forget that I have done this before." She was more than a little irritated now and he watched as she stood up and began her last minute stretches.

"What lane are you in?"

"Lane 5." She replied as she began doing lunges.

Good. He thought to himself. Lane 5 was the fastest lane on the track reserved for the fastest runner in the heat. He knew Kagome was faster than the other girls she would be running against, he had no doubt she would win, of course he didn't tell her that.

He had reluctantly acknowledged that she deserved his respect. Over the past month he had done everything in his power to break her, to push her beyond her limits and to make her quit. Impossibly demanding workouts, constant critiques and long hours, through all of this she persevered. She never complained, at least not out loud. She ran the workouts and took his criticism, making herself stronger and faster in the process.

Watching as she struggled to bring her leg closer to her chest as she lay on the track, he walked over to her and grabbed her foot. He pushed it forward until he felt the resistance of her muscles and saw the brief flash of pain in her eyes. He knew how important it was to have loosen the hamstring before a race, injuring that one muscle would mean the end of her season.

Having held her leg in that position for a sufficient amount of time he dropped her foot and quickly grabbed the other on to repeat the same process. He continued stretching her muscles, moving next to her calves, then to her quads, and eventually her arms.

Everywhere his hand touched he could feel the warmth of her skin, the silky softness of it left bare by the miniscule track uniform she wore. This was not the reason he was helping her. No, he was just making sure she stretched correctly and the best way to do that was to do it himself.

But as he continued his ministrations he felt something stir within him, a strange pulsing in his blood as some unidentified feeling began to well up inside.

He didn't know what it was, but, as he looked down into the face of the girl under his hands, he didn't like it.

*~*~*~*~

Kagome stood silently on the track behind the line of Junior Varsity boys. She watched them get into their blocks and watched them take off at the sound of the gun.

She was next.

As soon as the boy in front of her vacated his blocks, Kagome stepped in, measured the distance from the start line to each block, and placed each one in the appropriate position.

Taking a few practice starts, Kagome stopped and stood behind the blocks once more, satisfied with their position. She was ready.

She didn't even spare a glance to the runners she knew were on either side of her. She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and tuned out all the noise around her. At least she tried to.

Her concentration was broken as spots on her body began to tingle, places he had touched. Why am I thinking about this now! She screamed in her head. But she couldn't help it, the feel of his hands on her bare skin had evoked a powerful desire. He had wonderful hands.

Stop it! She told herself. This was not the time to be daydreaming about her arrogant Coach; she had a race to run.

"Runner's on your mark." The dry and monotonous voice of the official snapped her out of her haze. Shaking her head to dispel any lingering thoughts of her beautiful Coach, Kagome stepped into her blocks and forced every muscle in her body to relax.

"Set." She raised herself up, balancing her weight on her fingertips as she leaned over the line.

Bang! At the crack of the gun she was out of the blocks, her feet digging into the ground and pushing her out. The sound of feet furiously pounding the dirt behind her pushed her on and reminded her that she was not racing alone.

Faster, Faster Her mind screamed. Her body seemed to comply with the silent demand as her arms pumped faster, her legs moved faster. Kagome gritted her teeth as she fought to find more strength. She had to win.

She could see the finish line as well the vague outlines of the runners at her side. She focused all of her concentration on an object just beyond the finish line. He stood there, unmoving, watching her with a stop watch in her hand; the brilliant amber of his eyes challenging her, demanding her to go faster.

Keeping her eyes on his face she coaxed the last of her strength out of her legs as she sprinted across the line, she was strong finisher and her last minute acceleration left her opponents in the dust.

She felt the thrill of victory and heard the loud eruption of cheers as her concentration slowly broke and she tuned back into the world around her. But she didn't smile, she didn't laugh in joy or hug her teammates. Instead she continued running, slowing down with each step until she came to a stop in front of him.

Putting her hands on her hips, Kagome struggled to catch her breath as she waited for him to speak.

"12.3" He said matter-of-factly "You did well." Only then did Kagome allow herself to sink to the ground in exhaustion, her muscles burned, she had pushed herself hard. He regally extended a hand to her, a silent offer of aid. She grasped it and allowed herself to be pulled up and dragged to the field. Letting go of her hand he let her drop to the ground once more.

"Stretch" was all said before he walked off to prepare for his own race.

Kagome silently began stretching the muscles that were beginning to cramp from the sudden stop of movement.

Kagome silently began stretching the muscles that were beginning to cramp from the sudden stop of movement.

`You did well' His small compliment echoed in her mind. It was the first time he had ever said something positive to her. With a smile on her face Kagome stood up and went in search of her bag, she had another race to run but she had feeling that today was going to be a good day.

*~*~*~*~*

The boy leaned against the metal fence that separated the stands from the track. He had come out of curiosity, she intrigued him.

It wasn't her beauty that drew him to her, although he would not deny that she indeed was very beautiful. It was something else, something in her eyes that said she was different, that said she was unique.

Her fiery spirit had first caught his attention, she had dared what no other before her had, she had opposed him, openly. From that moment he had been rude and mean, but he hadn't wanted to be.

He remembered the first day she walked into his classroom. Her cheeks had been flushed in embarrassment; everyone had been staring at her. He had watched her make her way to the empty desk beside his. He had watched her out of the corner of his eye, pretending to listen to the dull teacher.

He saw the relief cross her face when the students had turned their attention back to the teacher at the front of the room. There was just something about her.

The she had dropped her pencil. He had immediately reached down to pick it up; he had handed it to her and was momentarily startled when he was met with her piercing blue eyes. They were the color of rich sapphires, they were beautiful. Then she smiled a bright smile that lit up the room and made his heart beat faster.

She had tried to introduce herself; she had offered her hand in a cheerful greeting. He wanted nothing more than to grasp her hand, to feel the touch of her skin and to make her smile again. But the whole class was watching him, anxiously waiting for the insult that was bound to come. This girl was new to the school, she was the lowest of all on the social ladder, and he did not associate her kind. So had ignored her, making a sort of compromise, he hadn't wanted to insult the beauty that stood before him, but he didn't want to lose face either.

She had forced him to humiliate her. She had yelled at him, calling him a jerk. Such an offense could not be ignored. With one sentence her exiled her and labeled her as an outcast.

But this did not stop her. Everyday she faced new insults from him and his many fans, and everyday she retorted with insults of her own. She was not afraid of him.

Her rare combination of strength and beauty intrigued him.

That was why he was here, secretly watching her from afar. Watching her run and seeing the immense talent she possessed only made her more compelling, more attractive to him.

He had watched the little scene with his brother after she had won her race with barely contained rage. Of all the people she could have had for her Coach it just had to be his half brother.

The animosity between the two was a well known fact, although not many knew why the brothers hated each other so much. But there was a reason, and it was what, deep down, he knew ultimately drew him to the one he watched now.

Kagome resembled her so much, his lost love. The similarity was striking, it had blinded him that first day making him remember what he had wished to forget. He had suppressed the memories immediately and refused to think about the similarity again, and he hadn't, until today. He had been convinced that he was drawn to the girl because of her own unique qualities, not because of what she resembled.

But he was wrong. Watching her talk to his half-brother brought the memories alive and evoked long forgotten emotions.

It was happening again.

Review Responses:

wayfarer-redemption: Thank you! I updated just for you!

Sesshoumarus-gril: What pairing is this??? Hmmmm….I keep getting that question….hehehehe….I have yet to decide for sure….but I am leaning towards Sess/Kag

Dante Gemini: Thank you! I will be sure to read and review your stories as well!

stacerue: It's good to know that my English classes paid off! I will of course continue on even if I don't get reviews…once I start something I must finish it!

nuria: Thank you! I will update as soon as I can

silvershadow: 100 hurdles….I did that for awhile…but I am a sprinter…100, 200, 4X100 relay…fun stuff like that! Thanks for reading!

Kody leigh: Well I'm glad you like mine!

Volk Zyta: Yes running is most definitely a beautiful thing! Thank you for reading!

Silver-Blue-eyes: Geez…everybody wants Sess/Kag….hmmm….maybe I should take the hint!

girltype: I'm glad you like my story and I understand what you are saying…thanks for the advice

Sukera: THANK YOU!

Sae-chan: Yes I am a runner and I am glad you love my story!

Xelena: Sess/Kag seems to be what everyone wants…we will see! Thank you for taking the time to review