A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction, and I'm pretty excited about it. I've been building the story in my head for quite some time, but I've never really found the time to write it. Because it deals with music groups, I'll be adding suggested listenings at the bottom of each chapter, so that you all sort of get a vibe for the musical styles floating around. The story is heavily influenced by the songs I suggest, so I do recommend listening to them!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.


Chapter 1- Selection

Musings Music Competition. The world-famous music academy and competition rolled into one two-month summer program. Every summer, thirty artists from all over the country were invited to the host city for a life-changing opportunity, and the grand prize winner was rewarded with an all-inclusive record deal. The first-place winners were given management, recording contracts, distribution deals, and top-notch publicity. Most winners went on to become A-list acts, so being chosen to compete at all was truly extraordinary.

Musings was well-known for vastly improving participating artists' sound and marketability, and so, producers and record companies were practically lining up to sponsor the event. Chosen artists paid nothing to attend, and the pay-off was incredible even if they didn't win. The runners-up received automatic invitations to compete the following year, and they often went on to win in subsequent years. The exposure and experience alone was usually enough to draw in highly talented groups. C-list celebrities frequently competed, and during the academy weeks, artists were coached by the music industry's finest recording artists.

Sango read over the invitation again as she sat on a stool at the local bar and waited for her shift to start. The whole thing felt quite daunting to her, and she still wasn't sure how her group had been selected out of the thousands who auditioned. Sure, the three of them had astounding voices and their music was quite popular when they played at venues around the city, but it was hard to imagine they'd ever really make it big.

Her group, Wonder, was formed by herself and two of her coworkers around two years ago. At the time, they'd decided to perform together to enter a competition with a $200 prize. Each of them had needed a bit extra that month to make ends meet since the bar was slower in winter months. Cost of living in New York was quite high, and the competition was sort of a last resort for the trio. They really hadn't expected to win. Since then, the three of them had begun regularly performing together as a way to make some money on the side. Regularly, however, Ayame worked as a bartender at Jewelhouse Bar, and Sango and Kagome worked there as servers.

They all loved singing and performing together, but Sango doubted their ability to really make it as musicians. They lacked a cohesive sound, and that hurt their marketability. Over the years, the group had developed two different styles in order to meet the needs of more venues, thus bringing in more money from gigs. One was sexy, sensual, and, at times, bubbly. It was honed to be performed at night clubs and local hot spots. The other was edgy and intense, used primarily at hole in the wall bars and popular underground venues. The styles were incompatible, and neither was particularly unique.

Sango sighed heavily. "Are you sure we should do this?" She asked Kagome without taking her eyes off the invitation email on her phone.

"Of course! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Kagome plopped onto the stool next to Sango. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"Well, sort of. I know we've done pretty well around the city, but this is big. We'll have to move to Chicago for the summer. We'll have to leave the bar and the apartment. If we don't win, we'll come home to nothing. It's a huge gamble."

"Sometimes, risks pay off Sango." Ayame appeared behind the bar, three shot glasses in hand. "We didn't get selected for nothing. They must have seen potential in us."

"Maybe Musings will help us to finally merge our sounds. If we can do that, we'd be unstoppable." Kagome chimed in, eyeing the rum in Ayame's hand.

Ayame filled the shot glasses and distributed the shots among her friends. "Maybe this'll help us to finally get some stability. I would kill to know I wasn't going to starve trying to make rent in this damn city."

Sango listened pensively, her dark brown eyes burning into her phone screen. "What the hell. It's not like we have much to lose anyway." Her friends' eyes lit up.

"That's the spirit Sango!" Ayame cheered as she raised her shot glass. "To Wonder!"

"To Wonder!" Sango and Kagome smiled back. The glasses touched, and the girls delighted in the burning sensation as the liquid slid down their throats, enabling them to get through the busy late-night crowd heading their way. As they tied on their serving aprons, Sango mused about how her life was finally going to change. The encouraging thought mixed with the liquor in her belly kept her buzzed and cheerful through the night.


Miroku winced at the sunlight flowing through the curtains and rolled over in an attempt to flee from the morning light. His head was throbbing with the after effects of last night's drinks, and he planned on sleeping the day away to avoid dealing with his horrid hangover. His band, Midnight Vandals, played a fantastic show last night at a beachfront club and celebrated in their usual fashion- excess alcohol and women. His portion of the latter was still snoozing in his bed. Miroku smiled as he snuggled up next to her. He usually didn't like waking up next to his conquests, but with his hangover pulsing in his brain, he didn't mind that morning.

Just as he was drifting back to sleep, his cell phone rang. Miroku groaned as he rolled over to silence the damn thing, but the caller ID caught his attention. "Hey Inuyasha," He grumbled as he answered the call.

"Are you still in bed? It's almost one you lazy bum!"

"Hey! I had a long night." Miroku defended, glancing satisfactorily at the sleeping woman in his bed.

"Don't tell me you took that brat home again!" Inuyasha spat.

"Now, that's not nice Inuyasha." Miroku countered

"Feh. Like you care what I call your bitches." Inuyasha rolled his eyes, and Miroku grinned on the other end of the phone. He was right, Miroku didn't care very much about the woman sleeping next to him. "Anyway, we got our Musings invitation today. Get your ass down to the pier."

Miroku hung up and put his hand to his face, trying in vain to force his hangover out of his brain. He looked toward the naked woman to his left. A sly smirk moved over his face. If he had to wake up, he may as well reward himself for the effort. "Shima. Shima, wake up," He coaxed as he nibbled on her ear.

"Mmm, Miroku," she whined, blushing as he rubbed on her from behind. She turned to face him, and immediately the pair began making out. Twenty minutes later, after some pleasing morning sex, Miroku was tossing Shima's clothes at her. "Get dressed, I have to meet the guys about some business stuff."

"But Miroku, I don't have to go. I can wait here, and then you'll have a nice treat when you get home," Shima purred at him from the bed. Miroku fought a scowl. He did not like the idea of leaving Shima alone in his condo.

"No, you'd better go. I don't know when I'll be back. I'll text you later, alright?" Miroku demanded.

"Fine," Shima pouted back, dressing quickly. She gave him a quick kiss as she gathered her things to leave. "I'll talk to you later then."

Miroku sighed after she left. He wasn't particularly fond of Shima, but at least she was constant. Usually he didn't keep women around as long as she had managed to stick around. That was mostly a result of her persistence more than anything else, though. He had no intention of having any kind of real relationship with her. She was sweet enough, but there wasn't anything particularly special about her. The most enticing quality she had, aside from her lovely hourglass figure, was probably her idolization of him and his band. It is nice to be treated like a celebrity, even if your groupies are airheads.

Miroku thought over this as he made his way to the pier. He sighed heavily. Maybe he should just settle for Shima. She seemed interested enough, and he sincerely doubted he'd find a woman that would genuinely hold his attention. The thought made him scowl. The idea of staying with Shima forever, and really committing to her was repulsive to him. This competition couldn't have come at a better time really. He could stand a change of scenery and some time away from his clingy groupie.

He parked his car and sauntered up to the pier to find his bandmates snacking on sandwiches at a picnic table. "Hey guys." He greeted as he grabbed a sandwich from the plate in the middle.

"Took you long enough." Koga complained. "We were beginning to think you drove your car into the ocean."

"No, no, nothing like that. Shima wouldn't leave," Miroku explained.

"That figures. I don't know why you put up with her." Inuyasha snorted.

"Sometimes, I don't know either." Miroku smiled half-heartedly as his thoughts drifted back to his car ride. "So, we got selected huh?"

Koga laughed. "Of course we did! Have you seen our YouTube views lately? They'd be crazy not to pick us. They're guaranteed higher ticket sales if we play!"

Miroku smiled. He was right, of course. Midnight Vandals were seriously popular in southern California, and their YouTube channel had regular viewership from across the US. They were so well-known that between the YouTube payouts and steady gigs, none of them had to work. They could easily be called C-listers, and they were a favorite to win Musings this year.

"Where is it this year anyway?" Miroku glanced at Inuyasha.

"Chicago. We have to be there in two weeks." Inuyasha answered between chews.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get packing." Miroku said as he donned a dazzling smile. He loved southern Cali, but he could not wait to see what was waiting for them in Chicago.


A/N: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you all think! I've started writing the next chapter already and hope to have it posted in the next few days.

Suggested songs- This chapter's songs aren't directly tied to the plot, but they give a good feel for what the groups sound like (at least how they sound in my head). The styles and sounds of both bands will evolve as the competition moves forward, but these give a good vibe for where they're at now and what sort of music they're producing and performing. The music for Midnight Vandals was inspired by the Shima/Miroku relationship.

(Wonder) Company- Tinashe

(Wonder) All Hands on Deck REMIX- Tinashe and Iggy Azelea

(Wonder) Problem- Natalia Kills

(Wonder) Mirrors- Natalia Kills

(Midnight Vandals) Annabelle- A Rocket to the Moon

(Midnight Vandals) Not Your Friend- Kick the Robot