Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Bandmates

Chapter 1

The kid looked totally freaked. Who wouldn't if you had never been asked to duel somebody in front of an audience before? I wouldn't call myself a professional, but I am more experienced than the kid looking at me with fearful eyes.

I took pity on him as the large auditorium of kids fell silent and waited rather impatiently for us to start. I began by picking out a very simple scale but then left it unfinished as he finally got the memo and picked up where I left off. We took turns playing back and forth just simple chords until I felt that he was comfortable and then I took it to the next level.

I played the intro to a song that he had played as his talent. He looked at me with wide eyes before he grinned and began to play in tune with my lead. I backed off after a moment to let him take over the stage. We worked really well together; too bad his dinosaur of a mom was glaring at him from the back of the room.

The show closed and we made our way backstage. He looked pale, like he was afraid of what was coming next. I knelt to put away my guitar as I heard the distinct clip-clop of a pissed off woman's heels ring out on the cold tile floor. Her voice when she spoke was colder than ice.

"Just what do you think you're doing? Are you trying to ruin our name? How many times must I tell you: This life is not for you!"

The boy never said a word as he packed up his second hand guitar and got to his feet. I noticed that his pick was still in his hand. I smiled as I pulled a hand-made pick out of the top of my case where other special made picks were stored and got to my feet as I turned around and approached the now sullen boy.

"Yutaro, thanks for letting me borrow a pick. Keep the faith, 'kay?" I turned and picked up my guitar case and amp before he could say anything and was gone before his witch of a mother could say anything to me about encouraging her son in the ways of the devil.

I smiled at the irony of that as I walked out to my car. I hesitated when I saw a group of men standing around my car. I felt apprehension enter the pit of my stomach but I pushed it back as I crossed the remaining distance and unlocked the car with my key.

One of the men sauntered over and grinned down at me, "Yo."

I glanced up at his friendly face but noticed the hard edge in his brown eyes as he leaned against my car, cornering me between the open driver's door and him. I returned his smile as I replied in an even tone, "Hi."

Surprise flickered in his eyes, "You're different from the rest of them."

Confusion and apprehension at his words made me blurt out, "Excuse me?"

A hulking man stepped forward and easily knocked the spiky haired man aside, "Ignore him. My name's Hiko Seijuro, I'm the manager for this band."

He handed me a card and I looked down at it in the dim light from my open door before I met his dark gaze again, "That's great. What's it got to do with me?"

A smile graced his lips as he replied, "We're in need of a new guitarist and vocalist. Can you sing?"

I looked at him like I was looking at a child, "Anyone can sing, some just do it better than others."

His smile disappeared at my words, "We're holding auditions tomorrow at two. Be there and bring your equipment with you."

They all started to walk away as I stood there slightly dumbfounded. One of them, a tall dark haired man glanced back at me with ice blue eyes. I met his gaze even though it scared me that he could see right through my carefully crafted image. He held my eyes for a moment longer before giving me a slight nod of approval.

I blinked once and they had all disappeared. A tremor of dread rippled through me and rooted me to the concrete for a long moment before I finally managed to shake off the feeling and climb into my rental. I locked the doors more out of habit than out of fear of trouble as I turned the key in the ignition and made my way to my apartment across town.

I woke the next morning to bright sunlight streaming in through my windows. I struggled to sit up and gazed around my bare room with bleary eyes. I stretched slowly before I got to my feet and headed for the shower. I skipped breakfast as I headed to my classes. I completely forgot about the audition until I was heading back to my car and the same lanky man was leaning against it.

By the light of day I could see that he was also Japanese with ripped muscles and chocolate brown eyes that were deceptively humorous. He glanced up at my approach and a smile graced his features.

"Yo," his voice was light but I found my muscles tensing slightly.

"Hi," I returned slowly, eyeing him with curiosity.

"Hiko will be pissed if you don't show in the next twenty minutes."

"Huh? Hiko? Oh, the audition thing! I completely forgot about it!" I raised a hand to rub at my eyes.

A strong, calloused hand fell to my shoulder and I went completely still as my muscles tensed. "Hey, you okay?"

"Don't touch me," I ground out as I tried to control my tensed muscles and my unease.

He released my shoulder as a puzzled look crossed his face. I ignored it as I stepped past him and opened my car door. I tossed my books into the back seat and turned to the tall and lanky young man at my elbow. He didn't meet my gaze as he shifted slightly from foot to foot.

I sighed quietly before asking politely, "Do you need a ride, Mr…?"

He seemed to relax at my offer, "Sanosuke Sagara. Most people just call me Sano."

"Get in. Where are we going anyway?" I asked as he walked around my rental.

"The old auditorium just off campus," Sano fell silent as I maneuvered around several parked cars and out onto a main road.

"What are you majoring for?" Sano asked to break the silence.

"I'm undecided," I replied as we turned a corner and pulled into the parking lot in front of the auditorium.

He shrugged as we came to a stop and climbed out of the car. I opened the back door and pulled out my guitar case and amp. Sano waited for me before walking to the door and holding it open for me. I walked inside and stepped to one side to allow my eyes to adjust to the dim light.

The tall dark haired man from the night before was tuning a guitar while Hiko was conversing with a red-head that was a little taller than me. Sano led the way down one of the aisles and I followed but a sense of dread crept back into the pit of my stomach as the red-head turned at our approach. His gaze fell first on Sano and then settled on me.

He growled a question that had me slowing to a stop and shifting my feet slightly apart. I wished desperately for the bokken that I had left in my apartment as his eyes shifted to gold and the dread intensified into the beginnings of a headache.

Hiko met Sano's gaze before he looked at me and called, "Don't worry about this baka, he won't bite."

I looked at Sano for guidance only to find him returning the red-head's glare for glare. I glanced at the tall man with the guitar but he was too wrapped up in tuning the thing. I sighed quietly as I continued to walk slowly to the stage and found that there were several other candidates as well. I relaxed a little at the idea of not being the only one there to face the red-head's wrath, but a sense of unease still rippled through me. I was the only one that was semi-normally dressed. The other candidates wore either all dark clothes or a punk look while I was wearing faded jeans and a tank top.

The others shifted nervously and picked at their equipment while I sat at the end of the row on the far side, by myself and began to quietly tune my beloved guitar. I was so lost in the ritual that I didn't notice Hiko call the first person to the stage. A few minutes passed before a hesitant note came out of the amp attached to the guitar. I jerked slightly at the sudden sound but quickly relaxed as I began to mime the notes that the person was playing as I recognized the song.

One by one the others proceeded to the stage and went through the same routine of being asked to play a song that I couldn't hear the name of. I listened to them silently as each girl chose a different song to play. Some were hard core rock others softer and all the while I awaited my turn patiently.

As my turn came up last I walked up to the stage and plugged in my amp before strumming my guitar and making a few minor adjustments before glancing up at the dark-haired man as he approached me with a bored look. I also noticed the group of girls that had tried out before me as they watched me take my turn at the audition.

The dark haired man introduced himself tersely as Aoshi Shinomori and asked to play the 'best song in the world.' A wicked grin slipped onto my face as I stepped up to the mic.

I strummed the guitar gently as I began the first bars of "The Best Song in the World." I got about halfway through the song before Hiko strode forward calling a halt to the audition.

"That's enough, the band will confer as to who will be joining us. You may join the others, Ms. Kamiya."

I complied quickly but not so fast as to not hear Sano practically growl, "Like we get a choice."

I was putting my guitar back in its case when Hiko stepped up to the mic again. "We have come to a conclusion. Ms. Kamiya will be the newest member of The Assassins."

A collective hiss snarled towards the front of the auditorium and I straightened in surprise before meeting the scathing glares at the back of the room evenly and without malice. A shiver squirmed down my spine as I turned to look at the stage and came face to face with the red-head's amber glare. My chin came up slightly in a return challenge which put him off balance for a moment.

Sano was hopping down the stairs as I picked up my guitar and amp. "Nice work, jou-chan! Welcome to the gang!"

I looked at him blankly for a moment before smiling slightly and asking, "What did I just get myself into?"

"A whole heap of trouble, tanuki."

I spun around at the new voice as Sano whined, "Aww, don't be like that, kitsune!"

I arched an eyebrow at the woman in front of me. She was dressed in dark blue jeans that hugged her hips and a black tank top hugging her torso with red roses along the bottom hem. Her dark hair fell perfectly straight down her back to land just below her butt and if you looked just right, you could imagine the fox ears standing on top of her head.

"I'm not a tanuki."

"Sure you are! Just like that oaf behind you is a rooster head and the girl hanging onto the ice block is a weasel!" the woman covered her mouth with one hand and laughed. I swear she grew fox ears as her insulting laugh reached my ears.

"Whatever." I turned toward the exit with gear in tow.

"Practice is here everyday at five," Hiko, the hulking man informed me as I made my way up the aisle.

A quick mental run through of my schedule told me that I would no longer be eating a late lunch at five anymore. I let out a quiet sigh before I called over my shoulder, "I'll be here."

I stepped outside the dark interior of the building back into the bright daylight and hissed at the sudden light. My sixth sense is the only thing that saved me from a nasty scratch from a very ticked off assailant.

I dodged to the side setting my guitar on the ground against the building and used my amp to protect it before turning back to face the girl that was glaring at me with cold eyes. I slid automatically into a defensive stance despite not having my bokken with me.

I blinked rapidly trying to clear my vision as a cold voice reached my ears softly, "He belongs to me and only to me. He is mine and you can't have him."

"I don't know what you are talking about. I'm not trying to steal your man, just live a little is all," I growled in return.

My vision was clear in time to catch her stunned expression before she nodded curtly to me and turned on her heel to a waiting Porsche. I shook my head and muttered under my breath as I collected my equipment and walked to my car.

I pondered the strange woman's words as I drove to my apartment building. I parked in my usual little space under a lamp before climbing out and hauling my guitar, amp, and books inside.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wrapped up in music and school work. I barely registered my hunger as dinner time came and went. By the time exhaustion had called to me it was nearing two in the morning and I stumbled into my bedroom and into sleep's welcome arms, fully clothed, before I ever hit the bed, completely oblivious to the dark ki across the street from my apartment building.

"You can't run forever, little daemon."

A/N: This is my second fic and I was astounded by the reviews from my first attempt at this type of fic. I hope that this story is liked just as much. It would mean a lot to me if you told me what you think. Also, some things that you will need to know is that Kenshin and Battousai are gonna kinda be a little OC. I'll try to stick as close as possible but no promises.