Despite the group wide effort to figure out what fate was playing at with their past lives, they had been forced to push everything aside in preparation for current events, namely the talent show that they had spent the entire week practicing for. They had all agreed to get ready at Shippo's and go from there to the show, which is where they currently were nervously gathered in his living room. Shippo was at his computer which had become messier than usual despite Kagome's tittering and futile attempts at organizing things, much like his mother would have. He had his headphones on and was going over the background track again, further perfecting the work that he and Kagome had worked hard to lay down together. The girls were in the floor with Kagome fussing with Sango's hair and make up, while Miroku was off in a nearby corner meditating, a habit he found he had continued from his own past life.

"There!" Kagome declared happily after dousing Sango in a cloud of hairspray. "You're all done!"

Sango finally opened her eyes and looked herself over in the mirror. She grinned and nodded her head, "Perfect as always Kags!"

"I know," Kagome replied getting up from her knees and haughtily brushing off her shoulders. "I'm awesome like that!"

Sango laughed and continued to admire her dazzling appearance. Her dark hair was highlighted in bold fuchsia stripes that Kagome had twisted into what was a very modern rendition of a traditional geisha hairstyle. The front half of her thick hair was twisted and tied into a top knot with ornamental pins holding it in place covered in jewels in striking emeralds, yellows, and sapphires. The rest of her shoulder length hair was left down and curled slightly in light, loose ringlets glittering with gold glitter lightly. She had kept her make-up minimal, highlighting her eyes in varying shades of pink accentuating their almond shape with black eyeliner and defined eyebrows. The hollows of her cheeks were highlighted with a natural color to make them appear more defined while her lips were colored a pale pink that only balanced her face out with the emphasis on her eyes to bring out their beautiful golden brown hue.

Her outfit was an original construction that she had put together herself after modding a few of the outfits she had already in her closet. Keeping with the modernized traditional look she was wearing a black silk one shouldered shirt that looked like the top half of a formal kimono, with an bright magenta obi that hugged her waist, while the bottom of the kimono top went all the way to her mid thigh flaring out more like a skirt than the bottom of her shirt and lined on the edge with the same color silk of her obi. Her pants were loose and was made from black sheer fabric layered over a bright magenta silk that reached to the middle of her calf. She finished off the ensemble with a pair of black wedges that tied around her ankles, making her well defined legs look even longer.

"You really do look amazing Sango," Shippo said with a grin looking over at her with his headphones hanging off one ear.

"You don't think that it's too much?" Sango asked worriedly, pulling at the top of the shirt to make sure she wasn't going to have a wardrobe malfunction.

"You're perfect," Miroku commented having cracked one eye open to look at her. "Don't worry, if anything we'll win simply because of your beauty."

Sango stopped fretting then and turned to smile happily at her lover, "You're a freaking cheese puff, you know that, right?"

As the couple continued to banter Shippo took the moment to walk up behind Kagome who was fussing with her own hair which she had done in a style much like Sango's but less elaborate. He took a moment to admire her outfit which was like Sango's only more modest and blue where Sango's was pink. She had highlighted her hair with silver highlights that painfully reminded her of Maru and pulled her hair completely up into a loose knot that she adorned with a simple pair of ornamental hair sticks that had a crescent moon hanging from one and the other with a small dog that looked like he was turning a growling looking at her from its position on her head. She didn't really know why she had picked out that particular pair for tonight, but for some reason they made her think of Maru and that gave her more confidence than the black lace bra and garter set she was wearing under her outfit. The top was a full folded kimono and the obi was short and was tied so that it didn't dangle at all.

"Kagome, you look beautiful too you know?" Shippo whispered, touching her arm affectionately.

She smiled almost sadly looking up at him from the full length mirror they had propped against a wall between the door to the bathroom in front of her and the garage door to her left where the corvette sat safely tucked away from the sure to be full parking lots of the school.

"Thanks," she replied softly, not really knowing why she was whispering as well.

"Don't worry, he'll be there," Shippo winked, before turning back to his work at the computer.

Kagome felt her heart flutter, just thinking about the silver haired angel watching her on the stage. She worried that perhaps her confidence was overrated and that perhaps her song really did suck despite her friends protests that it was amazing. Would he tell her that it was horrible? Would he look at her with that icy golden glare and tell her how awful she was as a writer and a musician? Would she really depend on opinion and since when? She sighed and placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart in a vain attempt to calm the fluttering organ, but when she looked up and met her own gaze in the mirror she could only gasp as a vision pulled her mind to another time.

She stood in front of a mirror in a large ornate room like that of traditional Japanese royalty from the feudal era. She stood and a tall man with long silver hair stood behind her with a warm smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around her. She watched him happily as he watched her with one hand reaching up to his face while the other rested around her waist on top of his large hand spread across her abdomen. She studied his face and with another jolt of surprise she realized who the man was as she felt another pull in her mind, this time back to reality.

"Kagome? Kagome? Can you hear me?"

She screamed in surprise and jumped from the arms that held her as she opened her eyes. She spun around and tensed herself into a crouch ready to fight something before she realized where she was and what she was doing. She shook her head in a vain attempt to wash away the image of the man she loved holding her as she let herself fall backwards into the corner of the wall between the garage and bathroom beside the mirror someone had moved. Tentatively Sango reached out for her sister and pulled her into her arms comfortingly.

"What did you see Kagome?" she asked knowingly.

"I don't know," she breathed still stiff and staring off into space. "What's happening to me?"

Sango pulled the girl back from her shoulder and looked into her eyes, forcing her to focus on her, "Kagome, you've been reincarnated and whatever you just saw was a memory from that life and I know this because... I too have been reincarnated."

Kagome only looked at her confusedly before looking over at Miroku bewildered, "She's right, I'm sure that she's discussed our relationship with you and how we both feel as though we were meant to be," he waited for Kagome to nod in response. "This is because in our past life we were married. We lived as simple folk, raised a big family, grew old and then died together."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kagome stammered finally pulling away from Sango fully and sitting back on her haunches. "So you mean to tell me we're all reincarnated or something like some fucked up fictional story?"

"Well that's one way to look at it," Shippo said blatantly. "You three are a very rare bunch, but spirits such as yourselves are naturally drawn to one another."

"So what the hell does that make you? The Easter bunny?" she demanded harshly, earning her a few laughs from the others.

"No," he drawled with a shake of his head and a mischievous smile. "I'm immortal!"

"Great and I'm a fairy princess," Kagome muttered pulling herself to her feet. "So what did we all know each other way back when?"

Shippo nodded, "We did but you'll have to figure everything else out on your own! If you start to awaken too quickly it can cause a sort of split personality thing with you and your subconscious past life instead of melding into the person you are."

"This is so screwed up!" she mumbled with a shake of her head before noticing the clock on the wall. "Ah, what time is it?"

Miroku looked down at his watch, "Uh, time for us to leave, like five minutes ago."

At that everyone remembered why they were there to begin with. Setting off around the room to gather their things in a panic they then set off out the door and into Sango's Sportage, piling their gear into the back. Miroku drove weaving them carefully through traffic and the already filled parking lot until they parked in Sango's reserved spot on the dormitory side of the school. Together they made a mad dash, equipment in hand to the auditorium where the show was just beginning. They sat down and struggled in Kagome's case to catch their breath as the host welcomed everyone and began to introduce the first act.

Kagome felt her nerves returning and so had Sango's. Pushing all other thoughts from their minds. Shippo began to go over his part playing air drums while tapping out the beat and soon Kagome found she was doing the same thing. Sango leaned against Miroku as she mumbled the words to the song they had spent all week practicing. They didn't notice as more of the people moved onto the stage and returned for a few moments. Kagome feeling confident in her memorization moved to peek through the curtain to see just how many people had showed up. She felt her stomach rise into her throat when she saw that the seats were packed and some people were even standing in the back. She swallowed roughly and searched for the man who had inspired her to this task, but as she finished looking over the entire balcony without seeing him she began to worry that perhaps he wasn't there at all.

She felt Shippo's warm hand on her shoulder as she scanned the lower level, "He's right there by the door," he stated quietly into her ear over the sound of the violin quartet on stage.

With a small gasp she noticed him exactly where Shippo had said he would be, "He actually came."

Shippo chuckled and turned away heading back to where Sango was stretching in an attempt to loosen up and relax. A few moments Kagome joined them as a small girl with short pink hair approached them bubbly letting them know they were the act after next and needed to set up behind the curtain. Apprehensively they moved and had everything set up that they hadn't already set up while Shippo went over a few more details with the sound guy. Kagome and Miroku tuned their instruments carefully while Sango cleared her throat and warmed up, going through the scales a few times and taking a few drinks of water.

"Gah! I can face down evil and not be scared at all, but I get completely spooked by a large group of humans!" Sango muttered quietly to herself, but Shippo laughed when her heard her.

She turned and glared halfheartedly at him, but he only returned it with his trademark smirk and a victory sign. Taking a deep breath she listened as the announcer introduced them with their given names despite the instructions to use the names everyone knew them by. Sango almost slapped herself in the forehead had she not been suddenly blinded by the lights from the stage. Happy that she already spent so much time on the stage before she blinked a few times and her eyes quickly adjusted as Shippo counted off the beat and the music began. Kagome's violin melted on track with a few bass beats before Miroku began playing with Shippo keeping them on beat as Kagome joined them adding her own rich chords into their harmonious blends. Steeling her nerves one last time Sango reached for the mic and poured her heart and soul into the music that they all had poured everything into for the past two weeks.

If we were to meet tomorrow,

Would we recognize each other

As the star crossed lovers, we are

Or would we pass on by, forgetting,

Past meeting future

Future meeting eternity.

Though it wasn't their original song everyone had voted that this one was the better of the two and they worked hard throughout the week to perfect the last minute change. The tempo of the song was quick and Kagome's prerecorded violin drawled softy in the background with Shippo's other sounds that only blended and accentuated their live instruments. Sango stayed center stage only turning her head around the mic to look of the crowd as she kept her face in a wondering expression as though she were really singing the song to her long lost lover. She smirked and moved her hips when Shippo's strong beats cued in the arrogant chorus that Kagome sung back up for.

Lust turning to love,

(or is it love turning to lust)

Reach out! It's forbidden,

Taste that sweet fruit,

(Taste me baby, come on)

Screaming for each other,

Would you recognize me, Romeo?

(Where for art thou, Romeo?)

This girl your Juliet?

Kagome sung her parts perfectly as Sango twisted her way around the mic stand seductively. The crowd cheered and Kagome couldn't help but smirk when her eyes caught a hold of the blank Maru in the back. Kagome moved the neck of her guitar and stepped back giving him a daring look before she echoed Sango in the fifth line. She wrote the song with him in her mind and she wanted him to know that. He shifted with a raise of his eyebrow, his eyes beginning to warm as an intrigued smirk fought its way onto his face. Sango moved away from the stand moving towards the edge of the left side as they moved into the second verse.

Time changes everything

So tell me, my lover dear

Exactly what to tell you

Forget stupid traditions

You got me by your side

I'll take them all alive!

Kagome and Miroku backed Sango up on the last line as she moved around on stage, her body flowing with the music. All vestiges of nervousness that Kagome still had disappeared as they moved into the chorus again.

Lust turning to love,

(or is it love turning to lust)

Reach out! It's forbidden,

Taste that sweet fruit,

(Taste me baby, come on)

Screaming for each other,

Would you recognize me, Romeo?

(Where for art thou, Romeo?)

This girl your Juliet?

Miroku stepped forward and Sango moved to dance with him as he ripped out his solo part, Kagome stepping back and softening into a few chords that only helped him, but when his solo ended she stepped back up to her mic her violin on track with a soft chime as she darkly sang her only part of the song before Sango's stronger voice picked everything back up.

(Dear, I fear, our time grows near

And dear, I fear, I'm losing you

So tell me, just tell me

How am I to survive?)

Screaming for each other,

Lust turning to love,

Touching my forbidden, oh!

I taste you, you taste me

Screaming for each other,

Do you recognize me, Romeo?

Do you recognize me now?

This girl your Juliet?

If we were to meet tomorrow,

Would we recognize each other

As the star crossed lovers, we are?

Sango finished the last three lines soft like she had in the beginning, having moved back to center stage. The crowd had really liked them screaming out and cheering, everyone standing as they took their bow. Kagome smiled and just before the curtains lowered she saw a flash of silver as Maru disappeared out the door.