Chapter Four: Performance Time
The bus drove along on its way to the college where the band would be performing.
"Hehehe, Disneyland is after this!" Kagome's voice traveled to Sango's ear. Sango giggled as she stared out the window.
"Daydreaming about Miroku are we?" Kouga said to Sango.
Sango whipped her head around and shot a threatening glare at Kouga. Either Miroku didn't hear what he had just said or he just didn't care. Sango decided that he probably didn't care, which relieved, yet disappointed her at the same time. 'He doesn't care at all… I should just stop trying altogether and save myself before I get hurt even more…'
The bus came to a stop and everyone looked out on the empty campus.
"Oh, yeah, we're the first ones to perform today huh?" Lokito commented.
Kaede sighed and nodded. "Get your instruments and follow me."
One by one, the students got off of the bus and followed Kaede. They came to the theater and there was an open area outside. The students set down their cases on the benches and ledges and assembled their instruments. Kagome, Kikyou, and Sango stood in a circle warming up. Kouga soon joined them, then Inuyasha, and even Miroku slowly made his way over. Sango's flute was always out of tune, so she played the beginning of 'Pirates of the Caribbean', which was one of their selections that they would be playing in a matter of minutes, with Kagome, since they had a similar part. After the two of them got a good enough tune, they continued on with the song, which was not that difficult without their music, seeing as how the beginning was just simple notes and they had been playing it for so long.
The time came for them to enter the theater and take their seats. Kagome, being the somewhat evil person she is, made Miroku sit next to Sango purposely. Sango glared at Kagome for this, but deep inside, she actually didn't mind. She just hoped that her flute wouldn't screech in his ear when she had to play the higher notes in 'Phantom of the Opera'.
Everyone's heart began to race as another school filed into the theater, filling up nearly all of the seats.
'Damnit,' thought Inuyasha. 'There aren't supposed to be this many people in here…'
Kaede appeared at the front, and she awaited the announcement that would tell them to begin. The announcement was made. They were introduced, and the names of the selections that they would play were also named. 'Phantom of the Opera' was first.
Kaede raised her hand to signal that she was ready to start. The clarinets started the song, so she gave them the downbeat. The only clarinets present were Kagome and Miroku. Then the flutes, Sango, Mika, and Ayori, joined in on their entrance. Then came the best part. The Phantom scale and chord which ascended and descended. Everyone came in. Inuyasha on his trumpet, Kikyou on her bass clarinet, Sesshoumaru and Kagura on their alto saxes, Myoga on tenor saxophone, Kouga on tympanis, and Eikichi, Lokito, and Sairo on percussion. When they were finished, it was agreed among the group and Kaede that that time was the best time that they had ever played 'Phantom of the Opera'. Now if it would only go this smoothly for 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.
Kaede raised her hand, looking at Kagome and Sango, who started off the song. Since there were other flutes, Sango was stuck playing the oboe part for the song. She played her first note with Kagome really quick to check if she was out of tune or not. She definitely was. She fixed it, and they tried again. It sounded better, so Kaede then began. They ran through the song, which was very enjoyable to play, despite all of the evil time and key changes. They got through it, but it wasn't as good as they had played 'Phantom of the Opera'. The head judge came up on stage and told the students what they had done well, and what could use improvement. After that, they left the stage and were told to get pictures taken. They walked outside and found that it was much hotter now than it was in the morning. They walked out carrying their instruments until they came upon an area with arranged chairs. Ayori went first, so she was on the far right in the first row, then followed Mika, Sango, Kagome, Kikyou, and Kagura. All of the girls were in the front. In the back stood Lokito on the far right, then Miroku, Myoga, Kouga, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Eikichi, Sairo, and Kaede stood on the side of all of them.
After a formal picture was taken, a crazy one was being prepared. Inuyasha stood off to the side carrying Kikyou in his arms, Ayori and Mika bunched together and smiled, Kouga sat in between Kagome and Sango, and the three of them posed like best buddies, while Miroku stood behind them. Kagura was off to the side. Sairo put his arm around Lokito's neck playfully, looking like he was choking Lokito. Eikichi posed like a superhero, and Myoga and Sesshoumaru merely stood there smiling.
After all of the picture taking was done, they all disassembled their instruments and put them back into their cases. Then they headed back to the bus, where many of them began to take off parts of their uniforms because of the heat. Most of the boys took their tuxedo jackets off, and the girls undid their bow ties and cumber bunds, as did the boys.
Miroku sat across the aisle from Sango again, strangely enough. Kouga sat behind Sango, and Kagome sat behind Kouga. The ride back seemed longer, and Sango and Kagome grew bored. Digging through her bag, Kagome found a brush. The two of them looked at Kouga and smiled evilly. Kouga's hair was long and flippy, easily able to be manipulated and brush through. Kagome began to style Kouga's hair in weird ways. Then Sango asked for it, and combed all of Kouga's hair back. It stuck straight up.
"Oh, my God, he looks like a super saiyan!" Kagome and Sango both called out in unison and giggled.
"Oh, yeah, super saiyan!" Kouga said in an attempted macho voice.
Sango and Kagome snorted. This whole time Miroku was looking at the trio with his weird stare and weird grin. He found this amusing.
"Hey!" Sango said, catching Miroku's stare. She reached over with the brush and ran it through his hair playfully. She laughed as Kagome, Kouga, and even Kikyou from the back of the bus, couldn't believe she actually did it. Sango had done something to Miroku.
"Hey," Miroku replied back and reached up for Kagome's brush that was in Sango's hand. Sango jerked her hand out of the way and gave the brush back to Kagome. Miroku ran his hand through his hair and fixed it to the way it was before.
"Aw, you're no fun," Sango joked. Then she reached over and touched the front part of his hair that stuck out. "Your hair's not long though, so it's not as fun as Kouga's," she laughed. "But you with long hair is just freaky."
"Oh my God, please no, Miroku don't grow your hair long," Kagome said. She hated guys with long hair. Well, most of them anyway. Kouga seemed to be an exception.
Miroku chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't."
The bus arrived back at the hotel, and the students filed out and gathered in the lobby.
"Alright, go back to your rooms, get changed, and meet back down here in twenty minutes," she stated. They all dispersed and went back into their rooms.
Twenty minutes later, they all came out. Kagome was dressed in a white Mickey Mouse t-shirt and khakis. Sango was wearing khaki colored capris and a black t-shirt with fire on it. Kikyou wore her 'I love geeks' green t-shirt and jean shorts. Kagura wore her jeans and a white shirt. Kouga wore denim jean shorts and a sand colored t-shirt. Miroku wore dark gray shorts and a light gray t-shirt. Inuyasha wore black basketball shorts and his basketball jersey. They were ready for fun, but not exactly the kind you'd expect from an extremely complicated love polygon in Disneyland.