Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!
Author Note: Okay, again, I've introduced some new and very minor characters. I wanted to share some of the stuff that I learned about radio stations. I hope that didn't sound too cheesy.
Chapter 7
Get me out of here!
"Make a left at the Yamanote Station—then take the south exit on Tokyo Meguro Line" Kagome instructed, perusing through a map. Sango stole a quick glance at the diagram of Tokyo. Getting to Takahashi's was a lot harder than she'd imagined, especially during noon hours. The busy streets of Tokyo were lined with cars, buses, taxis, bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians.
"We should have taken the train" Sango groaned, banging her head softly against the steering wheel. They were currently waiting for the light to turn green and people to stop swarming into the crossroad.
"Relax," Kagome said, feeling optimistic. "We'll make it on time."
Sango immediately raised her head at the sound of the crossing guard's whistle and sped up eagerly. Kagome sighed, so much for being mellow.
As the two drew closer and closer the Takahashi building, all they could do was gape at the immense size of true corporate power. A skyscraper with countless floors made up of tiny crystal clear windows reflected the perfect blue sky. The scene was breathtaking.
"I wonder what it looks like at night" Sango marveled, once she'd finally found her voice. They both knew the answer to that question from the countless nights of gazing through bedroom windows. The building's magnificent neon colors emitted an almost ethereal glow.
By the time Kagome and Sango reached Takahashi Studios, it was almost two. They had approximately ten minutes to park, sign in, and get to their work station which, incidentally, was on the fifth floor. Kagome scolded herself silently, as did Sango, for being too overwhelmed and completely wasting a good five minutes.
"Now where do you suppose we park?" Sango rubbed her head tautly, hoping Kagome would know the answer. Rows upon rows of classy looking cars lined a crowded outdoors parking lot and Kagome could sense the anxiety which seemed to radiate in waves around Sango.
"What about over there?" she suggested, pointing to a miraculously empty lot. Sango parked at once, withdrew her key from the ignition, and took off, not once noticing a reserved sign posted off to the right.
:-:-:
"Hello and welcome to Takahashi Studios!"
A friendly receptionist was seated behind a polished oak desk. Her enormous smile revealed a set of pearly whites which complimented her rather large green eyes, which were currently locked on the two visitors. Her nametag read Sakura which was also happened to be the color of her hair.
Looking around tensely, Sango took charge and asked, "Where do we sign in?"
"We're the replacements for um, Miroku and Inuyasha" Kagome was unsure if using their first names make her credible enough.
"Oh yes! Miroku and Inuyasha" Sakura sounded gleeful. Sango arched an eyebrow but remained quite. The secretary typed something on her computer, her freshly manicured nails made a tapping noise every time she hit a key.
"Could you give me your names please?" she requested.
"I am Kagome Higurashi" Kagome answered, peeking at her watch. Boy, they were really late.
"And Sango Taijiya" Sango felt time pressured but tried to keep her voice from wavering. "Will that be all?"
Sakura looked up and grinned. "Yes and the elevators are to your right—have a-"
Sango and Kagome caught the words elevator and to your right and were gone in a flash calling back a messy thank you. To their luck, the elevators, all six, were packed. Their only options were to wait it out or take the stairs. Sango opted for the stairs while Kagome leaned despairingly against a wall.
"See ya at the top Kagome!" Sango yelled. The sound of her voice echoed down as she ascended the stairs.
Once her eyes had left the retreating figure, Kagome folded her arms and sighed deeply as she focused her attention on the attractive layout of the first floor. Every inch was carpeted in a creamy white while the walls were splashed with an equally light pinkish orange. There were cozy sofas and armchairs all nestled close to one another, good for socializing, and flowering plants strategically positioned all about giving the room a sophisticated yet open feel. An abundance of paintings made this floor seemed more like a museum than music studio. Then again, this was only the first floor.
"Ding!"
Kagome whirled around to face the elevator which had just opened and hurried in. It was stark empty to the schoolgirl's relief. She shakily jabbed at number 5, willing the doors to close before she was ambushed.
:-:-:
"Whew!" whipping her brow, Kagome exhaled. The elevator had successfully dropped her off on the fifth floor without being stopped once. As if she would have let it! Kagome stepped out expecting to see a floor similar to the first, quiet and serene and found more than expected.
A long and very broad hallway lay perpendicular, splitting one smaller pathway in half. There were doors stationed on either side of the main passageway, similar to a hotel. People were rushing in and out, sending mixed greetings to one another. Some were barking orders, others laughing and chatting. Kagome readjusted her dark blue plaid miniskirt and took an uneven breath.
"Hey there!" someone called causing her eyes to widen. She spotted a man in the distance, motioning her to come forward. He was probably in his early twenties and wore very stylish rectangle glasses, brimmed with a dark coat of titanium silver which embellished otherwise dull brown eyes. His hair was a sandy blond and tousled freely.
Kagome whispered a silent "me?" and pointed to herself. The man chuckled as he approached her.
"You new here?" he asked, rubbing a clean-cut goatee. He was fairly attractive with a very warm and had a very welcoming smile. Kagome nodded, and returned the smile.
"You can call me Ryu," the man offered, shaking her hand politely. Amongst the clamor and chaos, he seemed to be more laid back and calm.
"Kagome" the amiable girl responded. "My name is Kagome."
Ryu studied her carefully. "You seem pretty young…how many years of experience?" Kagome blushed but didn't answer right away.
"Or are you a singer?" Ryu whipped out a black notebook and bowed his head brazenly. "Please, give me your autograph!"
Kagome began to laugh freely. Ryu tucked his checkbook away, glad to have made the newbie ease up and feel more at home.
"Do you know how a radio station works?" Ryu grinned boyishly. In response, Kagome shook her head and smiled.
"Then allow me to give you a tour" he began by leading Kagome closer to the mob. Eager to learn about Ryu's profession, as well as that of Inuyasha's, Kagome followed dutifully.
"This is the On-Air Control Room" he explained, rapping on a door gently. "It's the main broadcasting facility. It's equipped with microphones, telephone lines, CD players, and the audio mixer."
He paused, waved to a passerby and gave them thumbs up before continuing.
"And over here is the Production Room where we record and edit anything new."
"Our behind the scenes, CTA area" he gestured to another door which was left partially ajar. Kagome caught a quick glimpse inside and witnessed a small group of people pacing back and forth with headsets on.
"The CTA connects to other radio stations in Japan, as well as to our listeners." Kagome wished that she'd brought a notepad and pencil along to take notes. Ryu talked nonstop and went into a considerable amount of detail.
"The main talk studio, where the host talks to the audience, is located a few staircases up and links to all Production rooms owned by Takahashi's." Kagome nodded. While Ryu did an excellent job as tour guide, the schoolgirl doubted she would ever grasp true understanding.
"Ryu! They need you downstairs!" a woman's voice beckoned. Ryu turned to Kagome and patted her on the shoulder.
"It was nice meeting you Kagome," he said sincerely. He drew his hands back and stuffed them into the pockets of his slacks. "Enjoy work, ne?"
"I will, thank you," Kagome assured waving as the man disappeared into a descending elevator.
"Hikaru! There you are!" the same shrill voice exclaimed. An instant later, a pudgy short female clad in a business suite waddled out from nowhere and snatched Kagome's hand. She dragged her to god knows where.
"Excuse me-" Kagome protested to no avail. The gregarious woman kept talking to this Hikaru woman, which she presumed was Kagome. When they had reached their destination, with a shove, Kagome was sent flying in, the door slammed shortly after.
"Took you long enough!" a blur of brown rushed forward and pulled Kagome into a tight hug.
"Sango!" Kagome gasped, trying to breath. Sango pulled back quickly and was grinning from ear to ear.
"Takahashi's Studios is SO awesome!" she cried, stretching her arms high into the air. Kagome giggled at witnessing her friend's euphoric reaction. Kagome looked around, studying her surroundings with keen interest. This room was much dimmer; the lights were adjustable and set to the mood of the performer. A huge stage stood in the center of the room, a majority of the lights overhead. Bordering the beautifully decorated stage was a bunch of expensive looking equipment as well as a central working space where it was all operated from.
"Look Kagome," Sango said waving a piece of paper. Kagome snatched the paper and regarded what was causing Sango's attitude to skyrocket. On it was a list of artists and bands that had been on-air that week including BoA, V-6, Dream, Do as Infinity, Hitomi, and Ayumi Hamasaki. (A/N: These are the actual singers on the Inuyasha soundtrack!)
"N-no way!" Kagome stuttered as her hand began to tremble.
"Yes way" Sango assured her, seizing the paper back in the process. She cuffed Kagome's hand and led her to the managing desk where the two would be fiddling with the equipment all day long. It was fairly easy, save for maybe the copious amount of buttons.
"Maybe we'll get to meet them!" Kagome voiced hungrily, eyes becoming starry. Sango shook her head, scoffing lightly.
"Nah," she replied checking the schedule once more. Since they were newbie, she had a strong feeling they wouldn't handle such serious business. However, knowing that your favorite singers had or would perform here, perhaps in this very room, was enough to make anyone thrilled, Sango included.
"We've got a local band called Wolf's Lair performing today" Sango noted. "And it looks as if they come every week Friday."
"Wolf's Lair?" Kagome echoed. "Hum, wonder if they're any good"
:-:-:
A tall boy stepped into the dim spotlight carrying in his sturdy right arm an electric guitar, which he eventually strung over his shoulder. He wore an auburn band on his forehead, pushing back his bangs to a more tolerable level, and had long straight black hair tied up handsomely.
As the lights intensified, bright cerulean blue eyes hurled a striking glare in Kagome's direction and the boy began to yell profanity.
"Fuck you dog turd—you better not forget to press record this time!"
Kagome's eyes widened as did Sango's and both stared at the jerk...err, wolf demon, in alarm. A few seconds later, two more demon boys appeared, one spinning a set of drumsticks rather impressively, the other dragging an extension cord along haphazardly.
"Damn lights" the first boy muttered, blinking profusely. When his eyes were finally well adjusted, he sort of gawked.
"He didn't mean that" the spiky haired demon with drumsticks proclaimed. Eyes as wide as saucers, he had stopped dead in his tracks. "Honest!"
"Y-yeah!" the second demon added, dropping his extension cord in sheer fright. He swooped down and retrieved it in a flash, eye never leaving Sango and Kagome. This boy had short silver hair save for a splotch of black in the front.
"Who are you three?" Kagome asked, feeling both uncomfortable and flustered at the same time.
"Uh, s-sorry about that" the first boy apologized, flushing lightly. "I, I'm Kouga and this is my band—Wolf's Lair"
That was all Sango needed before she broke out into a huge smile and nudged Kagome to do that same. It was all part of the doing the job.
"I'm Sango and this is Kagome" Sango introduced. She took a minute to examine his casual attire. Kouga, obviously the leader, wore a spotless white unbuttoned dress shirt which covered an orange t-shirt, and denim jeans which were sagged rather tastefully.
"Nice to meet you two" Kouga dipped his head a little and then looked in the direction of the other two wolf demons whom were currently struggling to untangle a cord.
"Hakkaku, Ginta" he spoke in a commanding voice. Both demons stopped what they were doing and looked up. Kagome stifled a giggle; they looked ridiculous all tied up in black extension cord. She approached the stage, Sango by her side.
"Not to be rude or anything" Kouga began. "But where is dog turr-I mean, did he get fired?" Kouga rephrased his question with hopeful earnest. With a prompt tug, he freed his two companions from the vine-like cable.
Sango looked puzzled for a moment but then answered. "We're substitutes for Inuyasha and Miroku…if that helps any."
"Oh good, maybe we can actually get something done" Hakkaku, the one with the extension cord, said. He bent down and began hooking his own guitar into an amplifier which had already been set up. Kouga laughed haughtily and did the same.
"What do you mean?" Kagome drew closer, pushing herself up on stage. Kouga noticed and was by her side in an instant, pulling her up and then assisting Sango. He returned to his guitar and began tuning it, testing several chords.
"We meet here every Friday" Ginta shifted to get more comfortable in the drumming seat. As he elucidated, he twirled a drumstick between his index and middle finger.
"Unfortunately, so does Inuyasha."
"Not saying he's a bad guy" Hakkaku put in, earning a snarl from Kouga. "It's just whenever you put those two together-" he nodded in Kouga's direction. "There's alotta damage."
Kagome gulped upon seeing Kouga's stormy eyes flash at the mention of Inuyasha. So they were rivals...that might explain why he hates coming to work, Kagome reasoned.
"What about Miroku?" Sango asked trying to sound apathetic.
"Oh he's not so bad," Hakkaku replied, fishing a pick out of his pocket. Sango gave a small sigh of relief and turned towards Kagome.
"Though he does have a tendency to grope women a lot," Sango winced at this.
:-:-:
Back at the managing desk, Kagome interlaced her fingers together and propped her elbows on the work table. Sango dropped down on an office chair and began spinning lazily. The boys were still prepping, connecting the wires, speakers, and microphones. Kagome had insisted that they go help but as Sango pointed out, both girls lacked experience and would only impede.
"You know," Kagome though aloud. "Inuyasha tried to tell me something during gym yesterday...but I can't seem to remember what-"
Sango grunted, toying with the 'M' key Kagome had given her. She thought about how it belonged to Miroku and blushed softly. Why did he have to be such a womanizer?
"-and he told me not to—not to—huh."
"Huh?" Sango asked, utterly lost. For the last minute, Kagome had been muttering about something.
"Alright ladies," Kouga's interrupted. His rough, yet sensuous voice cracked through the microphone. "Cue us"
Kagome and Sango each put on a set of mega headphones, and Kagome reached over to hit the record button. Just then, the doors swung open with a loud clunk and in stepped a tall and very pretty woman holding a clipboard. She was followed by an eager stream of photographers and cameramen.
"Whaa...?" Kouga trailed off as the cameras got closer and began zoning in on his face. The woman smiled pleasantly and move towards the desk, her heels clicked against the ceramic flooring. Both girls, equally as astonished as the three wolves, shook her hand on autopilot.
"Hi there, I'm Hikaru Okumura."
Kagome gasped as she realized that this was who the businesswoman had mistaken her for. Hikaru Okumura was slender and agile. Her hair was tied up into a neat bun and the style fit her oval frame perfectly.
"Sorry I'm late" she apologized, seating herself beside Sango. "Traffic was just awful!" She looked around and upon seeing the confused faces of the five members; she let of a loud but cheerful laugh.
"P-please excuse me!" the woman choked, covering her mouth with the palm of her hand. "But you all look so confused!" She laughed a bit more, getting weird looks from everyone including the photographers and cameramen.
"Allow me to explain" she begged, clearing her voice.
"I thought they already knew" a gruff voice cut in, it was an impatient photographer. He was skinny and mouse-like and smoked a cigarette in one hand, and held his camera in the other.
"I'm afraid not" Kagome said, her eyebrows weaving in perplexity. Kouga growled at a cameraman who was zooming in too close and nodded in agreement.
"Hikaru" the man scolded. "Surely-"
"These are replacements," she snapped gesturing to Kagome and Sango. "And the band wasn't notified because...because...just because!"
The man snorted and gripped his camera. "Fine, just explain it fast, I've got another shooting in about half an hour."
Hikaru turned looked from Sango and Kagome and then to the Wolf's Lair Band.
"The Takahashi company is proud to announce-" she was disrupted by a cameraman this time.
"Cut to the chase Hikaru," he hefted the heavy camera up and down. "We haven't got all day."
"Humph!" she tossed her head proudly into the air. "Okay then, you can explain it!" Instead of taking back his insult, the man simply shook his head firmly and took over.
"The band Wolf's Lair has been chosen as a finalist advancing for production by the Takahashi Record Company IF"
There was an unbearably long silence as the each member of the band held their breaths, Hakkaku and Ginta had their mouths parted in disbelief. Just as Kouga was about to throttle the man for holding his silence, he continued.
"Oh, did I say if?" the cameraman asked in a sarcastically goofy voice. "I meant after," This time, Kouga had to be restrained from ripping the man's head off. The cameraman was laughing hysterically at his success at pulling a joke.
"Ha! I mean after photographs have been taken and a video is sent for analyzing purposes."
"What do they need to analyze us for?" Kouga demanded, feeling a nauseas mix of anxiety, excitement and amazement. The cameraman looked at him in astonishment.
"Kid, this is serious business, they need to know if you've got the right look. The kind that will sell." he explained it like it was the obvious. Kouga snorted arrogantly and flashed Kagome a seductive smile. She blushed and turned her head to the side. The reaction caused Hakkaku and Ginta to start snickering and hooting in the background.
"Right then, let's get this show on the road!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Places, everyone!" Sango and Kagome clamped earphones over their ears and awaited instructions by Hikaru. She borrowed a set of earphones and signaled for Sango to start the countdown.
"Okay, in five, four" Sango held up three fingers and continued counting down silently. The record button was hit and the band struck up their hit song, "Maybe."
Girl in a little white dress
She catches my eye,
She wants to be impressed
Though I wouldn't want to disappoint you
Chasing rainbows and catching butterflies
That's just not my thing…
:-:-Drum roll-:-:
M-A-Y-BE you will come to see
See that I am all that you will ever need
Oh yeah, M-A-Y-BE
After only singing a couple lines, Hikaru abruptly stood up and yelled an ear piercing, "STOP!" making Kagome just about jump out of her skin. Any noise made by the audience during the recording process was transmitted and projected through the "director's headset" which was worn by no other than Hikaru. Sango recoiled and swiftly tossed her earphones aside.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sango rubbed her ears in agony.
"Do you want to make it to the semifinals?" Hikaru yelled, ignoring the cries of protest. Kouga, stumped by the question began to stutter mindlessly. "This just won't do! You've got to have some confidence!"
"Okay, take five" she sat back down and smiled encouragingly at Sango. Sango, wide eyed, hesitantly sat back down and put on her set of earphones. Kouga, sweating with trepidation, began to sing. His voice was very appealing, masculine yet not too low. The cameramen tried to capture the band from all different angles and the blinking red lights distracted the wolves—all three of them.
"CUT!" Hikaru reacted as if this were a film gone terribly wrong. "I think you know the problem here"
"Actually woman," Kouga snarled back crudely. "I don't"
Hikaru gave him the evil eye before snapping for Sango to begin the countdown. This went on for another hour or so before Hikaru finally allowed the angry photographers and cameramen to leave. Her clipboard was filled with all sorts of comments and she shared her optimism with the group before departing.
:-:-:
"That was incredible!" Kagome gushed as the band was packing up. Kouga grinned as he snapped the clasp on his guitar case close. Hakkaku slung his guitar over a shoulder and proceeded backstage, looking relieved.
"Good show, I'll be backstage...see ya later" the guitarist waved a hand to whoever was watching.
"Today was good" Kouga asserted, looking Kagome direction in the eye. "But...will I see you again?" Naturally, this made Kagome embarrassed and she exchanged eye contact with Sango. The brunette smiled faintly.
Ginta still sat behind the drums, drinking from a water bottle. His spiky hair had long begun to swoop and his forehead was glistened with sweat. It had been a very successful session.
"Yeah Kagome" he said, breaking the tension. "Will we ever see you again?" Kagome didn't feel so uneasy anymore and smiled brightly. She nodded in agreement and waved as both boys vanished behind heavy drapes of royal red.
"Wow Kagome!" Sango gushed, clapping her hands together. "I think the lead singer may have a crush on you!" Kagome blanched and rolled her eyes muttering that it really didn't mean anything.
For the next half hour, Kagome busied herself by pacing the room, careful not to trip on hidden wires. She left the recording up to Sango who had to deal with plenty of amateur singers including one who kept on forgetting her lines:
"I want to soar-" the girl sang out of tune. "Awwaaaaay-ay-ay-ay-yeah! Somewhere where the-the" Her voice got quieter each time she was unsure of herself.
"Help please" the tiny girl squeaked.
"Wind will-" Sango hinted, whispering into her communicator. The girl, while she was a bad singer, had a pretty good sense of style. In fact, it was this which kept Sango sane all afternoon long. This amateur singer wore a cute white miniskirt and brown cowboy boots. To top it off, she wore a nice bubble-gum pink halter top.
"Wind will come and-and" she dropped her microphone clumsily and plopped down to pick it up, her long blond braids covering up a freckled face.
"Sweep" Sango coughed, watching the clock in desperation. Next person meant next outfit.
"Sweep me, sweep me, sweep" It took a while but Sango realize that she was again having trouble with her lines. With a small moan, she whispered, "Get me AWAY from here."
"Awwwwaaaayyy!"
Kagome watched as Sango screwed her eyes tightly shut and press her hands against her forehead. They snapped open at the sound of the singer's voice.
"Thanks so much!" the blond girl cried, preparing to leave the stage. Sango's head bolted up as she plastered on another kind smile while waving goodbye.
"No problem, see you later Suki!"
"Kami, leave it to Inuyasha and Miroku to skip a Friday," muttered an angry worker. Sango gritted her teeth. Friday was mix-it-up day at Takahashi's, when a bunch of lucky fans were selected to participate in an on-air solo contest. The winner received a cash prize. Sango vowed to hurt both Miroku and Inuyasha if granted the opportunity since this had obviously been a setup.
"Sango come here!" Kagome called from somewhere in the darkness. Sango flipped the light switch on her control pad and found Kagome standing in front of a wooden door located in the back of the room. It was very mundane but appeared to have had a new lock installed.
"I bet our keys can open this door" Kagome suggested, swiping out Inuyasha's key from nowhere. Sango, who had already been holding her key, jammed it into the keyhole only to wedge it out afterwards.
"Mine doesn't work" she stepped back and grabbed Kagome's arm, holding the anxious girl back. "Just why are we opening this door?"
Kagome gulped and tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. To be honest, she was just curious but that usually didn't cut it for Sango. Before Kagome could speak, the sound of the telephone sent her restraint rushing to the main desk.
"Hello?" Sango cradled the phone to her ear.
Whatever the speaker on the other end had said, made Sango turn a brilliant pink. She apologized and hung up looking mortified. Without a word, Sango hurried out the door.
"Hey, wait! Sango! What's wrong?" Kagome asked, trotting after her friend. But it was too late; Sango had sped into an elevator and was gone. Kagome debated whether or not to go after her and eventually concluded that no, Sango looked more flabbergasted than she did sad. That was usually a sign that she wanted space. With a sneaky grin, Kagome snuck back to her initial position beside the wooden door and inserted Inuyasha's key into the lock. It opened with a click and out tumbled...
Wait, what was this?
Before she knew it, Kagome was bombarded with everything from hockey pucks to snow shoes. A hand held radio, old calendars, a lamp, a sword case, pieces of board, a doorknob, stuffed animals, old video games, blankets, pillows, a rubber ducky, a baseball bat, a flat tire followed by a tricycle, and it all kept flooding out!
A/N: Made some minor changes…for instances, the song!