Chapter Seven

Talisman Hunt

Happy Easter, guys. I can't believe it's already been three years since I have worked on this! I've decided that I should take up writing again. What writer can consider themselves a true writer if they don't keep writing? I've been really busy with School, but since it's my last day of spring break, I thought I'd do something worth my time.

I'm finally going to put the cast of Rurouni Kenshin in this one. Hope you enjoy my selection for them in this one. Like I said last time, everyone is off to find their talismans.

A man with long red hair and an x-shaped scar on his face stood in front of a crowd. His hair pulled back, his lavender eyes scanning his fellow band-mates to see their readiness. He took a step forward in the darkness of the unlit stage and waited for his band to do the same.

As lights flooded the stage, three women and three guys were illuminated in bluish green lights, spot lights filtering through the crowd as the first energizing chords were played.

"In you and I, there's a new land," Koaru sang sweetly, her scarlet bow nearly hiding her long ponytail from view. She held her note cutting off just in time for the next more subdued phase.

"Angels in flight," Megumi followed up in a much lighter and soothing tone. It almost sounded desperate. She smiled, her red lipstick shining slightly in the beautiful light.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa sang. The reversed phrase had been ingrained into her mind as her crowning musical accomplishment. She smiled as her long braid fell from her shoulder.

"My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah," Koaru sang again, playing the keyboard.

"Where fears and lies melt away, yeah," Megumi picked up, drumming as needed.

"Music in time," Koaru sang in much the same tone Megumi had used earlier.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa sang, playing her part on guitar.

"What's left of me? What's left of me, now?" Megumi finished for the girls.

Kenshin played his part on guitar as he moved closer to his microphone to sing in his lovely tenor voice, yet it was infused with Aoshi and Sanoske's deeper bass, singing in harmony. "I watch you fast asleep. All I fear means nothing."

"In you and I there's a new land" Koaru picked up again.

"Angels in flight," Megumi breathed into the mic.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa smiled.

"My Sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah," Koaru sang.

"Where fears and lies melt away," Megumi poured into the mic.

"Music in time," Koaru picked up.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa continued.

"What's left of me? What's left of me, now?" Megumi finished

Kenshin and Sanoske played the bass and guitar chords for this part.

"Snwod dna spu ynam os" Misoa started.

"My heart's a battle ground," Koaru sang.

"Snoitome eurt deen I. Wonk uoy naht noissap deen I. snoitome eurt deen I," Misoa sang at the right times, her talents for memorizing the backwards statements earning her approving smiles from the band.

Then the keyboard and guitars came back in for the powerful ending. Aoshi, Sanoske and Kenshin came in again, but this time, Kenshin sang Harmony. "You show me how to see that nothing is whole and nothing is broken."

"In you and I there's a new land" Megumi started.

"Angels in flight," Koaru picked up her slack

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa sang once more.

"My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah," Megumi desperately produced each note, her soul intertwining with music.

"Where fears and lies melt away" Koaru nearly cried into her mic.

"Music in time" Megumi backed out of the music slowly.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa produced.

"What's left of me? What's left of me, now?" Koaru finished nicely.

"My fears, my lies…" Megumi and Koaru sang in sweet harmony.

"Melt away" The boys echoed the harmony with their own.

"Wonk uoy naht noissap erom deen I," Misoa finished the song as Koaru played the last few chords on her keyboard.

The entire band was greeted with wild applause as the lights on them went out, but the spotlights continued to shine on the crowd. One face in particular stood out. It wasn't cheering, but instead brooding. Silver hair blew in the wind as Inuyasha waited for the band to exit the stage. He'd come for business, not the concert. Though he grudgingly admitted that the "Wondering Samurai" band was one of the best he'd heard in a long while. He pushed his way through the crowd, cursing the fact that it was an open air concert.

Kenshin smiled at his band members as they lined up before him. Kaoru seemed to always be wearing purple and red, and tonight was no exception. The familiar colors brought as smile to his lips as her blue eyes lit up.

"KENSHIN WE WERE AWESOME!" She cried jumping excitedly. Her black bondage pants fluttered around her legs as she landed, but they caught under her boots and she fell straight into him. They both fell and Koaru apologized as she helped Kenshin up. He laughed too, wrapping an arm around her.

"Kaoru's right. You guys should be proud of what you did tonight. We were awesome tonight, especially you Misoa."

The dark-haired girl blushed at the complement and Aoshi put an arm around her, proud of his little sister.

"Thanks Kenshin," she said pushing her long braid off of her shoulder, showing off her lavender band shirt that matched Kaoru and Megumi's shirts. Her dark blue skirt swished as she turned to hug her older brother. Aoshi just smiled and let go of her when she was done. His dark emo-cut with spikes in back would get messed up if he didn't stick more gel in it soon. He was wearing a dark tank and a white band jacket, just like Kenshin.

"You boys were really on it tonight," Megumi said in her deep voice. She was glad that recently she'd dyed her hair brown with blonde highlights and had it layered. It set her apart nicely, and it looked good. Her dark hip-huggers made her look taller than she really was, but she was still short standing next to Sanoske.

"Aw, thanks Megumi," Sano said, hugging her. She stiffened a little, but he didn't really care. Megumi was his favorite person in the world. His short, spiky hair was similar in color to hers, now that she'd dyed it. It made them look perfect for each other, especially since Sanoske's white "bad" jacket stood out against her. He let her go and stuffed his taped hands into his jean pockets, waiting for Kenshin to say something else.

Kenshin mirrored Sanoske's move and waited for Aoshi to pay attention. When he saw that everyone was looking at him, he continued.

"I'm proud of you guys. Go celebrate. Since our concert is over, I have a bit of business to attend to."

The band nodded and Kaoru planted a kiss on his cheek before she left with the others for the tour bus. As Kenshin watched her, he heard Inuyasha's voice calling from behind him.

"Let's get to it Himura. You told me you have the sword, so let's see it."

"Impatient as always, Inuyasha. I suppose you're going to tell me that you didn't even like our concert."

He received a grunt from Inuyasha and shrugged. "Oh well, I guess it's fate, that it is."

"I don't have a lot of time Kenshin. So sue me for getting antsy. Where's Tetsaiga?"

He earned a smirk from Kenshin who told him to follow. Inuyasha was led to the backstage area, and inside of a guitar case was a beautifully restored sword. The Tetsaiga was truly beautiful, though ancient.

"Here it is. My one of a kind. The Higurashis found it while they were inspecting they're seals on the well. They said the aura of demons had disappeared, but they found this sword. I was just coming to pray when an old priest was going to go bless it. He gave it to me, and I restored it."

Inuyasha didn't particularly care about how Kenshin had come across it, but hearing that story proved this was the sword he was looking for. "So Himura, how much do you want for it?"

"Well, I'm fond of it, but I didn't have to pay for it, so just take it. I'll think of a price later. Just be careful with it okay?"

"Thanks Himura. You're a pal."

"Kagome, hurry up already!" Sango called from her car. She didn't really have a lot of time before Miroku was supposed to be at the airport, and she wanted to see him off. Waiting for Kagome to find the right arrow-head was taking longer than she thought. Just when she was about to head off, Kagome came running.

"I found it Sango! Wait up!" the poor girl cried as she ran for her life to get back to the car.

"About time! What took you Kagome?"

"It's not like you can walk up to a guy and ask for a talisman you know." Kagome slid into the car and put on her seat belt as Sango sped off toward the airport, the Phoenix feather tucked safely in her bra.

"You know Sango, you look really good in red," Kagome said in an off-handish sort of way.

Sango smiled and thanked her friend. She'd picked her outfit extra carefully today. Why? For some reason, she just wanted to stand out. She was pretty sure that she'd accomplished that today. Her hair was a bit wavy and it hung just the right way around her. Red feather earrings stood out nicely against her skin as well. What really made her stand out though, was the red dress she was wearing over dark hip-huggers. It was a foreign silk design: Chinese if one had to guess. It had no sleeves, but her arms were a great asset. The red sandals she had chosen matched everything she was wearing. Truly, she was a sight to behold.

Gently, Kagome's fingers ran over the sacred arrow-head she'd rescued from the display in the museum. Of course, she'd paid for it, but that didn't change the fact that she held history in her hands. Kagome wasn't as dressed up as Sango, but still, she didn't look bad. Her hair was down like Sango's but Kagome wore gold hoop earrings and a black halter with white hip-huggers and cork wedge sandals.

"I wonder how Miroku will do when he gets to Meteora. I honestly can't see that guy as a monk. Maybe someone should go with him?" Kagome suggested.

"It's a little late for that, but it might not be a bad idea. He gets….side-tracked easily. But that's okay. He's going to a monastery. Things will turn out okay."

About ten minutes later they were at the airport, thanks to numerous short-cuts and speeding on Sango's part. The two girls found Miroku sitting calmly in bar/grill area drinking a soda with about five minutes before he had to board his flight. He smiled when he saw his two stunning friends and stood up to give them a big hug.

"Hey, I was beginning to think you didn't care. Did you find it Kagome?" Miroku asked with his arms still around Sango. Even though she was blushing, she didn't pull away.

"Yep," Kagome said, holding up the arrow head as proof. She smirked at them and made a mental note to tease them about this. Until, of course, she was picked up from behind by a sneaky Inuyasha and swung around.

"Hey Miroku. Sorry I'm a bit late. I was so tired when I got back I slept till noon. Good luck man," he said bumping Miroku's free hand with his, as Kagome fumed. Receiving a punch in the arm from her, he couldn't help but feel abnormally happy to see her. Tetsaiga was on his waist and he was happy that he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

"Yup, just waiting for my flight to get ready. Anybody want to come with me? You can probably still get a ticket," he pitched hopefully. Maybe, if dreams came true, Sango would go with him. But he doubted it.

"Aww, sorry Miroku, but you know we can't do that. Nobody's packed, and nobody else can speak that language. Besides, you'd only get distracted," Inuyasha answered.

"I'd go," Koga said patting Miroku on the shoulder from behind him, "But I have to find a silver bullet."

"Thanks anyways. Good luck with that."

"Now boarding, flight 135," The announcement rang.

'That's me. I guess I'll see you guys in a few days. I promise I'll call when I can." With that, Miroku's lips met Sango's. They were both surprised because he'd only meant to turn and smile, and she'd only meant to kiss his cheek. Before he knew it though, he had closed his eyes and she had wrapped her arms around his neck.

Kagome, Inuyasha, and Koga all stared in utter amazement as the two childhood friends kissed right in front of them.Kagome's mouth actually fell open before she thought it was the sweetest thing she'd ever seen. Inuyasha was just surprised.

"Why can't that ever happen to me?" Koga said aloud, effectively snapping the other two out of it. Sango blushed and Miroku cleared his throat. Miroku said a final good bye and then boarded his flight, on his way to find the walking stick.

"Hey Inuyasha, can you give Kagome a lift home? I have to do something…private."

"Sure, let's go Kagome." He picked Kagome up and carried her on his back as she waved good bye to Sango.

"Later Sango, bye Koga!" She called.

Koga smiled and waved, then said good bye to Sango, heading off to an antique ammunition shop. Sango waved at them all and waited till the coast was clear before dancing in excitement. She was happy, and suddenly very glad she looked so good in red.

"Hey Inu, can I come over to your house for a while? I don't feel like going home just yet."

"Sure Kagome. Just don't eat everything this time," He smiled at her. She looked really great today. Not that she didn't everyday, but today especially.

"Oh you're one to talk Inuyasha. Who's the one who cleaned me out last time he was over at my house?"

"Yeah, Yeah."

He parked in the lot just outside his building and waited for Kagome before locking his car. Dread filled him as his eyes locked with familiar golden eyes and silver hair. Kikyo and Sesshomaru sat waiting for Inuyasha. Kagome smiled and waved at Kikyo, but she was still a bit wary of Sesshomaru's presence. Why was he here?

"Hello little brother. Kagome, it's nice to see you again. You're looking well."

"You too Sesshomaru," she said quickly, but still politely. She hugged Kikyo, to get away from his conversation. "I didn't think you'd be back yet Kikyo! How'd it go in Kyoto?"

Kikyo smiled, grateful that the icy conversation of Sesshomaru was being interrupted by a friend. "It was a lot of fun. Sorry you couldn't make it. You would have loved it." And for a moment, she felt affection for Kagome again. How easy it would be to pick up where they had left off. Friends again…

"What do you want Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha already sounded irritated.

"What no hug? Really Inuyasha, it's been far too long."

And that's all for today folks. I hope you enjoyed it. Was it worth the wait? Probably not, but tell me about it anyways. Try not to flame me for being so bad at updating and such. I like life just a tad more than writing. hugs Love you all, and hope you come back to read again.

Sapphire