Author's Note: As promised, I uploaded 2 chapters at once! Please tell me what you guys think of them. I love where things are going with the plot and am glad to read all the reviews and see how much you are enjoying the story as I am writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha


"Wow! Did you see the island, Kagome? And all the hotels on the beach?"

Kagome walked off the plane with Shiori, smiling as the two made their way up the gangway. Her excitement was contagious and Kagome found herself waking up from her long sleep on the plane ride, ready to experience Hawai'i again. This time, O'ahu was an island new to her, and she found herself forgetting all about what she had left behind the night before to start anew.

"Yes! I've only seen the island from the plane before so I'm excited to get to explore."

Shiori nodded her agreement as the two followed the other passengers up the gangway. "Me too. I've never been here. I'm so excited to go to the beach!"

Kagome giggled as they made their way out of the gangway, and the sound of chatter and the overhead speakers blared throughout the terminal. It was busy with international travelers finding their gates, sitting down waiting for their flight, or coming out of their planes. Kagome turned and noticed some of the group were already out and waving them down to join them.

"Hey. How was your flight, you two?" Mai asked as the two came to stand next to the other four. Mai was a short woman with long black hair and a childlike face, but she had a spunk to her that came out of nowhere, which Kagome admired about her.

"It was fine. Kagome and I slept like babies," Shiori said, turning around to see Sango and Miroku get off. Inuyasha and Kikyo appeared next out of the doorway with Naraku following with Shippo.

"Good morning, everyone," Miroku said with a yawn. Sango rubbed his back as she regarded Kagome.

"Did you guys have a good flight?"

Kagome looked to see Inuyasha join them, their eyes meeting one another. "Yeah. Shiori and I slept the whole way. I was watching a movie and then it began to watch me," she said, giggling. Sango laughed with a nod, understanding. Inuyasha's ears flicked and he tore his gaze from Kagome's, looking around to see who was here.

"We're missing Itsuki and Aiko," Inuyasha said, making the others look around for the two.

"There they are," Emi said, pointing out towards the walkway of the gangway to see the two waving at them.

Naraku nodded his head and placed the strap of his briefcase over his shoulder. "Let's go." He looked at his watch as Kikyo followed behind him along with the rest of the group. "It's 8:13am. We have to be at KITV by nine o'clock," he said, looking behind him at Kikyo.

"We should leave our bags for the others to grab," Kikyo said, turning to Inuyasha. "Can you guys grab our bags?"

Inuyasha nodded, along with Sango and Miroku. "We got it," Sango said for him. "You guys go on so that you won't be late to your interview."

Kikyo nodded with thanks. "I have three news station interviews today- KITV, KHON and KGMB news. Only one will be live and two will air on tomorrow's news segment. But I have to get them done today so that tomorrow we can focus on practicing all day." Naraku grabbed Kikyo's wrist, drawing her attention.

"We should go," he said sternly, grabbing out his phone to make a quick call to their driver who should be waiting for them at curbside. "Our ride should be here. We'll see you guys at the Neil Blaisdell when we're finished with the interviews," he said, looking at Inuyasha and Miroku to see them nod. With a wave, the two of them left the group, walking quickly through the crowd to get down to the baggage claim area and outside to meet their driver. Naraku was seen putting his phone to his ear as they disappeared from their sight.

Kagome looked at all the people in the terminal. It was early and many of the flights had apparently landed or were flying out since there were so many international people here. They walked past a duty-free store where she noticed many Asians in there buying some perfume and food. Kagome smiled and continued to follow the others at a leisure pace. They weren't in any rush to get to the baggage claim area since it would take their bags a while to get onto the carousel and they had to wait for all fourteen of their bags to come in. They all traveled with one checked bag. Kagome was told from Sango that normally they would only bring enough clothes for six or seven days and Kikyo's costume crew would take all their clothes and wash them every other day. At the same time, their costumes would get washed and dry cleaned after the concerts, so their clothes would get cleaned too. She appreciated not having to worry about too many outfits for a whole two weeks.

"Hey, Kagome," Sango said, coming to walk next to Kagome while Miroku moved beside Inuyasha to talk with him. "You okay?"

Kagome smiled reassuringly and nodded. "I'm fine, Sango. Really. I want to forget about what happened back at home and just focus on the here and now. I want to have fun." Sango smiled back, understanding Kagome's thoughts and desires and decided to drop the subject about her and Inuyasha while they were here in Hawai'i.

"Okay. I agree." They followed the others as they all followed the signs towards baggage claim. As they made their way through sliding doors and through crowds, they got to their carousel just as it began to beep loudly, signaling the arrival of the bags. They all went around to the edges of the carousel to wait for their bags.

Once they all got their bags, along with Kikyo's and Naraku's, they all went outside to the curb to wait for their ride. Inuyasha fished out his cell phone and made a call, placing the speaker part of the phone in front of him since he could hear just fine what the other person was saying in the receiver without having to put his call on speaker

"We're waiting." There was a pause and then his head turned, looking down the line of cars and people waiting to be picked up. He spotted two black Cadillac Escalades with the drivers out in black shirts and pants waiting with their hands clasped behind them, professional and dangerous looking, one with his phone to his ear. "Got it." He ended the call and began to roll his and Kikyo's suitcase in each hand. "They're down here."

Everyone followed him towards the Escalades. Kagome noticed that there were two big men, possibly Americans, who greeted them and took their bags. She stood back and watched with fascination at how the big men worked, grabbing everyone's luggage and placing them in the trunk of either car.

"Everyone get in," Miroku announced, climbing into the front passenger seat of the second car. "Inuyasha you take the first. See you at the Blaisdell." Inuyasha nodded and walked toward the front car.

Kagome watched him walk away and frowned, wondering who's car to ride in. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Sango smiling at her knowingly.

"Go with him. You guys are going to have to talk to each other eventually, more than just 'yes' and 'no'," she said with a raised eyebrow. Kagome sighed, nodding her agreement. She didn't want to fight with Inuyasha anymore, or whatever it was that they were doing. She just wanted to have a good time and have a good time with him.

She made her way to the front car, following Shippo and Shiori, while Kokoro and Itsuki followed behind her. There were the six of them in the front car while Sango, Miroku, Aiko, Emi, Kimiko and Mai were in the second car. Kagome got in first, noticing how there was a row with two seats separated to allow people to sit in the back three seats. She moved to sit on the chair opposite from where she got in and watched as Shiori, Kokoro and Itsuki sat in the back. Shippo sat opposite of her, smiling at her as he closed the door.

"Nice, huh?" he asked, his green eyes twinkling. "I love it when we go on tour or do concerts. We always ride like pimps."

Kagome burst out laughing, thinking about Midnite and how wrong the comparison was in their situation. "Geez… well, it's definitely a beautiful car." She had never been in a Cadillac Escalade but had always seen many with the dark, tinted windows where you knew someone important and rich was inside. Now, she was inside one of them looking out. How surreal was this? There was an LCD monitor that hung from the ceiling in front of her, between the front and passenger seats. The back of the front seats had speakers on the back of the headrest and she looked ahead at the dashboard where it was upgraded with a big touchscreen, right now showing a map of the road with the car in the center. Kagome looked behind her as the three looked around them with wide, approving eyes, checking out their upgraded ride.

"Cool. We have monitors behind your seat, Kagome," Shiori said, looking to Shippo's seat to see the same. "And yours too, Shippo. We can watch movies back here." Shippo turned to smile at them as they all took in their surroundings. The entire vehicle was dressed in brown leather and there were cupholders for Kagome and Shippo's seat, and the back seats had two cupholders on either side of the vehicle.

The front door opened and the driver jumped in, making Kagome turn around to put her seatbelt on. She watched as Inuyasha did the same and nodded towards the driver.

"Thanks, Mike." The driver turned to him and nodded with a smile.

"Of course, sir. Off to Blaisdell?"

Inuyasha nodded his head and Mike put the car into gear, signaling before he pulled out into the traffic of cars. Kagome took a breath and sighed, turning to look out at the window as she heard the music come on. Inuyasha turned it to a pop station and the sound of Justin Bieber's voice floated in the car. The car's sound system was amazing and she began to fall in love even more with this vehicle and thought about the fact that she had such an awesome job to be here.

The traffic out of the Honolulu International Airport wasn't as bad and once they got onto the freeway, they were able to see the sights of the island. Kagome looked on her side to see houses covering the slopes of the mountains. It was different from what she thought it would be, at least from what she remembered on Maui. Maybe Maui and O'ahu were different in population and in landscape. But it was still beautiful here. They drove on the freeway for only five minutes before they got off and headed down through the city area.

"Where are we?" Itsuki asked, turning to see all sorts of shops on his right. He looked out ahead and noticed a huge cruise ship nearby meaning they were coming up to a harbor soon.

"We're in Honolulu," Mike informed, his head turning to view the GPS on the monitor screen. "The Neil Blaisdell arena is about five minutes away."

"Oh, it's not far from the airport," Itsuki said. He looked at Mike in the rearview mirror, only able to see the man's sunglasses. "Are you dropping off our bags at the hotel?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, his face ahead, looking at the traffic. "Our bags are coming with us in case anyone needs something from their luggage. I want everyone to get what they need and put it in your duffel bags before the cars take our luggage to the hotel. We have a full day of work before we go to check in to our hotel."

Kagome reached into her purse to pull out her glasses, seeing that Inuyasha had his on as well. She placed them on her face and felt much more relaxed. She sighed and just remained quiet as the others talked about the sights they took in and how excited they were to go to the beach and do some shopping. She was also excited to do some shopping. On the plane, she had read how Waikīkī was a hub for shopping and famous for the Waikīkī Beach where some famous surfer had his statue erected. She wanted to see it all as much as she could before they left and moved on to another island.

The car drove through a streetlight and Mike announced that the Blaisdell was on their right. Everyone looked to the right side of the car to see the outside of the arena next to a huge building. There was a small billboard with letters that could be switched out to change the announcements. There taking up two rows, one for Saturday and one for Sunday, was 'Japan Pop star Kikyo Hayashi' and the times for each concert. Kagome smiled, feeling like things were getting real for her, fast. Mike pulled into the huge parking lot and drove straight to the front doors of the circle arena, bypassing the huge building next door. He parked in the drop-off zone and everyone began to get out of the car.

Kagome stepped out and placed her purse over her shoulder as Mike came around to move to the trunk, getting their things out for them.

"We'll put the luggage on the curb and wait until you guys are done with them. Then, Brady and I will take them to the hotel," Mike informed Inuyasha. He nodded and helped Mike with the luggage. Kagome moved to help but decided against it, not wanting to get in the mens' way.

The others got out of the second car and Kagome moved over to chat with Sango. "You excited?" Sango asked as she came over. Kagome nodded, her face showing it. "I know. Me too. Miroku was talking about all the shops he wanted to go to before we leave. He really likes shopping, but it's mostly window shopping. He rarely buys things unless he's in love with them."

Miroku shrugged as he came up beside Sango. "I like to see what's out there and if it fits my style. If not, I just move on and find something that does."

"I like your style, Miroku," Kagome said with a smile. The three of them and everyone else waited on the sidewalk, looking around at the building and making small talk. The city was busy with the sound of cars driving by, buses with their exhausts and horns honking every so often. The buildings were tall, so many of them in such small area, but it was a city. And the Blaisdell did have some open green areas which Kagome could only assume was an outdoor area for concerts and events.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a good flight." A man came up to their group dressed in a dark blue shirt that had the work "stage crew" in white capital letters on the front and back. He had dark, short hair with glasses and he wore jeans pants with black sneakers. Clipped to the front pocket of his jeans was his name tag with his picture on it, noticing it was similar to hers.

"Hintaro," Miroku said, moving towards him. "Is this the building we're performing in?" he asked, turning his head up to view the entire circular arena.

"Hintaro is the stage manager," Sango said softly, enough for Kagome to hear. She made an 'o' with her mouth, grateful for the explanation of who he was, besides being a stage crew. She had seen him around in their practices back at the warehouse but was never introduced to him. The crew members mostly talked with Kikyo, Naraku, Inuyasha and Miroku.

"Yes," Hintaro said, smiling at Miroku. "Everyone is inside. The stage was setup in the layout we wanted when we arrived several weeks ago and we've been making adjustments and setting up our things ever since. Whenever you guys are ready, you can begin practicing."

Inuyasha came up to stand next to Hintaro to turn around and call everyone's attention. "You should all be wearing your badges whenever we come here," he said, reaching into his pant pocket to pull out his name tag badge and clip it to the sleeve of his t-shirt. "This is your ticket, so wear it at all times. Also, you should've all gotten a pair of earbuds, for when we're dancing or backstage. Do not forget them or you will go deaf." Kagome fiddled around in her purse until she found her name tag and the package of earbuds that came with the itinerary Naraku had passed out. She took out her name tag and clipped it to the bottom of her shirt. "Get your bags. If you need to get anything out of your luggage, do it now and pack it in your duffle bags. If you have to change, you can do it when we get inside the arena. Once you're done with your bags, bring them back to your respective car so that Mike and Brady can take them to our hotel. Once you guys are done and have everything you need, head inside to change or we'll all meet on the stage."

"It's pretty easy to find," Hintaro said, turning to motion with his hands where to go. "When you get through the doors, you'll enter a hallway that wraps around the entire building," he said, motioning at the double doors that were open behind him. They could see inside where there were bright lights and people walking around with chairs setup. "We can do a building walkthrough when Kikyo gets here so I can show you guys where your dressing rooms are, the showers and the cafeteria. I have your food preferences," he said, waving the clipboard he held in his hands in the air in front of him. "So the cafeteria knows what to make for each of you. They'll leave your lunch on a cart backstage and during the concert, they'll have some food for you too just in case you get hungry. I know you have your itineraries, but you all know how sometimes things don't work out the way we plan so we always plan for a backup, especially when it comes to food."

Hintaro turned to the building. "Just go through the doors and when you reach the hallway, go left. You'll notice the public bathrooms. You can use those for now if you need to change or freshen up. When you're ready, just head straight through into the arena and it won't be hard to find the stage," he said with a smile when he turned back towards them. "I'll leave you guys to it. I'll be on stage if you guys need me."

Inuyasha nodded his head and turned to the group as Hintaro went back inside the arena. "Let's get what we need from our bags, change, and then get to practicing tomorrow night's lineup." The others nodded their agreements and began to move to their suitcases.

Kagome grabbed her duffle bag and shoved a workout outfit in, deciding on her white and blue basketball pants with a black spaghetti strap. She wanted to look a little cute since after this they would be heading to their hotel. She packed her shoes and purse in her duffle bag with some other feminine products and when she was finished, she placed her suitcase near the back of her car when she was done. She followed behind Sango and Miroku into the arena, looking up in awe at the structure of the building. It looked like a mushroom or a spacecraft the way it extended out at the top, which was where she could only assume was the theater style seats that went up a few floors from what she remembered in the pictures. They made their way into the arena and turned left into the long hallway with dull yellow painted walls. It reminded her of a school gym, very pale and dull, obviously not being the star of this building. Miroku separated from the girls as Sango and Kagome made their way into the women's bathroom, the others trickling in behind them.

"Wow, this place reminds me of a school gym," Sango commented, making Kagome smile.

"Exactly what I was thinking." The two women each went into a bathroom stall to change and not have their bags and clothes all over the bathroom floor.

"So who are those two men? The ones driving," Kagome clarified, wanting to know if they were a part of Kikyo's crew or just hired drives for the island.

"Mike, Brady and Ben are part of our security team. Those three are from America and they all moved to Japan. We have a handful of security, mostly for Kikyo during concerts. Even though the fans love us, we don't get hounded on like the actual singer does, so she needs as much security as she can get. But yeah, those three are part of a bunch of men who takes care of us during concerts and tours."

"Ben?" Kagome asked, wondering why Sango had mentioned three.

"Ben is usually Kikyo's driver. He was the one who picked up Naraku and Kikyo earlier."

"I see." Kagome nodded her understanding as they finished and walked into the arena while the others continued to get ready in the bathroom. The feel of cool air touching her skin felt welcoming and she immediately smiled once she took in her surroundings. They walked through another set of double doors and she noticed how this entrance opened up to the side of the main stage. To the right of her were the bleachers that were pulled out from the walls that separated the first floor from the second floor above. She never noticed any stairwells to get up to the second floor now that she looked ahead to try and find a way from where she was up to the second floor and higher. As they walked further in, she turned around to see the second floor with its separated section of chairs right against the balcony railings. Then, behind that section was where the stairwells opened from below and above that was the rest of the stadium chairs that went all the way up to the top. Kagome turned back around to see a lot of people walking around, hustling to get things done. It was noisy with lots of crew trying to talk to each other and with equipment still moving around.

The two of them went towards the stage, noting how the main stage went out to a runway that connected to the smaller stage. The stages were about four feet off the ground, enough to keep the fans from easily getting onto the stage, but still allowing them to reach up and hopefully get their hands touched by the celebrities. There were metal-bar fences around the stage that was sectioned off for the standing VIP fans. But there was also enough walk space between the fences and the stage for the security to be stationed apart from each other around the entire perimeter of the stage for added protection.

"Wow… this is really cool," Kagome said, taking everything in as the two walked up the stairs on the side of stage. She followed Sango's lead, not sure of what to do, feeling so small in a huge arena like this. Never in her life did she feel like she would be here, on this stage, in an arena of this size, performing for people.

Sango smiled as she winked at Kagome. "Don't get starstruck now. This is our job. You'll get used to it. But then again, sometimes it still takes my breath away." She walked over to where Inuyasha was talking to someone in the sound crew and Miroku was talking to someone in security. Thankfully, much to Kagome's liking, all the crew members wore t-shirts that showed what their role was while walking around the place, so she didn't have to guess what they did.

Kagome went to the middle of the stage and noticed the huge LCD screen that was at the back of the main stage. It didn't take up the entire backdrop, but it was a huge screen nonetheless. She looked out at the arena, her eyes going down the runway to the end of the stage, looking up and out ahead for the camera that would be broadcasting on that huge screen, but she couldn't find it. She began imaging what it would look like to have this room filled with fans all cheering for Kikyo. This was it. Her dream to be a professional dancer, to make something of herself, was really going to happen. 'Tomorrow'. Kagome felt butterflies in her stomach. She was scared and excited both at the same time. Who knew something like this would happen to her? 'And then what? What happens once I put my face out there?' There was always that thought that she tried to bury away. That 'what if?'. She really couldn't let her past or her fears hold her back if she really wanted to have a life and be free. She had to take a risk and chance it. No matter what the cost was.

"Hey, Kagome," Shippo said, coming to stand next to her. He had his hands on his hips, his black tank top and baggy grey pants complimenting his figure, while his short, red hair was up in a ponytail, making him look young and available. She smiled at him as he winked at her. "Time to pop your cherry tomorrow."

She gasped and whacked his chest with the back of her hand. "Shippo!" He burst out laughing, grabbing at his chest and rubbing it, pretending she hurt him bad. She laughed with him, loving his excitement and childish behavior.

Slowly everyone began to walk in through the double doors and made their way to the stage. Once everyone got there, Inuyasha called for everyone's attention and told them they would practice the first night's lineup. They would do it all, from the beginning when the lights come on to every transition and outfit change to the end when the lights go off. He wanted to make sure everything went without a hitch and that their timings were right. When Kikyo was done with her interviews and showed up here, they would do it all over again with her and her outfit changes to make sure they had enough time for everyone to change. It wasn't a lot of costume changes, four for Kikyo and three for the group, but it was enough for Inuyasha to have to make some routines in between with instrumental songs while Kikyo got ready. Then, he explained how Naraku would end the day by going over the itineraries before they leave to check in at the hotel.

"Let's start."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

"What. A. Day." Miroku exhaled heavily as Brady drove through the traffic of Waikīkī. Their hotel wasn't too far from the Blaisdell Center and it wasn't in the heart of Waikīkī but very close to it, about a five minute walk to the heart of the city. "I just want to unpack, take a shower, and relax in the room."

Sango smiled and looked at the side of Miroku's face as he sat in the passenger seat in front of her. "Awww, honey. I can give you a back rub." Miroku groaned and turned to look at her, a huge smile on his face.

"I'll take that. And more."

Sango snickered and shook her head. "Hentai." He chuckled and looked ahead.

The city was busy with tourists, obviously being a prime destination in the world where they never had an 'off season' of tourists. There were a lot of international visitors walking around too. Miroku looked around as they remained bumper to bumper in traffic.

"Dang. This traffic is way worse than back at home."

Sango nodded her agreement, looking around. "Not everyone walks, I assume. Maybe just down here because this is the city hub. But there's so many buses that I'm assuming they don't have the luxury of an underground rail system like back home does."

"Hmmm… guess not."

The car pulled past a statue of three Hawaiian hula dancers with the sign for the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

"Here we are," Brady said, driving into the driveway that led up to the hotel's front desk area.

Everyone looked around at the beautiful lawn of the hotel before they went up the driveway towards the front desk. It was a long, beautiful oneway driveway full of trees, passing by shops on the property which probably is where the 'village' in the name comes from. Their car pulled up behind the first car that Inuyasha and the others were in, and parked. Kikyo and Naraku drove in their BMW with Ben behind the Escalades. Miroku got out and opened the door for Sango and the others. She thanked him and looked around at the open main lobby ahead.

Kagome got out behind Inuyasha and looked at him, catching his eye and quickly smiling at him before she went to grab her duffle bag and walked ahead towards the main lobby. She wanted to take in the sights of the place, her excitement unable to be contained now that she was here.

"We're gonna check us in," Inuyasha said to Miroku and Sango as they came up to him. He followed behind Kagome but then walked towards the check in line with Kikyo and Naraku coming up to stand next to him. Kagome went to look around the main lobby without going too far. She found one hallway that went down with shops at one end and an open seating area on the other. She could only assume that she might get lost if she started exploring on her own so she decided to wait with the others.

Kagome made her way back towards the rest of the group, noticing that the cars were now gone. She stood next to Shippo and smiled up at him. "I'm excited to get my room."

Shippo nodded with a huge smile. "Me too. I can't wait to see what kind of amenities we have," he said, rubbing his hands together, shifting his bag behind him.

They all began to chat around the lobby, finding some chairs to sit in and share while the three waited in line to check everyone in. Finally, Inuyasha, Naraku and Kikyo returned and had a bunch of keycards in their hands.

"Again, everyone has their own room, except for Miroku and Sango who's sharing a room," Naraku said as he looked to the two to see them nod their heads. "You all have your itineraries. We went over them after practice but I just want to remind everyone to meet here in the lobby at eight tomorrow morning. We're going to have breakfast in one of the restaurants in the hotel or village or whatever this place has for food. And then, we'll come back to the lobby where the cars will pick us up at nine."

Everyone nodded their understanding as Inuyasha and Kikyo began to pass out everyone's keycards. When Kagome got hers, she looked at the number written on the sleeve of the card. 1931. She was so high up that she wondered how many floors this building had.

"We're all in the Rainbow Tower with ocean views and a kingsize bed. I think the Rainbow Towers have bigger rooms, more like suites," Naraku said with a shrug. Whatever that meant, Kagome would take it. She wanted a big room with space that didn't seem so confined, and she wanted to be alone.

"Just make sure you guys get your rest," Kikyo reminded them. "Again, I'm not going to chaperone you all. I'm not your mother. But I am your boss and I don't want you guys to be reckless and show up tomorrow with a hangover."

Miroku smiled with a shake of his head. "We would never do that, Kikyo." She turned to glare at him, arching her eyebrow, as if there was a time when someone had done it and she was bringing it up to remind them. Kagome remained silent with a smile, looking to see Inuyasha gazing at her. She quickly averted her eyes, then sighed. 'We're going to have to talk about this eventually.'

The group all walked towards the elevators and waited for the doors to open. "Your bags should be in your rooms already since you all had name tags on your suitcases," Naraku informed just as the elevators dinged and one door opened.

Naraku and Kikyo moved ahead while some of the others followed behind. Kagome planted her feet, wanting to be the last to head up so that there wasn't so many people inside one elevator. The elevator could fit about eight of them without any bags, but she just wanted to wait. And much to her disappointment, so did Inuyasha. Thankfully, so did Miroku and Sango, and Kokoro and Emi. At least she wouldn't be stuck in an elevator with just Inuyasha.

The others waved goodbye as the door closed and Sango went to press the button again, waiting for the next one. "I really just want a bath and to relax on our comfy bed." Miroku nodded and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck tenderly.

"I still want my massage," he reminded her, making Sango playfully whack him, just as another elevator dinged and the door behind them opened. The two moved inside, followed by Kokoro and Emi.

"Keep it up and you won't get one." Miroku pouted but followed her, standing behind her to see Inuyasha and Kagome still standing outside.

"Hey! You guys coming?"

Inuyasha shook his head, making Kagome turn to look at him, wondering what he was doing and if it was a sign to follow his lead. He stood behind her so he obviously was watching to see if she would go into the elevator. She sighed and walked forward, but before she could take another step, Inuyasha reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her movements. She turned to glare at him, but his eyes were ahead at Miroku.

"You guys go on. We'll get the next one." Miroku shrugged, shaking his head, and pressed the button to close the doors, giving Inuyasha a 'look'. The elevator doors shut and Inuyasha released her arm, going to press the button a third time.

"What's your problem, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you wanted to talk, we could've done it earlier today. Or even before we got here."

"I was too pissed at you to talk to you then," he said, not looking at her. Thankfully, there was an elevator that opened to his right and he made a move for it. "But now, we have to talk."

Kagome sighed, still standing in her spot. She could just ignore him and let him take the elevator himself. His head popped out of the elevator and she saw the look in his eyes.

"Get in here, Kagome." She frowned, uncrossing her arms and giving up, not wanting to make a scene. She really didn't want to talk, she was all about getting to her room to relax, but now she would be all wound up from whatever was about to happen. But still, she hoped that they could brush off whatever happened between them and go back to the way things were. She stepped into the elevator and the doors closed.

"What do you want to talk about?" She looked around at the elevator that had a few pictures encased in glass, advertising their village walk with photos of the property and the sunsets at the beach. She moved to lean against one side of the elevator while he remained near the floor buttons, turning to face her with his arms crossed.

"You and I. I don't like this tension between us."

Kagome sighed. What was she supposed to say? Sorry? She wasn't going to apologize for not feeling comfortable enough to tell him about her past and the thoughts in her head. She wouldn't apologize for any of it. 'Maybe I was being too harsh on him?'

"Are we okay?" he asked, his golden eyes searching hers for an answer. He remained still and she could tell that he was waiting for her to say something.

"What do you want me to say?"

His ears flicked and he closed his eyes with a smirk. "Nothing, actually. I got the point that night." She flinched, hearing the tone in his voice. He was talking about the night that went so wrong so fast. She wished it hadn't gone that way. They were getting to know each other and suddenly she closed him off and he sensed it.

"Are you mad because I didn't say what you wanted me to say? Or because I wouldn't let you take me home?"

Inuyasha chuckled. "If you don't know then you really are clueless." He opened his eyes and his eyes were hard on her. "How about, after the concert in Hawai'i, when we get home we can talk about whether or not this concert went well for you and if you should stay or not."

Kagome's heart raced, turning her head from him so he wouldn't see her eyes. "You're thinking of firing me," she said, saying it as it is, as she looked up at the change in numbers while the elevator climbed higher. They were almost there. Freedom.

Inuyasha shook his head even though she couldn't see him. "No. I'm giving you an out. Don't forget, this job came with the understanding that we only needed you for the concert, but if you meshed well with the group then we would keep you. Once you get this dream of yours fulfilled, your dream to dance professionally, your face will get out there and you will probably get noticed. I can put in a good word for you, and I'm sure Sango and Miroku wouldn't have a problem being your references either. I'm just giving you options."

The elevator number above the door signaled they were at the nineteenth floor. Her stop. The door dinged open but she couldn't move.

"Until then…" he said to finish, "Let's try and be a little more cordial. Miroku keeps hounding me about what happened between you and I, and I'm getting pissed because I don't even know what happened."

Kagome moved to speak but he rose his hand, then used his other hand to hold the door open as it began to close. "It doesn't matter. What's done, is done. But I am your boss and it's hard to work with you with this… tension between us. So let's just get the job done and figure things out once we get home. In the meantime, I expect you to still talk to me as your boss."

Kagome frowned, hearing the door ding again, signaling that she spent too long in the elevator. She nodded her head and walked out, not saying a word. The door dinged behind her and she looked ahead for her room number. She turned to the right and walked down the corridor. 'Talk to me as your boss…' she thought, thinking about what he said. He didn't want to work it out. She couldn't blame him. She was a handful and she had too much baggage for anyone to deal with. She didn't blame him for wanting an out, as much as he tried to flip it around to make it seem like he was giving her an out.

Her room door came up and she used her key to get in. The door made a noise and she opened it. She was immediately greeted by the sight of her luggage near the door and then her huge, white king bed ahead. The room was huge, bigger than a normal hotel room. Like Naraku said, it was much like a suite. There was a small brown couch with a glass coffee table that sat at the opposite end of the room near the glass sliding door. The curtains were brown like the couch, pushed back to allow the sunlight in. There was a comfy chair in the opposite corner of the couch where the sliding glass was. And she could see the outside balcony area where she had a small balcony with a railing with glass, and a table with two brown chairs. She put the security lock on her door and walked further in. The bathroom was on her left, right in the entrance of the room. She took off her shoes on the tile and walked into the bathroom, turning on the lights to see that it was also a big bathroom. She had a huge bathtub that came with a shower head and glass walls. Her bathroom counter was big enough for two people to set their toiletries up on either side of the sink. She smiled and turned the lights off, heading back out into the entrance. To the right of the door there was a small fridge with a counter that held a coffee pot with complimentary coffee, coffee cups and packs of sugar, cream and tea.

Kagome made her way onto the carpet of her room and took in her bed. The kingsize bed was on her left, taking up most of the space. In the corner next to the bathroom wall was a bedside desk with a lamp and the same was setup on the other side of the bed. Across the bed was the LCD TV that was attached to the wall mount. Beneath it was a small television entertainment stand where the remote was along with the menus for the restaurants and the hotel accommodations. She sighed, going to the bed and flopping down, snuggling into her pillow.

'Inuyasha…' He seemed uninterested in her now. At first, she really had thought that maybe they could get to know each other a little more, much to her hesitation. But he didn't seem to mind. She always caught him looking at her, like much of what happened today, and she didn't think too much about it. Well, inwardly she had wondered if he looked at her because he was interested in her. Until now. Now it seemed like he wanted nothing more to do with her, possibly as a coworker or a friend. She ruined it. 'Ugh, Kagome. Well… you deserve it.' She opened her eyes and got up, leaving her purse on the bedside table.

She wasn't going to dwell on someone else. It's not like they would've been in a relationship. 'Me? Relationship? Not in a million years.' But to think of it with Inuyasha only made her thoughts slip away and her resolution shaky.

Kagome opened the sliding door and walked onto the balcony. "Wow…" she whispered. The view was incredible. She had an ocean view room that looked out at Diamond Head Crater and the rest of Waikīkī and its hotels and beaches. The Hilton also had their own lagoon and beach access right at their front step. She was amazed at this luxury hotel they were staying in, thankful that they all had their own room. Kagome sighed and leaned on the balcony, looking out at the horizon. It was almost six o'clock at night and the sun was still finding its way towards the horizon, nearly there. She decided to take a bath, call room service and spend the rest of the time out here watching the sunset.

After Kagome finished taking a long bath, soaking in hot water for an hour, she came out of the bathroom to call room service. She settled on a simple cheeseburger, no fries. She wasn't that hungry this late but hungry enough from all the dancing earlier. After the call, she opened her purse and pulled out her phone. 'Hmmm, six missed calls from Sango.' And a bunch of texts. She opened her lock and began to filter through the texts. Apparently, someone had started a group text for all of them to chat on while they were here to let each other know what everyone would do in case others wanted to join along. And that text string already had fifteen texts that she missed. She sighed, closing her phone, waiting until she combed her hair and was comfortable sitting outside before she worried about the world that was distracting her.

Room service came ten minutes later and she paid the man with a tip, then headed back outside on her balcony. She ate and watched the setting sun, noticing it nearly gone from sight, and smiled happily at the colors that bursted in the clouds and the sky. She checked her texts in between bites and read about how some of the group were going down to the pool to watch the sunset. Inuyasha had texted, letting them know that there was going to be a fireworks event at 7:45pm. Kagome checked the time. It was almost seven. Perfect. After the fireworks, she was heading to bed.

After she finished her dinner, she stayed out on the balcony, admiring the changing colors of the sky that was like a beautiful masterpiece. That was one thing she treasured in her past, the beautiful sunsets on the island of Shikoku where she could go high enough on land to see the horizon and the sun fall beneath the deep blue sea. She loved sunsets. And true to Inuyasha's text, the fireworks started exactly at 7:45pm, while the sky was dimly fading. Kagome stood up from her chair and marveled at the fireworks that came from the lagoon below in front of the resort. She could see a few men close to the fireworks, probably the workers who set them off, and the aerials that shot up into the sky in front of the lagoon. It was a beautiful way to end the first day in Hawai'i. She smiled, grateful to be here.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

Kagome woke with a start. Blinking a few times, she looked over at the bedside table to see that it was almost seven. 'I have one hour to get ready.' Her alarm was set to go off in a couple minutes, exactly at seven. She yawned, stretching out under the covers. 'Mmmmm… this mattress is so comfortable. I could live here,' she thought, smiling to herself. Pushing back the covers, Kagome grabbed her phone and sat up, turning off her alarm and checking her messages. A lot more texts had gone through while she was sleeping with the others texting back and forth about the fireworks and the jacuzzi. She scrolled through them, noting that Inuyasha and Kikyo had joined the others in the jacuzzi a little after the fireworks. She shut her phone and went into the bathroom, not wanting to think about him and Kikyo.

After she got ready and packed up her duffle bag for the entire day, she left her room and headed downstairs a couple minutes before eight. Everyone was supposed to meet in the lobby by eight to go get something to eat and then the cars were supposed to get them at nine. The elevator door opened and she walked out just as a couple walked in.

"Morning, Kagome," Shiori said, making her turn around to see the woman come out the elevator behind her with Itsuki.

"Morning, Shiori. Itsuki." He smiled at her and winked, his duffle bag slung across his neck comfortably.

"You ready for today, Kagome? It's your first concert," he teased, watching as she smiled back at him, nodding her head.

"I am. I mean… I guess I won't know until I'm on stage and the fans are screaming at me."

Shiori nodded as the three of them walked around the corner to head to the lobby. "Yeah, that's true. It's really not real until you're backstage, feeling the music pulsating through the floor, hearing the screams of the fans as you wait for your cue to go on." She turned to Kagome with a smile. "I think that's where the adrenaline kicks in, while you're waiting to go on. But you'll be fine. You're a natural."

Kagome shrugged. "I hope you're right." They looked ahead and noticed that everyone was there except Mai, who suddenly caught up to them from behind. The four walked towards the others and Inuyasha asked Kikyo what she wanted to eat.

"I heard there's several restaurants in the hotel. Let's just find one that doesn't have a long wait time and eat there." Inuyasha nodded his agreement and everyone followed the two. Inuyasha and Kikyo walked together, talking about today's concert and how things should go tonight. Sango and Miroku walked behind the two and the others followed. Kagome trailed behind with Shiori, trying to listen to what she and Itsuki was talking about but her mind went to Inuyasha. She looked ahead at his back, seeing his face turn to Kikyo as she smiled at him and laid her hand on his shoulder. Kagome frowned, looking away.

The group went into a restaurant and was quickly able to get a booth with a table nearby to sit together. They all talked about how the day would go as the waitress came over to take their orders. Kikyo had mentioned that Naraku had left an hour ago, choosing to get food on his way to the venue, because he wanted to get started on making sure the crew had everything ready for tonight. She also talked about how once they got there, they would run through tonight's lineup for the entire day, going through all the costume changes again and making sure that they had the timing right.

"If we have to leave the stage empty at any point, it's okay," Kikyo explained, looking at everyone as they regarded her. "Like say, if for some reason my hair gets caught in my dress and the filler song is done. Naraku will tell the sound crew to keep playing while everyone gets off stage until I'm ready and we go right into the next song."

"Things are not always perfect," Sango said, looking at Kagome to explain since she was the newbie. "It's happened before, if you remember the videos we watched of our performances." Kagome nodded, remembering the video of the gang dancing on stage while Kikyo was in the back getting ready. The song had ended and they just remained in their spots, looking at each other for a couple of beats, wondering what to do. But then, Inuyasha on impromptu had began to move around on stage, pumping up the audience while trying to signal the others to follow his lead. They all moved to the edge of the stage to pump up the audience and the sound crew had 'read the play' and began to play another instrumental for another song, buying time for Kikyo.

"Yeah, we learn from random things that could happen," Kikyo said with a shake of her head. "We all agreed though that it would be better in the future if I'm not out in time to head backstage and wait for me." Inuyasha nodded his agreement as the others did the same.

Their food came and they all began to eat. Inuyasha paid for their bill and they made it out of the restaurant ten minutes before the car was supposed to pick them up. As everyone walked back to the lobby, Kagome noticed Inuyasha walking by himself, not talking to anyone, so she steeled her nerves and walked up to him.

"Hey," she said, grabbing his arm to make him look at her. She released him when he did and smiled up at him, the two of them regarding one another warily. "Look," she said, falling in step with him as she looked ahead, hoping that no one could hear them. "I wanted to say thank you for this opportunity. I know what my contract says, that I was only hired for the concert. You all made it clear at my contract signing that these past three months was my probationary period and this concert is my final test."

He didn't say anything, but she looked up at him, seeing his face looking ahead. "I want you to know that I shouldn't have been that harsh on you. You were only trying to get to know me, and… that night…" she paused, remembering him driving off in the distance. "There are some things about me, Inuyasha, that you will never understand or get to find out," she said, annoyed.

"Is that the reason?" he asked, interrupting her. "You were cold that night because you didn't want me to know who you are?"

Kagome looked up at him, seeing his face stoic and unreadable. They kept pace with the others but their body language said a whole other story. "Yes," she said, not wanting to lie since lying that night had gotten them in deep water. "I'm a very private person. It's like you said that night, I shy away from people getting to know me and I don't have friends."

Inuyasha frowned, remembering he only said that because he was irritated and angry at her, but also knowing he had hurt her when he said that. "I didn't mean it like that."

She held up her hand with a smile, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. You're right. I don't have much friends. So maybe you do know a little more about me than I would've liked," she said with a smile, wanting to sound cheery so that they could move past this. "Let's just forget what happened and make the most out of this trip, okay? Who knows? It might be my last."

He frowned, watching her expression. Her smile got to him, hiding her secrets but wanting him to be happy and not to worry. He could tell. His mother was the same way sometimes, always smiling when things were going wrong or they were in danger. She never wanted her children to be afraid or to worry, that wasn't their responsibility. And right now, Kagome looked every much like his mother trying to persuade him that everything was all right. He turned away from her to look ahead, noticing the cars pull up.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said sincerely. "My anger got the best of me that night. I'm sorry that I did." The two of them followed with the others straight towards the SUVs as the drivers got out and opened the doors for them. He turned back towards her to see her looking ahead now as Kikyo got into the front Escalade's passenger seat. "But… I meant what I said. You shut everyone out. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"I know," Kagome said, looking up at him with a sad smile. "And I appreciate you wanting to get to know me. Perhaps now is not the time or place," she said, turning to see the others filing in the Escalades. "But I heard what you said yesterday in the elevator. We'll see how this weekend plays out and either things will turn out bad or good. Whatever happens, let's just have fun. This is my first concert, you know. If I suck at it, then I guess that'll be my curtain call and you don't have to fire me."

Inuyasha gave her a look. "You're not going to suck. You're a natural-born dancer. You'll be fine tonight."

She beamed up at him, really appreciating his comment. After all the tension between them that had happened the past couple of weeks, that meant a lot to her. Especially coming from him as he was a well-known choreographer and an awesome dancer. And even though they may never become good friends or get to know one another well, she was glad that he cared enough to go out of his way to compliment her talent. "Thanks, Inuyasha. I really appreciate that," she said, blushing.

Inuyasha smiled at her, feeling a little less tension towards her. "I meant it." They reached the car and the others were now calling their attention, telling them to get in. Inuyasha and Kagome got into the front car with Kikyo. She went towards the backseat, calling the other women to come in so that they could all cram in the back since now their car had to carry seven passengers and the other one carried six. Kikyo rode with them this time since Naraku took the BMW with Ben. Four of the women had to cram in the backseat, but they made it work. Thankfully, it was a short ride, less than ten minutes with traffic, and that was the only reason why they were okay with this.

The drivers got in after taking everyone's duffle bags and drove them to the Blaisdell Center. When they got there, they all filed out and grabbed their belongings, heading into the arena dome.

The place was busy. The lights were flickering different colors to test them and Kikyo's voice was blaring through the speakers. There were a lot more people this time who were not wearing any of the shirts that signaled what their role was, so Kagome could only assume they were hired help or part of the venue's workers. They were moving around more chairs and the fences that prevented fans on the first floor from getting too close. Naraku was on the smaller stage barking orders down below at some men moving the fences to his liking.

"Naraku! I want to get started with practice," Kikyo called from the main stage as the others went backstage to leave their belongings. She told the sound crew to kill the music so she could hear herself think and walked towards him, watching as he turned around towards her.

"You guys just got here?" She nodded. "Have the crew notified and the costume crew to be ready so you guys can run through the entire lineup." She nodded her head and went backstage with the others.

Kagome followed the others backstage, walking around the huge black curtain that draped from the ceiling, and marveled at how organized things were. There were wires duck-taped to the ground in bundles so that it was organized and not a tripping hazard. She looked around and noticed huge metal containers with wheels that were labeled from 'speaker' to 'wires' to 'sound'. She figured those were the shipping containers for all the stage equipment that the crew was to pack and unpack, especially to pack after tomorrow night to head off to Maui and unpack again. Her eyes followed the others to a lit area where there were mirrors and six chairs setup with countertops for holding makeup and what-nots. Her eyes widened. 'It's a dressing room.' It reminded her like Midnite but more open since it was still in the open backstage.

"Hi, everyone," someone called, making her turn her attention to a woman with short blond hair and a white dress. "My name is Lizzie. I'm one of the managers here at the Blaisdell Center. I wanted to let you guys know what we have for you for the next two nights."

Everyone filed around her in a half circle to be able to hear her. Kikyo and Naraku came up to make their way into the middle of the circle so they could speak with her.

"We were able to make this dressing room area for you all. But we were only able to fit six chairs and these mirrors and lights here for you to do your makeup. We were able to make two small 'cubby holes'," she said using quotation marks with her fingers, "here," she finished, pointing where the black curtains draped down to form two boxes with only three sides, like an open dressing room. "You can either change out in the open or use these two cubby holes for a little privacy. Or, the other option is to run into the 'tunnel', which is what we call the hallway between the main arena and our front doors. The tunnel will be blocked off from sections thirteen to twenty-one, which are the same sections out front that are blocked off with the curtains. So the tunnel can become your backstage too. We've put up fences there and will have some of our security team posted at both sides of the tunnel to make sure no one goes backstage."

"Nice," Miroku said, turning towards Inuyasha. "We can use the backstage rooms too."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I told Naraku that we won't be needing them. It's too far for us between songs and if people need a break, this is good enough," he said, motioning at the area that the venue was able to create for them to make them comfortable. Miroku nodded his agreement.

"Also," Lizzie continued, "Kikyo's dressing room will be on the other side of your cubby holes, so basically on the other side of this curtain." She said, moving to grab the edge of the black curtain that was separating the cubby holes from Kikyo's dressing room. "Yours is smaller, Naraku told us you didn't need much so we allocated most of the space to the dance group," she said, looking between Kikyo and Naraku in front of her. "But it is big enough to fit you and your five assistants along with your costumes and things, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"Ummm…" Lizzie said, trying to think of anything else she needed to go over before she left them to it. "Oh! I know you guys didn't want the backstage rooms, but they are open to you since they're sectioned off from the public. They're mainly locker rooms so they might not be that appealing. I also heard you guys have your own food arrangements for lunch and dinner and that'll be available on a cart here in your dressing room later on."

"Thanks, Lizzie," Naraku said. "I'll let them know the other details." She smiled at him and nodded.

"Thank you guys again for choosing us to host you. It's an honor and a pleasure," she said, clasping her hands in front of her to thank them. "Have a great performance tonight," she said, taking her leave as everyone thanked her.

Naraku clapped his hands. "Alright everyone," he said, making everyone look at him as he turned around to face them. "It's almost nine-thirty. Kikyo wants to start practice, so let's start rolling through tonight's lineup. We'll take a lunch break around noon and keep going until Kikyo's satisfied." He looked around at all the people walking around, carrying lights or pushing bins. "Just be careful when walking around back here. I can't have any of you getting hurt before tonight, or anytime for that matter."

"At the latest, we'll end practice by three. The cars will be outside to take you back to the hotel. Go back, get some sleep, take a bath, rest up. The cars will then be leaving the hotel at six. Gates open at seven. Concert starts at eight." Everyone began to mumble excitedly amongst each other, unable to contain their anticipation for the night. "If you have any questions on where you need to be and/or when, ask me or Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned around and stepped up to the side of Naraku. "You guys know the routine but for Kagome," he said, looking over at her. "We have our costume crew that are here to help us get changed and to help with hairstyle and makeup." He looked over at Kikyo standing on the other side of Naraku. "Kikyo has her own team that will only assist her and will be waiting for her in her dressing room. We will have our own to share. The women normally get their hair and makeup done first and the men can usually take care of themselves. The crew will also be back here waiting to help us change into our next costume quickly. We had them around yesterday but today we'll try the real thing at least once through to see how it goes. Once we get too sweaty, we won't be changing into our costumes."

Kikyo nodded, running a hand through her hair. "I don't want us using the costumes too much in case we get deodorant or body odor and sweat on them. Tonight, the costume crew will wash all of our outfits and have them ready by tomorrow night."

They all then dispersed on her cue, going to leave their belongings in the dressing room and on the counters before they all filed to their respective sides of the stage. Kagome and Inuyasha remained on the right side of the stage while Miroku and Sango walked over to the left side. Then, the rest of the group split up so that four dancers were on both sides of the stage behind the two leaders on each side. Kikyo then stayed on Inuyasha's side, turning around to find Naraku.

"Okay. Let's start," Kikyo called out, making eye contact with him. He nodded his head and spoke into his earpiece. The others on the opposite side of the stage showed their thumbs up when Inuyasha prompted. Everyone was ready.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

The sound of her phone jolted her out of her sleep. She patted her covers until she found her phone lying next to her on the bed and looked to see who it was.

"Sango… what's up?" Kagome asked, her voice raspy, rolling over onto her back to look outside. It was still bright out.

"Hey. Sorry, were you still sleeping?"

"Yeah, it's all right. What's up?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me and Miroku to grab a bite to eat before we head out."

"Mmmm… what time is it?" she asked, just as she looked to her bedside table.

"It's 5:15. What time were you planning on waking up?"

"Five-thirty. But that's okay. Sure, I'll come with you two. I don't think I'll eat during the performance or after either."

"Yeah most of us don't, but Naraku always likes to provide food just in case. I think Inuyasha might join us but he hasn't been answering his phone so maybe he's sleeping or something."

Kagome sat up and scratched her head, pushing her hair back. "Okay. I'll get ready and meet you downstairs in ten minutes." Sango agreed and she hung up the phone. Yawning, Kagome made her way into the bathroom to get ready. She had already taken a bath when they got back to the hotel from practicing all day. She took a long soak in the tub to help her sore muscles so that she wouldn't cramp up tonight.

Kagome quickly cleaned up and got ready, putting her hair up in a ponytail and checking for any last things she might need in her room. Her duffle bag with all of her makeup and things were still at the venue, so she didn't need to bring anything else besides her purse. She looked around her room and was satisfied. Placing her shades on her head, she left her room and headed downstairs. In the elevator, she shared it with a few young Japanese women, all four of them dressed like they were going out on the town. She smiled and looked up at the countdown over the elevator door. Once they got to the lobby, she let the women head out first and they all nodded their heads to her in thanks before she left the elevator.

Sango and Miroku were right in her view once she got out, and the four women that were in her elevator suddenly screamed and ran forward. Sango and Miroku both turned around at the sound of screaming women to see them running towards them and they both looked at each other knowingly, plastering a smile on their faces.

"Sango! Miroku! Sango Yamashita! Miroku Takenaka!" they shouted, coming up to the two, just stopping short as Sango and Miroku placed their hands up in defense but also to help them to settle down. "We're so happy to meet you! May we have your autograph?"

Sango smiled and nodded, "Of course." They waited while the women rummaged through their bags excitedly, mumbling to them of how awesome it was to meet them. One by one they got out anything they had to write with and write on, allowing Sango and Miroku to sign their autograph. They told the two how they had flown in from Japan to see Kikyo perform here in Hawai'i. They were going to the concert tonight and were excited to see them dance and hear Kikyo sing.

Kagome came up behind the four girls, smiling, staying a distance away so as not to draw attention to herself. 'I guess even the dancers are recognized and famous.' She never thought that the dancers would get recognition from fans like that of the pop star. But Sango and Miroku were the leaders of the group, so maybe they were noticed much more often. That could only mean that Inuyasha must be as big as Kikyo. 'Well… he is eye candy for many of the women back at home. And he is on television screens with Kikyo so he must be well known.' Now that she thought of it, his face was also on many of the billboards and LCD screens in the cities, along with Sango's and Miroku's at times, but Inuyasha's face the most popular. Of course, so was Kikyo.

"Hard not to be noticed," Inuyasha said right next to her side, making Kagome jump. She turned to see him standing next to her with glasses on, trying to hide his identity but only making her laugh. He had on loose black pants with a white shirt. His hair was down and he looked like any other young man on the streets. But for those who knew, it wouldn't be hard to tell who he was because of his unique hair.

Kagome giggled, making him look her way, arching his eyebrow. "You think you're not noticeable with those glasses?"

He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows as he tilted his shades down. "Kinda helps." She shook her head with a laugh, turning to see the women still getting their books and papers autographed.

"So wait… tell me again about your necklace?" she asked, looking to see he had his prayer beads on. "Does it change your features here in the states too?" Now that she thought about it, she was curious as to how much his features changed when traveling outside of Japan since the world still didn't know and accept demons. He must have a way to disguise himself.

Inuyasha nodded his head, looking down at her though she couldn't see his eyes. "My prayer beads sense my jyaki and helps with my sense of hearing and smell. But my mother also asked Tōtōsai, the demon who made this necklace, to place a spell on it to hide my demonic features, mainly just my ears," he said, wiggling them in the process, making her giggle. "The eyes and the hair can be explained away but trying to explain dog ears will make one hell of a story in the papers."

"So why is it that I can still see them?" she asked, wondering how the spell worked.

"You can see them because you believe in demons and the spell only works on the unbelievers or the doubters. It also cannot work on you if you've already seen me in my true form. Even if you don't believe, you will always be able to see my demonic features whether or not I have my necklace on. On the individual, though, it's all about faith."

Kagome made a face, amazed. "Wow… so even with your pictures on billboards and screens back at home… some people see you with human ears and some with dog ears?"

Inuyasha nodded, watching her take in the information. "Sounds complicated, but it's quite simple for our culture. Whether you believe in demons and mikos or not, you will be able to see and do things that most modern folk won't. It's always been this way for us. As people began to lose faith in demons and the world shut out the spiritual past with technology, people lost faith in most things holy and evil so they can't see or do things that was once done by priests back then."

"I see." For her, she believed in demons when she was a child and had seen them many times, so it would make sense for her to see his ears now, even with his prayer beads on.

"Oh my goodness! Inuyasha!" Now, the four girls made their way over to them and Kagome took a step back, looking to get away. But Inuyasha placed his hand on the small of her back, stopping her from running. She looked up at him in fear, seeing his encouraging smile, as he slid his hand over to grab her waist and pull her a little closer to him.

"This will be good for you to see what it will be like if you decide to stay with us," he said, making her frown. The women came over and began to ask him for his autograph, which he obliged them, taking his hand off her waist and asking for their names.

She frowned at him, standing where he wanted her to, wondering what he meant by that. From what she thought, he wanted her gone after this concert. She thought he made it loud and clear to her, or maybe she was the one sending mixed signals that she didn't want to be here? The two of them were just too confusing for each other, maybe. Kagome stood there lost in her thoughts as she heard the women question him about tonight's performance, asking him what he would be wearing, telling him where they were seated so he could look over at them. She rolled her eyes and took a step to the side, making Inuyasha turn to look at her, noticing her retreat. She gave him a tolerant look and remained where she was. When he was satisfied with her not going anywhere, he went back to signing their books. They expressed their gratitude and asked for a picture with him.

"I'll take it for you," Kagome said with a smile, moving to grab one of their cell phones.

"Just one, ladies. You can text each other the photo," Inuyasha said as the others were all asking Kagome to use their phones as well. They calmed down and agreed to what he said, moving against him to take a photo. Inuyasha took off his glasses as Kagome counted down and took their photo twice for good measure.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. We love you," one of the girls said, nearly crying over him. Kagome arched her eyebrow and shook her head, turning to see Sango and Miroku coming towards her, looking about ready to laugh.

"Dramatic, huh?" Miroku asked with a chuckle. Sango, at his side, shook her head, exasperated.

"Women…" she said with a tone of disdain.

Kagome laughed. "Right?" The three of them watched as Inuyasha said his goodbyes to them and the four women left, talking excitedly amongst themselves and looking at the picture on the phone.

Inuyasha came up to them and kept his glasses on his head. "Where we eating?" As if this was an every day thing for them and they just continued on with their life once the fans left. Kagome couldn't believe how casual they all were about this. Sango said she wanted to go to Starbucks in the hotel and get some coffee and a small bite to eat. So they all went to get something that would keep them up for the night, not like they needed it to with all the excitement and adrenaline that would hit them later.

At exactly six, the cars pulled up to the curb at valet and the group all filed in, this time without Kikyo and Naraku since they had left earlier, and the cars made their way to the venue. Once there, everyone got out and made their way towards the front doors. The parking lot was already filled with people working the parking and some security guards in their golf carts, waiting in the empty parking lot for the barrage of fans. As Kagome walked towards the double doors, she noticed the two security on either side of the doors, already setup and waiting for any early fans that might want to sneak in.

Ben and Brady escorted them to the doors, looking around to make sure that no one was running up on them, excitedly. All of them had their badges displayed somewhere on their person so the security team quickly gave them a once over, looking for their identification, and nodding their heads. The gang went through the double doors, just as the drivers left them to park the cars in the back, and straight towards the stage. The lights were dimmer now with the concert starting in just two hours. Doors were opening in one hour and they had to head backstage to get their hair and makeup done.

"They're here," Naraku said, waving at them. "Kikyo's backstage in her dressing room getting her hair and makeup done."

Inuyasha nodded his understanding as the others went towards the back, going to get their things ready. Kagome followed them, taking a glance to see Inuyasha walking towards Naraku to chat with him. She followed Sango and Miroku to the back towards their dressing room where all twelve of them had to work around each other and share the six chairs and mirrors. Kagome was used to this type of space though, with little privacy and everyone close together trying to get ready to perform. The costume crew were around, waiting to be used by the women.

Kagome went to her duffle bag that she left behind and placed her purse in there, leaving her phone out on the counter. Her makeup and hair products were already left out on the counter from earlier today. She smiled to herself, getting an epiphany of how much this place and her routine resembled Midnite. On the mirrors in their dressing room also had tonight's lineup on a sheet of paper taped to every other mirror to remind them throughout the night.

"Are you excited, Kagome?" Sango asked as she sat in one of the chairs and began to brush her hair out. A woman came up to her on the costume crew, asking her how she wanted her hair done, and she informed her to keep her hair down and wavy. With that, she handed her brush to the crew member with a thanks and let the women do her hair. The makeup would be the easiest since all of theirs were to be the same.

"Yes, I am," Kagome said, now starting to get the butterflies. "I think the butterflies are happening."

"Oh, they'll be happening a lot more the closer we get to the main event," Sango said with a giggle. "You just wait. Once it gets louder outside and the lights start dancing, that's when the butterflies really kick in. But I'm so excited for you! This is your first concert. You'll do just fine," she said encouragingly, making Kagome smile at her in thanks.

She sat down next to Sango and one of the crew members came up to her to ask her the same thing. Kagome wanted her hair down with wavy curls but to have her sides pulled back so it could show her makeup she knew they would have. The woman nodded her understanding and got to work. Kagome and Sango made small talk as they got their hair and makeup done while the others took up the rest of the chairs or were stretching out on the ground, waiting for their turn. Kagome looked around to see how everyone knew what to do around each other since they danced together for a while now. Some stretched out, waiting for their turn to get their hair and makeup. Some were getting their hair and makeup and then moving to stretch out before the performance. The men had disappeared, Sango informing her that they probably went to the men's locker room to use that as their dressing room to get ready since they were simpler, and probably wanted to give the women some privacy. Although throughout the night, the men and women changed together so it didn't make a difference if they saw each other in their underwear.

Once Sango and Kagome were done, they got off their chairs and moved to the floor to stretch out their bodies. Kokoro and Emi were now sitting in their seats while they got their hair done.

"Concerts are much faster than you think. Time flies when you're having fun," Sango told her as she stretched out her hamstrings.

Kagome couldn't believe that until she experienced it. Right now, she was just nervous about the start of the concert that it seemed like it was taking forever to start. She couldn't even think about the end of it. She wanted to do her best and not mess up any of the movements. "If you say so."

"Hey, really. You'll do fine, Kagome. Don't be nervous. You're a natural-born dancer. Everything you've learned is in here," she said, placing her hand over her heart. "So don't overthink it because you already know what to do." Sango smiled as Kagome smiled back in thanks.

"Thanks, Sango."

When they had finished stretching out, the men came back in just as some of the women began to sort through the close racks. Half of them were dressed and ready while the other half just got their makeup done. All the clothes racks were setup based on the lineup. Every hanger was labeled with their names sticking up so that they could easily be found among the same outfit style. Kagome compared this to Midnite too and found herself smiling at all the little similarities.

The stage manager came back to tell them that it was one hour to the show and that doors were now opened. The security was now in place in the tunnel and around the stage where the fences were set. Hintaro warned them if they needed to get out of the blocked zones for any reason, make sure to have their badges on.

Kagome could hear the chatter begin as the die hard fans get in early to await the start of Kikyo's performance. Like Sango said, now that she could hear the arena begin to fill with chatter, she began to feel her stomach drop and her heart beat faster.

"Don't be afraid," Inuyasha said, coming up to her as she stood off to one side of the stage, looking out. The sides of the stage weren't blocked by curtains but left open so that the dancers could easily get on and off, walking behind a curtain in front of the backdrop curtain. Depending on the lighting for the song, sometimes they wouldn't be able to see where they were going. So behind the curtain was a bright light that they could only see when they reached far back enough on the stage. The lights helped them to get off but also were hidden so that no one in the audience could see them.

"I'm not," she said, looking out to see the dim blue lights moving around slowly as if they were alive in the arena. "I'm just starting to get butterflies."

Inuyasha nodded, hearing the sincerity in her voice and looking out at some people already sitting on the first floor, which were all VIP and special priced tickets. And some people were up in the seats above, finding their seats, looking like little people so far away from the stage.

"Just have fun, tonight."

Kagome turned to look up at him, smiling. "I will."

Half an hour before the show began, Kikyo called everyone together in a circle backstage while the crew continued their preparations before the show.

"Okay, everyone," Kikyo said, gaining their attention. She was her usual performer-self. Her makeup was perfect, not too over-the-top but dramatic enough to look like the pop star she was. She had pink eyeshadow with butterfly stickers on her temples to match her eyeshadow color and hot pink lipstick to match. For now, her first costume was set to match her makeup exactly. She wore a light pink dress that stopped short, revealing the white, ruffle tulle that stuck out, giving the bottom a puffy look and bouncing whenever she walked. Her dress had hot pink butterflies stitched all over the top of the dress while the skirt remained plain pink. She finished her look with a high-strapped light pink high heels.

"I just want to say that I'm so proud of all of you for working so hard these past several months, even before we gained Kagome," she said, looking over to where Kagome stood next to Inuyasha. She smiled at the girl. "I know that we've all worked hard, had to make some changes to things and we all sweat and bled for this day. Now, let's go out there and make the most of it. Let's not forget to have fun, be yourself and do your best!" Everyone clapped, agreeing with Kikyo and she smiled at them all, excited to be here with them and proud of how far they've come.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "You ready?"

She looked up at him and smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah." Their outfits matched Kikyo's perfectly without outshining her. The men and women wore black leather pants that had a stripe of hot pink going down the outside of either leg. The women wore a leather tank top that buttoned up the front with hot pink butterflies stitched to the front in a pattern as if they flew up in a wavy line from their side hip, passing through the buttons, then back to their center chest. The men wore a loose, leather jacket zipped up the front with a hot pink hoodie. The women had their makeup all the same, which was hot pink eyeshadow with light pink glitter dusting that came out of the side of their eyes. They all had a butterfly painted on one cheek to match Kikyo's butterfly stickers by her eyes. The men only had their hair done however they wanted.

Kagome looked him over, thinking that he looked hot even dressed in loose leather clothes. His hair was down and flowing, a thick sheet of silver against the black leather. "You don't look too bad," she said, winking at him before walking away, going over to Sango to share in her excitement.

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before he shook his head with a smile, wondering where that tease came from. 'I'll never understand her.'

The music grew loud and the entire stadium went dark, signaling the start of the show. The arena went wild as the fans noticed the signal and they all cheered for Kikyo. Kagome stood behind Inuyasha, waiting for their cue from the music. Her heart was beating wildly and she felt the butterflies again. 'Butterflies… much like my costume.' She smiled, her eyes going outside of the black curtains to see some of the VIP sections on the opposite side of the stage and she could see the lights from phones as people began recording. She closed her eyes and took a breath. 'This is what you wanted, Kagome. This is the moment you've been waiting for.' She couldn't let her fear control her anymore. She had to do this and not worry about the consequences.

The beat was coming. Inuyasha turned around and they all looked at him to see his darkened figure smile.

"Everyone have fun," he said, as the others wished him the same. Just as Inuyasha turned back around, they had their final eight count and they were on.

Inuyasha moved out first with Miroku mirroring him on the opposite side, and the lights began to get brighter around the stage so that the audience could see the dancers coming out. The crowd went wild, calling out Inuyasha's name as the camera zoomed in on him for a few seconds before it moved over to Miroku. Kagome and Sango followed after an eight count, doing the same moves Inuyasha and Miroku did to the instrumental beginning of Kikyo's first song. The instrumental was long, enough to get the dancers all out onto the stage, and to give the dancers enough of an introduction to the audience before Kikyo got out and all eyes went to her. Everyone began screaming, but Kagome couldn't hear a word that was said. All she knew was that her feet was moving, her hands were flying around her and her heart was racing. But she loved it. She was in the moment, allowing her body to move to the beat that played in her heart.

She turned to face out as she stood next to Inuyasha to continue dancing and immediately her eyes were blinded by the lights. Thankfully, with all the practicing they had at the warehouse, she was able to shake it off without getting disoriented. She looked out at all the screaming fans, the blinding lights and the smaller lights that were cell phones. So many people, a deafening sound like thunder while the music pulsed through her feet. Thankfully, the earbuds did help with drowning out the music, like Inuyasha said, but she was still able to hear every word and beat so that she didn't miss a cue.

Just then, Kikyo's voice floated around them and the lights went dark. Kagome knew the cue. Kikyo was to walk out in the dark to her spot in front of Inuyasha and Miroku, and the lights were to shine right on her as she started to sing the first verse. She waited in her pose, her heart beating as she looked ahead, standing in complete darkness while the crowd went wild after hearing a snippet of Kikyo's voice. 'It looks like a beautiful sea of stars.' She thought she would cry. This was her dream and here she was, frozen in time, waiting for the lights to come on and reveal that she was here, alive. She would forever treasure this moment.

Kikyo's voice came through again and the lights shone on her figure first before igniting the room ablaze with dancing pink lights. She began to sing and all the dancers found their groove. Kagome lost herself to the moment.

After the second song, Kikyo began to dance off the stage while the dancers stayed on, keeping the crowd busy. The instrumental of the last song continued to play while the lights dimmed and only narrowed in on the dancers on the smaller stage and on the main stage. The four top dancers, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango, remained on the smaller stage while the VIP fans at their feet all reached up, trying to get them to touch their hands. The other eight dancers remained on the main stage and the camera team took several angle shots of them all for the crowd to see.

Meanwhile, Kikyo ran backstage as some of her crew rushed closely behind her.

"Wow! The crowd is loving it!" she said between breaths. She was out of breath from dancing and singing, and she was thirsty. She ran straight into her dressing room where the other two of her costume crew was waiting and they all got to work like busy bees around her. She simply stood there while one person unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. She stepped out of her dress and immediately one person pulled that dress out of the way while one person was at her feet, taking off her high heels. One person was on her hair, grabbing her hair to put it up into a ponytail for this next outfit. As one person signaled to her, she held out her arms and they began to put gold glitter powder on her forearms.

"You're doing good." Kikyo looked up at the mirror in front of her to see Naraku standing behind her. His eyes weren't looking at hers but at her ass. In times like this, when she had concerts, she wasn't shy about her body as she got used to being exposed, even though this was her dressing room. She had on a nude thong and a matching strapless bra, which was probably why Naraku was staring so much at her from the back while she stood in her underwear.

She smirked. "Thanks. The crowd loves me."

"Hmph," he said, crossing his arms while his eyes raked her figure. "You only did two songs. Don't get too cocky. And drink some water before you lose your voice." He noticed that as he said that, one of the crew grabbed a bottle of water, opened it and placed a straw in it for her to easily drink without having to tilt her hair back since her hair was still being done.

"I'm fine." She watched the crew work diligently, while waiting for them to need her to do something. She only had a few minutes of this filler song before she needed to get out there. One woman brought the next costume to her feet, tapping her left leg and then right leg to signal for her to step in. The next dress was a light grey with blue butterflies only at the bottom of her flared skirt. Someone began to take off the butterflies from her face while another tapped her ankle and she lifted her right foot, feeling them place a shoe on. This time, it was her white, knee-high boots. They zipped up the side and tapped her other foot. The woman working on her hair left her and Kikyo looked at herself in the mirror, turning her head this way and that way to make sure she liked her ponytail. She put her hands through the dress while someone zipped it up, and she tightened her ponytail to her liking. One waited for her with a brush and hairspray until she released her ponytail, and then she closed her eyes and the woman began to hairspray her hair.

"You have three numbers in this costume. Then you come backstage to change again," Naraku reminded.

"Yes, I know, Naraku," she said with her eyes closed. He always liked being bossy and have the last word in things, even though she knew what was to come after all the times they've been practicing it.

"You know I'm only trying to help."

"I know," she said, opening her eyes to look at him. He caught her eyes and she smiled. "Thank you." He smiled back at her and she heard the track of the next song coming in to mix with the track of the last song. "That's my cue."

"Hang on," one of the ladies said, fixing the skirt of her dress while another began to put a little more foundation where they had taken the butterflies off.

"Okay," Kikyo said. With that, everyone put their hands off her and she turned around to leave. She passed Naraku and he looked at her approvingly, his eyes raking her figure.

"You look delicious."

Kikyo smirked, winking at him, and left without another word. She ran back towards the side entrance onto the stage and the sound crew began to ready the next song, signaling the light crew for their part. Kikyo cleared her throat as someone gave her the microphone.

The next song came on just as the dancers ended their number and Kikyo walked out to the beat, her hand moves and steps in time. As she got out, four of the dancers began to file past her while the other four left on the opposite side of the stage, heading to do their first of three changes. This song was a slower song than the rest, talking about high school love, so only the four main dancers were needed. As Kikyo began to sing, she stopped in the middle of the stage, looking down the runaway, out and ahead at the camera, singing to her fans.

Inuyasha and Kagome danced their way back to the main stage, dancing together as this song was all about love. Miroku and Sango followed them, the four of them making their way to stand back in their original spots on either side of Kikyo. The crowd went wild as they began to sing along with Kikyo as the lyrics went up onto the screen along with Kikyo's face.

Kagome and Inuyasha danced with each other, only being a few feet apart the entire time, and only having to physically touch each other during the chorus. But the song was about high school love and the two of them, along with Miroku and Sango, played the part beautifully. For some reason, as Kagome stared into Inuyasha's eyes and mirrored his moves, she felt like this dance was different from all the other hundred times they did it together. Maybe it was the fact that they were live on stage in front of thousands of people, or maybe it was the way the lights played out around them. She didn't know what it was that made her see Inuyasha in a different light. The argument and tension that they had between each other seemed distant now as it was just the two of them dancing while Kikyo sang. 'Wow… he really is a good dancer.' He never once faltered and he never once took his eyes off her. She wondered what he was thinking as the song came to an end and the two of them ended to face back out at the crowd, ending in their pose with their backs against each other. The arena went dark and the crowd went wild.

Kagome moved first, running towards the backdrop before turning to see the light, Inuyasha right behind her. The two moved off and went right past the others who were now dressed in their next outfit, waiting for their cue. The four of them gave their encouragements to the two just as Kikyo's voice and the lights came on, signaling them on stage.

"Wow. That was awesome!" Kagome said, turning to smile at Inuyasha as she pushed her hair back away from her face. "That was so awesome!"

Inuyasha looked at her and laughed, feeling her excitement and energy. He noticed the way she was so happy and really enjoying herself. "You were great, Kagome." She was. He watched the way she danced out there and the way she gave it her all. She held nothing back and she danced with the same attitude he saw that day when she first auditioned. She always dances like no one was watching, like it was her and the music, like she wore her heart on her sleeve and her movements came from some place deep within. Maybe their little argument was trash and it needed to be forgotten, but tonight, his eyes were opened and he saw her being her. She was born to dance. This was why he hired her. This was why he wanted her.

"Oh my gosh!" Sango said, squealing with Kagome as the two embraced each other. "You were awesome, Kagome!" Sango said, reeling back to grab her shoulders. "Did you like it? What did you think? Did you see how many people are out there?"

"Ladies! Ladies! I know we really want to talk… but we really need to get ready," Miroku said, smiling at the two of them and placing his hands on both their shoulders. "This can wait for the end of the show."

"Miroku's right," Naraku said, appearing behind them. The costume crew were waiting around to help them out of their clothes and into the next outfit. "You need to hurry and change."

Inuyasha turned around to glare at Naraku. "We got it." As much as he respected Naraku for what he had to do, there were times when Naraku completely overstepped his mark and pissed him off. This was one of the many times Naraku did that. And there were many other things about Naraku that he didn't like. Inuyasha looked back towards Miroku and they both shrugged, going to the other end of the mirrors to give the ladies as much privacy as their small, open dressing room could allow.

Kagome and Sango just giggled and began to allow the assistants to help them out of their heels while they unbuttoned their tops. Like all dancers, they wore nude or black colored underwear, but some women had their preferences. Kagome had a nude strapless bra like Sango but she wore a nude, seamless cheeky panty while Sango wore a nude thong. For a dancer, there was no such thing as privacy. For Kagome, she was normally this naked around women, not in front of the gentlemen in her club. Her eyes went up and met with Inuyasha's, but then she couldn't help herself as curiosity got the best of her, and they went lower to see that he was stripped down to only his black trunks. She blushed, quickly averting her eyes, only to fall on Miroku who also had on black trunks with his back was facing her while a woman helped him into his next pants.

'Oh geez, girl… Eyes to yourself,' she thought, figuring that she would have to get used to this for the next three concerts. Kagome turned when the woman offered her the next outfit, a short white shorts with gold chains looping down the front of her upper right thigh to the back above her butt cheek. She slipped on her shorts, turning her back towards the men so that she wouldn't sneak a peak at them, and began to button her shorts. She was given a loose white shirt that had the word 'beautiful' in kanji on the front in gold. She put her shirt on, fixing the fit, and as she looked up, Naraku was standing there, watching her get ready. She frowned, wary as her eyes met his. Her heart lurched. She knew that look. She'd seen that look many times at Midnite and she couldn't help but feel scared now that she had seen that look in Naraku, also being that he was one of her bosses. Naraku simply smiled at her, though it wasn't genuine, and she couldn't find it in her to smile back. The woman tapped her calf and she looked down in order to step into her white ankle-high boots. She began to put her hair up into a ponytail when she looked up to see Naraku still standing there staring at her and Sango.

Kagome huffed and turned around, making the woman having to move with her to finish up the other boot. "You gonna stand there the entire time we put our clothes on, Naraku?" she asked, though not meaning for it to come out as harsh as it did.

Naraku chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "I'm just here managing things. I need to make sure you guys are ready and out on time, just like I do with Kikyo." Kagome turned her head to regard him steadily, and then went back to looking at herself in the mirror. She didn't have time to deal with him and his weird desires. All men were alike and all desired one thing. She groaned and pulled out some of her bangs, turning her head back and forth to make sure she liked the look. Then she grabbed a hair-tie and put her ponytail up. The woman moved to grab the hairspray and she allowed her to fix her hair while Kagome looked at the lineup. Three songs in this costume and then backstage again. 'Okay. Time to dance again, Kagome.' She felt her blood rush and the excitement flood her veins again.

"Alright. Time to go!" Sango said, puckering her lips as she retouched her lipstick. Kagome quickly did the same and then followed Sango out. The boys followed behind them, all of them passing Naraku as he waved them out. Inuyasha, however, glared at him as he walked by, only making Naraku shake his head with a smile.

Sango and Miroku left the two and went to their side of the stage as Kagome and Inuyasha went to theirs, waiting for the bridge to end. They were to join the others on the last repeat of the chorus.

"Don't worry about Naraku," Inuyasha yelled, moving closer so she could hear him. Kagome looked up, wondering what he meant. "He's a perv but he does his job well, even though he is an ass and bosses us around. He's a good manager because he's an ass."

Kagome giggled, whacking him on his arm. "That's not nice."

Inuyasha took a look at her in her new outfit. She looked hot in anything that she wore, but this one, with the short shorts and the gold chains against her thigh, she looked dangerous and hot. Inuyasha growled softly, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear it over the loud music. "I'm not very nice." Kagome rolled her eyes though not looking at him. Their time was almost up and they would be back out in the spotlight. She bounced a little, trying to contain her excitement, making him smile as he turned to watch the others dancing behind Kikyo. Kikyo owned the stage, walking back and forth, singing to her fans down below next to the stage while singing up towards the other sections above her. He looked behind at the screen to see that the camera was doing a good job covering every angle of her singing while also getting some of the dancers in the shot. And it was obvious that she wasn't lip-syncing, which is what he's a huge stickler on.

"Okay. Get ready." Kagome nodded her head and they counted down the eight count before dancing out in time with the others, finishing the last chorus with them and ending in a final pose.

The lights dimmed, but the spotlight remained bright on Kikyo since she was still on stage. As the crowd screamed, the next beat played on and they went right into the next song.

The rest of the night was a blur of dancing lights, the deafening sound of screaming fans and the hot, stickiness of a concert done and completed. Everyone came out onto the stage to give their final bow with Kikyo in the middle of Inuyasha and Miroku, and they were done for the night. The lights went out, save for Kikyo's name up on the screen, as the performers left the stage and the arena lights came back on.

Once everyone got backstage they began to congratulate each other, giving each other hugs and high-fives. Everyone was still high, sticky and sweaty, but they had a good night with no mess ups, so that was something to celebrate.

"Good job, everyone!" Miroku said with a huge smile as they all got back to the dressing room. "You all did really well for our first opening night in the states!"

Sango nodded and hugged Miroku, his arms wrapping around her immediately. "I'm so excited! That was so awesome! There were so many people here!"

"We sold out," Naraku said, making the others turn to include him in their little victory circle. Kikyo smiled and walked up to him, her eyes catching his as she turned to the others with a huge smile.

"Great job, everyone! We sold out! And this was our first concert in Hawai'i, in the United States period!" Everyone cheered, proud of themselves and proud of Kikyo for accomplishing so much.

"Good job, Kikyo," they all said, making her smile and nod her thanks. She turned to Naraku, catching his eye, and the two of them set off together, heading towards her dressing room. Her assistants followed behind them. The costume crew were around and waiting for everyone to begin stripping down so that they could help.

"I think I'm going to go to the locker rooms to rinse off before we head back," Kagome said to Sango, grabbing her duffle bag quickly, not wanting to be left behind or hold the cars up. "How much time do I have?"

"No need to rush, Kagome," Sango said, noticing her quickly trying to flee. "We've got plenty of time. We probably won't leave for another fifteen minutes or so. Depends on when everyone wants to head back," she said with a shrug.

Kagome sighed, nodding towards Sango with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Sango. I'll be quick. I want to take off this makeup and wipe up a bit."

She shook her head with a wave of her hand, shooing her off. "Go. I think I'll just wait until we get back to take a nice bath. Everyone will just have to deal with my smelly self in the car." Kagome laughed as she turned to head into the tunnels. There was a loud echo of chatter as she got into the tunnel, signaling happy fans leaving.

Finding the locker room, Kagome went in and went directly towards the showers in the back, dropping her things on one of the benches right outside of the shower room. She grabbed her towel and underwear and went in to one of the shower stalls, hanging her things outside. She quickly made work of the last outfit they had to wear which was a dark blue, jeans jumper suit with a hot pink spaghetti strap underneath. And with more pink butterflies stitched onto the jeans' jumper legs. Kagome smiled as she hung up her outfit and turned the shower on, quickly wanting to wash away the sweat.

She remembered when she had first seen her costumes and had asked Sango why every outfit had butterflies on it.

"Kikyo loves butterflies," Sango said, matter-of-factly. "It's one of her signatures now. I don't know if you've seen her first album cover, but it had a butterfly on it. So she's kept up with it since and now her fans has caught on to her signature. Many of them come to the concerts dressed up with butterflies either on their clothes or on their faces or their hair."

"Have you guys ever had a concert with costumes that didn't have butterflies?" she asked.

Sango took a minute to think about it. "Kikyo is still a rising star in Japan. She's only been in this business for four years. We've known each other for five. The first two years she was still trying to get herself noticed by a label, and she finally did after two years. After she signed, she began writing more songs for her first album, which is what we've been doing concerts and shows on ever since the album was released last year."

Sango paused, then smiled, finally remembering. "I think we had a few costumes that didn't have butterflies. But most of them have butterflies to advertise her album."

Kagome had a quick five minute shower, knowing that once she got back to her room she was due for a long soak. Her muscles hurt and so did her abs. Dancing really took a toll on the body. And as dancers, they did their best to prevent injury because if one of them were to get injured, their entire dance would be ruined as it would change the flow, the transitions and the look with one missing dancer. Kagome shut off the shower, dried herself off and put her underwear on. She opened the shower door to head to her bag, wrapping her towel around her.

Tonight went so well and she was still buzzing from her first performance. She couldn't believe how many people were here, cheering for them, cheering for Kikyo and singing along with her. It was so different to hear a singer's song when thousands of people sang along with them, an echo throughout the entire arena. And then dancing with the group was so much fun. She knew that she had smiled the entire time and that she gave everything out there. When she danced with Inuyasha, it felt like it was just the two of them and their little fit with each other was forgotten. She always had fun dancing with him, even when they were practicing the routines together. If the past couple of weeks hadn't happened between them, maybe they would've enjoyed dancing together tonight. Thinking back, she could tell that he had just as much fun dancing with her as she did with him.

After she got ready, Kagome left the locker room and looked down both sides of the tunnel. People were walking back and forth down the tunnel that she couldn't see the end of since it was a circular arena. She decided to go the opposite way this time, wondering if the others were still backstage or if they had gone to the cars already. She checked her time to make sure she was within her time limit and made her way down the tunnel. There were crates and boxes set against the walls on either side. The smell reminded her of iron and chlorine, a weird combination. Kagome went back to thinking about the performance, unable to get the experience out of her head.

She made her way to the other entrance backstage and nodded with a smile as one of the crew passed her by, carrying cables in his arms. The sound of metal hitting against each other distracted her, but for a moment it was there, and then it was gone. Kagome looked around, noticing how certain areas backstage were in the dark and certain were in the light, which was why the crew had to walk around with flashlights to see everything so that they wouldn't injure themselves or leave something behind. She shook her head and continued forward, but then the sound happened again. Kagome turned and looked into the shadows just to the right of the doorway. There were boxes and crates piled up against the wall, obviously where the crew had stored all the empty boxes for the equipment. There was another curtain that separated one long walkway that went behind their dressing room areas, possibly to allow the crew to move around without getting in the performers' way, but also keeping most of the boxes out of their way so no one would get hurt.

Kagome frowned, squinting her eyes as she walked forward, hearing the sound of heavy breathing. Her heart sped up, wondering who was back here, and thinking that it was none of her business, that she needed to turn around. She knew that sound and by the quiet moans of a woman, she knew what was happening. It happened again, metal hitting metal for a couple of times, and then stopped. Kagome shook her head, stopping short, not wanting to see who it was, but too late not to as two figures came out from behind a tall stack of crates.

'Naraku! Kikyo!' The two of them were going at it without a care in the world as to who saw them, even though they thought they were hidden from view. Naraku had Kikyo on top of one of the crates, trying to get a better angle with her while he plunged into her, which was why Kagome heard the sound of scraping metal. It was the sound of the other stacked crates being pushed back, threatening to fall off the bottom crate if they got too carried away. Kikyo was still dressed in her final outfit, her white skirt with pink tulle was hiked up and her head was thrown back as she cradled Naraku's head against her chest while he held her body to him. The two of them were still dressed, only quickly moving aside what they needed in order to get at what they wanted. The sound of Kikyo's moans reached her and Naraku's grunting made Kagome turn her head. She didn't have to see this. She turned quickly and walked away, bumping into a stage crew as she was hastily trying to find the others. She made her way past Kikyo's dressing room to find the group's dressing room still busy with everyone talking, some sitting on the chairs while others were stretching out on the floor.

"Kagome," Emi called, brushing her short hair as she sat on one of the chairs, turning to look up at her. "Did you take a bath?"

She nodded her head, chasing away the sight she had just seen. 'I wonder if they all know about their little fling?' "Yeah. I needed to get the sweat off before we all got in a car together."

Emi laughed, turning to look at herself in the mirror. "Bless you. But we all just get in the car together, sweaty and stink all the time." Kagome smiled and walked over to Shippo who was on his back, pulling his knee into his chest.

"Hey, Shippo," she said, placing her duffle bag down and sitting next to him to spread her legs and stretch.

"Hey, Kagome. How did you like tonight? You were awesome by the way! You and Inuyasha rocked it!" Shippo turned his head over, his green eyes lit up as he smiled at her.

"You think so?"

He nodded, his head sliding against the ground, switching knees. "You did. You're a professional." Now it was her turn to smile at him, thankful for his praise.

"Thanks, Shippo." She didn't want to bring up what she just saw to him, in case no one else knew. She didn't want to embarrass Kikyo like that. Naraku, she could care less. She had seen it in his eyes earlier and it wasn't a surprise to her that he was that kind of man now that she has seen him with Kikyo. But then again, Kikyo should know better.

When Kikyo and Naraku rejoined the group, they called everyone's attention and told everyone to pack up. It was time to head back to the hotel, the cars were waiting. Kagome got off the ground with Shippo and picked up her duffle bag, watching as the others began to file out, taking their things with them. She went to deposit her costume back on the rack and was the last to leave, turning to see Inuyasha walk up towards Naraku and Kikyo. She could only see the sides of their faces, but she could tell Inuyasha was angry. He glared at Naraku, said something to him she couldn't hear, and grabbed Kikyo's elbow, pulling her with him. Kikyo looked like she was objecting, but she went along with him anyway. Kagome frowned, wondering what was up with those two. Were they dating? Did Inuyasha know that Naraku and Kikyo had a thing with each other? He did mention that he could smell a lot better than humans could. Could he smell that Naraku and Kikyo had sex together? She was so confused. It seemed like some sort of twisted love triangle between the three of them that she wanted no part of. 'Don't get yourself into trouble, Kagome,' she warned herself before leaving the dressing room.

As she passed Naraku, he followed behind her, making her wary and she glanced over her shoulder. "I'd appreciate it if you left me alone, Naraku." He didn't say anything so she sped up just a little, looking ahead as Inuyasha and Kikyo left her sight, turning into the tunnel to head to the cars.

"I haven't touched you," Naraku said.

"No. But I know that look in your eyes. I've seen it before. Trust me, I want no part of what you're offering."

Naraku suddenly grabbed her elbow, tugging her to a stop. He turned her around so that she faced him, the force of the spin shocking her as her defenses immediately went up in a knee-jerk reaction. He smiled down at her, his eyes drinking her in. "What am I offering, Kagome?"

He was so close that she could smell the alcohol from his mouth. Her heart raced, speeding up at their close proximity. He was holding onto her elbow, not letting her go, and her mind was screaming for her to run from him. The look in his eyes set her alarm bells off. Kagome swallowed hard, steeling her nerves. She didn't have Jinenji here to protect her. This was another job, the real world where she didn't have someone to watch over her all the time. She had to take care of herself and in this situation, she would do whatever she had to in order to get free.

"Nothing that I want."

Naraku smirked, chuckling as he took a step towards her, closing the gap between them. She could smell his cologne strongly, making her turn her face from him.

"Let me go, Naraku. You're drunk."

"Kagome… I'm far from it." He reached out, making her jerk her head from him, but he grabbed locks of her hair and pushed it back behind her ear. She kept her body absolutely still, like prey caught in a predator's sights. "You are very beautiful," he said slowly, watching the way his fingers moved in her hair. She tugged again at her elbow, making him look at her eyes. He smirked. "You really don't like me, do you?"

Just as she was about to say something, Miroku's voice came from behind her.

"Naraku!" His eyes went up, distracting him, and Kagome moved her head so that her hair fell out of his hand and she moved back a step. She heard Miroku walking up behind her.

"Let go of her," Miroku said, coming around Kagome to push him back, only enough to get Naraku to take a step back, doing what Miroku said. He let go of her elbow and Kagome cradled her elbow against her, looking at Miroku with wonder. Miroku grabbed Kagome, placing his hand around her shoulders, keeping her close against him. He urged her forward and the two of them walked out into the tunnel together.

"Don't tell Inuyasha about this," Miroku said as they made their way down the tunnel towards the sound of loud screams and chatter. Kagome blinked, looking up at Miroku as he looked down at her, keeping his right arm secured around her shoulders. "Just don't, okay? It's better if he doesn't know what Naraku did. It would… set him off."

Kagome nodded, not really understanding why but trusting Miroku's judgment. Inuyasha was his friend and he knew Inuyasha more than she did. Whatever was happening between Naraku, Kikyo and Inuyasha, she wanted no part of it. Kagome shook her head, recovering from that encounter, as she saw the flashes of lights coming up ahead.

"I'm okay, Miroku. Really," she tried to reassure him. She placed her right hand on his chest, now feeling comfortable with him touching her. She was sure that Miroku was a good man, he had just tried to protect her, and she felt like he stepped up like an older brother. Kagome smiled up at him as he looked at her, seeking the truth in her eyes. "Really. I'm fine. Naraku was just being a jerk."

Miroku shook his head but let her go, moving back so that the both of them dropped their arms but kept walking towards the double doors that led out into the screams and flashing lights. "You have no idea." When they neared the door, he looked to her with his million dollar smile. "Get ready for it," he warned. And that was all she needed to know to put on a smile and steel herself for the barrage of fans waiting outside for autographs and pictures. Even though they weren't there for her, she knew that Miroku would have his own set of fans screaming for him, and he would be walking with her. So she would be in the limelight too.

There were three security guards stationed at the door and they helped to escort Miroku and Kagome out. They led the way, pushing through the crowd of people that had set up at the entrance where they had somehow found out the performers would be exiting from. One of the security guards enveloped Kagome under one arm and used his other to push aside the fans. All she could make out was 'autograph' and 'please' and 'Miroku'. They were all screaming at once, trying to get his attention. But the security didn't stop until she and Miroku were in the car, not allowing the fans any time for attention. The other Escalade had already left but the BMW was still waiting with two security guards around it, one on each side to prevent anyone from getting in. Kagome figured it was Naraku's ride with Kikyo. The two of them got in the backseat and the security shut the door behind them.

Tomorrow would be the same as tonight with screaming fans, a sea of moving lights and the anxiety and adrenaline. Kagome smiled, looking out the black tinted windows, as everyone made small talk in the car about the performance. 'I could get used to this.'