Inuyasha and friends reached the castle at around noon. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kagome waited behind Inuyasha, as though they were his army. Inuyasha would unleash his plan at the exact moment. "Everyone know your positions?" Inuyasha asked. Everyone nodded, but little Shippo jumped up and down. "Um, can you give me the entire plan one more time? Just to be sure I have it down." Inuyasha sighed, and placed a hand on his hip. "Here's the deal, Shippo. Sango and Miroku will stay outside and make a distraction for Naraku's servants. You and Kagome will creep into the castle while the servants ain't lookin', and find Kikyo. You two will guide Kikyo to safety, and I'll break in to find Naraku. After he's destroyed, we're outta here. Understand?" Shippo nodded, and gave the thumbs-up sign to show his agreement. Inuyasha scowled, eyeing Shippo somewhat crossly. "I'm not the kind of person who likes to waste time," he mumbled. "Or explaining things. Okay, you all ready? Let's go!"
Sango and Miroku positioned themselves by the bath house, leaving Kagome and Shippo to hide behind the large water pipes. Inuyasha crouched on top of the stable rafters, where the incarnations could not see him. When everything was prepared, Inuyasha flicked his claws, giving everyone the signal.
The servants opened the paper screen leading to the veranda, and they went outside in groups of sevens or eights. Shippo, who had never seen so many men at one time, gasped. Kagome, who was following Inuyasha's plan loyally, clapped her hand over his mouth.
"We'll make the garden look somewhat nicer, for Master Naraku's woman," one servant said rather loudly. Inuyasha, who was eavesdropping intently, clenched his fists.
"If they're talking about Kikyo, she definitely ain't that bastard's woman," he whispered to himself.
Sango and Miroku looked at each other, starting up their distraction. "Oh, Kenji," Sango said, using false names for their plan. "I just love the scenery in this place, don't you?" Miroku, who followed Sango's lead, gave her a calm smile.
"Oh, yes, um...Kaoru. This place surely captures my fancy. Perhaps we shall live close to this place, someday," Miroku said, sneaking a quick wink at Sango.
Sango raised her hand to her forehead, as though she was suffering from heat. "Catch me, Kenji." Miroku, living up the drama of the moment, ran to her as though she was falling dead in a romance movie. "Kaoru..." he murmured, and caught her just before it seemed she would hit the ground. "Nice move, Miroku," Sango scowled in Miroku's ear. "I actually thought you were going to let me fall!"
The servants, who had been watching with full interest, waved their arms. One servant, the one who called Kikyo 'Naraku's woman', waved his arm the highest. "Yeah, let's see some action going!" Miroku and Sango looked at each other, somewhat disgusted.
"He's even more perverted than you are," Sango whispered. "And I thought that was virtually impossible."
Miroku shrugged. "I know....hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Sango smirked, and continued with her act. However, before she could continue, the perverted servant approached, and stared from Sango to Miroku.
"Hey, what are you two doing here? Are you friends of Naraku's or Kikyo's?" the servant asked, placing his hands on his hips.
Sango and Miroku exchanged glances, and smiled. Miroku approached the servant slowly, starting his famous smooth talk. "Why, we are great friends of Kikyo. In fact, we came from her home village. We're just a happy, married couple, searching for a place to spend our honeymoon." When Sango heard Miroku's words, she blushed a deep red and turned away.
One servant laughed, and laid eyes upon Sango. "You've sure got a pretty lady." Sango turned her head away in fake embarrassment, and Miroku tapped his staff against the ground, giving Kagome and Shippo the signal.
Kagome and Shippo snuck away, and crept up to the castle door slowly. Very carefully, Shippo flipped the latch open with his tiny paws. Kagome pulled the screen open slowly, allowing Shippo to crawl inside. Then, Kagome used all the stealth skills she had, and carefully got inside without disrupting Sango and Miroku's lie.
When Kagome and Shippo got inside unseen, Miroku and Sango nodded. Sango reached into her belt and withdrew a tiny box. She and Miroku covered their noses, and threw the box at the servants. The package of poison powder exploded, leaving a large, green cloud of gas. When the cloud finally cleared, all of the servants were in a deep sleep.
Sango removed her hand from her nose. "They'll wake up by the time we've escaped. If everything goes according to Inuyasha's plan, that is." Miroku nodded, and together, he and Sango waited by the stables until Kagome and Shippo would return.