Guess who's back? This authoress is disgruntled. One review. One. Was that chapter really boring? I know people are reading it; I got a lot of hits. I've decided that I'm going to give responses to my reviewers, which is quite an easy task seeing that I have one reviewer.

Cheriberigurl: Well, I thought so too, so if I thought it was boring, I shouldn't be so surprised that you thought it was boring. Thanx for the compliment though! That made me want to do this chapter, and I got it out quicker. As for the reviewers, well, just wait until you have a story on your own up here, and then see that it gets no reviews. You would be very sad. (.

Anyway, this chapter's so NOT boring, I had fun writing it, and I expect to get some responses out of it.

DISCLAIMOR: Don't own Inuyasha, but I do own Mikayo, who is the first OC that I've ever put in a story, so this should be interesting.

Chapter 2: Enter Mikayo

3 months later

"Inuyasha, how many times do I have to tell you? You can't walk me to school, and that's final!"

"Kagome, I'm not letting you go out there while it's not safe!"

"What do you mean, not safe? It's perfectly safe, and I'm perfectly capable of walking to school by myself!"

"Well, that guy last night seemed pretty suspicious to me!"

"What guy?"

"That one guy!"

Mrs. Higurashi let out a soft chuckle as she continued to listen to her daughter and her friend Inuyasha bicker. The sun was shining on the early September morning, a tiny whisper of fall in the air, but still hot and a tad humid. Inuyasha and Kagome had come back last night from the feudal era to get supplies. Inuyasha was going to go back after their errand, but for some reason he felt compelled to stay overnight in the god tree, the Goshinboku. Mrs. Higurashi guessed she was about to find out why.

"Oh, Inuyasha, you don't mean him!"

"Yes, him! The way he kept asking all those strange questions and the way he slapped that stick in his hand-"

"They're called policemen, Inuyasha, that's what they're supposed to do!"

"I still don't think it's safe."

Kagome sighed, knowing this argument was going nowhere. It wasn't that she didn't want him with her, but she was tired of explaining his weird red baseball cap, his fire-rat coat, and, most noticeably, his long, pure silver hair and shining amber eyes. And what if the cap flew off in the wind? Kagome had yet to find an excuse for those ears of his, furry and doggy-like, sitting on his head. They, along with the fangs and claws, showed his true nature- half-demon, or hanyou, whichever you prefer. Either way, to her, all demons, full or not, had the biggest streak of stubbornness that she had ever seen. Because of that, Kagome dearly wished to use the rosary's power. "Okay mother, I'm leaving!" Kagome called out, and grabbed her bike.

"Take care now," Mrs. Higurashi responded.

Inuyasha watched Kagome walk down toward the street, and started to follow. He noticed that she wasn't paying attention, so he made one giant leap to catch up to her. She still didn't do anything, maybe because there wasn't anybody around. He relaxed; for once, Kagome-

"SIT!"

It just so happened that they walked onto the sidewalk, and so Inuyasha did a face plant into solid concrete. It was, needless to say, very painful.

'Damn you wench,' he thought as he heard Kagome ride away as fast as she could. 'All right, if that's the way you want it, I won't come. Not even if you call.' He picked himself up and shook off the little pieces of gravel stuck in his hair. Nothing to do but go back to the feudal era now.

"Inuyasha?" Mrs. Higurashi called. She was standing in the doorway. "Could you bring this to Kagome; she forgot her lunch again."

"I'm on it." Inuyasha snatched it up, and bounded down the drive to the school. Hopefully he'll catch her before she entered the big brick building.

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Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were waiting for Kagome at their usual corner. She hopped off her bike, and listened to them gossip about the boys at her school, not really paying attention. Just as they reached the subject of Hojo, he appeared not to far ahead of them. "Look!" Eri pointed excitedly.

'Please no!' Kagome thought to herself, but too late- Hojo saw them, and biked his way over.

"Hi Kagome!" Hojo said enthusiastically.

"Oh, uh, hello, Hojo," she replied, not as enthusiastic. She felt one of her friends nudge her in the ribs. Her mind wandered to what kind of illness her grandpa came up with.

"So, how did the testing go?"

"Testing?"

"Yeah, I called, and your grandfather regrettably told me you were in the hospital testing for lymphatic leukemia."

"Oh yeah, uh, Hojo, the results were. . They were fine, came back negative."

Hojo let out a small sigh. "Good, I was really worried about you." This statement caused both of the teens to blush. 'Uh, these are for you. It's a crème that my father made. It will get rid of the red rash and keep your lymph nodes in check."

Kagome accepted the gift, as usual. "Thanks, Hojo," she said brightly, trying to sound like she meant it.

Hojo rubbed the back of his head. "And, uh, I was wondering if you would like to catch a movie, you know, if you feel up to it." He was now blushing bright red. "This Friday."

Poor Kagome, she knew this would happen, and she left the house with no good reason to decline. Her friends, watching her falter, decided to answer for her. "Of course she-"

"Won't." Standing behind Kagome and her friends stood a VERY irate Inuyasha, decked out with baseball cap and all, holding one, slightly crumpled, brown paper bag a.k.a. Kagome's lunch. "She's not going with you."

A very pregnant pause ensued, while everyone, including Kagome, stared at him. The silence was broken when Ayumi shyly spoke up. "Uh, Kagome? Is that . . . is he your two-timing boyfriend?"

Inuyasha turned sharply to her. "What do you mean, two-timing?" he growled. Kagome was afraid to acknowledge anything, but out of instinct, she found herself nodding slowly, a very tiny movement. A movement that caught Hojo's eye and comprehension dawned on him. He looked fearfully at Inuyasha, who didn't see Kagome nod, and still looked ready to kill somebody. "I'm sorry, Kagome, I didn't realize you were taken. I, uh, got to go." With that he turned quickly, and hurried toward the school. Inuyasha was caught off guard; he never seen his opponents back down so swiftly before.

Somehow, Kagome found her voice. "Hojo, he's not," she began, but Hojo held up his hand and cut her off.

"No, Kagome, I don't want you to be two-timing your guy." With that, he practically fled on his bike, his brown hair ruffling in the wind.

She turned around slowly, praying that Inuyasha was taking this well, and would not do something, well, embarrassing. Inuyasha, for his part, avoided her eyes as well. He handed the bag to Kagome, muttered, "Here. You forgot your lunch," and walked away quickly in a very un-Inuyasha like manner.

"Kagome? You mind filling us in here?" Kagome snapped out of her shock mode, and faced her friends.

"Well, that was very weird, and I'm glad it's over, end of story." While saying this, Kagome made a mental note to have a good talk with Inuyasha when she got back to the feudal era.

Ayumi looked at her curiously. "You mean, you're not upset that you just lost Hojo?"

Kagome shook her head. "I never had him in the first place. Listen guys, can we please just get to school?"

"Yeah." Yuka agreed. "Especially since we have that biology quiz this morning."

"Biology quiz? What biology quiz!" Poor Kagome.

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'I'm such a fool.' This line kept running through Hojo's head on the way back to Kamakura. Though the incident happened three days ago, Hojo still felt like a fool. All the time Kagome flaked out on him, or left him in the middle of the date . . . he now saw the truth. 'I've been aced out by a silver-headed, red-coated . . . somebody. I'm so upset, I can't even insult people!'

The taxi cab left him on his father's front steps. He went to Kamakura every weekend now, being it was only one hour south of Tokyo. It cut out some time with friends, but until soccer season started, he allowed himself these two days of peace, because he really needed them. He came for that reason and for one other- the feudal era.

Hojo had decided to come back after that fateful day three months ago. The villagers had finally accepted that he was not a god, and Hojo found out that he liked the serenity found in an unmodern world. It was so . . . tranquil, really. He came to help the villagers now, especially since harvesting time was coming shortly. He would help them make weapons, but refused t join their army, thinking it too violent for his tastes. Sometimes he'd even go so far as to baby-sit their children. His favorite part was when he hung out with the village priestess, and she would tell him of the many legends and myths. To be truthful, he was shocked to hear that demons were real, and was enthralled when the priestess defeated a youkai attacking the village. The priestess told him that he should not have to worry about the youkai, for there were only low-level ones lurking near the village, and Hojo had a sword given to him by the village leader that would protect him in the face of danger.

Come to think of it, Hojo could see something demonic about that boyfriend of Kagome's. Maybe it was the eyes. . .

Ichiro watched his son grab a few items, and then leave without a word. Hojo worked up the nerve to tell his father what he was doing a couple of months ago, and somehow Mr. Yamamoto believed him. He felt his son was in no danger, and as long as he helped out in the shop once in a while, then the boy could do whatever he wanted.

Hojo hurried toward the Hachimangu, anxious to be alone, and jumped down the well. After a very floaty journey, he climbed out of the well, and took one step towards the village. He stopped though, and stepped up to a tree. "Oh, why, tree, why did Kagome choose him, and why did she make a fool out of me?" Hojo yelled, hitting his head against the thick trunk. (A/N: I know that Hojo in the show or manga would never do this, but drama was being called for P)

"From where I come from, talking to trees was a sign of insanity. Maybe that answers your question." Hojo looked up to see a woman of medium height and skinny build. Her black hair was pulled together by a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Blue eyes shined over a dusting of freckles. He blushed brightly, noting the smirk at his queer behavior. Her garments, which consisted of purple robes, suggested that perhaps she was a monk. In her hand was a golden staff.

"Are you a monk?" A lame question, but it was the only response Hojo could muster.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am. A traveling monk, I suppose."

"I have never seen a female monk."

"Yes, we are quite rare." She chuckled a bit, her eyes dancing. "But no matter. You are troubled. . ." She paused.

"Hojo." He gave his name without thinking.

"Hojo? Yes, I was wondering. Did you really just come out of the Hachimangu well?"

"Yes, I did." Hojo briefly thought of the villagers. "You don't know the prophecy, do you? Because I'm not a god."

The female monk laughed again. "I'm well-learned in the folklore, but I doubted you were a god. But it leaves me to question your true where-abouts, for I don't think you originated here." That was when Hojo spilled everything. He did not know why (was it her warm voice, or the fact that she seemed so much more intelligent than he?), but he told her about the future, how he traveled through five hundred years, and so on and so forth. He noticed though, that when he mentioned Kagome and her amber-eyed friend, that she leaned forward in attention and let every word sink in. She was a very good listener, and waited until the end to ask questions. She had but one.

"Do you still love Kagome?"

Hojo looked down at his feet. "I guess so. She's still on my mind a lot, but if she doesn't like me, then there's nothing I can do."

The female monk paused. "What if you could take Mr. Silver-Hair out of the picture?" Hojo looked at her strangely.

"You sound as if you know him."

The girl shrugged. "I happen to know his name's Inuyasha, that's all. Do you want him out of Kagome's life?" The smallest trace of coldness in her voice lingered in the air.

Hojo slowly nodded. "I feel heartless saying so, but it would be better if it was so. He cheats on Kagome, according to her friends, and he may be the reason why she gets upset so easily." As he said this, he felt small stirrings of anger in his stomach, and came to realize that he hated Inuyasha.

The female monk sighed. After this, there was no turning back. "Do you want to get rid of him?"

Anger was churning in his stomach. "I think I do."

"Then follow me." The woman abruptly stood up, and started walking quickly away to the north. Hojo stood up, but before moving, voiced a final question he had.

"Who are you and what are we doing now?"

The woman smiled. "I'm Mikayo, the monk, and we're following her." Mikayo pointed sky-wards, where Hojo could see a woman on a leaf, floating through the air at the same pace as a fast jog. Her red eyes were gazing ahead sharply, and in one hand was one intricate, solitary fan.

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End of chapter two. Yay! I feel like this chapter was better, don't you agree. One comment, I know that Hojo normally wouldn't want to get rid of anybody, but for the purpose of this story, I had to make him a little OOC. Hopefully you don't mind, but that's not going to change.

Now for thanks:

THANX to cheriberigurl for reviewing and being my first reviewer, and to la89801 for putting this story on her favorites list, though she didn't review, so I'm assuming that you like it, La.

Chapter three will be coming whenever I get inspired to write it, and it will be the last Hojo dominate chapter, at least, I think it is the last.

Till next time,

SereneDolphin