Hey y'all. Forgive me; I've just come back from Country/Western night at Sigma Alpha at me college, so I'm in a country mood. Also forgive me for taking a week to get this out. I've lately just got a horrible addiction to Inuyasha music videos, and have downloaded . . . oh . . . so . . . many. Good times, good times.

Here's the response to the reviews:

Midnight Secret: Hi Tara, glad to hear from you. I know what I said about Kagome and Co., but I changed my plans. That scene with Hojo was important; I had to add it in. The rest of the gang won't show up until chapter four. Inu is in this chapter, though.

Cheriberigurl: Read above. And thanx!

Melinda-chan: Just a note, I like the name Melinda. Hojo's parents might own a shop, I don't remember it ever saying that, but it could be true. Since I didn't know, I figured that they being doctors would make sense. Maybe they own a medicine shop, because it's still kind of weird that Hojo knows all those remedies. . .Thanx for the help on the Japanese, I'm really sketchy when it comes to that. I might ask you again here in this chapter, I think I might have made a mistake.

That goes for everybody. Notice a mistake, notify me, and I will correct it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I would like some plushies, though. I do own Mikayo, but if you ask nicely. . .

Chapter 3: Mikayo's Plan

Inuyasha stomped into the Higurashi shrine, and would've slammed the door, but caught himself just in time. Mrs. Higurashi watched him, noting that, though his face was emotionless, his ears were slightly drooping. "Did you have any trouble, Inuyasha?" she asked.

Inuyasha's ears perked up immediately. "Of course not!"

"Run into Hojo, did you?" This remark scared Inuyasha quite a bit, but far be it from him to show it. 'How does Kagome's mother know everything, all the time?'

"Yeah, so?" Though Inuyasha tried to sound nonchalant, Mrs. Higurashi could hear a tint of jealousy and hurt in his reply. That was all she needed to hear.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Kagome will be back in a few days, five tops." She went back to her knitting. Inuyasha grunted, and was thankful that she was letting him leave. He needed to go sit in a tree and think.

He strolled over to the well, wondering if he would yell at Kagome or just ignore her when she got back; both seemed so tempting. It was almost as tempting as using Kongousouha on that brown-haired pretty boy. Inuyasha smirked at the thought as he prepared to jump. . .

"No! Don't go!" A small voice rang out, stopping Inuyasha dead in his tracks. He spun around to see Souta, Kagome's 10-year-old brother. (A/N: I think he was nine in the series, but I figured he had a birthday in there somewhere.) He held back a groan; somehow whenever Souta is involved, it led to awkward moments, such as running into Kagome's bedroom naked and giving love advice.

"What do you want, kid?"

Souta looked at him with shiny eyes. "Can you help me with something?"

"Out with it."

"Well, it's about Hitomi-chan. . ."

"Isn't she that girl you like?"

"Yeah." Little Souta was shaking now. "Please, Inu-niisan, you got to help me!"

"Listen, kid, I don't know anything about getting out of relationships." 'Seeing as how I've never been in one,' he added silently to himself.

Souta shook his head. "No, I don't want to end it with Hitomi. It's just . . . She can't leave me alone!"

"Isn't the point to be with each other?"

"Yeah, but she goes wherever I go, switches classrooms to be with me, and I'm starting to get sick of her. It's like too much of a good thing."

Inuyasha scratched his white, fuzzy ears. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel? Tell her that she's bothering you, and to give you time to yourself. How else will she know that she's a pain?"

"Really, Inu-niisan? That's all I have to do?"

"It's what I would do."

"Thanks a lot!" Souta got up. "Kick some demon butt on the other side!"

"Sure will, kid." Impatient to leave, Inuyasha chose that moment to jump in the well, leaving a very happy Souta behind. As he traveled, his thoughts strayed to Kagome. 'Maybe. . .' he thought, but stopped thinking, for all these relationship troubles were giving him a headache.

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Hojo's eyes kept straying to the lady on the leaf, thankful that she was moving at a fast walk's pace. He was very curious, though, and he voiced his thoughts out loud. "Uh, Mikayo? Don't you think it's strange that she hasn't noticed us at all?"

Mikayo glance upward. "She does know of our presence."

"How can you tell? She hasn't looked downward or anything!"

"They are expecting us."

'Somebody's expecting me?' wondered Hojo. Mikayo, as if reading his thoughts, looked at him and smiled.

"Actually, I am the only visitor they are expecting, but you will be a pleasant surprise."

"Oh," was the intelligent reply that Hojo created. "Do you know that woman up there?"

"Vaguely. Her name is Kagura. Stay sharp; we're almost at our destination." Sure enough, Kagura sped up a little, and touched down at the entrance of a nearby cave. Hojo was ready to rush forward, eager he was, but Mikayo grabbed hold of his wrist. "Wait, Hojo! There's something I must warn you about." Hojo stopped and gave her his undivided attention. 'We are about to see somebody who is very powerful, and who's not afraid to kill. You must be cautious. No lies, and please don't do anything that might offend him."

"Okay." Hojo trembled a bit. He wondered if this was someone that they should have contact with at all.

Mikayo sighed. "He's not my personal favorite, but he's the only one that stands a chance at killing Inuyasha. With our help, of course, it will happen." Hojo gave her a nod, and they made their way toward the cavern.

When they reached the entrance, Hojo got a closer look at Kagura. He saw the pointed ears and gasped. "You . . . You're . . . You're a demon!" he sputtered.

Kagura gave him a cold, calculating look. "Nice observation- how many humans have you seen flying around on leaves?" Her voice, low and deep, was dripping with sarcasm.

Hojo turned to Mikayo. "You didn't tell me we were working with demons!" The poor guy was thrown off by Kagura, for he had never seen a humanoid demon before. Kagura's eyes narrowed.

"Why not? Demons are the perfect assassins, seeing it's in their blood." Mikayo smiled weakly. "You need to stay here. I cannot stress to you the danger of upsetting the demon we are accomplicing with- Kagura could tell you. You will know when you should com in." With that, Mikayo set off into the cave, leaving a slightly worried Hojo behind with the demon Kagura.

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The cave was unusual; it was cold, for one thing. It was in the air, a chill that went straight for your bones, all warmth exiting you like a fire going out. A creek used to be in the bottom, but it has dried up mysteriously, forcing many cave creatures to move, or some simply died. Funny enough, though the cave's main water supply was gone, the walls continued to be slimy; a glistening gray from the few patches of light. 'All in all,' thought Mikayo, 'one of the top ten most gruesome places I've ever seen. I hope he doesn't hide out here again.'

The slim passageway of the cavern veered right, and opened up into quite a large room, with a large boulder serving s a floor. At the other end stood a man, or at least something at human height. A thick, white baboon pelt with a blue head covered the entity's body efficiently, hiding any identity. Mikayo, however, knew who it was, or, perhaps more appropriately, what it was.

"I wish to speak with you, Naraku," she called out boldly. Naraku turned his gaze on her, but with the thick baboon pelt, it was impossible to tell where his focus was.

"Yes. Mikayo the monk. You wish to destroy Inuyasha."

"I'm glad you know my intentions."

"I ask why."

Tension sprang into Mikayo's shoulders. He was fingering for information; it was foolish of her to think that she'd win his trust so easily. Still, it could be done. She summoned up all the hatred in her being so that it echoed out with her voice.

"I came from the village of Tanashi, which is northwest of here, and a little bit east from where Inuyasha grew up. I come from a long line of monks, but none of them was as skilled as my father was. He saved the village from countless number of demons. They were ready to call him the leader of our village, but disaster struck." Mikayo at this point let a slight amount of sadness creep into her voice. "For reasons of his own, Inuyasha attacked the village. He managed to destroy half our town in a blink of an eye. I think there was another demon with him, but that demon left shortly after. My father came rushing; he was out healing others in a nearby village. Inuyasha requested a one-on-one with him, and my father thought he could handle him. To this day, I. . ." Mikayo's voice cracked. "I don't understand how a half-demon such as Inuyasha killed my father. The whole village collapsed, and our townsmen picked off and eaten by a swarm of demons which followed him. This happened in my fifth year of life. I was fatherless, and homeless. We lost everything." She succumbed to her tears; shimmering, wet splashes dotted the cave floor.

"Mmmm, so it would seem. But why come to me when demons are the cause of your tragic village's demise?"

"Normally such action would disgrace my family and the village. However, I have no family, I have no village. All that is left is a burning desire for revenge. Who better to come to than the demon who seeks for Inuyasha's death? It is no secret you are after him."

"True, but I, Naraku, have yet to see the reason you've come before me, monk."

"I have a plan." Naraku kept silent, so she decided that meant to proceed. "I will appear before Inuyasha's group. I believe that one of their number is a monk named Miroku." Naraku gave a hint of a smirk at the remembrance of the curse he put on that particular line of monks. "I can appear as a fellow monk, who is seeking revenge for you. Come up with a secret solution to your defeat. Have them go on a wild goose chase. And, at the location where they end up at, we shall spring a trap, leading to Inuyasha's death. That is the gist of it."

"Crude, yet it holds promise. This Naraku will devise a trap when one worthy comes along, perhaps."

"I might have such a thing you were looking for. You are still looking for Shikon Jewel shards?"

"Aye, but the ones that are left will be elusive. Down in the depths of hell, or years into the future." At the mention of the future, Mikayo smiled.

"They may not be so elusive. Kagome is not the only one with her unique talent of seeing the shards; she is not the only time-traveler."

"I, Naraku, request that you bring this time-traveler to me."

"He's standing outside right now. Shall I fetch him?"

"Kanna will do it."

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Hojo was getting very, very bored. At first, it was intimidating to be in the presence of a demoness who could kill you with one swipe (he figured she was that powerful), but as she left him alone, his nerves faded away. He checked his watch and noticed that it has been almost an hour. He had taken a seat on the rocky entrance, which left him with nothing but a sore behind. Kagura looked like she was having as much fun as he was.

Suddenly, Kagura's attention was diverted towards the cave. Hojo looked over, and almost screamed at what he saw. A white, glowing child appeared. White hair, white flowers, white dress, and her skin was so pale that you might as well call it white as well. Hojo decided that her freakiest feature were here eyes. They were hollow, unseeing orbs, transparent, and void of all feeling. It made Hojo shiver. She was holding a mirror, which was the part that Kagura focused on.

"Humph. Do you think Naraku knows how much I hate tailing those idiots?" she muttered, and promptly took off on her leaf. Before Hojo had time to wonder, Kanna turned towards him. As if beckoning him, she turned her back on him and walked back inside the cavern. Taking a deep breath, Hojo followed her.

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I know I said that this would be the last Hojo dominant chapter, but he will play an important part in the next chapter as well. As for the part with Souta, that was a filler if anything. Just for your entertainment so that this chapter can be a proper length, nothing major with the plot. I have many ideas, and this story is coming along.

Thank you to: Midnight Secret, Melinda-chan, and cheriberigurl for reviewing.

R&R,

SereneDolphin