Disclaimer:

Turtlequeen2: You guys didn't think I'd ever finish this, did you?!

Inuyasha: Keh! I wouldn't have been surprised. The way you always start and drop these stupid stories…

Turtlequeen2: -glares- I don't do it all the time! I try my best to update when I can!

Inuyasha: Whatever!

Turtlequeen2: -fumes- Well, I don't own that idiot over there. I only own Medachitagariya!

Inuyasha: -eye twitches out of anger- What did you just call me?!

Turtlequeen2: -pretends not to hear him- I shall thank the following reviewers: BoogiepopShippuden, katana sohma-demon girl, Lonely Moon, sheofgraywings, Tamie123, Chrysolite Heart, Whispering Lillies, Mortimerscross, and soojinyeh!

The Branches of Doom

As soon as the women arrived at the hot springs, they removed their clothes and got into the water, not saying much in between their actions.

After a few minutes of silence, Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but Sango beat her to the chase.

"Kagome-chan…" Sango began. "Do you notice anything odd about Medachitagariya?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

The miko's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open in shock. "I-I was about to ask you the same thing!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Keep your voice low!" the taijiya chided. "You don't know who could be lurking around here…"

"Oh, right. Sorry…" Kagome murmured quietly.

The taijiya sighed. "How and when did you figure it out?" she then asked, very curious at what her friend had to say.

"I figured it out a few moments ago…when she was practically pressing herself against Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, her eyes momentarily blazing like fire.

Sango stifled a laugh. Leave it to the miko to figure it out from her jealousy. "Ah, I see."

"How did you find out?" the miko then questioned.

"I found out a day or so ago. It was a while after the battle with that youkai. Ever since Houshi-sama first met her, he's been obsessed with her." She paused, thinking about what she had said. "Of course, he does it with every other beautiful woman he's ever met, but still…" she trailed off.

"I get it. He's just been not paying you any attention, right?" Kagome finished for her. She paused, raising her eyebrow. "Why did you wait until now to tell me this?"

"I knew that if you were still under that bitch's spell, you wouldn't believe me. I also knew that once you glared at her, her hold over you broke."

"Oh, okay…" Kagome nodded in understanding. She noted the taijiya's strong language regarding the woman and could not have agreed more.

"Did you notice the aura surrounding her?" Sango asked.

"Yes, but just barely…"

"I don't know who or what she is, but she sure isn't good!" the taijiya declared.

"Yeah…" Kagome murmured, beginning to think out loud. "It almost felt like Naraku's energy…"

"Do you think that Naraku is the one controlling her?" Sango questioned with urgency in her voice.

"No, I don't think so…it feels like his evil energy, but it's slightly different…" Kagome then looked at her best friend and pondered, "So, what should we do? I know that we won't be able to convince the other two as easily…"

"If you think about this…" Sango began. "We snap back into our normal selves when she does something that seems unlike her. Flirting with Inuyasha and tricking Houshi-sama are two prime examples. So, perhaps, if we can get her to do something like that to another male in front of them…they may snap out of their trances…" the taijiya thought out loud.

"That's a great idea!" the miko responded. "But…who's the man we want to victimize…?"

"Oh, I wouldn't call it victimizing…I'd call it more like…volunteering…" Sango smirked, the wheels in her head already spinning.

"Ah, got it!" Kagome said, returning the knowing smirk. "Meanwhile…we should probably keep up our acts…"

"Yes. We don't want her suspecting us or she'll place us under an even stronger spell…"

All of this talk of spells and trickery made Kagome begin to think that someone was missing…

"Sango-chan…is it just me, or is someone missing from our group?" Kagome pondered out loud.

"No…" Sango muttered. "No, you're right! I thought about that ever since that battle!" She felt as if she had been hit with a rock because of such a realization.

Their spell was broken, but their memory of the two missing group members were still foggy.

"For some reason, a small child and a cat comes to mind…" the miko then trailed off.

"It's the same for me…and the nekomata helps me in battle or something like that…"

"And the child is a kitsune of some kind…someone who likes to pick on Inuyasha…"

"…a kitsune?" Sango echoed as if knowing how to complete Kagome's sentence. "Wait! I think it's coming back to me! The kitsune's name is…Shippou…?" she trailed off with uncertainty lacing her voice.

"And the nekomata's name is…Ki…Ki-rara…?" Kagome added.

Both women's eyes widened. They had figured it out!

"But if they're missing, where are they?" the miko quiered, voicing the question that the taijiya wondered about in her mind.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that bitch has something to do with it!" Sango said in a near growl.

With that, the two women finished their baths quickly so as not to provoke questioning on why they were taking so long.

After they dressed, they hurried back to the campsite, both wearing fake smiles on their faces.

With Author

"This is strange…" the girl trailed off. "Whenever I type out Kagome and Sango's characters, I make them say angry things…"

"I wonder if what I'm writing is wrong…?" the girl thought aloud. She then laughed. "Oh, that's stupid! It's not like these characters care! They're fiction!"

And with that, the woman began typing once more.

Inside of the Plot Hole

The small group finally stopped walking and decided to take a rest.

"Oooh…I'm so tired and hungry…" Shippou whined, leaning against Kirara, who was in her larger form.

"Quit your complaining, Kitsune," Jaken grumbled. "You're not the only one suffering!"

Shippou managed a weak glare at the toad-youkai. "You're lucky I'm so tired right now because I would gladly battle you!" he growled menacingly.

Jaken snorted in disbelief. "Hah! As if a small child could scare me!"

Kikyou shot a cold glare in both of their directions, causing both to quiet themselves rather quickly. "Both of you! Silence!" she commanded in emphasis.

Before the kitsune could stop himself, tears began to fall from his eyes.

Kirara rubbed her head against the kitsune as a form of comfort. She knew why he was upset.

"Shippou, what are you crying about?" Kikyou then asked, her tone softening once she heard the muffled sobs of the child.

"I…I j-just miss them all, okay!" Shippou declared, giving her an angered stare even though he was more angered with himself for crying in front of them all. "I even miss t-that idiot, I-Inuyasha!" he admitted, sounding as if he were giving away a horrible secret.

Kikyou resisted the urge to laugh at the insult he threw at the hanyou. She proceeded to nod. "We all miss the outside, I am sure," she sympathized. "This place is almost like a Hell…" She heaved a sigh. "Nothing but eternal darkness and eerie silence."

"Exactly! I-I'm too…young t-to…die!" Shippou choked out.

The miko couldn't agree any more with the youngster. "Though you are youkai, you don't deserve this kind of treatment for such a young age…" she remarked.

Jaken felt a small pang of…what was it? Pity? Guilt? 'Nonsense! I don't feel nothing towards this brat! He's like another annoying child to me! Like Rin!' He then stopped himself. 'But even though I say I hate the child, I actually have grown fond of watching her…' he mentally groaned. 'But towards that kistune, it has to be different! Way different! He's part of Sesshoumaru-sama's hanyou brother's group!'

"I h-hate that woman!" the kistune suddenly shouted, the rage lining his tone. "She p-put us all in here!"

Kikyou heaved another sigh. "Shippou, listen to me," she murmured, walking towards the child and sitting down beside him. "Do not let hatred eat your soul," she advised.

"B-but it's true!" he declared stubbornly.

"Yes, the woman may be treacherous, but for a child of your age, it is unhealthy to harbor such feelings. If you keep it within yourself, you will turn into an evil youkai."

Shippou's eyes widened. "T-there's no way I'd—!"

"Yes, there is a way," Kikyou said, cutting him off. "I've seen it happen. Not to mention that when I was killed, I harbored unbearable hatred towards Inuyasha, the man I should have continued loving…" she trailed off. "Now that I have finally realized that I still care for him, I also have realized that my reincarnation followed in the same path as me. Pausing, she added, "She loves him as well…"

The kitsune's eyes widened. His tears began to dry up. "So…you already figured that out?" he asked.

"Yes," Kikyou sighed, sounding as if she were confessing a huge secret. "But I know my time with him has passed. Kagome has already done more than I have ever done for him when I was alive and with him. I accept their relationship…"

"Wow…" Shippou gasped. "I never thought I'd ever hear you say that!"

The miko gave a bitter smile. "Yes, me neither. However, it is true." She gave him a serious look, getting to the point. "Built up hatred only leads to more hatred and bloodshed. Do not fall victim to it, Shippou. That is all I ask of you," she said.

"Right! I got it!" the kitsune nodded. "But then…what should I feel towards that woman?" he questioned.

"You should feel pity and perhaps even anger and sadness towards the woman," Kikyou explained. "For her to commit such crimes is something to wonder about. She must have some reason or secret for doing this."

"Okay…" Shippou nodded. He grinned widely. "Thanks, Kikyou," he then replied. "You made me feel better."

"That is good," the miko responded, returning his smile with her own. "Can you promise to keep what I have just said to you a secret?" she questioned in a serious tone.

The kitsune raised his eyebrow in wonder, pondering on why Kikyou would want to keep such a thing from Inuyasha.

She sighed, explaining herself. "I will tell him myself, when the time comes." She smiled again. "You should get some rest," she advised, noticing the child's struggle to keep from falling over.

"I know…" he trailed off. "I'm still hungry though!" he complained.

"Be thankful for what you have," Kikyou chided, acting like his surrogate mother. "I have a feeling that we won't be in here for much longer."

"All right…I trust you," the kistune replied.

Kirara gave a rumble from her throat as if agreeing with the child.

Jaken only rolled over on his side, trying to get to sleep. 'Great! The sooner I get away from these people, the better!' he thought to himself, despite his conscious disagreeing with him.

In the Sengoku Jidai

It was morning in the Sengoku Jidai and all was well…

Actually, all was well besides the fact that two certain women wanted to murder the self-proclaimed female leader of their group.

Everyone was now traveling on the road again.

The women's fists were balled up at their sides as they watched the men talk with Medachitagariya. Inuyasha and Miroku did nearly everything but worship the girl!

By this time, the hanyou had completely lost all sense. Well, at least all sense of his normal self anyways…

"Medachitagariya, where are you going to take us today?" Inuyasha questioned as if he were some sort of sick love-puppy. …So to speak.

"Yes, dear Medachitagariya-sama, I would also like to know where your beauty leads us on this fine day…" Miroku added, over-dramatizing his usual flirtatious self.

The woman in question, giggled like a self-conscious, modern-day school-girl. "Why, we're going to defeat Naraku, of course!" she declared.

"Naraku?" Inuyasha murmured. He stopped walking, cocking his head to the side much like a dog would. He then put on a pouting expression, complaining, "But, I'd rather stay here and spend time with you!"

Medachitagariya feigned a sigh in a tone that sounded as if she did not want to disappoint the hanyou. "Sorry, Inuyasha-kun, but we should defeat him so that we won't have to deal with him trying to get rid of us in the future."

Inuyasha nodded, but his ears drooped from disappointment. "Fine…" he mumbled. He did not seem to even notice the honorific added to his name.

Miroku, standing on the other side of her also heaved a sigh. It appeared that the monk had his own plans as well.

Meanwhile, in the back of the group stood two greatly pissed women, ready to pummel a certain someone as soon as they had the chance to.

When Kagome heard the honorific "-kun" added to the hanyou's name and noticed his lack of reaction, her eye twitched out of rage. 'How twisted is this chick?!' she demanded in her mind.

Sango subconsciously gripped onto the back of her Hiraikotsu, hoping to use it in the near future. She was tempted to beat the monk, but knew that she would look out of her "normal character" if she did that for no "unexplained" reason.

'I wonder if it's possible to purify someone like her…?' Kagome thought to herself, casting a look at her best-friend.

Sango was thinking something more like: 'I wonder if it's possible to exorcise someone like her!'

For some reason, Medachitagariya felt as if there were two demons standing behind her. She calmly turned around to face the other ladies and smiled. "Is something wrong? You two are walking rather slow compared to us," she asked in a tone that sounded like she actually was concerned with their state of being.

Instantly, the two girls' angry expressions dissolved. Both of them forced smiles and cheerful looks as they stared at her and at the two love-sick boys.

'I'd rather be slow than be close to a witch like you!' Kagome mentally growled. Instead of saying that out loud, she lied, "No, we're fine! Don't worry about us!"

'Yes, actually there is something wrong. It's YOU!' Sango answered in her subconscious. Following Kagome's example, she added, "Let's keep going, Medachitagariya-chan. You have our best interests at heart, after all!" The taijiya mentally cringed at how fake it sounded. She also wanted to cringe at the fact that she used an honorific for the treacherous woman!

Fortunately, Medachitagariya did not notice the false fronts they put up for themselves. It seemed as if the women were better actresses than Medachitagariya herself!

"All right, if you're both sure…" the woman said, turning back around.

As soon as her back faced both women, double glares were set on her.

"Keh! Why don't you keep up so I won't have to carry both of you!" Inuyasha suddenly growled as if he was back to his normal, impulsive self.

Kagome's eye twitched again. Even though she knew that Inuyasha was being controlled, her anger seemed to topple when the hanyou uttered those words. And of course, she did what she normally did to reprimand the hanyou for his wrongdoings...

"Inuyasha…" the miko trailed off.

Oddly enough, Inuyasha did not react at her tone of voice like he normally would.

"Osuwari!" Kagome yelled, multiple veins of frustration popping from her forehead despite the fact that he showed little reaction to her threatening voice.

The beads around his neck plunged the hanyou into the dirt. Inuyasha's most normal reaction all day was the snarl he let out when he realized that he was "sat."

"Kagome…" Inuyasha snarled once his face was able to be lifted from the ground.

Medachitagariya's eyes narrowed, noticing the hanyou face-down in the dirt. "Kagome, I thought I told you to keep those to a minimum!" she hissed in a reprimanding tone.

The miko had it! Setting her glower in the direction of the woman she loathed, she declared, "I don't care what you think! He was being rude and obnoxious!"

Sango resisted the urge to hit her head against the trunk of a nearby tree from her friend's temper beginning to blow their cover.

"What do you mean, 'you don't care what I think'?" Medachitagariya demanded, her nice act slipping slightly.

Miroku's eyebrow raised, beginning to realize that his "angel" was not acting as "angelic" as she put herself off to be. '…What is wrong with Medachitagariya-sama? And why is Kagome-sama angry…?' the monk wondered to himself. He then cast a look at the taijiya, who at the moment, appeared very panicked.

"Sango…?" he murmured, walking toward her direction. 'Funny…I haven't thought about Sango since a few days ago…' He turned in Medachitagariya's direction and his eyes narrowed. 'No…I've been thinking about her for all of this time…'

His eyes widened slightly. 'Does this mean that I've been under a spell?!' he suddenly thought. He quickly placed a pleasant expression back on his face in order not to raise suspicion. The monk turned his attention back to the conversation happening.

Before Kagome answered, the taijiya quickly ran forth and placed her hand over the miko's mouth in order to prevent her friend from speaking.

Kagome thrashed against Sango's hold, but eventually calmed after a few moments.

"Sango…if you could…" Medachitagariya smiled. "Let go of Kagome-chan so she can speak for herself?"

Fortunately, the miko caught a hold of her actions and was able to place another grin on her face. "Um…sorrry, Medachitagariya-chan! Please forgive me for my unjust actions…" She cast a look in Inuyasha's direction and clenched her teeth as she forced out another sentence. "Clearly, you are a much better person than I am at handling Inuyasha."

Sango and Miroku kept from gasping from the miko's statement.

Based on Medachitagariya's smirk, the miko was able to figure out that she bought the lie. Kagome nearly let out a sigh of relief, but withheld herself from doing the act.

"It's quite all right, Kagome-chan. All is forgiven! Just make sure that you are more careful with your temper!" the woman advised like a teacher giving information to a student.

"I'll try my best!" the miko nodded.

With that, all of them began to walk onwards again.

The only difference from earlier in the day was the fact that Miroku was slowing down his own pace in order to be near Sango.

With Author

"What is going on?" the authoress hissed out loud. "For some reason, the my hands type words before I have a chance to think!"

She took a deep breath and let it out, calming her frazzled nerves. "Maybe I should lay down for a while?" She nodded, mentally agreeing with herself.

Turning off her computer monitor, she went to her bed and laid down, closing her eyes, unaware of the events that carried on from her fan fiction.

Inside of the Plot Hole

Within a few hours, the group had finished resting up. However, it did them little good since the majority needed nourishment. After waking up, the group continued on with taking the never-ending path.

Finally feeling fed up with walking, Kikyou stopped in the path. Rotating herself, she faced the rest of the group. "I think that we need a plan of action. Based on how long we have been walking, there seems to be no end in sight.."

Shippou swallowed hard. He suspected the same idea, but did not want to believe it. "What do you suggest?"

"Remember when I shot that arrow?" she asked her traveling companions.

The kitsune and nekomata nodded their heads, remembering the event and what happened afterwards.

"You shot an arrow in here?!" Jaken squawked. "Was this before I found you all?"

"Yeah, didn't you feel the shaking the few minutes before you bumped into us?" Shippou questioned in a matter-of-factly voice.

"Well, yes, now that I think about it…" the youkai trailed off.

"There you go," Shippou muttered, withholding the urge to call him an idiot.

Kikyou shot both of them a warning glare. "There is no time to waste. We have already wasted precious time seeing if this path would ever end," she explained in a calm manner. "Anyways, there is no denying that my arrow reached outside of this place based on the reaction…"

The two arguers only stared at her, trying to make sense of what she was trying to say.

"So, we need to create a pathway out of this place ourselves," she finished.

Jaken raised his eyebrow. "That's it?" he huffed irritably. "You expect us to blast away at the blackness and expect it to go away?"

The miko maintained her patience with the old youkai despite the annoyance he was causing her. She nodded and replied, "Not quite. We will not battle within this place. We will attack where we know the outside will feel the affects." Looking up at the never-ending "top" of the place, she smirked. "Our only way out is by going up."

"But how do we escape this place? We don't even know how far up this place goes!" Shippou declared.

Kirara mewed to echo his thoughts.

Kikyou's smirk widened, silencing any further thoughts. Seeing her looking joyful was not exactly the happiest sight in the world. Ideas within her head clicked together. "I have the exact thing that will work. Thank you for pointing that out, Shippou."

"What exactly is that?" Jaken queried, still clueless.

Shippou was now confused. "Uh…you're welcome?" he answered with uncertainty.

"My Mayose Spell," she replied. Reaching into her haori, she pulled out an odd-shaped plant that resembled a small branch. It seemed that she had preserved it somehow. "If the spell is cast well, this branch will grow into a tree that will reach into the heavens. If my idea speaks true, the Mayose will be able to break through the top. All we need to do is climb."

The kitsune raised his eyebrow, recalling flashbacks involving Hakudoushi, Kohaku, and many rats that all had to deal with drawing out Kikyou. "Didn't you use this spell with the Zushi Nezumi?"

"Yes." She nodded. Looking down on the dark path, she frowned. "Although, we need a way to mark down the symbol that will activate the spell."

Jaken's eyes bulged out. The plan actually sounded great! Well, honestly, anything sounded better than walking. "My Nintoujou will be able to burn images into the ground!"

Kikyou shook her head. "In the event that we have to move on, we cannot risk your flames cutting apart the road."

The toad-youkai heaved a sigh. The woman had a point.

Shippou grinned. "Ha! You can use my crying mushrooms!" he declared, sounding as if he had reached an epiphany. "All you need are markers, right? While they might not cry since they won't be planted into the soil, there's more than enough to draw patterns with."

The miko smiled at the child's quick thinking. "Shippou, you are a brilliant little youkai," she complimented.

Shippou felt his ego rise with that comment. Ha! If only Inuyasha could see him now!

Jaken rolled his eyes, grumpy that his plot was not plausible.

Kirara seemed to sense his unease and walked next to him, giving him a small mew.

The youkai glanced down at the nekomata. "What? I'm fine!" he muttered, obviously in denial.

The nekomata was persistent and was tired of Jaken's irritation. Rubbing her fur against him, she let out a small purr that seemed to distract him.

"N-neko…" he warned, not wanting to be comforted at the moment.

Giving him a low growl, she made sure that he was prompted to use her name.

"K-Kirara…" He corrected himself quickly.

Seeing the two interact made Kikyou and Shippou amused while they kept their thoughts to themselves for the moment.

Shippou pulled out his mushrooms and handed them to her in order for her to make the pattern.

Kikyou kneeled, placing each of his trinkets onto the ground, arranging them into a star-like shape. Finding the center of the shape, she placed the twig into the path and stood back up. "Please take a few steps away from the Ogatama plant. I would advise that you also come over to my side. There is a chance that the roots could take out the piece you stand on."

The three other creatures all looked at her nervously, but hastily made their way over to her side.

Knowing that everything was set in place, she raised her right hand in a prayer motion and closed her eyes in order to concentrate. Upon opening her eyes, she saw the branch begin to sprout additional small branches and spread out like the roots of a flower. Taking a few steps back, she advised her other friends to do the same.

"Let's hope this works…" Shippou murmured in a tone of hopefulness.

In the Sengoku Jidai

The rag-tag group following behind everyone's favorite leader had suddenly stopped due to an interruption in their travels.

Another glitch in Inuyasha's spell-induced behavior shown itself when he growled and began sniffing the air. "Sesshoumaru…" he snarled, his hand instantly grabbing onto his sword's hilt.

Kagome and Sango were actually glad for this interruption because it was the first time in a while that they saw the hanyou do anything beside ogle and compliment Medachitagariya's every move.

Miroku was secretly relieved since he was beginning to tire of trudging behind the newly made couple that should not have formed in a million years. "Medacitagariya-sama," he began, putting on his more forceful monk charm. "I assume that you know about Inuyasha's brother?"

"Of course I do! You and Inuyasha-kun told me a few days ago!" the woman laughed, not paying direct attention to the fact that her boy toy had already charged onto battle grounds.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha growled, jumping into his brother's path.

Silver hair was tossed and amber eyes narrowed in annoyance. "What is it that you desire, little brother?" Sesshoumaru demanded, clearly not feeling up to the task of dealing with his sibling.

"What are you doing here?!" the hanyou snarled, annoyed at his older brother's way of addressing him.

A young human girl slid out of hiding from behind her lord. Her short black hair bobbed as she clutched onto his hakama. "Sesshoumaru-sama… Where shall I go?" she asked timidly.

"…" The daiyoukai was at a loss for words. Did he not usually tell someone else to do that job for him? The thought perplexed him. It seemed like someone was missing. He was gaining a lack of patience because the certain someone was not around to pester him constantly. "Rin… Go hide somewhere…And stay away from other demons."

Inuyasha's anger began to dissipate. What the hell was going on? Sesshoumaru telling the girl to go hide in a direct tone made something seem out of place.

However, before anything more was said, an obvious laugh sounded across the field, making even the most spell-bound inwardly cringe.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru~!" came the familiar sing-song, near angelic voice of, you guessed it, Medachitagariya. She sauntered over to the daiyoukai, her beautiful blue eyes shining with blatant flattery in mind.

The girls within the Inuyasha-tachi all rolled their eyes while she was not facing them.

"Is she looking for a quick death?" Kagome whispered, snickering.

"Wait… this could be good!" Sango whispered back, chuckling under her breath. "It seems like we won't have to pick a volunteer for our plan…"

"What plan would that be, ladies?" came the innocent question from behind them that made the women freeze.

Sango and Kagome wanted to smack their heads against a tree. Why did they have to make themselves so obvious? Now Miroku was going to tell his "goddess" about their betrayal…

"Well? I would love to hear it since our friend seems to be caught in quite a dilemma…" he pressed, a glint shining in his eyes that seemed to catch both girls off guard.

"Um, Miroku?" the taijiya tested, seeing if he would react to her saying his name.

"Sango!" he grinned. "You called me by my name!"

Kagome smiled. "It seems as if Miroku-sama has joined the good side again. Welcome back."

It was a good thing that the trio was far away from the fields or else the perfectly formed ears of their leader would have heard them. It was a wonder that she did not have the supersonic hearing. It was obvious that wherever she came from, they did not think to train her to hone in on that ability…

Sesshoumaru was getting increasingly irked by the woman in front of him. At the same time, however, he felt as if his strength was getting absorbed from him as he stared down at her. "I do not have time for your drabble." He made haste to turn away, knowing that the woman was not a normal one.

"Oh, Sesshy-kun," she called out in her usual fluttery voice. "You shouldn't walk away from a girl! It's rude! Besides, everyone else here loves me!"

"I do not see why…" he commented coldly, obviously averting her abilities. He wanted to do nothing more than cut her tongue out for saying his name with such disrespect.

Medachitagariya frowned, wondering why the daiyoukai would not fall for her bait. Then she realized it! He barely ever looked her directly in the eyes! Laughing within her mind, she forced her way to be in front of him. "Please see me! You're the only one who can understand the trouble I've been going through!"

Sesshoumaru tried to look away or even blink, but found that he was locked onto her face once he glimpsed at her. He let a small growl escape. "What have you done, youkai?"

She gasped, feeling frustrated. "I'm not a youkai!" she fumed. Her aura flared with her rising anger.

Inuyasha watched the exchange, feeling hurt at first. Why was his woman flirting with his brother? Did he mean so little to her? However, as he continued to watch, his hurt and jealously changed into disgust and relief. He then blinked, wondering where the rest of his group went. "Where…?" he questioned aloud. Turning around, he saw the rest of them huddled together.

"…And so we're missing Kirara and Shippou-chan. We don't know where that witch placed them!" Kagome murmured in a harsh whisper, explaining her and Sango's discoveries to Miroku.

The monk nodded, taking in the information. "Ah, I knew that something was missing, but I wasn't sure what," he responded. Rotating himself, he caught Inuyasha's stare first. "Uh, ladies, you might want to take a look at Inuyasha. He may be returning to us sooner than you would think."

Sango smirked. "Not only that, but the bitch's true self is beginning to show. Her aura is wrapping around her," she added.

Kagome's eyes watered when she saw what Miroku described. "Inuyasha…?" she murmured, beginning to take a few steps in his direction.

Miroku's staff held in front of her abdomen stopped her from advancing. "Careful, Kagome-sama. It isn't safe yet."

Inuyasha stared back and forth between his group and his brother. The girl in between both parties was beginning to glow black. "Keh! Should have known that she was some crazy bitch…" he muttered, gripping onto Tessaiga. He saw that his brother was also starting to nod to her words. Even Sesshoumaru was not immune to her charms!

The hanyou was starting to see that they were all being tricked. "Hey, bitch! I know I'll regret this later, but get the hell away from my bastard brother!" he shouted, pulling out the transformed Tessaiga. "I think that he's heard enough of your shit!"

"Inuyasha-kun…?" she questioned, ceasing her current actions. "What's wrong…?"

Cutting her off, he snarled, "And don't ever call me that again! You're finished!"

Medachitagariya felt like she had been stabbed. Taking a step back, she sent a glare to everyone around her. Seeing the rest of her people reflecting back Inuyasha's same expression was enough to make her know that she was found out. Letting out a laugh, a smirk spread on her countenance that rivaled that of Naraku's. "It seems like you have broken my spells over you."

"Damn right!" Sango yelled, unhooking Hiraikotsu from her back and preparing for battle. "And now it's payback!"

Kagome agreed with her friend. "And it's time that you returned everyone that you took away from us!"

The newly discovered villain chuckled. "Oh? You mean the characters that no one even remembers to write out?"

Kagome's eyebrow raised. That was an odd way to word her friends. "I don't know what you're saying, but we would never forget about Shippou-chan and Kirara!"

During this entire exchange, Sesshoumaru began to regain control over his body. Turning his sights on Medachitagariya, it took all of his willpower for his amber eyes not to bleed red. "Woman, you will pay dearly for your offenses…" he snarled, his emotions seeping through.

"Oh, such a pity… I had all of you in the palms of my hands…" the woman taunted. Suddenly, a barrier formed around her as she rose into the sky.

"What have we got ourselves into…?" Miroku groaned, closing in on the girl with the rest of the Inuyasha-tachi.

"You will never see your friends again!" Medachitagariya vowed. "No one likes them anyway!"

"That's a lie!" Sango declared. "I love Kirara!" Her grip tightened on her weapon. "Return them now!"

"You'll have to kill me first!"

"I plan on it," Sesshoumaru growled, taking out Toukijin. The evil blade pulsed to life, longing for blood. Exchanging glances with his brother, the two made a silent truce to not fight each other during the duration of destroying a common enemy.

"Keh! Consider yourself dead!" Inuyasha yelled, slamming down his charged, red barrier-breaking blade. "Kaze no Kizu!" he cried, jumping up and unleashing his attack on her barrier. Swirls of yellow light surrounded the shield but did not manage to break through.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Medachitagariya declared, amused at the show that would present itself to her.

With Author

While the creator slept, the characters battling within her fan fiction began to corrode the files she recorded for her story.

It appeared that even she was not going to anticipate this surprise.

Inside of the Plot Hole

After several long moments, the Mayose roots stopped spreading along the ground. Thankfully, the tree did not manage to harm the pathway by much.

Kikyou cast a look towards Kirara, silently asking for her permission to use her.

The nekomata nodded her head. With a roar, flames surrounded her form as she changed from an innocent kitten form to a giant beast.

The miko smiled kindly at Kirara and murmured her gratitude as everyone climbed onto her back. Gripping onto her bow tightly, her eyes narrowed as she and the rest of the crew began ascending.

The higher they got, the brighter the blackness became. Soon, the black dimmed to gray and then finally, there was light at the end of the never-ending tunnel.

"The plan was a success!" the miko commented, giving a small, but rare smile.

"Yay! We're getting out alive!" Shippou cheered while being perched on Kikyou's shoulder.

Kikyou let out a sigh, the smile quickly dissolving. "Do not celebrate just yet, little one. I have a feeling that the battle is just beginning."

Jaken gulped, clinging onto dear life as the nekomata soared through the opening.

With Author

As if the Mayose had an affect on the "outside world," the author's computer began to make a loud screeching noise, startling the writer out of bed.

"Wha…?" she murmured sleepily, rolling over to see her computer. "Oh, it's smoking…" She prepared to roll back over on her bed until realization dawned on her. "Smoking?!" she shrieked as loud as an emergency siren, falling out of her bed and scrambling over to the computer.

Moving the mouse to wake the computer from sleep mode at the same time she turned on the moniter, she hoped in vain that that motions would get the computer to stop malfunctioning. However, to her horror, her nightmare was escalating.

On the monitor, a pop up sounded over and over, burning red into her screen.

"Warning: Virus! Warning: Virus! Overload!" was the repeating mantra seen blinking on her screen.

Out from behind the pop up came digital images of what appeared to be …branches. Curving and spreading around the monitor screen, the branches began to cover up her Inuyasha wallpaper. Her computer tower began fusing out simultaneously as the branches finally covered the pop up.

A loud click sounded, short circuiting the entire system and blacking out her electronic device.

"W-what?!" she cried. "What happened?! When did this happen?" Her eyes were bulging out of her head with panic as tears slipped down her cheeks.

In the Sengoku Jidai

As if it were a surprise to everyone, the "Goddess of Everything Great" was winning the battle.

With every strike upon her, it seemed like nothing managed to get through.

Kagome managed to purify her barrier, but could not do anything else to harm her.

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru continued to try and charge her, but she managed to dodge their every blow, retaliating with attacks of her own.

It seemed like she was able to call forth every known natural element of the world. She shot fire out of one hand and ice out of another, though that made no sense to most people with common sense.

When Miroku attempted to absorb her, she shot a fireball into his kazaana, disabling it as well as causing him pain. He was currently clutching his hand out of agony.

"You all will die foolish deaths because of your treachery!" she declared haughtily, pulling up the earth beneath their feet by mental command.

"You're the one who cast spells on us, you dumb ass!" Inuyasha spat.

"This is getting a bit ridiculous!" Sango shouted angrily, throwing forth her boomerang. The weapon hit nothing but ice and bounced back for the taijiya to catch.

Kagome concentrated her energy, shooting arrows at wherever she thought there were Medachitagariya's weak spots. It seemed as if the girl was flawless.

Before anything else could have been done, a giant flash blinded everyone on the battlegrounds. That's right; even Medachitagariya's perfect eyesight did not anticipate this!

Out of the light came a purifying arrow that caught everyone by surprise. The arrow managed to pierce Medachitagariya directly through the chest.

The woman dropped onto her knees, feeling strength beginning to leave her.

Once the blinding light dissipated, Kikyou emerged through the fray with Shippou perched on her shoulder.

If the situation were not so grave, Kagome would have laughed at the sight. However, seeing her kitsune friend well made her eyes water again. "Shippou-chan!"

It was obvious that Sango saw their other friend once she found herself nuzzled by the nekomata. "Kirara!" she shouted with tears of joy glistening in her eyes.

"K-Kikyou!" Inuyasha shouted, dumbfounded. "You were caught in her trap, too?"

The older miko nodded. "Along with Jaken, here," she directed, pointing to the youkai.

Jaken's eyes widened upon seeing his lord. "S-Sesshoumaru-sama!" Overdramatic tears fell from his eyes as he flew to his master's side. "I have been trying to get back to you for days now! That wench threw us into a black hole!" Pausing for a minute, he looked around for another one of his companions. "Where is Rin, Milord?"

Sesshoumaru paused, beginning to remember his servant from memory. "She is hidden from this site. Go retrieve her. This battle is clearly over." To emphasize his point, he sheathed Toukijin under his sash. He acted as if Jaken had never left his side at all.

The toad did not know whether to be upset or happy about that fact. Even so, he went off to continue doing his job.

Shippou bounded off to jump into Kagome's waiting arms. "Kagome~!" he wailed, pressing himself even deeper into her arms. "It was so scary in that place! I felt like I didn't exist!"

"I'm so sorry, Shippou-chan!" Kagome sobbed, gripping onto the kitsune in a motherly fashion.

While everyone was having their joyous reunion, Medachitagariya managed to remove the arrow from her chest. Of course, she was strong enough to touch a purifying arrow without getting singed. Removing it was a painful, but doable feat. Rising onto her feet, she laughed. "Ha! Enjoy your happiness for now, but I will--!"

It seemed as if Kirara and Sango were ahead of the game. As soon as the two stopped rejoicing, Sango hopped onto the nekomata and aimed her Hiraikotsu straight at the evil woman. Charging straight towards Medachitagariya, she managed to slice the woman through the abdomen.

Medachitagariya's piercing scream was still beautiful enough to make larks envious, and blue blood sprayed out of her dead body as it began to reduce to dust. It was obvious that she was special enough not to bleed the normal color of a living creature. Even in death, the girl continued to live up to her namesake.

Miroku walked up to the pile of dust and clothing that remained, closing his eyes and bowing to pay respect to the dead as he typically did. Turning away, he grinned at the end of the battle. "So… with that finally done with, what shall we do now?"

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru stated, staring down his brother as he usually did. "I shall take my leave. Do not think that anything has changed." Once Rin had been recovered, Jaken and the girl waited for him to follow after them.

"Heh, like I would care any other way," Inuyasha replied with a growl. It was if his normal character was never tampered to begin with!

Sango grinned, petting the nekomata who had transformed back into her smaller form. "It's so great to have you guys back."

Kikyou interrupted the sweet moment by approaching the remaining group. "Inuyasha," she beckoned.

The hanyou, who was preparing to console Kagome, gave his instant attention to the dead miko as if she were the magnet and he were the metal. "What is it?" he asked in a gentle tone.

She gave him a warm smile that was rare of her to give in her current state. "That kitsune of yours is strong. Hopefully he will not become a formidable youkai that will need exterminating. Kirara is also a skilled fighter. The friends you travel with are truly something."

"Uh…yeah…" he murmured, feeling his ego raise slowly.

"I can only guess as to why that woman tried to rid the world of us," she added.

Miroku stepped in between the two. "Could I interject?" he questioned in a polite voice.

"If you must, Houshi-dono," Kikyou replied, her voice addressing him in a respectful manner.

"Perhaps the originator of Medachitagariya held a grudge against all of you. She wanted you out of the way because she also viewed you as an annoyance or threat. I assume that she did not expect you to fight back against her control as with the rest of us," he theorized sagely.

"That would be the same type of belief I would come up with," Kikyou answered. "Well, if you two would excuse me, I shall separate myself. I am needed elsewhere." Inuyasha could not even get a word out as she walked away from them.

"Um, Inuyasha…?" Kagome murmured, her voice harsh from crying. "I had no idea about Kikyou…"

Inuyasha nodded. "Me either. I'm guessing that bitch did not think that everyone else actually cares about the people that she dared to harm." Smirking cockily, he added, "We sure showed her, right?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, returning the smirk.

"We should go set up camp soon," Sango announced, directing them to the setting sun.

"Dear Sango, could you please forgive me for not paying attention to you?" Miroku asked, taking both of her hands into his own.

"H-Houshi-sama…" she stuttered, blushing.

"Ah, back to that title again," he sighed, sounding nearly disappointed. "At least everything is back to normal," he added, pulling her into an embrace.

"W-What are you…?" the taijiya demanded, her face going as red as a tomato.

"Nothing, my dear," he remarked, his hand reaching for a dangerous spot that he had been itching to touch since he had returned to normal. The idle rub led to a prompt smack across the face and a huffing taijiya standing five meters from him.

"N-nothing?!" she fumed. "You were groping me again, you pervert!"

"Ah, but it was something I had missed," he sighed, rubbing the handprint on his face. "And it was nothing that you shouldn't get surprised from!"

Inuyasha, Kagome, Kirara, and Shippou watched on, shaking their heads in their typical fashion.

"He'll never learn, will he?" Shippou grumbled.

"Nope," Kagome chirped.

"Never," Inuyasha added.

Kirara supplied a mew.

Kagome grinned. "But at least things are back the way they're supposed to be."

As you all may or may not have seen, the quote "bring your characters to life" have a literal meaning to it. Though, it is not proven, if you write plot holes this horrid, you may just suffer the same consequences as this author had.

You never know when the characters you bash come back to bite you or when your wind up in your own plot hole…

I hope you enjoyed this little journey into the Inuyasha fan fiction realm. I know I did.

What happens in plot holes?

Write a story like this and discover the answer.

A/N: Ah! I hope you enjoyed this rather long conclusion to this three-shot! I believe this is the first multi-chaptered fic I've ever finished… -sighs-

I also hope you learned a few things and shared a few laughs!

Please review!

Ja ne!