"Ah!" The one named Shippo tried to flee but who told Kagome to be so fast for a human? Before he knew it, the little guy was in the miko's clutches and under her merciless petting and pampering.

"Oh my gods! You are too cute!" Kagome's mode improved just like that as she forcibly cuddled the little boy in her arms who was sending pleading glances to his friend for aid. Unfortunately, the little girl didn't see reason to stop the miko. In fact…

"Me too! Me too!" The girl squealed as she jumped towards the huddled duo and Kagome shared the girl's enthusiasm as she wrapped her in her embrace. Soon they were all a laughing pile of limbs as Kagome tickled the children silly, even Shippo gave in once he realized the miko had no intention of hurting him.

"Rin! Shippo! Get back here ye lil rascals." A withered old voice barked from the hall and both children made a face that screamed 'Uh Oh!' A face that the fellow former troublemaker Kagome could recognize in a heartbeat. She leaned down to whisper the plan in their ears just as the door flew open.

A hunched over and stout old woman with an eye patch waddled in with her one good eye scanning the room like a hawk. When it landed on the two children her brow furrowed but one look at Kagome made her pause.

"Child, ye be a miko?" The woman's voice held hope and astonishment. In all her life, the woman never thought she would meet a miko with so much power.

"Ah, yeah. " Kagome blushed under the woman's stare as she scratched the back of her head. It was odd admitting out loud that she was a miko. Not like she was ashamed or anything, it was just that it wasn't a topic that came up in day to day conversation when one is hiding their powers. Thankfully the old caretaker seemed to sense Kagome's discomfort and moved her attention on to the children.

"Now wee troublemakers, tell me why did ye leave the garden?" The kids hid behind Kagome's leg at the old woman's stern stare but the miko tried to make an appeasing expression even though she felt like she was being scolded herself.

"Actually, that is probably my fault. You see I was crying earlier and the two heard me and came to check on me. Really, you should be proud of them. Such kind hearted and responsible kids are hard to come by now a days." Kagome waved her hands back and forth as she tried to explain the current situation in a way that was half the truth but with a twist that will keep the munchkins out of trouble. The old woman watched Kagome babble on like a brook for a moment before a smile slowly spread across her wrinkled face.

"Ahh, ye three, how many times do ye think this old woman has been around the sun in this long life of mine?" A dry chuckle sounded and Kagome's face became dangerously hot. It's one thing to lie but it's a whole other thing to be called out on that lie (AN: Lesson: Don't lie kids). The miko glanced down at the two chibis using her as a shield and smiled ruefully, it seemed she was destined to be collateral. Or maybe not…

"Ye have a good heart, child. Don't bother with thee excuses just grab the two jailbirds and bring 'em along to the garden with ya. Come have some tea with this old grandma." That grandma didn't proceed to waste time bantering and simply turned to leave, trusting the three to follow. The trio exchanged sheepish grins before Shippo and Rin respectively grabbed one of Kagome's hands and pulled her out in to the garden.

An hour past and Kagome's heart was in heaven. She was surrounded by children, ate her weight in Christmas cookies and fruitcake, and she was now laying by a traditional koi pond with two adorable bundles tucked under her arms, sleeping and dreaming of sugar cane. "This must be what heaven is like." Kagome sighed in bliss as she allowed her own eyes to droop low, waving the dream bearer her way. However, heaven is not meant to live too long on Earth.

A dangerous wind of angry youki blew across Kagome's skin and she instantly shot up and placed the children in a protective barrier before turning to face off with a sneering wind witch.

"So you can actually make barriers you slut." Kagura sneered, annoyance clear on her face. Kagome breathed a shallow gasp in shock at the sight of the woman. In just a short amount of time, the high-class woman had morphed into a vindictive and vile shrew gone mad with jealousy. The cold and fake smile lost all attempts of decorum as it curled into a crude snarl that barred the white teeth waiting to rip into some miko flesh.

"Onigumo-san, what a pleasant surprise." Kagome's smile was the exact opposite of Kagura's, fake and shallow but dignified. She looked like a carved out replica of the perfect store employee. "Is there something I can assist you with?" The stewardess style of the miko which could calm a raging bull only managed in pushing the wind hanyou over the edge and into the depths of insanity.

"Stop with the pretense bitch and wipe that smug smile off your face. You know why I'm here!" The shrill screech was a sign of how far Kagura had lost herself to her emotions and even Kagome grew nervous. The woman didn't pose much of a threat for her in all honesty, but…

"I'm not going to fight with you Kagura. There are innocent lives present." Kagome did do as her opponent asked and dropped all pretense at civility. A crazed demoness was a serious matter and even though this pond was separated from the estate by some distance there were two invaluable existences right behind her and Kagome would be damned before allowing any harm to come their way.

"Fight?" Kagura's face went blank for a split second before she burst out into cackles of manic laughter. "You actually think you have the ability to be my opponent human? Haha, this isn't a battle girl, it is a disposal." With that said, Kagura snapped open an ornate fan of red and gold. Kagome felt the malicious intent behind the self-satisfied smirk on the witch's face and in a split second she focused almost all of her energy into fortifying the barrier around the children, saving only a small portion to create a skin tight barrier around herself. These were the only measures she could raise before Kagura performed a grand sweeping gesture with her fan and released a gust of wind comparable to the mightiest typhoon.

"Shit." Kagome grit her teeth and planted her feet but it wasn't enough.

"Kagome-chan!" The children screamed from inside their barrier but there was nothing they could do as they saw the nice older sister being propelled half way across the pond before causing a mini geyser to erupt as her small body crashed through the ice cold water's glass like surface.

Under the water, the miko's body was stunned both by the hit to her head and the freezing water. Her nerves and muscles twitched while trying to restore their life but despite her power as a miko her body was still human and the hit to her head knocked the sense out of her. All Kagome could do as she descended deeper into the water's depths was think of those two children. Hopefully, now that the eyesore was dealt with, that wicked witch would walk away and leave them unharmed. This was Kagome's prayer before her eyes closed and the endless black of an eternal night took hold of her mind.