So are you guys mad? No? Good! So it wasn't much of a surprise/cliffhanger but who cares. The real surprise is I got this Chapter updated on time. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving...oh and if any of you are Jewish, Happy Hanukkah! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing... not even the clothes I wear

Warning a little ooc

Chapter 18: Strike two

The scream that echoed through the palace had every demon running to the source, Tsume being the closest. The young demoness was by the miko's side in seconds, frantically trying to calm her down. Rin stood to the side shakily watching the scene in front of her. One minute Kagome was talking with her and laughing, the next she was panicking and screaming.

"Kagome! Lady Kagome!" Tsume shook the girl in front of her. She had stop screaming but was now hyperventilating with a dull look in her eyes. "Kagome please."

"Okaa-san!" Shippo ran towards them, Hayate and Sesshomaru behind him. "What happened? Okaa-san?!" The small kitsune shook her shoulder but the miko did not respond. Mizuki was beside her making small whimper noises. Turn between his mother and sister Shippo went towards the pup and held her in his arms.

Sesshomaru knelt down beside the girl. Her eyes were wide and dull and she was breathing heavily. "Miko." He called out. Her panicked breathing got faster. "Miko!" He growled loudly before slapping her cheek not too hard but enough to bring her out of whatever state she was in. She turned her weary eyes toward him and began crying. Her head fell into her hands and her body curled into a ball as she wept on the ground. Sesshomaru not liking the attention drawn towards the miko pick her up into his arm and stood. "Tsume, Hayate bring the children inside. The rest of you get back to your tasks." He commanded before leaving the gardens. Those who did not wish to get in his way hurried back to their duties.

He took the miko back to her chamber and set her down on the bed. She clung to his haori and fur pelt so desperately that he found himself laying next to her. Se laid on her side with her face buried into his chest. As her shivering body and breathing settled down he thought it best to question her. "Miko what happened?"

"I...I don't know," she manage to say. "I was with Rin telling her a story, then I caught a scent. An aura really but I didn't know where it came from. I heard a voice...someone spoke to me, and when I turned there was a youkai. Or what I thought was a youkai. He said I should know who he was. When I looked around me everything was in ruins and on fire. I couldn't find Rin and Mizuki so I panicked. When he spoke again, I looked..." She paused again as a sob broke through. "Shippo, Mizuki and Rin were there... on the ground... they were dead!" Kagome started to cry again remembering the image.

Something in Sesshomaru snapped. In the depths of his mind, and possibly his soul, he could not bare to see the girl in this state. Instinctively mokomoko, the fur pelt, wrapped around the miko and drew her closer to him. His right arm draped around her shoulder and held her as she cried. He Turned his head towards the door. Rin and Shippo were looking in while Tsume held Mizuki. He motioned for the two children to come in and had Tsume settle the pup between him and the miko. Rin and Shippo Took a spot on either side of the two. Rin settling next to Sesshomaru, snuggling into his side, and Shippo next to Kagome, his head resting on the small of her back. That's how Tsume left them, joining Hayate outside the room.

"Seems our dear Lord Sesshomaru has fallen for Lady Kagome." Hayate said with a smile.

Tsume returned the smiled before her face turned serious. "Hayate, what is going on?" Although she was to take care of the miko it seemed was denied any information on what events were happening that could affect the girl so much.

Hayate sighed before walking away, telling her to follow. "It seems a monster, Katsurou, who was sealed centuries ago is after Kagome and possible Mizuki as well. The girl had been haunted by a dream and a similar vision before this."

"So that attack, weeks ago, when she said it was from her nightmares-"

"A creature that served him taken physical form." he said stepping back into the garden. "Help me search for something."

"Like what?"

"Anything that might be suspicious." He said. They both search every inch of the garden but found nothing. At one point they thought they smelt a distinct odor, but as time went by they lost the scent.

"Hayate-"

"Hayate-san there is a messenger here." A servant called out approaching them and handing Hayate a scroll. "He wish to hand this to Lord Sesshomaru."

The tori took the scroll and read the contents. "Seems like we are going to have a bit of company soon."

"What do you mean?" Tsume asked peeking at the scroll. "The other lords are coming? Why?"

"Lord Sesshomaru had wished to meet them. He wants to take any action to prevent Katsurou from coming back."

It had been three days since Miroku had been on the mountain. He sighed as he stretched out his limbs and lay flat on the ground. Who knew meditating for three days straight would make his muscles ache so much. At least he had received the answers he was looking for. He took out the small sack of food given to him and began eating. It was a bit stale but when you're hungry that sort of thing didn't matter. He would have to get moving soon, no doubt Sango was waiting for him at the bottom.

As he made his descent down the mountain, he couldn't help but notice it was getting quieter. Knowing it was the first sign of danger Miroku readied his kazaana. "I know your there. Come out and I might not hurt you." He waited then turned when a rustle was heard. Out stepped Kagura with a familiar baboon pelt wearing hanyou. "Naraku. To what do I owe this pleasure." The monk asked, sarcasm evidently dripping from his lips.

Naraku simply smirked before turning away. Kagura flipped her fan open and gusts of wind flew toward the monk. He barely had time to dodge when the attack hit, sending him flying down the path. He caught himself quickly and opened the kazaana against the wind witch. She took to the sky and drop something into ts path. Miroku realized too late that it was the hive of the saimyosho. Crying out in pain he closed the tunnel, giving Kagura a chance to strike him again. The full force of her attack tore through his flesh and sent him crashing through tress. When he fell to the ground and did not move, Kagura took that as her cue to leave.

Aaaaannnnddddd another cliffy. Now that that's over with... I can continue entering my food coma :) hope you guys liked this chapter. The next two weeks I will be busy with finals and such so please be patient once again. The next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it up. Please review and tell me what you think.