"Look at that!" In all his childhood fantasies, Shippo never believed he would ever witness such an event in his life. There was dancing, music, games and so much to see. He wore his mask as he ventured around the town, careful of the many inhabitants walking past.

A group of Gorons were seen in south of town, playing their drums while the men of the town played their flutes along with the steady beat. Many passers stopped to listen to the music, and few took the time to dance hand in hand with their partners. Every year, the Gorons travel down from their mountain home in order to play at the festivals held each year.

As the group went their separate ways, Kagome watched the display happily. Apparently, it did not matter what race either of them were; the people here seemed to respect each other and there were no problems. Such involvement and understanding of each of their differences made this town even more appealing. There was no foul talk about the Gorons and vice versa. Pretty much, Kagome believed the people were nicer than the ones in her own time.

Food filled the air, tempting the half demon who took to investigating some stands near the clock tower. Strange spices swept by his sensitive nose, urging him forward. The aromas were sweet and with just a hint of spiciness.

"Sango, may I have this dance?" Miroku asked as he offered his hand to the young lady beside him.

Stunned and somewhat embarrassed, she accepted. She placed her hand in his, and just as she did, he pulled her to his body, causing a gasp to escape her. Shyly, she placed her hand upon his shoulder, and together, the two danced.

Some people stopped to watch the two, including Kagome, Shippo and Kirara. Miroku was grinning from ear to ear as spun Sango gracefully, and the whole time through the dance, Sango could not help but laugh.

'I'm happy for you Sango.' As she watched, she felt a sadness sweep over her, but it only lasted a moment before she cheered for her two friends.

Leaning against the clock tower door, Link watched as the children ran about with their masks on; aka the bomber squad. In the past, he joined their secret society of justice, who had sworn themselves to help every inhabitant in Termina. Sure, it was childish, but back then Link had never been part of such an interesting group.

"Link?" His fairy companion called suddenly, and he shifted his attention to her. "What are you doing just standing here?" When she received only a shrug, she began bobbing up and down. "Hey! You need to go out and have some fun! Come on! It's a celebration that only happens once a year!" She began tugging on his tunic. Letting go, she sighed before an idea came to mind. "I saw the way you looked at Kagome."

Blinking with surprise, Link shook his head as if to dismiss the very idea. 'Great. She saw. She'll never let me live this down.'

"Yes, you were! And you were blushing!" she teased, much to his annoyance and embarrassment, when people were looking toward them as they walked by. "Why don't you ask her to dance?"

Dance? Such an idea was ridiculous. Besides, she only had eyes for Inuyasha. Why would she dance with him? She hardly knew him. No, it was best to just keep his distance. As he stood there listening to his partner rant, he couldn't help but glance toward the crowd of couples dancing.

Serene continued ranting. "I can't believe she likes that mangy mutt! Besides, what's so great about him, he—"

"Link!" a feminine voice called his name, catching his and Serena's attention almost instantly. "Come and dance!"

Surprised, Link didn't know what to do. Even as his partner urged him to have fun, he was frozen. Turning his head away from her, Link felt his face burn slightly. When he refused to acknowledge her calls, as well as Shippo's, he debated whether he should leave. If he left, he would no doubt hear Serena's complaints throughout the night. Not only that, but then Kagome might wind up hating him. Sure, he feared befriending her and her friends, mostly because they might end up hurt in the end, but what was he supposed to do?

What was wrong with him? Why was he worrying about such a trivial thing? No; that was what he decided. He would just stand there the entire time. No one was going to change his mind.

Even as she stood there calling for him to dance with them, Kagome could not help but wonder why he was just standing there. "I wonder what's wrong?" Even if he was a year younger than her, Kagome never knew of a boy to not have fun. In her eyes, he looked lonely and sad.

"Maybe he can't dance?" Shippo asked as he, too, stared at the boy. "Or he's shy. Maybe that's why he doesn't talk to anyone?"

Smiling to herself, Kagome withdrew herself from the dance as she briskly hurried across the path leading to the clock tower, while calmly dodging some friendly faces along the way. 'He's going to have to join in some time.' Making it across without bumping into anyone, she stepped toward the boy, whose eyes were shut as if to block any noise around him.

Before he knew what to expect, Kagome reached out grasped his hand, much to his surprise, when he abruptly looked up. "Come and dance with us, Link."

Not sure what to do in such a predicament, Link could only watch as the young maiden pulled him toward the crowd. While on his way, he noticed Sango and Miroku laughing before looking at him during their dance. He blushed when they cheered for Kagome, and he strained to pull out of her grasp, but she hold was firm. Even Shippo began cheering when he saw him, though Link didn't know why.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned herself toward the boy, who was only a head shorter than herself. Without so much as a warning, she enclosed his arm around her petite waist, while she held his other hand in one of her own. Delicately, she placed her left arm upon his shoulder. "It's no fun just being by yourself! Now let's dance!"

Before Link could fathom what happened next, she began moving her feet, and he had no choice but to follow. While they danced quite fast like, Link was drawn to her ever-present smile. 'Why?'

"I won't bite, promise!" She explained.

While Inuyasha busied himself near the food stands, he could not help but glance back toward his friends. He noticed Sango and Miroku dancing together. For a moment, he was surprised that the monk had pulled no kind of perverted stunt, yet that didn't mean it would not happen. Inuyasha expected Kagome to be looking at some of the jewelry stands, never expected to see her dancing. 'What the?'

There they were, Kagome and Link, dancing together, though Link looked a little awkward as he tried to keep up with Kagome, but he grew annoyed at the small smile tugging at Link's lips. Their closeness was maddening to the half demon. If Kagome wanted to dance so badly, why didn't she just ask him? No, she had to ask Link; someone she hardly knew.

The music ended, and everyone applauded the couples. Sango and Miroku said their goodbyes to Kagome as they walked off toward the stairs leading to the Inn. They explained they would meet up near the Clock tower before the fireworks started.

Satisfied that she got Link to dance, Kagome glanced at him, but he vanished. "What the?" The priestess looked around, but he was nowhere in sight. "Where'd he run off to so fast?" While she stood there pondering, she couldn't help but smile. 'Maybe he'll start opening up to us more.'

"Kagome, let's go look some more!" Shippo explained by her feet.

Forgetting about his disappearance, she smiled toward Shippo and Kirara. Without glancing back, they walked past some guards and toward the west part of town. The three strolled up the stairs in the dark part of town. Overall, the path upward was mostly empty, save for a young man who sat across from the Curiosity shop.

"Hello! How are you on this fine night, lady?" The young red-haired man asked as he slapped his knees repeatedly.

"Hi," She replied. "Just fine, thank you, and you?" Kagome took the time to stop and stand before the young man, who wore all green and a black cap on his head.

"Great, thanks! So would you like to make a deposit?"

Bewildered, she scrutinized the man with great curiosity. "What?"

"A deposit," he explained. "I keep a small bank just behind me."

Understanding, Kagome shook her head politely. "No, thank you. But I'm actually just looking around."

"I see," he muttered sadly before glancing around the area. "But be careful. The town has become quite unsafe at night, and be weary of your surroundings," he warned.

Nodding, Kagome continued on and for a moment, she thought she heard music up ahead. The sound of a flute being played drifted to her ears softly and quite high pitched. On her last step up, she saw a small gathering up ahead. "I've never heard such music."

Leaping onto her shoulder, Shippo awed at the sight. "There's two girls doing some strange dance!" he pointed out.

Indeed, there were two girls dancing inside the small gathering of individuals. These girls had short red hair, which was partially pulled back out of their faces. The outfits they wore were very revealing and tight fitting. One girl wore a white and blue one piece dress, while her sister wore a pink and white one piece. Their dresses reached mid-thigh, which was probably the only reason for so many men to crowd around them.

"What kind of dance is that?" Shippo asked. "It's different."

"I don't know," she replied, but she walked past them and toward the steps leading back into South Clock town. "Why don't we look around some more before the fireworks, okay?"

Quietly, Sango and Miroku ambled together down the path leading toward the Stock Pot Inn. Passing the Honey and Darling Shop, the two spotted a small gathering of five children playing near the post up ahead. Hand in hand, they wielded small wooden swords, and on their faces were masks of various colors; most resembling monsters.

"Die you loathsome beast!" A child stood on a crate with his stick held high.

"I will not! Not until you hand over that which belongs to me!" The other cried before attacking the boy, who leaped away before his friend went tumbling over a crate in a heap, his friends holding him down.

The boy with the red bandana laughed at the sight. "Pathetic! And you call yourself evil?"

"You'll be sorry! All of you!" he cried as he friends held him down by his arms.

Sango and Miroku exchanged a glance before snickering at their childish antics.

"Really? What are you going to do?"

Kicking his feet, the youth struggled in their grasp, but not before laughing like a complete lunatic. "When the moons unite and the sky turns to blood, I shall conquer this world! Just like the legend says!"

"Yeah right! That's only an old tale told by the elderly."

The boy to his right nodded. "He's right!"

"It's true!" He exclaimed, freeing his arms, and escaped their hands. He didn't get very far as he was tackled from behind. "You'll all die!" He said, laughing.

Having heard enough, the boy with the red bandana approached him and raised his stick. "Sorry to burst your plans, but you'll never get the chance. With this blade, I shall send you back to hell where you belong!"

Miroku and Sango once again exchanged a glance. Of course, their expressions were that of surprise and confusion. The only thought swirling around in their heads was what they were doing.

"What are they doing? I've never known of games to be so violent," Sango asked in a hushed whisper. She remembered when she was just a little girl; she played with Kirara and played ball with her little brother, but nothing so fierce.

Realizing they were not alone, the leader of the group, Jim, turned to face the two. "What are you doing here? No adults are allowed! This is our turf!"

Hearing this, Miroku apologized. "So sorry, we do not mean to intrude. We're only passing through."

A sudden gasp issued in the group, and the young boy escaped from the children with fear. "Oh no!"

Surprised, Jim turned toward the so called evil doer. "What? That's not part of the game!" Curious, he noticed his and everyone's eyes turned upward in childlike curiosity. Bewildered, he turned his eyes up and he gasped.

There was silence in the town, and all eyes turned toward the sky. No, it was not Tingle floating through the air hanging by his red balloon singing "Tingle Tingle koolah limpah," rather, it was much worse.

The clock struck midnight, but it went unnoticed by the many faces whose eyes and ears were elsewhere; the sky. Darkness rained upon the townspeople almost instantly and an eeriness settled itself around them. The moon, which was always so pale and bright, was now the color of blood. Even as it appeared much closer, its difference in appearance stirred an uproar of confusion and alarm.

Centered perfectly inside the circumference of the startling red moon was another moon. As shocking as this was for most of the population in Clock Town, the townspeople began murmuring about what it could mean, while some of the elderly claimed it was a sign of evil. This other moon, much smaller and black in appearance, was crescent-shaped, facing toward the left. There was no glow emitting from this moon; just darkness.

Lighting flashed in the eerie night, and rain fell from the heavens, drenching the townspeople who ran to seek shelter from the storm. The fireworks, which were supposed to go off, were delayed because of the morbid weather. The guards, who were stationed around the exits in town, stared at the strange event; they could not leave their posts without authorization from the mayor or the mayor's wife.

"What does this mean?" Sango asked her companion from inside the Inn. Her eyes were looking outside toward the two moons hanging above the town. "Could this be an evil omen?"

Not sure how to explain such events, Miroku could only stare. "I believe we may not have much time than we think. Surely it is unusual for there to be two moons, and in alignment like they are, we may be in for some trouble."

The door opened and a burst of wind flew in, surprising the two, as well as both Anju and Kafei, who stood at the desk. Just as it had come, it was pushed back by the door closing and Inuyasha now standing in the room, drenched.

"Something weird is going on," he explained. "This wasn't part of the whole festival, was it?" He questioned both the innkeepers, who could only shake their heads; they were just as concerned as he was.

The floor beneath them shifted and the pictures hanging from the wall fell, startling the four. Anju held onto the table and Kafei leaned himself up against the table. Inuyasha remained standing, just as Miroku and Sango. The shaking wasn't enough to knock them on their feet. But just as he came, it went.

Lighting outside continued to flash, but the rained ceased. From the window, Sango grew worried about her friends, who were probably still out there. The minor earthquake wasn't too bad to hurt anyone.

"I wonder if we should go out and find Kagome, Shippo and Kirara?" she muttered.

"I'm sure they've already taken shelter. Remember, they said they would look around other parts of the town before the fireworks?" Miroku explained. 'I highly doubt they'll be fireworks now.' "There's no need to worry. They'll return when they're done. As much as Kagome doesn't like rain, they're probably inside a shop."

Convinced that they were alright, Sango felt relief wash over her. "So now what?"

"First thing tomorrow, we should head out and get the next pendant!" Inuyasha explained. "But first…"

"First?" Miroku and Sango simultaneously asked.

"Let's eat. I'm starving!"

After the rain let up, Shippo was found staring up at the sky with wide eyes. "I don't get it! What does it mean? We've been here two days already, and there's these weird quakes and storms and now that!" he pointed toward the two moons above. "Is whoever doing this as evil as Naraku?" The child asked his surrogate mother, who appeared just as perplexed as him.

"I don't know," she replied. There were earthquakes like this back in her time, but none so strange as these. These earthquakes were much safer, because no one here seemed hurt or bothered by them as much. One thing was strange though; there were two moons. One was a full red moon, and the other was a black crescent moon. Kagome was sure it wasn't normal for there to be two of them.

"Kagome?"

"Let's go see the Great Fairy," she explained. Kagome looked around them, realizing they must have been in the east part of town. Currently, she and Shippo, along with Kirara, were standing in front of the Mayor's office. "I think it's through there," she murmured, mostly to herself. Instead of just returning to the Inn, where she knew her comrades were already there seeking shelter, she left through the entrance toward the north part of town.

"Why are we going to see the Great Fairy?"

"Just curious is all. She was not very specific about what this evil was, and I doubt we have less than a month to save this land." If things kept up like this, then the land would perish much sooner than expected.

The moment all three stumbled into the northern part of town, they were greeted by silence. The crickets weren't chirping and the wind suddenly stopped. When they first happened upon this area in search of the Great Fairy, it was so dark, because of the storm, that they could hardly make anything out. But now the storm had ended, at least for a while. Besides just the three of them standing there, no one else inhabited the area. No one. Dead silent.

"I don't like this. Maybe we should head back to the Inn," Shippo explained with fear. "Kagome, let's wait until tomorrow to talk to her."

Sensing and hearing the fear in his voice, Kagome smiled. "I guess you're right." She had been hoping to talk with her, but seeing Shippo as he was now, she couldn't say no. Besides, the place was giving her the creeps. 'Why is it so quiet here, of all places?'

"I wonder where Tingle is?" Shippo muttered as he stepped away, surveying the area.

When she heard this, Kagome just blinked. "Tingle?" 'What kind of name is that?' Well, it was better than naming your kid Tinkle, right? But this got her thinking. "Shippo, did you come here before?" She asked the boy, who stood a few feet from her with his back to her.

"Yeah! I was with Link and Serena," he explained, turning his eyes back to the priestess before walking toward the exit. "He's a fairy boy or something. Says he's been waiting thirty-five years for his own fairy."

Kagome's attention shifted to movement behind her. Somewhat worried and scared, she looked toward her feet, noticing another shadow overlapping hers. Someone was behind her, but this shadow was not Inuyasha. Before she could make a move to turn, a hand clamped over her mouth, and her vision blurred.

Shippo continued, despite what was happening behind his back. "He was kind of weird, but you should have seen—" Fear suddenly gripped the young kit the moment he turned and found his mother lying on the ground unconscious and with a tall figure standing above her. Frozen with fear, he watched this person's mouth curve into a sadistic grin. All he knew was he needed to get Inuyasha and the others.