I wake up to a sudden sharp pain on my back, As I open my eyes slowly I feel cold and I'm sweating.

"Oh___________, you're awake! How are you feeling?" A familiar voice asks me.

"Kagome?" I ask with a hourse voice.

"Hey_________, thank goodness." She says with relief in her voice.

My memories seem to have faded away of the attack and after the attack. I'm lying on my stomach on a futon which I assume is my room back in the village, my long hair is neatly brushed to the side of my body. A few candles lights the room, so I assume it's night time. My kimono has been removed from my body so I'm bare, a blanket covers my legs up to my lower back, leaving my upper back exposed. Kagome was in the middle of treating my wound on my back when I woke up. I shivered a little feeling cold and I bring my bare arms closer to my body, Kagome notices and pulls the blanket up just a little bit higher.

"I just finished disinfecting your wound for the night, it's definitely going to leave a long scar on your back when it completely heals." She says with a sigh.

"Thanks Kagome, I'm just happy that I'm still alive." I say while looking at the wall since I couldn't turn onto my side.

"You had a fever after returning back here, luckily it broke but now you have a cold. Try not to move so much because the ointment is still wet on your back." Kagome says to me.

"Thanks, how long was I out for?" I ask her.

"About 2 days, we were all worried about you. Sango's twins were crying when they saw you." Kagome says with a sad tone in her voice.

"Please tell them I'm sorry for worrying them, but I'll be fine now." I say to her.

"I will, I know it's pretty late but are you hungry by any chance? If you are I'll make something for you." Kagome offered.

"No, I'm good thank you Kagome, you guys must've been tired for taking care of me. You should go rest, thank you for taking care of me." I say.

"Alright, if you do get hungry, just try to hold on till morning alright. The worst part is over for you, get lots of rest and nurse your cold. Sango will come tomorrow morning with breakfast." Kagome says giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Goodnight." I say squeezing her hand back.

"Good night________. We will see you tomorrow." Kagome says and gets up heading towards the door.

"Hey Kagome, who brought me back here?" I ask her.

"Sesshomaru did, he handed you to us when morning came and then he left. He must've ran all night to get you back here. Looks like your bond is closer than it seems___________." Kagome says with a smile.

"Oh.... I see." I say quietly.

"Night." She says and blows out the candles and exit the hut.

The room is dark now since the candles has been extinguished, the only light is from the moonlight shining through giving the room a dim silver wash. The cool air fills the room brushing against my bare back. I close my eyes and thoughts begin to emerge itself into my mind, thoughts of Sesshomaru. I close my eyes and try to go to sleep, but the thoughts are preventing me from closing off my consciousness. About half an hour has passed and I'm slowly falling asleep, when the curtain of the hut shuffles lightly. The sound draws me back into reality once again, I open my eyes slowly and look at the wall, a tall and lean shadow is imprinted on it. A gentle wind blows and the shadow moves, my heart begins to beat faster, not knowing what or who it is. I close my eyes and try to block off the thoughts and accept what comes next that fate has decided for me. I can hear soft footsteps coming closer to me, it then stops beside me on my right. I can't see them because my head is faced towards the left, I try to steady my breathing so it seem like I'm sleeping. The figure then sits down quietly beside me and everything goes quiet, I can hear my own heartbeat and the soft breathing of the person. The fear overwhelms me and I shut my eyes tightly, a drop of my tears slides down my face. Then I can feel the person leaning over a little and an arm looms over me and comes down towards my face. I hold my breath not knowing what is about to happen, but then what the person does next surprises me. I feel cool skin against my cheek, smooth and cool fingers gently brushes my cheek and wipes away the area where my tears slid down. I open my eyes slowly and I see the person's porcelain skin in front of me, the tips of their slim fingers ending in sharp long nails. I can feel cool silk on my bare back as their arm is hovering over me. They then retreats their arm back and I see the walls once again, I can feel them leaning back. I let go of my breath slowly as I figured out who he is. He stayed beside me for minutes in the hut, he watches over me and eventually, I fell asleep. His warmth beside me kept me warm as I'm down with a cold. No words were said, just silence in the room and our steady breathing. Although I can't see him, Sesshomaru watched over me the whole night. When I open my eyes the sun has come up and the room is filled with the morning sunlight, I don't feel any prescence on my right side anymore, I suppose Sesshomaru left sometimes in the middle of the night. I know that winter has ended because the air is becoming slightly warmer. I try to get up by propping my arms up, I can feel the wound on my back has become slightly hard. It's beginning to scab up.

"Hey take it easy__________, you don't want to break down the scab." A voice suddenly says. I turn my head towards the entrance and I see Sango coming in with her twin girls, the girls runs up to me and hugs me.

"Hey girls, be gentle, you guys don't want to injure her more. She has a cold too so let her rest." Sango says.

"Sango, good morning. Hey girls." I say with a smile, getting up slowly with the girls helping me up.

I pull the blanket that is over me up and use it to cover my chest area as I sit up, Sango kneels down beside me with a small wooden tray of food. There were soup, bread and some fruits.

"So glad to see you're doing well_________, how is your cold? Feeling slightly better?" Sango asks me picking up a slice of bread and handing it towards me.

"Thanks Sango, I'm feeling a bit hungry. It's getting better I think, thank you for all taking care of me." I say taking a bite of the bread and smiling at her and the twins.

"That's good, you need to rest lots so your cold can go away. Your shoulder and back wound seem to be healing up well, just don't pick at them." Sango says with a smile

I give a laugh.

"I won't, besides, it's kind of hard to reach my back. If I was younger though I would have." I say looking at the twins with a smile.

I ate my breakfast and chatted with Sango and played with the girls my left shoulder still hurts but it seem to be getting better. I look at my wrists, they were bruised and skin were slightly flaky from the struggle of the rope binds. Since I'm still injured and suffering from a cold, Sango tells me that I should rest for a few days. So practically I'm going to be bed ridden for a few days, only a few more days. I don't know how long it will take me to heal completely but it seems like it won't be too bad. They all took care of me for about half a week, as the days went by my wound has improved a lot. The bruising on my wrist has slowly turned pale green to show it's slowly fading, my cold has passed so it's just my back wound now. I can move by the end of the week, Sesshomaru haven't visited since. The shoulder is still a bit sore but I'm happy that it's just sore and nothing serious, because if I did then my love for music would have ended. Another few days later, the scab on my back has started to fall off, and a scar has formed on the area that has healed. I put on a spare kimono that Lady Kaede has given me, I didn't want to put my hair up anymore so I left it falling down my back like a waterfall. I decide to finally go outside and get some fresh air, I open the curtain to my hut and the morning sun finally hits me. Spring has finally arrived, the air smells fresh and clean, people are outside going about their day. It's good to be back in my second home. I walk around the area with a smile on my face, after a while I went to the hut that we all gather to eat, I opened up the curtains and I see Sango, Kagome and Lady Kaede in the room. They all look up from their work and gasp.

"___________?! Are you feeling alright? Don't move too much!" Kagome says with worry in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm feeling a lot better now. I wanted to get some fresh air and some exercise, can't stay in my small room all day and night." I say with a smile and sit down in front of them.

Sango gets out the tea table and pours tea for all of us.

"Lady Kaede what are you doing?" I ask her seeing her holding my pale blue kimono.

"I'm patching up your beautiful kimono so that you can dress your best again." Lady Kaede says with a smile.

"Oh no you really don't have to, it's just a kimono it's not worth your time to patch it up." I say to her.

"I want to do this, it makes me feel like a grandmother." She replies with a smile.

I couldn't argue with that so I just sighed and smiled.

We talked a little bit and enjoyed the warm tea.

"I want to let you know that when Sesshomaru brought you back, Jaken brought back Hidzume with them, but we didn't see your koto. What exactly happened that night?" Sango says.

"Oh... well actually.... I was captured by a group of bandits lead by a vulture demon, they were coming for this village so I tried to fight them off and come and warn you. I used my koto as a weapon after I told Hidzume to run away. My koto broke as I flung it at the bandits..." I say looking down.

"You got captured and injured and still tried to warn us, we can't thank you enough. We are in your debt." Lady Kaede says with a bow.

"No, Lady Kaede please, you guys are my second family. So of course I would do whatever I can to warn you all of danger." I say shaking my hands.

"Thank goodness that Sesshomaru showed up and saved you, or else we would regret letting you go for the rest of our lives." Kagome says with a frown.

"Seems like he went off on his own business and caught the smell of Hidzume and followed the lingering scent back to where_________ was." Sango says.

"Such as shame that your koto is broken, we're sorry that we can't make you a new one. We know that it's your most prized possession." Kagome says.

"Oh no, it's really ok. It's just a koto, I can always get a new one when I return back to my home. Having you all look after me and repair my kimono is more than enough." I tell them with a smile.

My mind begin to think of Sesshomaru as I listened to what Sango has said earlier. He probably was doing something important and dropped it to find me, I'm grateful to him for saving me again, but I feel like I'm preventing him from achieving his own goals because I'm getting in the way of his goals.

"Say__________, have you been communicating with your family since you left on your travel?" Kagome asks me out of the blue snapping me back to reality.

"Oh uh no... I haven't. Maybe I should." I reply quietly.

"I think that's a good idea, let them know you're doing well and well loved. When you finish writing the letter just give it to me and we'll send it for you." Sango says with a smile.

"Thank you Sango, I'll do that." I say with a smile.

After talking with them I decide to go back to my hut and start writing the letter. I wrote that I've met wonderful people and that I've encountered many experiences as well, I left out the injuries and scars so as to not to worry them. I decided that I'll tell them once I get back. I wrote saying them to take care of their healths. I finished the letter and folded it up and tied it up with a string, I went out again to find Sango. I found her taking her girls on a walk with Shippo, I give it to her and she says that she'll give me the letter if I get a response.

"Thanks Sango." I say giving her hug.

"No need to thank me, just recover as much as possible and that's good enough for me." She says hugging me back gently.

We enjoyed a nice dinner all together along with Inuyasha and Miroku, everything feels like it has returned to when I haven't left. It's nostalgic. We all enjoyed a tea together for the first time in a long time, Inuyasha, and Shippo and Miroku all stayed up to spent the time with me. We talked and laughed, it is a moment to remember. Afterwards they all headed to bed after asking me if I needed anything, being a night owl as I am, I go outside towards the fields that hold so much meaning to me. When I arrived there, the flowers has slowly started to bud. It's the sign of a beautiful spring. Since I don't have my koto anymore, I just stood there in the middle of the field and looking up at the bright moon. I then look around the field and try to find that person that always stood out in the dark night like an illusion. Unfortunately, he's not here today. I let out a sigh but smiled.

"Maybe this is for the best, I think it's time to break off this friendship and let him do what he's born to do. Be a great demon." I say to myself quietly.

The wind gently blows and my hair sways freely in the wind. I turn around and I walk back to the village. That night I slept with a clear mind, it felt really relaxing. When morning arrives, I wake up with a bright smile on my face. I stretch after sitting up, the soreness seem to have subsided. I lower my arms and my right arm touches something besides me on the ground, I turn my head to see what it is. It's a small bottle made of jade, it is beautifully engraved with flowers, it has a cork plugging it up.

"What is this?" I wondered.

I lift up the small bottle that fits nicely in my palm, I pull the cork loose and a peachy apricot smell is released into the air.

"Is this fragrant olives?" I asked myself.

I tilt the bottle slightly and scented liquid comes out onto my other palm, I then realized that it's perfume. It smells wonderful, I've heard of fragrant olives but never have I smelled one or in this case have a bottle of the precious smell. As I look at it I realize that it can't be from anyone in the village.

"Sesshomaru came last night..." I say to myself.

I gaze at the beautiful bottle with a smile, but my heart gives off the aching pain. I put the bottle on my table and go on about my day. 2 days passes by like usual, the scab on my back has healed and a scar is left behind as a reminder of that day. I'm back helping Sango babysit the girls with Shippo, Inuyasha and Miroku goes out exorcising demons and ghosts, Kagome and Lady Kaede going to shrines and learning more about the spiritual power. I'm sitting in my room the next day resting a little after helping plant new herbs in the fields with Kagome in the morning when Sango, in her hand is a letter.

"___________, it seems like your family replied back to you. Let us know what they wrote afterwards." Sango says with a smile handing me the letter.

"Thank you Sango, and I will." I reply with a smile.

Sango exits my hut and I open the letter, my little sister wrote to me in the place of my parents. She wrote that they are all doing well, and that she has met someone special. She then reminds me that I promised her that if she were to get married, I would come back. As I read the letter, I feel pain in my heart. I put the letter down and look out the window, I know I have to go back and see my sister going off to her new life.

"I suppose this is for the best, this way I can finally cut off ties with Sesshomaru and go our separate ways, it's about time this journey of mine comes to an end. I've gained a lot of experiences in these few months, enough to last a lifetime." I say looking at the scar on my left hand.

I stand up and went on with my day, when dinner time arrived I decide to tell them everything after eating this time, to avoid awkwardness. We cleaned up and all sit down for tea.

"So I heard you received back a letter today__________, would you mind telling us what was on it if it's not private?" Miroku asks sipping his tea.

"Yes I did, my sister wrote back to me. She says that they're all doing great and that she misses me." I tell them with a smile.

"That's wonderful, it would be nice to see your sister one day." Kagome says.

"Yes, well, she found someone that she loves now. Before I left on the journey we promised each other that if she's to get married, I would go back and see her off." I say quietly.

They look at me after hearing my words and they all look at each other.

"That's great news that your sister has found someone that she loves but if she mentions that to you does that mean...." Sango says trailing off at the end.

"Yes, she specifically added the promise of ours in the letter. So I assume that she is going to marry soon, she's waiting for me to go back." I finished Sango's sentence.

They all let out a quiet "oh.." but they all smiled.

"Such a shame that we can't have you stay longer, we just got you back too." Miroku says with sad smile.

"I know I apologize." I say bowing to them.

"You don't need to apologize to anyone_________, your real family are waiting for you to return. We are really happy to have spent these wonderful few months with you. You had really brighten up this place." Lady Kaede says with a smile.

"You guys are like my second family, I don't want to leave but it seems like I have to. I also believe that after I return, I won't be coming back for a long time. My journey has reached its highest peak, I don't think I can experience anymore that will surpass the things that I have experienced already in life. After returning home, I'll be ending my journey. I'm going to start my life on a new path, but I will always remember the life that I have spent with you all." I say with a smile.

"It's better not to get hurt anymore, and we don't want to see you get hurt anymore. It's better to stay close to comfort and home incase you need a place to go back to. Say when are you leaving?"" Inuyasha asks.

"You're right Inuyasha, I don't want to risk of putting my life in danger anymore, besides I probably had my share of fun and a glance at the outside world. I'll be leaving the morning after tomorrow, it'll be a continuous trip with no stop in any of the previous villages." I tell them.

"I see, guess we'll just have to treasure the time that we have left with you before we set you on your road home soon. Let's all get some rest tonight." Miroku says with a big smile trying to brighten up the mood.

We all nod, we all stand up to exit the hut. I walk up to Inuyasha and grab gently onto his sleeve. He turns to me with a surprised reaction.

"________? What is it?" He asks me turning to me.

"Can I, have a chat with you alone for a bit?" I ask him.

He looks at me with his golden eyes and smiles sensing an urgency in my eyes, he looks at Kagome who's waiting for him. She looks at me and give me a nod and smile, she then leaves.

"Let's go somewhere quiet and more open." He suggests.

I nod, we walk outside and he tells me to hop onto his back. I was surprised but I complied, I climb onto his back and he sprints to the flower fields luminated by the moonlight. He lowers me down gently and we both sit down in the middle of the field.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" He asks me.