I traveled mainly at night, I had no covering for my wings to traverse by day and probably run into people. I didn't know where to start looking for Naraku and his hide out, so I headed the one direction I knew nothing about, south.

My body protested moving the moment I left the cave, and only a week into my journey I was with fever, but there was no stopping; I would find my son.

"Can you believe it…?" I heard someone whisper by my camp, I had not made a fire as usual to hide my presence.

"Believe what?" another answered.

"Well they say that there have been sightings of an Haibane!!"

I stopped and held my breath. I knew I had been extremely careful around villages and towns, but it turned out it wasn't enough.

"Oh don't start with that. You know they're extinct and have been for hundreds of years."

"But it's true!!!"

"Well have you seen this Haibane yourself?"

"Well no… But I know other's who have!"

"Name one good reliable source that has actually set sights on this fabled person."

The first person stayed quiet for some time.

"See you can't. No one has actually seen one in years."

"What about that one that was taking in orphans?"

"Everyone knows she's dead. And with her, the whole race died. They don't exist anymore so shut up about it."

I breathed a sigh of relief, and was extremely thankful to the "source" for being unreliable. It would have been bad if people started learning about me.

Slumping to the ground I leaned my head back against a tree and closed my eyes; my fever wasn't getting any better.

"I'd say this is almost like the first time I was sick but Sesshoumaru isn't following me and I'm not human…" I murmured out loud to myself. "I have to keep going… I have to save my son…"

No one would save him but me; no one even knew he was missing…

That's not true.

"Go away…"

But it's not true. There were others who knew he was missing.

"This isn't about them. They have more important things to do."

You know they would help if you had asked.

"But I'm not asking for help. I don't need it."

Yes you do. Look at yourself. You're falling apart at the seams.

"Shut up." I hissed.

God I wonder how many people would think I'm insane because I'm talking to myself.

I needed sleep….

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

I was dreaming…

In my dream the ground in front of me cracked and hot magma poured up through the cracks and over the land before me, burning everything in its path. I watched as animals ran for their lives in vain. Demons, humans, animals; nothing could stand in the way of the lava flow; none could run either.

Then I saw it head towards my home, I saw Rin and Kaemon in the destructive path of the lava.

"NO!!!" I screamed as I desperately tried to do something to save my children.

I stood there willing the lava to stop in a desperate attempt to save my children… And it did. Then it slowly started flowing back to me. I held my arms open, waiting for it to hit me, at least my children were safe, but it never did.

It went in me.

Suddenly my body felt like it was on fire. I was burning from the inside. I fell to my knees, holding my head, and screamed continuously.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

I woke up and realized that I wasn't just burning up in the dream, but my whole body felt like it was on fire. I struggled to sit up, I needed cool off and fast.

"oh no! You shouldn't be moving around yet!!" I heard a female voice scold me. "You have such a nasty fever!"

Someone had found me; I nearly panicked.

"Calm down, stop thrashing about, you're just going to make yourself worse." The woman came into view. She was elder, her hair nearly all white and gray. She sat down next to me. "If you just rest your fever will go away."

"I have to save my son…" I protested.

"Now, now." She started as she rung out a cloth and placed it on my forehead. "You can't save your son if you're with fever. You may even get yourself in trouble at that rate. Just rest. You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"You're not afraid of me…?" I murmured as I gazed up at her.

"Oh good heavens no! Just because you look different doesn't make you dangerous. You're sick you need to rest. Everything will be okay soon, I promise."

I wanted to believe the kind words she spoke to me. So I closed my eyes and prayed that she would be safe taking care of me.