Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kagome had been walking for several hours now. Every once and a while they had to stop because Miroku was in so much pain. Yet he never complained, he simply gritted his teeth and forged on. Kagome and Inuyasha had to make him stop, or they were sure that he would walk himself to death. The new moon had come and Inuyasha was left defenseless which not only worried him, but Kagome as well.

They stopped beside a stream, and Miroku sat with his back against a large boulder. He stared off into space, not even noticing the water and bread Kagome had brought him.

When she looked into his eyes, she was shocked. They were dying, as if all the pain and anguish he had suffered was slowly draining the life from him. She touched his shoulder gently, but he pulled away from her.

"Miroku, you need to eat something." she said softly, pushing the bread and water towards him.

He turned his head away from her, "I'm fine."

Inuyasha walked up behind Kagome and scowled, "Snap out of it, Miroku! You're not the only one who cares about Kotori! We're all just as worried about her as you are!"

He didn't look at Inuyasha or Kagome, he simply stared off into space. Inuyasha grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at him. He too saw the pain in Miroku's eyes.

"Why won't you listen to me, Miroku? We're going to find her and save her! Don't you have any faith in us?"

Miroku stared at him, "Of course I do. But what if...... we're too late?"

"Don't talk like that! She's going to be fine! You just have to have a little faith in our cause or we won't accomplish anything!" snapped Inuyasha.

"You're right," he said as he stood up, "Let's get going. It'll take us about a week to get to the Western Lands on foot and with our frequent stops. I don't want to waste any time."

Inuyasha and Kagome nodded and stood up. Miroku pulled up his monk robes that had slipped, making sure that the bandages were covered. The last thing they needed right now was for a youkai to find them and discover that one of their party was wounded.

Sesshomaru sat at the long table in the dinning hall, waiting, slightly nervous, for Kotori and Rin. Finally, they walked down the stairs together.

Rin was wearing a clean red kimono and Kotori was wearing the gift he had sent her. Her hair flowed around her like water in a stream and her sparkling blue eyes stared at him intently.

They took their seats at the table, Rin sitting on Sesshomaru's left, Kotori sitting at his right.

Kotori turned towards him and smiled, "Thank you for this beautiful kimono. I've never seen anything more lovely in my life."

"You're welcome. I will be sure to have your priestess robes clean and mended in case you desire them."

"Thank you."

Once they had finished their meal, Kotori spoke, "I have been with you for about three days now, and I feel well enough to travel. I wish to return to my village tomorrow."

"Why so soon?"

"I need to check on my friends, see if they're all right."

He sighed, "As you wish. I will travel with you just in case, if that's all right with you."

She smiled at him and stood up, "Your company would be very much appreciated. Now, I wish to retire. I shall see you in the morning."

He nodded and she walked out of the hall. "I wish she didn't have to leave so soon." he thought to himself.

Kotori lay curled up in a ball on Sesshomaru's bed, tears streaming down her face.

"Miroku.... Please be ok Miroku. I miss you so much. And I miss Kita, Kagome, Inuyasha, Shigure, Shippo, and Lady Kaede. But I miss you the most, Miroku my love. I'm coming. I'm coming back to the village. I swear it!"

She sobbed into the bed, the tears flowing down her face. As she thought of each of her friends, pictures of them came into her mind and she sobbed harder. When she thought of Miroku, she could almost feel his arms around her, his hands caressing her face, his lips against hers. Her body ached to be in his arms again, for him to love her.

"I hate being here! I want to go back to Kaede's village! Back to Miroku!" she thought.

She sat up in the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt dirty, and she wanted a bath. After making sure that her eyes were dry and not red or puffy, she carefully opened the door and snuck down the hall to Rin's room.

As she turned the corner, Jaken came down the hall and saw her. He rushed to her, bowing deeply.

"Milady! What are you doing walking around these corridors so late?"

"I.... uh... wanted to take a bath, but I don't know where I'm going." she replied.

"Well, my beautiful lady, I will escort you to the hot springs. Please follow me!"

Kotori sighed heavily and followed Jaken down the hall. It wasn't long before they reached a door on the left side of the hallway.

Jaken pointed to it and said, "Here you are, Milady! You'll find towels and bathing materials inside."

"Uh.... thanks." said Kotori as she opened the door and walked into the room beyond.

She closed the door behind her and looked around. It looked like a small lake, with massive boulders protruding from the ground and trees and flowers surrounded the pool, giving the spring a look of a secret haven. A few towels and a bar of soap were sitting on a small table beside a dressing screen. She picked up one of the towels and walked behind the screen.

She undressed and folded the silk kimono carefully and placed it on a nearby chair, then she wrapped the towel around her torso and walked from behind the screen.

She walked over to the edge of the water, then looked around to make sure that she was alone. She was, so she took the towel off and slipped into the warm, comforting water. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander as she was soothed by the lapping of the water.

"I'm really glad that he's letting me go, but I'm going to miss Rin. She's so sweet and she's all alone....." she thought.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the trees. She quickly opened her eyes and gazed up into the foliage. There, she saw a pair of glinting red eyes and she heard the soft tinkling of her enchanted bells.

She reached for her towel, but before she could get out of the hot spring, the figure jumped down from the tree and landed in the water in front of her. It pushed her back against a boulder, grabbed her upper arms, and made her face it.

As she looked over her attacker, she noticed that he was male and a full-blooded dog youkai, though he looked nothing like Inuyasha or Sesshomaru. He was a little taller than herself, with dark brown hair that rested at his shoulders and brown eyes and he wore a simple, green kimono, suggesting that he was of a lower class of youkai. He gave her a toothy grin and she noticed his sharp fangs, along with his razor-sharp claws.

"Let go of me you bastard!" she shouted, but he ignored her.

She struggled to release herself from his grasp, but he tightened his grip. Little streams of blood trickled from where his claws met her flesh and she cried out in pain. He sniffed the nape of her neck. "So you're the priestess we heard about. You're better than I expected."

He nibbled at her neck and she whimpered when his fangs drew blood. He stopped and looked at her. He saw the fear and pain in her eyes and grinned. "You're not enjoying this are you?" she shook her head, "Well, you're going to have to get used to it. No male has claimed you, so you're mine for the taking!"

She tried to push him away again, but he grasped her wrists and slammed them against the boulder. He squeezed her wrists and she cried out in pain. "Now, now. Stay still so I can claim you."

Suddenly, he grunted and slumped over her. She saw that there were deep gashes in his back that looked fatal.

"Are you ok?" came a deep voice from the darkness.

Kotori froze, but her eyes drifted towards the shadows. Sesshomaru stepped into the light, his right hand covered in fresh youkai blood. He wiped it away on a patch of grass and looked at her.

"I'm ok now." she replied softly, "Thank you."

He walked over to her and removed the dead youkai. Once she was free, she quickly tried to wash the blood off her arms and neck. He stopped her and cupped her chin in his hand. He saw tears streaming down her face and he took pity on her.

"It's all right now. I promise I won't let that happen to you again." he said softly.

Suddenly, Kotori embraced him and sobbed into his chest. He was taken aback at first, but he wrapped his arms around her and comforted her as her blood and tears mingled with each other on the front of his kimono.