Kouga stared at the narrow back of the angry young woman as she stalked away heading west toward the slowly setting sun. It's muted rays painted the late afternoon sky vibrant hues of burnt orange, ruby and violet; a moving spectacle for sure; but Natsumi's soul was clothed in black. With determined, deliberate steps she continued away from the small group she had so little known. "Remember," she reminded herself silently, "I must think only of finding the demon Naraku and claiming his death. Until then, nothing else matters, nothing or no one should cloud my mind." Even as she heard a few last feeble attempts to call her back, she pressed on, feeling a newfound fellowship with the impending darkness that had begun to blanket the sky.

Back at Kaede's hut, Kagome stood in disbelief for just a moment before walking up to the wolf demon that was absently sniffing the air and looking about. Kouga turned when he sensed Kagome nearby, just in time to catch an open-palm smack against the side of his head that she accompanied with a dirty look.

"Ow! That hurt Kagome! Whatcha do that for?" Kouga whimpered as he rubbed his head.

"Why did you just let her go off like that alone?" Kagome's face turned a perfect shade of red to rival the blush of a freshly ripened tomato. But she wasn't done yet. "I can't believe you would be so unconcerned so cold hearted as to let her wander out there alone! She could be killed!" With a final "HMPF!" Kagome stomped back into the hut; her small, angry fists balled up at her sides.

"It's not like she's my responsibility or something . . ." Kouga defended himself to no one in particular as the rest of the group stood there in silence.

"Someone should go after her," Shippo piped in with his shrill voice looking to the others for support.

"I agree, but what can we do? She has made it very clear that she wants to be alone," Miroku said.

"Bah, who cares? She's just a stupid human, and she's not my problem," Inuyasha huffed.

"SIT BOY!" Kagome shouted from inside the hut and Inuyasha found his backside harshly in the earth again.

"Damnit, she sure has good ears for a human," Inuyasha mumbled.

Natsumi followed an overrun path that run through the forest, all the while repeating a calming mantra in her head. Although she knew she would be better off on her own, her conscience was nagging her slightly, just a small prickling, but she felt badly about how she had treated the people who had been so kind to her. The stars came out above Natsumi, friendly sentinels smiling down at her. She brought her hand to her mouth, yawning deeply. "Yes, I really need to sleep," Natsumi thought as she felt a heavy weariness creeping into her bones. She looked about for a safe place to rest; quickly deciding on a piece of earth mostly shielded from peering eyes by dense foliage. Natsumi unrolled a thin blanket from her pack and laid it on the ground. With a habitual movement of her left hand, she checked that her tanto was still securely held at her waist before stretching out on the ground. She found sleep quickly as the stars kept watch of the night.

Had Natsumi not been so tired and deep in slumber, she would have heard the leaves crackling beneath the careful feet of the person slowly advancing on her prone figure. The intruder progressed toward Natsumi, a calm look upon their face and kneeled on the ground next to the exhausted young woman. Natsumi jolted upright immediately as a cool hand touched her shoulder interrupting her much needed sleep. Her hand went quickly to draw her short blade. Luckily, Natsumi got a good look at her would be assailant before striking out with her steel. She set her thin lips in a frown, furrowed her brows and asked, "What are you doing here Sango?"

Sango looked at Natsumi in a way Natsumi hated. Sango looked at her with pity.

"I don't need your sympathy you know. Throw it someone else's way," Natsumi spat bitterly as she set the usual stony mask on her face.

"You know, this tough act may work on others, but I don't believe you are so cold Natsumi. I understand that you have been through much pain in your life. It's probably easy to take out your anger on others. I think also the reason you want to be alone is so that you cannot be hurt again; that if you do not allow yourself to care for others and them for you, you will not be subject to another heartache."

Natsumi sat silently, Sango's truths scorching the barrier she had put up around herself. "You speak as if you know me Sango. But you know nothing about me. I don't even know why you bothered to come after me."

"Because I care. We all care Natsumi. I will leave you with the choice to come back with me or stay by yourself," Sango said as she stood to leave. She thought for a moment, and then called over her shoulder. "You may think that I do not know you Natsumi, but trust me I do. You're not the only one who lost your family . . .or your entire village."

Natsumi's ears pricked at Sango's words. What was she talking about? Suddenly, reality dawned on Natsumi like a tidal wave. It drenched her spirit and soaked her soul. She was embarrassed at the way she had become. In the time that she had been with Sango as well as with the others; while they had helped her, offered her food and clothing, tended to her when she had fainted from the ache in her head - she had not once asked about them. She knew nothing about their lives, their stories or hopes. Nastumi looked down at the dry earth as her big toe poked a hole in the dust. "Sango," she whispered morosely into the bellicose wind, "will you . . .please help me?"

That was it, she had given up, turned the demons within her away. Her heart felt as fresh as a blossom on a cherry tree, now light and refreshed knowing she could share her joys and fears with another. Natsumi smiled faintly as Sango's steps stopped abruptly and she turned back with a knowing smile on her face.

"Yes, I will help you Natsumi. You need only to allow someone in and that is the start. You've already accomplished that." Sango approached the young woman sitting vulnerably before her and held out her hand. Natsumi accepted the gesture of kindness, and rose, collecting her things quickly. Natsumi and Sango walked back to the hut slowly, discussing in depth the feelings surrounding a loss so deep, as well the hope that one day all things would be set right.

"So you wish to destroy Naraku as well?" Natsumi asked as they strolled along.

"Yes, and not only myself. Miroku has been pursuing Naraku as well, he put a curse on Miroku's family that will eventually lead to his demise if Naraku isn't vanquished, and Inuyasha seeks the shards of the sacred jewel Naraku has in his possession. Plus, everyone wants to kill him just out of sheer hatred," Sango answered. They soon came upon Kaede's hut bathed in twilight. The only sound was that of crickets chirping, but there was the glow of a fire from within the hut. When the girls entered, everyone was fast asleep save for a plump elderly woman with a patch over one eye.

"Sango, get ye to sleep my child, I would like to speak with young Natsumi," the wrinkled woman said as she rested her hands in her lap and gazed into the warm blaze of the flames. Natsumi regarded the old woman, her eye was strong and fierce, her voice gruff, yet there was a peaceful and calm tone to her voice. Natsumi kneeled by the fire. "Ye have a strange aura about you young lady. Have ye thought about what our young monk has told you?"

"Yes Kaede I have, but I just don't see how it could be possible. My family has lived in the same village for centuries."

"Natsumi, have ye your mother's eyes or your father's?" Kaede asked softly.

"Well . . .neither one. People have always commented on the unusual color," Natsumi replied of her grayish colored eyes.

"They remind me of mirrors. Or the calm of the water after a storm," Kaede said kindly stirring the dying embers with a short stick. "Many years ago, I heard tale of an unusual midwife in a district near the village you came from. When expectant mothers would die in childbirth and the child had no other relatives, she would take the infants to couples in other villages who were unable to have children of their own."

"You think I'm a stolen child?" Natsumi asked darkly, the strange words of the old woman plucking her soul like an out of tune violin.

"It is not my place to speculate, however, child I believe by your response that ye have often felt out of place in your own life. But you must come to your own understanding of your past," Kaede said softly meeting Natsumi's eyes.

"If I wasn't who I thought it was, it matters not. From this point forward, the only thing that matters is who I am now, and who I will become. I will not dwell in the uncertain past," Natsumi resolved as she rose to her feet. "Thank you Kaede." Natsumi stepped past the sleeping figures, the mats looked soft and welcoming, but she needed to clear her head for a while. The strange headaches had started again since she had been back, but thanks to Kagome's white pills Natsumi felt she would feel better shortly. She slipped outside to the porch and sat down letting the shadow of the half-moon fall on her up-turned face. She sat in reflective silence as the subtle sounds of the twilight played their melodious canticle of the night. Natsumi smiled as sat, this was the point where she turned to a blank page in the book of her life. Her heavy eyelids began to fall as the events of the past week caught up with her and her body succumbed to the sleep that was inevitable. A strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around Natsumi's slumbering body and carried her inside.

"Rest well, Natsumi. Tomorrow we will start our journey to find Naraku. You'll need all your strength," a friendly voice said as they laid her down on the mats and pulled a blanket over her. She didn't stir once.

Morning's early rays had softened and turned to early afternoon. Natsumi rolled over and tried to go back to sleep but a voice kept her awake.

"We can't let her sleep any longer, half the day's already wasted. I want to start looking for Naraku," Inuyasha complained loudly. Sighing, Natsumi sat up and blinked, then cried out. She was totally unprepared for the sight in front of her. Miroku was laying sprawled out beside her, deep asleep.

"MONK! What is the matter with you! Of all the - I ought to kill you!" Natsumi was immediately wide-awake, a crimson blush spreading across her appalled face. Miroku's eyes flew open in response the irate woman beside him.

"I . .I carried you in last night and when I got back in Shippo was curled up on my mat . . .I didn't want to disturb him," Miroku mumbled as he scrambled backward.

"That still gives you no right! You should have slept in the corner!" Natsumi yelled as she placed an oh-so-familiar slap across Miroku's face. Muted giggles filled the room from Kagome, Shippo and Sango. Inuyasha only rolled his eyes and looked slightly annoyed.

"Are you guys ready to go yet?" The hanyou asked with his arms crossed

Still blushing a ferocious red, Natsumi stalked off to wash her face, letting her small feet make distinct thumps on the matted floor as Miroku scrambled to his feet, almost tripping over his deep violet robes and faced the others. "What?" He asked with a smug look on his face.

"Miroku, you'll never learn," Sango sighed as she shook her
head and gave an amused smile while preparing a light breakfast of fresh fruit for the group.

"Women don't want you to throw yourself all over them. You're much too forward. You have to be considerate . . .and not such a pervert," Kagome instructed as she wagged her finger in Miroku's face.

"Who cares. I'm ready to go fight Naraku, not stand here
talking about lovey-dovey stuff," Inuyasha said with a snort. He placed his hand on the Tetsusaiga for emphases, and in his oblivion didn't see Kagome turn to him, nor the look on her face.

"Like you would know anything about how to treat a woman!"
Kagome screeched into the half-demon's face before stomping out after Natsumi to the pond. Kagome's face burned with embarrassment from her outburst, why should it matter how Inuyasha treated her? It's not as if he's ever said anything to make her feel that they were anything more than friends.

"Stupid human women," Inuyasha growled shaking his head and
exasperatingly rolling his eyes toward Miroku.

"Don't look at me," Miroku respond as he took a dish of fruit from Sango who was kneeling close. His short brown ponytail bobbed as he brought his face down level with hers. "You know Sango, my intentions toward women -"

"I know your intentions are never correct monk," Sango cut him off as she brought food to Shippo.

"Let's go after them, I want to get moving," Inuyasha said. He and Miroku left the hut following the overgrown trail that led to a small pond less than a mile away. The blazing sun began to bake the skin on the back of Miroku's neck as he walked along the dry earth. "This would be a nice day for a swim," he commented to the silent hanyou beside him. Shading his eyes from the glare of the rays, Inuyasha squinted his amber eyes and looked to the south.

"Looks like someone already had that idea . . ." Inuyasha
answered. The playful sounds of splashing in the crystalline water and the boisterous giggles of two young women could be heard clearly from where the monk and demon had stopped. "That stupid Kagome, always messing around when there's work to be done. I'll get as close as I can without her accusing me of trying to look at them and tell 'em to come in." Inuyasha made an attempt to step forward, but was stopped mid-stride by Miroku's arm. "What?" Inuyasha said in an annoyed tone.

"Listen. Natsumi . . .she's laughing. Almost as if she's
happy. I've yet to see a smile on her face. Let's not deny her this piece of happiness Inuyasha. We've been looking for Naraku for so long, one more day won't hurt anything. Let her smile and laugh and feel joy today," Miroku said wistfully as a breeze danced through the air cooling his brow. Inuyasha knew there was no point in arguing the issue, if posed to Sango or the other girls, they would surly agree to wait until tomorrow.

"Fine," Inuyasha barked as he turned back to the hut. "But
we're leaving really early in the morning!" He called over his shoulder as he walked off. The young monk sat beneath the generous shade of a large tree and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes, letting breeze wash over him and the giggles of the nearby women drift through his ears as he meditated. Maybe the girls were right, he thought. Perhaps he came on a bit too strong, maybe he made women feel uncomfortable? But then again, who could blame him? It was in his nature; it was in his upbringing. Miroku smiled as he dusted himself off and stood.

Back at the pond, Natsumi and Kagome's fingers had started to wrinkle. "We've been swimming for over an hour, I'm surprised Inuyasha hasn't come by barking at us to hurry up," Kagome said wrinkling her slightly upturned nose. "I guess we should go back to Kaede's hut." Kagome swam to the bank and reached out for her clothes that were heaped in a pile in the thick grass. "Oh no," Kagome gasped as her hand went up to her neck.

"What is it?" Natsumi asked quickly.

"My chain must have broke . . .it had the little bottle with the jewel shards in it. Inuyasha is going to kill me if I don't find it!" Kagome's face twisted with worry, but Natsumi dove under the glassy surface and began searching. Among the smooth pebbles and weeds along the bottom of the large pond, her fingers brushed against something hard and polished to the touch. She curled her fingers around the object and came to the surface.

"I've got it Kagome," Natsumi said holding her palm open to
display the glossy bottle.

"Oh good! Can you hang onto it while I dress?" Natsumi nodded as Kagome climbed out of the water and wrung out her long hair.

"Kagome, how long do those little white pills last for?"
Natsumi asked as she stared at the vial in her hand. The
jewels seemed to dance before her eyes, even though they
remained stationary, she could have sworn they sparkled a
little more brightly than usual.

"Uh - the aspirin lasts for maybe six hours, but you haven't had any yet today. Poor dear, is your headache back?" Kagome said as she zipped up her skirt.

"No, actually it just got better, it hardly hurts at all,"
Natsumi responded from the water still gazing upon the shards. Why did they call out to her so?

"Well that's good news, but you should come out now and get
dressed, I'm sure the others are waiting for us," Kagome said. Natsumi emerged from the water and quickly dressed in the clothes Kagome had lent her. She left her long ebony hair down to dry, the tips just brushing against her upper thigh. She had dressed the entire time not noticing that she still clutched the jewel shards tightly in her fist until Kagome had reached out with her hand open. "Thanks for holding it for me," Kagome said indicating to the bottle.

"Hmm? Oh yes, I am sorry," Natsumi said as she handed the vial back to the other girl. "I guess I was wrong," she said as they began walking back to the hut. "My head is aching again," Natsumi flinched as familiar pangs of pain drummed in her head. "Actually, it's pretty bad," she admitted as her legs took on a lead-like feeling and the colors of the trees, the sky and the earth swirled around her head like a painter's delirious brush strokes.

"Oh no - not again. Inuyasha! Miroku! Somebody!"

From somewhere deep inside herself Natsumi heard Kagome call out, but when she tried to steady herself, her arm would not extend to her friend's shoulder. Natsumi frowned as she couldn't help but fall forward - and right into someone's solid chest. Her eyes re-focused only moments later. Hearing a "Humph," she looked up to see Inuyasha carrying her into the hut. She made out the hushed voices of Kaede and Miroku in a hasty discussion.

"It must be so. Kagome said Natsumi was holding onto the jewel shards and had no pain, and when she handed them back the pain increased and she fainted. The birthmark, your suspicions about her family, it all adds up. She has to be a descendent of the priestess Midoriko!" Miroku said excitedly.

"And ye believe when the shards of the sacred jewel are
present, her body calls out to them?" The old woman asked.

"I can think of no other explanation," Miroku stated as he
crossed the room the where Inuyasha had laid Natsumi on a mat.

"I'm fine really," Natsumi lied as several worried faces stared down at her. Miroku just shook his head and placed Kagome's shards in her hand. Immediately Natsumi's hand grew warm and a feeling of wellness crept through her veins and the pain in her head had subsided. She gazed down at the clear glass bottle containing the purplish red gleaming slivers, then back up into Miroku's calming eyes. "What does this mean?"

No one spoke for a few moments until the situation dawned on Inuyasha. "The human can sense the jewel shards . . .and better than Kagome."