The days progressed slowly and as far as I could tell neither men really seemed to be enjoying themselves; I, on the other hand, was totally enthralled with being in the village again.

"Kaori-sama!!" was all you really heard from the children now as they screamed and ran around the frozen houses and farmland.

Oh I did try to spend equal time with both Matsu and Sesshoumaru, both together and each separately, but if one of the children came up to play with us, they were a bit standoffish… So mostly I was with the children.

It was also refreshing to be with Makoto and Suzuki. Suzuki was getting larger and Makoto spent a lot of time with her now since the fieldwork was done for this season.

"Well Kaori-san… How are things with the men…?" Suzuki asked one evening when I stumbled into the house totally exhausted from a day with the children.

"Boring…" I huffed as I fell to the floor by the fire in the center of the back room.

"Are they even trying…?" Makoto asked as he came in carrying firewood.

"Not really… They're completely aloof whenever the children want to play… I don't know how much longer I can wait for either of them to finally start warming up to not just the children, but everyone here."

"Are you really going to turn them away…?"

"I don't think I have a choice…" I murmured sadly.

Suzuki and Makoto exchanged a look.

"Just give him a few more days… See if he comes around." Suzuki said as she tried to cheer me up.

I sighed. "Just a few more days…"

"Kaori-sama!!" one of the children screamed.

"Toshi-kun? What's the matter??" I asked when I saw Toshi's face as he ran up to me.

"My sister is missing!" He wailed as tears streaked down his face.

My heart lurched; one of the children from my village was missing. "Where did you last see her Toshi-kun…?" I asked calmly as I knelt in front of him.

"By the back gates…" He hiccupped.

I felt my eyes widen, the back gate was buried deep in the forest; no one used that door anymore… not since…

I stood quickly. "Don't worry Toshi-kun… I'll find your sister." I smiled at him and took off towards the forest.

"Kaori-san!!" Makoto waved a quiver of arrows and a bow at me from the door of his home.

I smiled at him and grabbed them as I ran by, slinging the quiver across my back.

"SHIT" I swore as I skidded to a halt beside the river that ran through our village, the bridge had been frozen and broken. I ran up and down the riverbank, looking for a way across.

"Kaori…?" Someone murmured behind me.

"Sesshoumaru…" I breathed as I turned around.

Matsu ran up then. "Kaori-sama!" He yelled.

I felt my heart squeeze tightly; they weren't here because a villager was missing, they were here because of me. "Go back to the village…" I said to them as I turned back to the river.

"Wait! What are you doing Kaori-sama??" Matsu asked.

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming at him and backed up. I'm going to jump… I told myself as I gauged the distance from one point to the other.

So I did… I ran at the riverbank and jumped. The landing was nasty as I nearly careened into the frigid water, but I got myself balanced and I was off again.

Nami… How did you even get out here? I wondered as I ran full force through the winding trees.

The gate loomed ominously in the distance; vines crossed the door tickly covering it in the sharp vegetation. There was no way she could have gone through it.

…Or so I thought…

A closer inspection of the door revealed that it had rotted away in a small section.

"Oh god…" I whispered in total horror.

I couldn't believe that she went through the rotted door so I ran up and down the back wall of our little village, hoping… praying… that there would be a sign that she had in fact stayed within the village walls, but there was nothing.

Unwillingly I made my way back to the door and that the one thing I had been looking for everywhere but on the vine and wood… Nami's hair ribbon had gotten itself stuck in the vines and sharp wood of the gaping hole.

"NAMI!!" I screamed as I stared in disbelief at the door. "NAMI!!"

She has to be alive! She HAS to!! My inner conscious screamed as it forced me to my hands and knees. My body crawled through the hole almost completely on it's own; my mind was still in shock.

Once on the other side I stood and quickly scanned the forest around me. Nothing… There's nothing to tell me which way she went! NOTHING!! I sunk to the frozen dirt in despair.

Get up! Some part of my mind yelled at me.

"Why…?" I questioned feebly.

You have to find her. Now… GET UP!

"But there's nothing to show me where she went…" I answered the voice dejectedly.

You're a Haibane you stupid girl! What do you think all that magic is for?!?

"But --"

Not buts! You CAN find her!

I shook my head. "I don't know how…" I murmured

Yes you do! You may not THINK you know how but the knowledge IS there.

"How…? How can I find her? Tell me HOW!!"

Grab the ribbon.

"What…?"

Grab the goddamn hair ribbon you stupid bird!

"I am not a bird!" I snapped.

You have wings do you not…?

"So do you."

Just pick up the ribbon.

I growled but obliged. "I have the ribbon, now what?"

Close your eyes and focus on the energy that the ribbon emits.

I gaped. "But it's just a piece of silk, it's not going to emit anything.

Oh shut up. You have so little faith if your own abilities! Look… You are Haibane… You are part of the earth itself. You can FEEL the energy things emit. That ribbon belongs to Nami, so what kind of energy do you think it will give off?

"Nami's…?" I answered meekly.

That's right. It's going to give off Nami's energy. And what can you do with that energy…?

"Find her…?"

Exactly. Now shut your trap and close your goddamn eyes and find that little girl!!

I bit my lip… what was the worst thing I could happen.

She could be dead. Answered another voice… my self doubt…

I shoved that thought away and closed my eyes. Please… I pleaded with myself. Please… Help me find her…

In my mind I saw myself running... I was scared and I was running away from something... I tripped and pushed myself up quickly… Something big was chasing me… I wished Kaori were here to protect me… I fell and crawled under a fallen log; as far back as I could get and covered my eyes.

"Nami!" I gasped as I took off in the direction I had run earlier in my mind. The log Nami was hiding under came into view and I skidded to a halt.

"Nami-chan…?" I murmured softly. "Nami-chan it's me… it's Kaori… Please… come out… I'll take you home…"

"Kaori-sama…?" A little voice questioned.

I smiled. "Yes Nami-chan… it's Kaori… Please… Come out now…"

Slowly I watched Nami emerge from under the fallen log, grimy, wet, and scratched.

Tears filled her eyes when she saw me. "Kaori-sama!!" She cried as she ran up to me.

I fell to my knees and held my arms out to her. "Nami-chan!" I held her close to me as I cried silently.

"Kaori-sama!!" She wailed as she buried her head into my chest and erupted into tears. "I was so scared…"

"Me too Nami-chan… Me too…" I rubbed the back of her head softly. "It's okay now… You're safe… I'm here with you…"

A small part of my mind warned me that the thing that was chasing Nami wasn't here and that was bad, but I wasn't listening… I wasn't listening to anything and I should have… By the time I heard the creature behind us I had no time to do anything but push Nami away from me in attempts to keep her from getting hurt and then the immense pain in my midsection erupted. I looked down and saw, to my horror, that it's arm was sticking through me.

"Run Nami-chan… Run back to the village…" I choked out.

Nami's eyes were wide with terror as she stared at the arm in my body as it slowly receded.

I winced as it pulled itself from my body. "RUN NAMI-CHAN!!"

She shook herself free from the horror and ran back to the village.

"Guh…" I urped as blood quickly began to flow out of the hole in my midsection and out of my mouth. I knew that the wound would kill me but I had to give Nami a chance to make it back to the village so I turned and struggled to my feet.

Blood coated the front of me, making it hard to stand without slipping, and my hair began to stick to the freezing blood in the back; I didn't have much time…

Fight. The voice inside me commanded.

I can't… I answered.

Use your magic… You can fight it…

I closed my eyes and focused on the energy that pulsed through my body. I could feel the other voice directing me silently, showing me what to do. Finally I opened my eyes, lifted my right hand and touched the creature with my finger.

"You're the creature that had attacked my village all those years ago…" I murmured as I tried to keep myself alive just a moment longer. "You nearly killed my mother…"

The thing hissed and recoiled on itself as I touched it.

"You will die!" I yelled, as I forced all that was left in me into the creature until it incinerated.

"Kaori!!" I heard a voice call to me in the distance.

I sighed, closing my eyes. This is it… I told myself as I fell to the earth.