Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. Thanks to those that reviewed! To those that didn't, it helps my drive to finish the story if I get feedback on it. Any kind is good, except flames. Only constructive criticism if you have to be negative. Tell me what I'm doing wrong, not that you hate it. Okay, here's the story! Please Read and Review!!! Much love, Kiki.

Even before the sun came up she was preparing for her journey. She had lost her katana when she fell from the tree, but had prepared other things to barter for her journey. As the sun started to rise and the various shop owners opened their businesses for service, Sango stood ready with what little she had to get basic things for her journey. She ended up getting a quiver of arrows and a bow, a think robe, some dried food and some other various foods and spices with the money and items she traded. Once she returned to her room to pack everything she heard reports of a half demon, monk and a strange girl coming from the south from the various villagers chatting in the next room.

"I need to hurry and get going, otherwise they'll find me." She continued packing with haste, hoping to leave the village as soon as possible. Just as she lifted Hiraikotsu onto her back, there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find the doctor staring at her strangely

"Miss Sango, are you sure you're okay to travel like this? Shouldn't you stay a day or two more to recuperate?" Sango shook her head.

"No, I must continue my journey now. The friends I have been fleeing are coming upon the village and I must leave." The doctor nodded solemnly.

"Well, if you must leave now, will you tell me where you are headed so I may check with other doctors in that area in case you need more medical attention?"

"I'm headed west in search of my brother Kohaku. He was kidnapped from me after he was possessed." The doctor nodded again and smiled at Sango.

"Well, you have my blessing of a safe journey. Try not to use that shoulder for a while." Sango smiled at the doctor and walked out of the inn, walking through the village and taking the north road towards the mountains. She had intentions of finding Kohaku, but not to the west. She first wanted to lose the others so she could focus on her mission.

"Still," she spoke out loud to herself, "I should at least explain myself to them. But if I show up in person who knows what will happen. I need to get it to them somehow." She glanced at her arrows then it clicked in her mind.

"I'll write a letter to them. But where am I going to find a clean scroll and ink?" She walked up to a shopkeeper and asked for a scroll and ink, and after reluctantly paying the money to obtain it, sat down and wrote a letter addressing the rest of the group, and then one to Miroku personally. After completing it, she stood and continued along her way, reaching a river just after evening settled in.

Meanwhile the others were already up and packing and Kagome had filled Inuyasha in on what had happened. Miroku continued to sulk around the campsite, barely acknowledging that anyone else was there. Inuyasha grumbled, walked up to the monk and hit him square on the head.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?" The monk asked rubbing the now large bump.

"Quit sulking around! She couldn't have gotten too far. Kirara's still here and Sango was just as tired as we were. Now hurry up and get a move on it. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can catch up to Sango." The hanyou exclaimed as he started to track her footprints.

"Hey Kagome, where did you last see her or a sign of her?" Kagome pointed out towards the spot where her and Miroku found her kimono and ring. The monk held back a sob as he clutched the ring he now carried around his neck. Before he could think of anything else besides his beloved, Shippo called out to Miroku, breaking his trace-like thoughts and making him turn towards the others.

"C'mon Miroku, we're going to see if there are anymore clues nearby." Miroku nodded and climbed onto a transformed Kirara's back.

'Sango, where are you? Why did you leave us? I will look for you, even if it means giving up looking for Naraku for a while. There are some things that are more important than one's life, and are worth searching for.' Kirara took off into the air, once again bringing the monk out of his daze. Inuyasha and Kagome reach the destination quicker and start looking for signs of the taijiya. Inuyasha went up to scout ahead while Kagome and Miroku searched the immediate area. The half-demon returned some time later with a piece of bone in his hand.

"Hey what color was Sango's armor?" Kagome quickly answered.

"Pink. Why? Did you find her armor?" Inuyasha held up the piece.

"Part of it. From what I can tell she was jumping the trees and slipped. She must have fallen pretty hard if it broke off a piece of her armor. I bet she was injured in the fall as well based on what I can see." Before anyone could say anything else, a loud scream was heard nearby. Inuyasha's ears perked up and his eyes narrowed.

"I smell blood." In an instant Kagome was back on Inuyasha's back and Kirara took off with Miroku and Shippo. Once they arrived at the source of the scream Kagome let out a gasp at what she saw. A bandit wielding a katana prepared to bring the weapon down on a villager. Inuyasha set Kagome down quickly and knocked the weapon out of the bandit's hands.

"What are you doing? Now you'll pay." Inuyasha promptly tied the bandit to a tree while Kagome helped the villager to his feet.

"Are you okay?" The villager shook his head nervously.

"Yes. I was farming and heard a strange noise, so I came to investigate. I found this bandit waiting to ambush me with his weapon." He pointed to the katana and sheath that lay nearby. Miroku retrieved it and looked at the blade.

"This isn't a normal blade a bandit would use. It's too intricately designed." Kagome took the sheath and glanced at the hilt.

"That's because it isn't a bandit's blade. The design on the hilt of the sheath is the same sign Sango has on her slayer outfit. She was nearby." Inuyasha turned towards the bandit and growled at him threateningly.

"Tell us the truth, where did you get that sword?" The bandit laughed loudly.

"I found it near an injured taijiya. She had already pulled herself up and left for the village, so I didn't press her. Slayers don't carry anything of value with them." Inuyasha punched the bandit hard, knocking him out.

"We're headed to the village. Let's go." Kagome and Miroku nodded and set off for the village with Inuyasha and the others. Once in the village, it was hard trying to find someone who had ever seen a taijiya, much less Sango herself. Just as they were about to give up, they decided to try one more person. They stopped a young man and asked him, expecting the same response as the others they had gotten. But much to their surprise, the young man did recognize the description.

"Yes, my master tended to her last night. Come, I'll take you to him." The apprentice led the group back to the doctor's hut. Everyone was on edge, half expecting her to be lying in bandages there. The young apprentice called out to his master that guests were there wishing to speak about Sango. The doctor opened the door.

"Welcome friends. Please come in. I have some news about your slayer friend." The group quickly filed in, wanting desperately to find the whereabouts of their friend.

"So tell me, good sir, what did you treat Sango for the other night?" Miroku calmly asked, hoping he was really a doctor and not some crackpot.

"I found her stumbling around the streets with a separated shoulder. I bought a room at the inn down the street and treated her there since it was closer. I treated her injured shoulder and left her to rest. I came back the next morning, but she had already packed up and was standing at the door when I entered. She told me not to stop her, and so I asked her where she was headed to. She said west since that's where her brother was. I didn't question her and she was on her way." Inuyasha huffed and stood abruptly.

"Thanks, but we need to be going as well. We need to catch up with her." Miroku stood as well, bowed respectfully and walked out the door solemnly. Kagome soon followed with a puzzled look on her face.

"Hold on guys, let's think about this for a second. Why would Sango deliberately give out information like that if she was trying to evade us? I think she's still headed north. Let's go look into it." Inuyasha nodded and turned to Miroku, who was still unusually quiet.

"Miroku, let's go. Are you sure you're okay?" Miroku looked up from his thoughts and nodded at the hanyou, forcing a smile.

"I was thinking. If Sango doesn't want to be found, why not just honor her wishes?" Kagome turned to the monk.

"Miroku?" Kagome questioned.

"All I'm saying is if she wishes to go alone, we must… respect her wish to go it alone..." Miroku's voice cracked and a single tear fell down his cheek.

"Are you sure? Once the decision is made, we don't change it." Inuyasha dealt. Miroku only closed his eyes and nodded.

"Yes I'm sure. She has her reasons, and I'm sure we'll meet back up with her eventually. Her brother Kohaku is in Naraku's grasp and we're going after Naraku. We will meet him along the way."

"But what if Sango is attacked? She's your fiancée! We can't just let her go like that without another question!" Kagome protested. Miroku turned from the rest of the group on his heel and walked quickly towards a food stand, proceeding to buy some food for the next journey to find Naraku.

"Kagome, listen to me," Inuyasha said to the confused miko.

"Miroku wants to go after Sango just as bad, if not worse, than you, but he has a point. If she doesn't want to be found, then she won't be found. You've heard her tales of how the taijiya were just as skilled as the ninjas in their cloaking techniques. Not even my nose would be able to pick up her scent. She will meet back up with us one day, I'm sure of it. Sango can take care of herself better than any of us can on our own." Kagome sighed heavily and walked away from Inuyasha, going past Miroku as well, who had just come back from buying the food. Kirara and Shippo followed behind her.

"What happened?" The monk asked quietly. Inuyasha shook his head.

"Nothing important, just explaining things to her from a guy's perspective. Let's head out." Inuyasha started walking the direction Kagome went, leaving Miroku to tag along behind. Near evening they settled down near a river just northeast of the village.

Sango trudged through the water in the river, making sure she was plenty far away from where she entered it. She sensed a demonic aura and two beings with spiritual powers nearby.

"That must be Inuyasha and the others. I'll go make sure everything's ok before I leave and deliver my letters to them." Sango climbed up out of the shallows of the river and spread a special rub of herbs on her outfit and skin. This was to mask her scent from Inuyasha's sensitive nose. She placed her belongings in the truck of a rotted tree nearby and took her quiver of arrows and bow with her, along with the two letters to the others. She found them not too far from where she had left her belongings, finishing up their meal and sitting by the campfire, talking to each other. Inuyasha was getting lectured by Kagome about how he should be grateful she cooks for them, and Shippo and Kirara were playing off to the side. Sango then turned her attention to Miroku, who sat against a tree, eyes closed, thinking to himself. Sango's stomach turned upside down and her heart skipped a beat, her body longing to go back to Miroku's side. She shook her head as if to clear her mind, and carefully and quietly made her way around to the opposite side of the camp. She didn't want them to find out where the arrow came from and follow her straight to her belongings. Carefully positioning herself behind two giant tree limbs, she took one letter, rolled it up to where the writing wouldn't get damaged, and stuck the arrow through the letter. She did the same for the Miroku's letter. She then aimed the arrows so one would be higher than the other when it hit its target. Pulling back on the drawstring, she took a deep breath, prayed they would hit, and let fly the arrows. One hit the tree closest to Kagome at the middle, and the other significantly higher, so Kagome would grab the letter addressed to all of them first. When the arrows hit their marks, Sango jumped into the trees and made her exit. Inuyasha and Kagome immediately stopped arguing and jumped to attention. Miroku's eyes shot open and jumped up, ready to fight if need be. Inuyasha ran in the direction the arrows came from, and Kagome examined the arrows themselves. She pulled the first letter off of the arrow and read it. Inuyasha and Miroku came back just in time to see Kagome's face go white.

"What is it? What's wrong Kagome?" Inuyasha asked the young miko.

"It's Sango."