I wake up to the chirping of the birds around me, I stir and open my eyes slowly. The rising sun is bright and the morning orange laces the vast sky above me, I yawn and stretch my arms and my back. I slowly sit up and I sit there for a bit trying to regain my consciousness again. When I come to, I look around me, the green trees surrounds the open field like a border, the soft grass beneath me tickles my hands as they sway in the gentle morning breeze. I look up and I can see the pink cherry blossoms greeting me with its vibrant petals, I then look to my left. Naraku's not beside me anymore, I look up and further into the openness. My eyes fall upon a lean figure standing in the middle of the grass, his long curly wavy black hair falling behind his back like black cascade, his navy blue silk kimono reflecting the sun's light and more vibrant than when I saw it at night. Naraku's still as a statue as he looks at the sky it seems, I smile at the scene. I get up and smooth out my kimono, I then walk up to him, the grass gently rustling as I walked through it. When I'm about to reach him, Naraku turns around. My eyes meets his and just like always, I'm captivated by his eyes. The crimson red of his irises looks like deep fire with the white of his pupils giving its vibrance, he has a calm and subtle smile on his face.

"Morning Naraku." I say to him with a smile.

"Morning." He replies.

As I look at him I notice that Atamashi is in his hands, he's gentle massaging its wing.

"How is Atamashi? And did you rest well?" I ask him.

"Yes, I had a nice rest. Atamashi seems to be recovering nicely, all thanks to you." Naraku says.

"No, I can't take all the credit. We did it together, you should give yourself a pat on the shoulder." I say to him.

"A pat on the shoulder... Never thought that I could save a life just like that without thinking." Naraku says looking up at the sky with a slight vacant look.

I look at his expression and I wonder. Why is he saying stuff like that? Anyone can save someone if they wanted to, why does he think it's hard to save someone.

"Why are you putting yourself in this position? Everyone is capable of saving a life, it's part of what makes us human or a body that has a soul. You saved Atamashi because you thought it was the right thing to do. They say that being evil is easy, and being good is difficult and requires a lot of effort, but those efforts can bring a lot of happiness. You made that effort without thinking, and look, something good came out of it. You didn't just save one life, you saved two. Be proud Naraku." I say to him with a gentle nudge on the arm.

Naraku looks down from the sky and then at me, his ruby eyes gazing into mine. The gentle breeze carries stray strands of our hair around us, as I looked at him, I feel frozen, like I'm held under a spell. What is this? I clear my throat after blinking a few times.

"Let's explore this place a bit, so far I'm only familiar with this area, so can you show me around? I want to get a grasp of this place before I leave in the afternoon." I ask him with a smile.

Naraku softens his expression and smiles.

"You're leaving in the afternoon... Sure, follow me." He says.

He turns around and I follow beside him as we walk into the tall trees. We walked through the beautiful nature, birds chirped in the trees and the sound of water flowing through the streams. Small animals scampering along the ground and flowers lined the ground below our feet, this place is a beauty indeed. Atamashi chirped along the way, he seems excited but unfortunately he still can't quite fly yet. After a while, Naraku leads me to a stream, larger than the one that I saw 12 years ago. The clear water reflects the sunlight and it shimmers as it flows down the stream.

"It's beautiful." I say in awe.

The morning light making everything look more serene and calm, I smile and run to the edge of the stream, I feel like a kid again, but I don't feel embarrassed or anything. I kneel down and feel the cool water, it's so refreshing. I dip both of my palms in the water and washed my face gently, the coolness of the water wakes me up completely and washed away any remaining sleepiness. I shake my hands dry and I inhale the fresh air and close my eyes, I open them again a few seconds later and look beside me. Naraku kneels down beside me and scoop up a handful of water and let Atamashi drink from it. I smile at how caring Naraku is, he looks charming and enchanting. He then looks up and at me, I feel a slight heat coming to my cheeks as our eyes meet.

"Is everything alright?" He asks me.

"Perfect, everything's perfect. Seeing you taking care of Atamashi is heartwarming." I say with a giggle.

"Ah... I see." Naraku replies with a nod.

After looking at the stream, we walked around a bit more. We admires the luscious green of the leaves, the yellow, white, and purple of the small flowers. The gentle breeze guiding us through out the heart of the forest, it's a lot bigger than I thought. The morning soon turns into afternoon, I have to leave soon but before I do. Naraku and I come upon a cliff that looks out to the horizon and mountains that lines the distance, the two of us sit side by side and look out. How peaceful and tranquil, the white clouds rolling by in the sky, the shapes of birds flying in a line above us.

"Thanks for today Naraku, I got to see so much beauty and wonder today, and just in this forest alone." I say smiling as I inhale the fresh air.

"No need to thank me, I believe you have done more for me than I have for you." He says quietly.

I turn to look at him, he's looking out into the distant with a vacant gaze again.

"Here let me hold Atamashi." I say to Naraku.

Naraku looks at me puzzled but hands Atamashi over to me. I hold him in my palms and I hold him out and away from me, holding him above the ground that is far from us. I open my palm and I waited.

"What are you doing_________?" Naraku asks me with a bit of concern.

"I'm showing you something." I say to him with a gentle smile.

We both look back at Atamashi, he's chirping and moving, but he's not attempting to fly. When I think I got the message through I pull Atamashi back and pet him. I then turn my body to face Naraku.

"What I'm trying to show you is, all of us have our moments when we are at our weakest. Although we have our weaknesses, they shouldn't keep us down or prevent us from doing what we were meant to do. Atamashi was born to fly, but under circumstances he's unable to at the moment. We, are here to help him, nurse him, and be there for him when it's time for him to spread his wings again. Let's see ourselves as Atamashi, our weaknesses in this moment is not remembering a part of our life, but that is when you and I come in for each other. We are there to support each other, be a friend for one another. The most important of all, is that I hope we'll be there to see each other reach our potential, finding ourselves, and living out our lives the way we want. I didn't do more for you than what you have done for me. Kindness shouldn't be seen as an act that requires some kind of payback, so don't think you owe me anything, you don't." I say with a smile.

Naraku looks at me, his eyes searching mine. I feel a slight sense of conflict reflecting from his eyes.

"Your words always seem to calm me whenever my mind is in deep thoughts. it's admirable, I feel grateful that I met you__________." Naraku says with a gentle smile.

I feel a slight tingling feeling deep down in my chest, how embarrassing. 

"'A lot of lecturing and reading from my teachers when I was younger, never realized that I could put those lectures to use till I met you. I'm glad that I met you too Naraku, since meeting you I have cleared up some pondering thoughts that I had for quite a while, and I have come to understand about life as well. Guess our meeting was fate." I say with a laugh.

"I suppose so." Naraku replies and looking out again.

This time his expression is back to his calm expression, never knew that just by looking at his face I can tell if he's truly at peace or his mind is in a conflicting state. When the sun finally start to shift location, I decide it's time for me to leave if I want to get home before the next day. We return back to the Cherry Blossom Tree, I smile as I look at its vibrant flowers. I then turn to Naraku.

"Guess I'll be going then. I'll come back and visit you in another 2 days." I say to him.

"If it's too tiring, you don't need to." He says.

"It may be tiring at first, but I feel that the more I travel the sooner I'll get use to it. Besides, I like this place remember? I also made a promise so I'm planning on seeing it through. What, you don't enjoy my company?" I ask him teasingly with a smile.

Naraku closes his eyes and shows a subtle smile, he then looks back at me, his vivid ruby eyes glistening in the afternoon sunlight.

"Not at all, I enjoy your company. It's calming." He replies.

His words sends a warm feeling through my body and I smile.

"Same here, I'll bring Atamashi back with me and hopefully he'll be closer to spreading his wings next time. I best be going now. Take care and don't overthink too much alright?" I say to him with a gentle nudge on the arm.

"I'll try not to. Be careful on the way home." Naraku responds.

I nod, with Atamashi in my palms I turn and head back into the forest. I walk through the canopy of trees and eventually find Boshi munching on the grass that is spread all around him. I pat him and grabbing his reigns I hop onto his back, I look back into the green forest. For some reason I miss Naraku already, but why am I missing him so soon? It's not like I'm not going to see him again or anything and why do I care so much about him? Yes, he's a friend but we practically just started to get to know each other. Oh well, I'll see him again in a few days, besides I got Atamashi to take care of. With a final glance, I snap Boshi's reigns and we gallop back home. Like before, the sun and I race against each across the open plains, but in the end, the sun sets before I reach my estate. By the time I arrived home, the stars took their stage upon the navy blue night sky. I take Boshi to the stable to rest up and I hold onto Atamashi, and just like last time, everyone is asleep already. I make myself a simple dinner and fed Atamashi some food as well, this time I quietly wash myself before heading to bed since it's not as late as last time. After changing into my night wear, I water my Freesia flower. I then snuggle into my futon and pet Atamashi, I massage its wings and it chirps quietly.

"Sorry for not giving you a name earlier, but I'm glad that Naraku and I managed to give you one, a beautiful name too. Can't wait to see you fly again, you'll soar high and above the clouds and above everything. Till then, just hold a bit longer. Goodnight." I say to it.

I wrap it up in my handkerchief to keep it warm and I lay back onto my futon, I look up at my roof. The moonlight seeping in through my window, it's giving my room a dim image.
As I look at my roof, my mind slowly drifts away, but somewhere in my mind, Naraku occupies a part of it. I mean why is he so special from all the other? How is he any special than Inuyasha or Shippo? It's a question that will never leave my mind, but it's not something unpleasant either. I close my eyes and blank out my mind, I let the quietness pull me to sleep just like how it always does. When I wake up, the sun is up and high, the warm morning welcomes me. I stretch my arms and back and sit up, I rub my sleepy eyes and I look down beside me, Atamashi is up already, he's chirping. I smile and I open up the handkerchief, I gently pick him up and open his injured wing, it seem to be a lot better. I open and close it a few times to give him some exercise. I get up and water my Freesia. It's still beautiful. I pick up my kimono and go wash up, after washing up, I head to the eating hall with Atamashi, my parents and Sazanami are already at the table. Sazanami at this point has literally became a part of the family, my parents treat her as a daughter.

"Morning everyone." I say greeting them.

"Morning dear, glad to see you came back alright. Did you rest well?" My mother asks me.

"Yes, I had a good rest. How were you all these few days?" I ask them as I eat my breakfast.

"We've been good, hope you had fun these two days with your friend and Atamashi." Sazanami says gently touching Atamashi's head.

"We did, I got to explore the area more and it's a beauty." I say with a big smile on my face.

"That's wonderful, __________ we have news ourselves." My father says

I look at them, is it good news or bad news?

"News? What's going on?" I ask them.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. Your mother and I will be going on a two week travel to meet an old friend of ours from years ago. We just want to let you know before we leave." He says.

"Oh, well when are you leaving?" I ask them.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow, we figured that you have your friend to see so we asked Sazanami to accompany us." My mother says giving Sazanami a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Yes, we'll be leaving on the same day I see." I reply resuming eating my breakfast.

"Yes, hope you'll be alright these two weeks by yourself." My father says.

"Father, I'm not a child anymore, I'm an adult now I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry anymore." I say with a smile.

Both my parents nod and we finished breakfast with a nice conversation. The day goes by calmly and smoothly, nothing interesting. Probably because I've been living here all my life so everything just seem so, moderate and dull. I decided to take Atamashi out for a walk, Sazanami accompanies me. It's been a while since I've done something with her, we go into town to see if we need anything.

"It's been so long since we went out and hung out hasn't it?" I ask her.

"It has indeed, when we were younger we were so free. Now, we've grown up, 12 years went by in a flash." Sazanami says.

"Time just doesn't stop for anyone or anything, wish it could though. It's been a long time since you gone out of town, I think the last time was 12 years ago with all of us. This will be a great opportunity for you to go out and see the wonders Saza." I say with a smile.

"I suppose it will. I won't be around to talk to you for two weeks, you'll be alright right?" She asks me with a gentle nudge.

"I'll be absolutely fine, besides, I have Naraku to talk to for a day or two." I say as I smile at the thought of him.

"You seem to be really really fond of him, if only you can see your smile right now." She says with a slight laugh.

Am I actually smiling that much? How much of my life has Naraku taken up? Regardless, I don't mind though, there's so much to him that I want to figure out.

"I guess, he's just someone special in my life." I reply.

"More special than me?" Sazanami asks teasingly.

"Of course not! You're like my big sister, you're practically my big sister." I say hugging her.

"I'm just teasing, but in time I won't be. You'll meet that special someone in your life who you'll spend your life with, when you do, you have to cherish him, help him in times of need and dilemma. Alright?" She says.

My special someone... when will I find him? I hope I will soon.

"I will. You as well Saza, I'm praying for the day that you'll find your special someone as well." I say to her.

"Thanks_______, but I don't know if I will, I'm technically still a maid, just one step higher than the others." She says quietly.

"No you're not, you took care of me since I was young and even now, you're my sister and you are part of this family. I'm sure that if you find that special someone my parents will absolutely give you their blessings." I say with a determined tone.

Sazanami laughs gently and gives my arm a gentle rub, she then leans her head against mine.

"Thanks___________. Wish you were my little sister by blood. But they say, family doesn't always have to be blood related." She says.

"Exactly!" I say giving her a gentle squeeze.

We both laugh and continue strolling. We bought some large beautifully woven towels to. We bought 4, as I look at them, I realized that they could be used to put on the ground and lay on. I'll bring 2 with me the next time I go see Naraku. When night rolls in, I pack up anything that I want to bring with me for tomorrow. Sazanami and my parents are packing for their travel as well. Seems like all the masters of this house will be leaving, would this house still be a house? I hope the maids and groundskeepers will keep the house together, I'm sure they will. I let Atamashi hop around my room as I pack, still not quite able to fly yet. I pack the 2 towels with me, I look at the designs on them. One is green with flower petals woven on it. The other one is blue with light and dark shades of blue woven to create water and waves impression.

"What a nice combination, let's go to bed Atamashi, tomorrow we'll be seeing Naraku again." I say as I pick him up from his hopping.

I gently wrap him up in my handkerchief like always and I lie down on my futon, yes, tomorrow I'll be returning to the beautiful Cherry Blossom Tree. I close my eyes and let my consciousness slowly disperse, but faintly in the back of my mind, Naraku exists still.