A single breeze lifted the hair from Kirin's face. She saw that Sesshomaru's eyes flared with anger. Jaken cautiously lead Rin away to cover. He had a bad feeling about this. Kirin spat, and then the two dogs lunged at each other. Kirin swung her claws at Sesshomaru's chest, but missed and was almost nailed by Sesshomaru's claws. Kirin kicked off the ground and flipped over Sesshomaru's head. She hit the ground behind him and immediately changed direction in a mid lunge towards Sesshomaru's back. He looked over his shoulder, then hopped into the air. Kirin gasped as she realized that she was going right under him. She looked up and saw him coming down for her. She turned and pulled out her whip. She lashed it at Sesshomaru and it wrapped around his arm. She threw him aside. He quickly got up again and grabbed her wrist. He flipped her over him, then hurled her into the ground. She reached up with her other hand and plunged her claws into his shoulder. He winced and Kirin took the split second to hop back and regain herself. Sesshomaru did the same. A breeze swept by again, rustling the flowers around them. Sesshomaru pulled out one of his two swords, the Tokijin. Kirin had her whip at the ready. They lunged at each other again. Kirin lashed out her whip and it wrapped around the Tokijin. She smiled, then jerked the whip hard to her right. Sesshomaru didn't budge. Kirin's smile changed into a frown. Sesshomaru smirked, and he tugged the sword towards himself, carrying the whip and the surprised Kirin with it. Then he tilted the Tokijn towards Kirin, who was still flying towards him. Kirin's eyes opened wide and then she felt the sharp blade impale her stomach. "Ohhhh, " she moaned, and then fell to her knees with the Tokijin still in her. Sesshomaru quickly pulled it out and shoved Kirin over to the side. She yelped sharply when she hit the ground, and fresh blood poured out of the wound she had just received. Sesshomaru turned his back to Kirin and started walking away. With great effort, Kirin grabbed her whip, which was near her, and lashed it out at Sesshomaru. He turned sharply, but was caught by the whip. It wrapped around his entire body. Then blue sparks shot out of the whip and a strong energy surged through Sesshomaru's body. He clenched his jaw to keep from calling out with pain. Finally the whip fell away from him and Kirin lashed it out again. It struck his chest with a CRACK and ripped his kimono. It cut into his flesh and left a gash across the left of his chest. Right over his heart. He grabbed it and growled. That had hurt terribly! He fell to his knees.

From their hiding spot, Jaken and Rin gasped. They knew that this did not happen often. Rin was feeling very sorry for herself. She couldn't help but think that this fight was all her fault. She had given the flowers to Sesshomaru knowing that he probably wouldn't accept them, but she had no idea that his refusal of the gift would bother Kirin so much! At that moment Jaken leapt up behind Kirin and raised his staff of two heads. He was about to torch Kirin when Sesshomaru looked up and yelled, "Jaken, this is my fight!" Jaken nodded and backed away to his hiding spot with Rin. Rin wanted to call out to them and tell them to stop, but she was too scared. She didn't want Lord Sesshomaru to get hurt, but she also didn't want her new friend to get killed!

Sesshomaru stood up and took his hand off his wound. It was bad, but he could manage. He looked over at Kirin. Her sword wound was bleeding very badly, and her could see the blood gushing out from between her fingers which covered the wound. She was standing now, and Sesshomaru noticed that there was something very elegant about the way she looked. She moved gracefully and she wrapped her whip up with one hand and clicked it back into place on her yellow sash that held her dark green kimono closed. Hs shook his head and brought himself to come back into focus. "What's the matter," Kirin asked with a sneer, "Don't have the guts to finish me?" "Not at all," Sesshomaru replied, sharing the harsh smile, "I was just thinking of how to kill you best." Kirin smiled. "Well," she said, "Bring it. Let's finish this now!" Kirin felt sick from all the blood she had lost, but she couldn't let him win. She had to gain respect for Rin. She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. "No," she thought, "I mustn't fall into darkness. Not yet…" Kirin's eyesight blurred. Sesshomaru saw this and he leapt at her, then punched her in the jut and then on the jaw. Kirin was flung into the air by the force, and then she landed with a 'thud' a few feet away. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Sesshomaru above her. "So," she said, choking on blood, "Finish me already." Sesshomaru looked at her and then said, "There would be no purpose. I find no benefit in killing you." Kirin smiled a bit. "Is that so," she said, and then she fell unconscious.

Sesshomaru stared down at Kirin for a few more minutes, then turned swiftly and called out to Jaken, "Come." "Yes Master," Jaken replied eagerly. He turned to Rin and said, "Oh hurry up, will you." "Coming," Rin called to him. She walked up to Kirin and looked down at her bruised face. Her wound looked bad, but Rin had no time to dress it. Sesshomaru would leave her. She gingerly laid some flowers in Kirin's open palm, and ran to catch up with Sesshomaru and Jaken. She felt that this was all her fault and hoped that Kirin wouldn't die. Sesshomaru sat awake that night. He couldn't get Kirin's face out of his mind. It bothered him greatly. "Why does this woman haunt me so," he asked no one. Rin and Jaken slept next to Ah-Uhn. He settled down and closed his weary eyes. His wound on his chest bothered him some, but it would heal sooner or later. Sesshomaru then fell asleep, something he did not do often. And he dreamed a dream so peaceful and sweet. He dreamed of her.