Sesshomaru heard the splash at the riverside and bolted there as fast as he could. What was going on? As he neared the river he saw all of the men of the village standing around. They were talking quietly. He saw a few men lifting up the man that he had seen with Kirin earlier. "The one who proposed," he thought. "Another demon," a man cried as he saw Sesshomaru run up to the river. With a great leap Sesshomaru plunged into the deep waters. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew Kirin was down there.

Kirin frantically tried to free her hands from the ropes. They were now cutting into her skin, and it was a strain to keep from crying out and loosing her breath. The stone tied to Kirin was now resting on the bottom, and Kirin's body pulled up and away from the stone. The current pulled her, and at first she couldn't set her mind straight. "I'm on the bottom," Kirin thought, "I have to do something soon! I'm only human, and I can't hold my breath that long!" Kirin struggled, but she just couldn't get her hands or feet free. "So this is how it ends…," Kirin thought, and let her body go limp. She thought of Sesshomaru, and a great sense of peace overcame her. She know knew that she could no longer hold her breath. Her eyes jerked over and in a moment of searing pain she saw red spots fill her eyes. Then she watched the last of her air bubble up towards the surface. As her eyes rolled back into her head, she saw something. It was faint and she couldn't quite make it out, but it looked like a person in white swimming towards her. "Silly girl," Kirin thought with a weak smile, "He's not coming, your only dreaming….."

Sesshomaru finally spotted Kirin's helpless body drifting with the current. He saw a small stream of air bubbles escape from her lips and up to the surface. "Shoot," he thought. He swam faster against the current and then reached her. Kirin looked calm in her eerie lifelessness. Sesshomaru slashed at the ropes tying her to the rock at the bottom, and grabbed her, then kicked off the bottom and headed fast as he could to the surface. He reached the surface, only half-listening to the voices of alarm and confusion, and made his way to the shore opposite of the men. Saji looked up and saw him, the demon who kidnapped Kirin, pulling himself onto the opposite shore with Kirin. The demon stood, picked up Kirin, then started walking towards the woods. Saji didn't even think. He bolted at the river and dove in. "Lucky I know how to swim," he thought to himself, "I won't let him take Kirin again!" With a burst of adrenalin, Saji quickly reached the other side and ran off in the direction that the demon went, despite the protest of his friends from the village. Sesshomaru smelled the human behind him and ran into the forest so that he couldn't keep up. He stopped soon at the foot of a huge tree and placed Kirin below it. He put his hand over her mouth the see if she was breathing. She wasn't. "I…I was too late," he said aloud to himself. He closed his eyes and stood silently for a moment, then unsheathed the sword that hung at his side. "Tensaiga," he said, "Save her." He pointed the sword at Kirin and waited, looking to see the small demons that would come to take her soul. Saji reached the tree at this moment and stood behind a tree. He saw Sesshomaru raise his sword and slice at Kirin. "No," he screamed and ran out towards Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru turned and looked at him, then sheathed his sword and shoved Saji to the side. Saji landed with a THUD on the ground, and he immediately got up to run to Kirin. "Wait," Sesshomaru commanded. Saji froze, wondering what was going on. He saw Kirins eyelids flutter, and then open. Sesshomaru shoved him aside again and stepped up to her. Kirin looked up and saw Sesshomaru standing above her. "Sesshomaru," she asked hoarsely. He just looked at her. She stood, and Sesshomaru stared at her wondering what she was doing. She stepped forward, then grabbed onto him, hugging him. "Sesshomaru," she cried happily, with tears forming in her dark brown eyes, "I…I was so scared, I thought I was dead!" Sesshomaru gave no reaction to her hug. He just stared ahead and Saji felt outraged that he didn't react to her feelings. Kirin opened her eyes and looked into Sesshomaru's, backing away from the hug, and holding his hand in hers. "You saved me," she said, "why?" Sesshomaru didn't answer, but just glanced over his shoulder at Saji, standing in silence behind him. "Saji," Kirin said in surprise, "You're here?" "Yes," he replied, not knowing what else to say. It was clear to him now, why she hesitated when he asked her to marry her. She loved this demon, and it was probably for the better too. He now realized that she was not human, at least not all human. He looked at her brown eyes and short nails. Even her hair was a browner auburn color. He smiled sadly, and said, "I just wanted to see that you were ok. I'll be leaving now. Goodbye Kirin." "But Saji," Kirin called out, "wait!" Saji stopped and looked at her walking up to him. "Saji, about your proposal, I…" "No," he interrupted, "I know now that you won't marry me. But Kirin," he said, looking her deep the eyes, "I will never regret falling in love with you, even if you are a demon." With that , he turned and walked away, heading back to the village. Kirin felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. She turned to face Sesshomaru now, knowing that she'd probably never see Saji again. Sesshomaru looked away from the direction that Saji had left in too. He knew that what Saji had done had been entirely up to himself. He was also certain that he had seen something unexpected when Saji turned and left. He had seen tears in the young mans eyes.

Sesshomaru now looked at Kirin. Kirin looked up at him too. "So, uh, I guess…." Kirin started, but Sesshomaru turned and walked away in the middle of her sentence. "Hey," she yelled to him in protest, "I was talking here!" Sesshomaru glared at her from over his shoulder. "I do not wish to talk to those of dirty blood like you. Get out of my sight!" Kirin stopped cold, and collapsed on the ground. She watched him walk away, deeper and deeper into the forest. Soon he was out of sight. He hadn't even looked back once. Kirin still sat in shock. "Dirty blood," she said aloud, "Is that what I am?" She stood and then turned and walked away in the other direction. She was glad that Sesshomaru wasn't there, so that he couldn't see the tears falling from her human eyes. Sesshomaru too was troubled as he walked away. Why hadn't he been able to tell? She must not have been half-demon, because he would have been able to tell right away. What was she? He shook that thoughts from his mind and promised himself that it didn't matter, because he would never have to see her again. And this time he wouldn't let that promise slip!