Six hours had passed since the intense battle between the two enemies had begun. Both opponenets were fatigued, but only one was injured. Sesshoumaru gazed at his fresh wound. The gash lay open, deep and seared, with his black blood oozing out of the laceration, it reached from above his wrist to the top of his shoulder on his left arm. He glared at the hanyou, she was near collapsing. Her lids were barely able to keep open, her posture was weakening, and the grip on her weapon was loosening.

Sesshoumaru grinned slightly, this was the oppertunity. He raised his sword in front of him and charged at the girl, his aim was direct; she would not be able to dodge his attack. Jade watched as the demon rushed at her with his sword still and ready to slice her through, she attempted to lunge and avoid the blow, but it was too late. The weapon had peirced her. She roared in pain as the blade seeped deep into her abdomen. She glanced at the sword as it continued to dig through her body; the wound was on her left hip, just below her rib cage. She yelped again while feeling a hard shove against her back, realizing she was pinned. She looked at the sword, jabbed in her lower body with the youkai still grasping it, it had cut clean through her flesh and muscle, pinning her to the tree behind her.

Sesshoumaru's grin widdened while he watched the girl fling her own blade in attempt to squirm and try to free herself from the pain and humiliation. "You've been defeated, Wench." The girl yelped again before replying to the demon's statement, "You underestimate me." Sesshoumaru's proud expression went puzzled at the girl's remark, but was quickly forgotten when he noticed a soft pink glow beginning to surround him.

The aroma of the substance was the same scent of the hanyou's, Jasmine and rain. Suddenly Sesshoumaru began to feel odd. His eyes were now closing, his grasp on his sword was loosened, and finally dropped, and his stance was weakening. The scent of the glow was beginning to fade from his senses; something else was beginning to occur. A sound was emerging from somewhere, no, not a sound, singing. Someone was singing to him, a voice was coming from somwhere...from the hanyou, it was her, that voice belonged to her. Sesshoumaru had never heard such tone and rhythm, he could not make out the lyrics, they seemed to be in a different dialect, a different language.

Her singing was beginning to fill his senses, he could no longer smell the glow, nor hear the breeze, it was only the voice, her voice, it was all that was among him. Then suddenly, the singing began to quiet, the rhythm slowed, and the tone softened. Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and saw the glow beginning to dissipate, and finally dissapear. Silence stood, Sesshoumaru shook his head slightly, trying to determine what just took place, he loked at the young woman; she was lifeless. He took a step towards her and bent his head down to gain her scent fully, it was still heavy. She was not dead, only unconscious, asleep.

Sesshoumaru recalled when he first came upon her, atop the very tree she was now pinned against, she'd been exhausted, and their altercation only worsened her condition. 'She's helpless.' As his thoughts churned, Sesshoumaru raised up and stood, staring at the resting woman. He took hold of his weapon, and pulled it out of the body, allowing her to fall to the cold grass. Her legs folded under her, letting her upper body fall face first into the ground. Sesshoumaru watched as the gash in her hip elluded blood, insects were beginning to buzz and feast on the wound. He watched her for quite some time, looking upon her with some remorse, hidden in his hardenned eyes. Finally he hoisted his sword high above his head with his wounded arm, preparing to dicapitate his opponent, thus ending their battle. A long pause was set, all the while Sesshoumaru holding his position with his weapon above him.

He closed his eyes, the girl's face flashing in his mind. Her hair, her eyes, emerald, yes they were emerald...he'd never seen such eyes. Sesshoumaru suddenly lifted his lashed lids as he lowered his blade, "I cannott kill her." He stated his thoughts aloud as he knelt down to the girl's level, placing his sword back in its sheath, then lifting the woman up and gently setting her on his shoulder. He rose up, slowly and carefully, she was quite light, she could not have weighed more than one-hundred-twenty pounds. He walked over to the tree where she had been pinned only moments before and grabbed her sword from the ground along with the rest of her affects, a leathered sac with a loaf of bread and what seemed to be some type of oblong instrument with a strung wooden wedge, neither of which he recognized.

With the hanyou and her belongings in his arms, Sesshoumaru treaded towards his own home, knowing he would have to order the servants to ready a guestroom for his unaccquainted company.   




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