2.1...

Ashitaka and Kairi sat on top of the volcano for quite awhile, both of them not saying anything. Kairi knew that Ashitaka needed some time and space to collect himself, and she had given it to him. Besides, she had gotten to take in the whole view of Dragon City for as long as she wanted. She was able to see the sun go down on all the unfinished towers struggling to touch the sky. Bathed in the pinks and oranges of the dusk, the city looked like an unfinished clay sculpture waiting to be shaped once again. If finished, Kairi knew that the next Dragon City would be far greater than the original. But for now, it seemed content with being half of what it had once been.

After the final sliver of sun crept behind the ocean, the two Samurai were walking again. Their destination was the far side of the island where the harbor lay. Kairi kept quiet. She knew that her Sensei was reflecting on past events and that he needed silence to concentrate.

Kairi was startled when Ashitaka broke the two-hour long silence, "Kairi, what is it that you hope to gain from training at my dojo?"

"A better understanding of my ancestors and the ability to walk in their footsteps. Also, a better understanding of myself and what I'm capable of," the Samurai of the Owl said truthfully.

"Is that all?" asked Ashitaka.

"Well, to be honest, no Sensei. I also wanted a better understanding of you," said Kairi meekly. "I wanted to meet the man behind the legend."

"Legend?"

"Sensei, you have accomplished more in a couple of years than most in a lifetime. I could only hope to—" Kairi stopped mid-sentence. The cold steel against her neck had stolen her attention.

"Kairi?" said Ashitaka. He had been walking ahead of her and couldn't tell if something was wrong or if she was too afraid to finish her sentence. He slowly turned around to find a masked girl holding a knife to his companion's neck.

Ashitaka guessed the girl was in her teens. He could tell she had great strength despite her tiny body. Only the bottom portion of her head was covered, leaving the rest exposed. Long golden hair was tied in a tight pony-tail at the top of her head and her blue eyes fixated on The Samurai of the Wolf. Looking deep into her eyes, Ashitaka recognized this girl was no killer. Her breathing was very rapid. Adrenaline. She will make a lot of mistakes if given the chance, she isn't controlling her body, he thought to himself.

"Put down your swords Samurai scum!" called the girl over Kairi's shoulder.

In response, Ashitaka stood completely still.

"I am not messing around! I WILL kill her!" exclaimed the girl in desperation.

"And then you will have this woman's blood on your hands. You are too young for that. You have a lot ahead of you," Ashitaka said plainly.

The girl narrowed her eyes at the Samurai, "I have nothing ahead of me. You have taken it all. Vengeance or death are the things I look forward to." At that, the girl began a series of back hand springs away from Kairi that ended in a thirty-foot leap into the air.

Ashitaka placed his hand on the hilt of his katana as he watched the girl sail backwards in the sky. What is she doing with her hands? he wondered. As the Samurai took the time to look, he noticed the girl making specific gestures in a pattern. She's casting a spell! Kairi! Ashitaka thought. He glanced back down where his student was staggering back and forth, eyes half open. What the...? Kairi's heavy Naginata clattered to the ground as she fell to her hands and knees. It was then that Ashitaka saw the needle sticking out the back of Kairi's neck.

Suddenly, a flash washed out over the immediate area with a loud crack. The Samurai looked back up to find a colossal silhouette bearing down on him, blocking the moonlight as it fell. Quickly, he did his own backwards leap high into the air, trying to escape the explosion of rock and dirt as the monster smashed into the ground. As he landed safely, Ashitaka looked up to the monster standing before him. The pale moonlight trickled over the scales of the thirty-foot tall tyrannosaurus rex. Snapping its head back, the dinosaur released a deafening roar.

Ashitaka freed his Katana and wakasahi from their sheaths and began taking note of his surroundings. On either side of the road, rocky hills rose up about twenty feet. He couldn't see Kari. She had been where the tyrannosaurus had landed which, Ashitaka figured, couldn't mean anything good. Kairi's safety is the priority here, Ashitaka decided.

At that moment, the gigantic lizard lunged forward with an immense bite that surely would have broken the Samurai in half had he been there. Instead, Ashitaka had side-stepped and sprinted underneath the large body. In his vain attack, Rex had moved forward, freeing himself from the crater he had created, giving Ashitaka the opportunity to get to Kairi. The dinosaur quickly stood back up, and wheeled, facing its prey once again.

Thinking it could catch Ashitaka, the tyrannosaurus raised its giant left foot and smashed it into the ground, creating another explosion of earth. Like lightning, the Samurai bolted out of the dust and debris to the dinosaur's right leg sinking his swords to their hilts in the tyrannosaurus' calf. Rex let out a rabid roar to the heavens as Ashitaka sprinted to find Kairi. She was sprawled out at the bottom of the crater where the Dinosaur had landed, bleeding from her mouth. The Wolf Samurai slid down into the crater and picked up the broken body.