They drew him out of the Light Vein, the river of life, and the eternal darkness surrounding it. They had needed a new Lord for the mountain; the old one had died and the one that was originally chosen to succeed him could not be born as things were.

The Natural Order did not blame the one that blamed himself, the one with the tokoyami trapped in his eye. How could it? Such things as fairness and blame and ill intent were human concepts, they existed outside of the Natural Order, therefore the Natural Order did not acknowledge them.

They still needed a Lord however. That fact had not changed. And so they reached out to other Powers beyond their realm. Two Powers answered them. Magic offered one of her own, a human with a subconscious strong enough to take on the mantle they offered: the soul of a wizard. Fate chose the soul that resonated the most strongly with the body they had, the one that would do the most good there. So they offered him up to the Power that called them, the Natural Order drew him up out of the darkness and the Light, and he was awake once more.

He was surrounded by a ring of flames: the souls that had gone before. They were the ones who had brought him back to life.

Who are you? Who am I?

We are the Natural Order. You are now the Lord of the Mountain.

Why?

There must be a Lord of the Mountain. You were chosen.

What do I do?

We will show you.

And they put him in the body of the previous Successor, the baby crow, and brought him to Life once more.

The first thing he decided to do, on his own will that didn't involve his duties, was to kick the human off his mountain.

He had seen how he treated the other human, the boy with the tokoyami in his eye, and something about it made him angry. He didn't have any real memories from Before, when he had been human, but he had impressions, emotions strong enough to carry over. He also had the memories of the previous being that had possessed this body, and something about the pure desperation the boy had resonated with him. Something about the feeling of having made a mistake and wanting to be able to fix it no matter what the consequences were, was terribly familiar.

So as soon as the new Mountain Lord discovered how to change his outward appearance to match his soul, he decided to go confront the human. What the former wizard didn't know was that he was the only Mountain Lord to have this ability. He would find this out much later.

Suguro had been worried about the state of the mountain ever since Ginko had told him about accidentally killing the new Mountain Lord. A mountain with a Light Vein running through it needed a Lord in order to keep all that power under control. The mountain would die without a Lord. He couldn't help but worry, even though he knew that worrying wouldn't actually do anything.

After a fretful few months, though, he finally realized that something had happened to maintain the balance. Nothing much had actually gone wrong the way it could have. The Natural Order must have found a new Successor to replace the one that Ginko had killed. He told the villagers this. He may not have actually seen the new Lord of the Mountain, but it was obvious that it had been worked out somehow.

Then one day, rather suddenly, the Lord of the Mountain came to him. Suguro was surprised to see that he was human. The man had long, black, hair that was as long as his waist, with grassy vines one might associate with a Mountain Lord. He had piercing black eyes, sharp, prominent features, and a large beak-like nose. His clothes consisted of a navy blue kimono, black hakama pants, a black haori tied with a white haori himo, black socks, and wooden clogs. He also had a large straw hat, which had grass growing on it as well. If there was any doubt in Suguro's mind that this was the Mountain Lord, the grass on the man's hat eliminated it.

Suguro was in awe. The mushishi had heard stories about human Lords before, but he'd never in his wildest dreams thought he would actually meet one. The Mountain Lord regarded him silently for a few moments before speaking. "Get off my mountain."

What?

"What?"

"Are you dense? I said Get. Off. My. Mountain. I'm not sharing mugura with a shortsighted moron who can't even forgive one stupid kid for making a mistake that's already been forgiven by everyone that matters."

This was surreal. For one thing, having a Mountain Lord that actually talked was incredible, even if he was human. Mushishi might talk about 'speaking to the Mountain Lord', but that wasn't a conversation like you would have with another human. Most mushishi who dealt with Mountain Lords on a regular basis either got very good at body language or guessing, often times both.

The other thing was the fact that he actually wanted him gone. To the mushishi, who felt like he had done everything for the sake of the mountain and the people who lived close by, it was like a slap to the face. And the reason he gave. Suguro would have thought that if the current Lord felt anything towards Ginko, it would have been hatred or anger for having killed the previous successor, the same that he did. For him to actually be apparently protective of him, or at least on his side, boggled Suguro's mind.

"You've got one day before I expect you to be gone." And with that, he vanished. Literally.

Suguro didn't know what to think. For a while he hoped he had imagined it, but no, he could feel the Mountain Lord watching him with an intensity bordering on animosity. So he went home and packed as much as he could before visiting the village and telling them about his encounter. Well, everything except the fact that he had been booted out. His pride couldn't take it. He told them he was leaving, but just gave excuses when they asked why. He left first thing in the morning.

The villagers didn't know what to think either, though they never doubted that Suguro told the truth. Sometimes a crow with grass growing out of its head would be seen. There couldn't be two Lords on the same Mountain, could there? Could the Mountain Lord change forms? They asked various wandering mushishi for their opinions, but even the so-called experts were baffled. No one had seen the Mountain Lord's human form since he had confronted Suguro, he kept to himself and his mountain just as much, if not more so, than any other Lord. Some people scoffed at the old mushishi's story, and even the idea that there could be such a thing as a human Lord of the Mountain, let alone one who could change forms, or god-forbid, the idea that two Lords could share the same mountain. There were no answers to be had, until that day. The day that one lost little girl met the Lord of the Mountain. That was the day they started to call him the Tengu.

It said something about just how hard his job was that it took most of his mental energy to keep the mountain going. Or maybe is said something about how powerful and organized his mind really was, that he could keep track of everything and still be able to think at all. He didn't know. Thankfully, between the mountain's needs, his own needs, and occasionally, the people that visited the mountain, it was almost impossible to be bored. It took several years before he was able to think beyond the basics. Sometimes, though, he wondered what it would be like if he were to live more like a human. Not that he wanted to go settle down in the village and take a wife (god forbid). But maybe talk to someone every now and then, or have something to look forward to that didn't involve the mountain. He wondered what it would be like to be able to travel, to see other places and experience things he couldn't beyond his home. He wondered, but did not act. There wasn't anything stopping him from visiting the village, except himself. He didn't know why he had such conflicting thoughts and feelings, but he was content to leave things as they were. So he did. Still, he wondered.

One day, or night really, a little girl was picking herbs in the woods. She had stayed out on the mountain too long, it was almost dark. Because of that, she tripped and fell down a steep slope, hurting herself enough that she couldn't walk. He noticed, of course. He was the Mountain Lord. He knew everything that happened on his mountain. He stared at her for a while, inwardly grumbling about stupid humans doing stupid things and getting hurt. Obviously, he would have to start taking precautions. Finally, he decided he might as well go ahead and carry her back to the village. She was unconscious anyway, so it wasn't like she could badger him with questions or anything. Doing anything else, such as getting a villager's attention and leading them back to the girl, never actually occurred to him.

He changed, and after gently picking the child up and putting her on his back, began to walk towards the village, grumbling under his breath every now and then about foolish humans. He wasn't used to actually walking around the mountain; he usually flew, so he ended up stumbling every now and then, even though he knew the ground better than the back of his hand. Little did he know that one of those stumbles actually woke up the little girl. Though groggy, she remembered the sensation of him carrying her, hearing his grumblings, feeling the grass in his hair brush against her, the image of his beaked nose out of the corner of her eye. And when he laid her down at the edge of the village, she saw him turn into a crow with grass on its head and fly off. The next day, she told the entire village.

They started giving him gifts. Rice and other food was the most common, but there were also cooking utensils, clothes, paper and writing materials and other things the villagers apparently thought he needed. He was a little annoyed at first; didn't they think he could take care of himself? He couldn't outright ignore them either, the villagers just left their gifts out in the elements no matter how long he left them and they eventually got ruined.

It did make things easier though. He didn't have to spend as much time or energy looking after his own needs, which meant he had more of both to pursue other things. And spending more time as a human rather than a crow was somehow satisfying for reasons he couldn't fathom. It shouldn't have made a difference, but it did.

He started building a shack in the top of one of the taller oak trees. He looked at the books and scrolls about mushi that Suguro left behind. He collected herbs for the villagers. If he couldn't make them take back their gifts, he could at least give them something in return. It was also meant to prevent the situation the little girl had been in in the first place.

Then there was the knowledge that he had retained from his former life. After noticing that the ebony trees in the forest seemed to resonate with his power, he decided to make a wand out of the wood. He was a bit skeptical, after all, he didn't have any actual memories to go with his inexplicit knowledge, and it seemed more than a bit foolish to wave a stick around, say nonsense words and expect something to happen, but he still tried it. And it did work, at least, the simple ones did. He didn't know if it was because he didn't have a core to his wand, or because he was expending a lot of mental energy already, or if he just needed to practice, but it was better than nothing. It was something to do that didn't involve the mountain. He also dabbled in some of the simpler potions he knew that had ingredients he could actually acquire. That, too, worked much better than he would have expected. He would have expected a horrible mess rather than the actual results.

It was years later that Rin, the girl that he had rescued, came running to the foot of the tree that held his house, frantically yelling for him. The girl had visited him several times over the years, giving him yet more gifts of gratitude in the form of sweets. She wasn't quite as annoying as he might have expected: She didn't badger him with constant questions, and knew when to be quiet. The Tengu had come to enjoy her presence over the years, though he wouldn't ever admit it. She was one of the reasons he had actually bothered to build a house to begin with.

"Tengu! Tengu, are you there? There's a man collapsed in the forest near the foot of the mountain! He looks really hurt! Can you help him? Tengu!"

The Lord of the Mountain fluttered softly down behind her. As annoyed at the interruption as he was, he was also curious. "Why not take him to the village?" She squeaked before turning around.

"You startled me! He's on the other side of the mountain. Your house is actually closer. Also, I'm not sure, but I don't think he's just sick or exhausted."

Vaguely the Tengu wondered what the girl had been doing on the other side of the mountain. He sighed. "Alright, show me." Rin turned and ran, sure in the knowledge that he would follow.

The man was on the other side of the road just outside what was considered his territory, which was why he hadn't been notified of the human's presence by the mugura. He was already being swarmed by smaller mushi that the Tengu dispersed with an absentminded wave of his hand. The human was overly pale and visibly sweating, laying on his side with a medicine box still strapped to his back, which was probably why Rin had thought he was more than just exhausted. He also had white hair and a tokoyami in his eye. The Tengu realized with a start that he was the boy from before, now a man.

Examining the man more closely under the watchful but curious gaze of the child who had found him, the Tengu discovered bloody bandages wrapped around his abdomen underneath his shirt.

"You were right. He is badly wounded." He carefully maneuvered the medicine box off the man's shoulders and onto his own before lifting the man in his arms even more carefully. He looked back at her.

"I am going to take him directly to my house. I need you to go back to the village. Tell them I will require food for two for about a week. You can make it on your own, I trust?" Rin nodded enthusiastically and ran off. The Tengu apparated back to his house with the injured man in his arms, setting him down in the area he usually slept in before preparing to make the potions necessary to heal the man and sending out crows and other birds to gather the ingredients he would need. Then he settled down to wait and brew.

Ginko awoke to the crackling of fire, the smell of herbs, and a great deal of pain. He groaned, and blinked blearily. Why was he in so much pain?

Then he remembered. The Wataboshi. Being stabbed by a misguided, zealous mother. Collapsing in the road after pushing himself a bit too hard trying to leave in a contiguous manner after resolving things as well as he could have.

"Finally awake? Good. I am just about finished with this." Ginko turned his head towards the voice and tried to get his eyes to focus. The man who had presumably spoken was kneeling in front of a stone hearth and stirring a cooking pot hanging over a small fire. Ginko's eyes slowly took in the long black hair, dark clothes, sharp facial features, and the large straw hat with living grass growing out of it. He hadn't seen that since… He was definitely the Lord of whatever mountain he happened to be on now. Hadn't he collapsed on the road?

While Ginko struggled to think, the Mountain Lord finished whatever he had been working on, taking the pot off the fire and pouring the contents into several glass jars. He then handed one to the injured mushishi. "Drink this. All of it. I don't care how horrible it tastes, you've lost enough blood it's a miracle you're conscious at all." He helped Ginko sit up, and bored him with a gaze reminiscent of a mother's eagle eye. After he had managed to choke down the medicine, Ginko decided he might as well start asking questions. "Who - ?"

"I'm the Lord of this Mountain, as you have probably already guessed. I don't actually have a proper name, though the villagers call me the Tengu."

Ginko frowned in thought. "The only other human I knew who was a Mountain Lord gained that position by eating the previous Lord. But not having a name . . . you were Chosen, weren't you?"

"I was. You were actually here at the time." Ginko froze. That could only mean one thing. This was the mountain where he had accidentally killed the Chosen. The mountain that he had sworn never to set foot on ever again. He needed to leave. Now.

The Lord of the Mountain had apparently divined his intentions, because his eyes pierced right through him and seemed to hold him down even before he spoke. "Don't. Move. I did not go through all this trouble trying to heal you for you to go and get yourself killed trying to run away." Ginko slowly lied back down. "How . . ?" he asked breathlessly.

"The Natural Order took my soul out of the River of Light and used it as a replacement for the life of the previous Chosen that had died prematurely."

Ginko blinked, trying to take that in. Then, he tried to apologize, before being cut off.

"Don't. You have nothing to apologize for." The Tengu sighed. "I've wanted to tell you that I didn't blame you ever since I realized what had happened."

"But Sugaru . . ."

"Is a fool. He also doesn't live here anymore." Ginko blinked at the amount of venom in those words. Tengu continued. "Now. Perhaps when Rin comes back with some actual food you'll tell me how you managed to get stabbed."

They didn't have to wait long, though the Tengu did brew tea in the meantime. Soon they were all seated in a small circle eating onigiri. Ginko finally introduced himself properly and told them about the cotton changeling and the couple who had grown much too close to it.

"So, you were stupid enough to get between a protective mother and what she thought of as her family. And I suppose you never thought to leave the both of them to reap what they had already sowed." Ginko grimaced.

"It was partially my fault. If I had just killed all the children in the beginning, none of this would have happened." He smirked ruefully. "I guess I'm just too much of an optimist."

Ginko also didn't really like the fact that he had to stay for at least a week, and that the villagers were giving them both free food. The Tengu very sensibly pointed out that they liked to give the Mountain Lord things whether he asked for them or not, and Ginko could always go to the village to do mushishi work or pay for the food in some other way once he was actually well enough to travel again.

Over the course of the next several days, the Tengu and the Mushishi exchanged information. Tengu told Ginko things about mushi, plants and animals that only a Mountain Lord would know, and Ginko told Tengu about mushi and other things beyond the mountain. They both enjoyed these discussions, and when Ginko was finally able to leave, he promised to bring an Uro cocoon the next time he visited so that Tengu could communicate with him and the rest of the mushishi community without sending letters with birds or something of that nature.