Everyone halted at the distressed call of the human girl as she came running from the woods.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" She cried out and approached them as quickly as she could on her small feet, "Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin can't find Haru! We were gathering sticks but when Rin turned around he was gone!"

Jaken sputtered in shock, "What do you mean 'gone'! He couldn't have disappeared just like that!"

"Don't know! Haru could be hurt! Lord Sesshoumaru, please, you have to find Haru!" She exclaimed eyes brimming with tears, as her small fists clenched onto the Lord's pants.

"Stay with Jaken." He ordered making Jaken broke from his stupor as his master immediately ran towards the forest.

"Rin!" Jaken called when the girl ran after the Lord, "Dammit, you are going to get yourself killed and I'll be close behind in retaliation!" He screamed as he ran trying to catch upon her.

oOo

They quickly tracked him thanks to his scent, the fact that Sesshoumaru could also sense the stench of pain only made him run faster and found the boy curled into himself, breathing heavily as pain rolled off him in waves, a pile of sticks scattered next to him.

The Lord knelt down beside him, inspecting him in search of injuries that could be the case of his pain which only seemed to increase by the second. Taking in his flushed state and sweat forming on his forehead in a clear sign of a fever, he pressed his palm on his forehead to turn his head towards him and paused in surprise when the boy sighed in relief, pressing himself closer to the others hand.

Was it because he was cold or was he relieved that he was found?

Was he glad that it was Sesshoumaru who had found him?

He halted his train of thoughts as noticed the thickness of the air. Apart from the odor of his agony there was a lingering scent of something akin to electricity.

"W-what is-" The boy spoke between his gasps, staring at him with a disoriented gaze, "What is happening?"

"Is Haru sick?" Rin asked quietly as she tried to approach the boy on the ground but Jaken grabbed onto her before she could. "Rin, stay back!"

"No! I want to see Haru!" She protested trying to dislodge his grip on her arm.

"R-Rin?" Haru gasped as he tried to look at her before his voice broke as he shrieked suddenly, feeling like his skull was being split open and tightly grabbed his head on his hands. "Why is she here! Take her away from me!" He screamed afraid that he would somehow hurt the girl, writhing as the pain continued cursing through his body. "Don't let her get close!" Curling tighter into himself trying to find some comfort he held onto the closest thing that was nearby, this being the Dog-Demon's arm and screamed. "PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"

"Your struggle is only making it worse." He acknowledged, "You can't delay it much longer, you have to let go if you want to survive to see her again." He knew that mentioning the girl at this moment wasn't the best but he had to if he wanted him to see reason.

Quickly shaking his head, Haru let out a pitiful whimper as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I can't- I can't hurt her-"

"Take her to the camp now!" Red-eyed, the Lord ordered to the frozen imp as the distress coming from the younger male called to his most primal instincts.

Without notice, the boy began writhing and thrashing on the ground and Sesshoumaru could only pin the boy to avoid him hurting himself as he writhed in pain and stare as the boy's hair grew longer in only a few seconds, but that wasn't the only new thing on their newest companion. His mind reeled as a pair of black ears sprouted from his head along with the two tails that bursted from his behind. It has been years since he had heard from his kind, let alone seen one.

Gazing at the now prone state of the boy, he stared at the steady movement of his chest with each strained breath and how his face remained in a flushed state even as the signs of his fever relented after his shift. The previously neck-length hair was now long strands framing his head, pointing everywhere.

He barely noticed when Haru's eyes suddenly opened and lashed at him with sharp claws but Sesshoumaru was faster and forcefully pinned him placing a hand on his neck taking in the slit pupils over the yellowish green sclera as he lost control.

"Submit." He ordered with a severe voice as the boy struggled to break free from his grasp.

Furious, Haru snarled beneath him and Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on the others neck with the barest hint of sharp claws against his throat as a warning. "Submit." He repeated with a growl of his own.

Wide eyed at the display of dominance, Haru inhaled sharply and his struggle immediately ceased, arms plopping to the ground like a puppet whose string were cut down. Tilting his head to the side and exposing his neck, he was the vivid image of submission making the Dog-demon Lord's primal instincts rumble in delight in appreciation of the behavior.

Sesshoumaru leaned in, inhaling his scent and was about to bit down when Rin yelled,

"STOP HURTING HARU!"

"I told you to keep her away." The Lord growled at being interrupted, still displaying his red eyes, as he glanced at the imp.

"I-I apologize sir-" Jaken stammered uncontrollably at being on the receiving end of such a powerful stare.

At the sudden voice, Haru regained some of his senses and quickly turned his gaze towards the source. "Mine?" Haru muttered and stared at the human girl.

Confident that it was safe, Sesshoumaru slowly released the boy, watching his motions closely for any signs of aggression.

Looking at him hesitantly at the new appearance, she let out a small yelp as the newly transformed demon quickly held her against his chest and became wide eyed when the boy started purring out of all things, mumbling a plethora of 'mine, mine, mine' as he covered her with his scent trying to erase the awful smell of sadness and loneliness that had previously surrounded her.

oOo

"How the hell did this happen?!" Jaken exclaimed in a hushed whisper as the boy was now sleeping on the base of a tree still holding the girl in his arms, "It's a New Moon! How-?"

Sesshoumaru didn't even glance at him as he replied, "Something was in his blood, blocking any signs of his Yokai."

"A dampener?" Jaken inquired wide eyed, "He had one all his life?" He breathed in disgust at the thought, "No wonder he was in pain. The transformation had been delayed for so long it couldn't hold on any longer. But to have it happen on a New Moon…" he trailed off as he glanced at the sleeping form of the boy. "What would happen now?" He asked quietly but then he paused, "Sir, is he a half-demon or-?"

"Don't know."

Stunned that his Lord would admit not knowing something, the imp stared at him, "My Lord?"

He scowled before he finally responded, "Haven't seen one of his species in years. Thought the line had died out."

'A Nekomata out of all things.'

oOo

AN: *Boom* Super Duper Early Chapter

Usually in these kinds of stories, Haru would be a Dog-demon or even a Kitsune but I decided to go the other way and made him a Cat-demon lol

Note: I wasn't sure if Kirara was either a Nekomata or a Mononoke (spirit guardian) and as I couldn't find much info about it, decided to make her a Mononoke to fit the story better.

Another Note: As Sesshoumaru hasn't bite down on Haru's neck, the other doesn't have the need, or the impulse, to show obedience towards him.