Many thanks to my readers and great glomping looove to my fantastic beta, Creature of Shadow!

Haruko awoke abruptly, a light sheen of sweat glazing his skin. His awareness of the sun dappled canopy of trees above him returned slowly, and he was aware of his father watching him from the other side of the campfire. Looking up he met that golden gaze in silence. Cobwebs and mist still filled his mind, echoes of violent dreams he could not remember. If this was what his sister dealt with all the time, he now had, if possible, more respect for her than before.

'I'll have to ask her how she manages.' he thought, only to wince internally at the stark reminder that all was not well with Maeko, else he would not be in this position in the first place. The memories and awareness that had flooded his mind so painfully had changed from an acute, almost unbearable stabbing sensation to a dull ache behind his eyes. Haruko had to fight to keep his youki in check and tightly contained. He learned that on the first day of their return journey when the strain of the warring essences of youki and reishi within him had almost killed him. Only the swift intervention of his father had put a stop to it.

Sesshomaru watched closely as his firstborn roused himself and seemed to struggle internally with something, he had been quite afraid he was losing the boy when he collapsed for the second time in as many days. Upon probing with his youki he was shocked to find reishi within his child, and not just any reishi. It was identical to Haruko's twin. The only thing Sesshomaru was able to do was bind the boy's youki within a barrier to keep it from trying to destroy the reishi.

The taiyoukai had no idea his daughter was so powerful, even rivaling Kagome's and Sesshomaru could only imagine the terrible force she would present if she were in complete control of it. It was troubling to say the least to see his son bombarded by whatever his sister had sent him. Haruko was obviously in constant pain, his scent was full of discomfort and fear.

For Haruko, the noise was deafening. He could hear the thoughts of Kenta and his uncle Inuyasha every waking moment. His father was quieter and he didn't think it was due to lack of thought, the taiyoukai seemed to have a barrier that shielded his thoughts from those outside of his mind. Every so often he would sense something from his father only to have it cut short as though doors had been slammed shut.

His initial description of the influx of his sister's memories and knowledge had struck a chord of alarm in all of them. He felt first his own father's trill of fear for his daughter, followed immediately by Kenta's concern for Tatsuki, but it was his uncle's thoughts that were most battering. Inuyasha's thoughts were much like his younger self. The former hanyou had learned to internalize his brashness to a certain extent, but his thoughts were still loud and obnoxious and Haruko found himself fighting the urge to snap at his uncle.

Inuyasha was terribly worried for Kikyo and while his mouth stayed shut, his mind ran itself in frantic shouting circles until Haruko thought he would explode. The younger inu flashed a glare at his uncle and made to stand, irritation so evident in his face and body language that even Inuyasha picked up on it and scowled.

"What's your problem kid?" snapped Inuyasha, already on edge and wishing they could move the fuck on and stop wasting time. It seemed every delay was due to Haruko's affliction. That the kid had it rough was not in question, he just couldn't help being impatient. His mate could be in danger and he was stuck at the pace of the ill lordling and the resentment grew with each stop.

"Do you think so little of your own mate uncle?"

Inuyasha's eyes attempted to pop right out of his skull, much to Sesshomaru's twisted amusement. As annoying as his brother could be, these were moments that could only be called downright comical and the stoic taiyoukai had become very adept at laughing without anyone noticing.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha's gaping mouth had evidently remembered how to close as well as speak again; he glared at Haruko fiercely, watching the boy stand and pad around the banked coals from the previous night's fire toward him. Haruko crouched down and leaned in close with a feral smile. For a moment Inuyasha was taken aback, Haruko's normally warm eyes were cold and calculating, much like Maeko's when she was angry.

"You must not think your own mate capable of taking care of herself else you would not worry for her so."

'Even his speech pattern has changed' the thought flashed like quicksilver across Sesshomaru's mind. He was watching the exchange closely for any bit of insight that could help him decipher why Maeko had intruded on her brother's psyche in the first place.

"Of course I think she can defend herself!" exclaimed Inuyasha angrily. He opened his mouth to say something more but was interrupted by his brother.

"It is only natural for him to worry for his mate son." Sesshomaru's smooth baritone cut through the clearing. "In time you will understand what is means to be apart from your mate in times of uncertainty."

Haruko's head swiveled and regarded his father out of the corner of his eye. "We should be more concerned with getting home in one piece Otou-sama."

Sesshomaru frowned, and watched as Haruko seemed to come back to himself, the hard light in his eyes softening somewhat.

"Is that a premonition?"

"No..." Haruko took a deep breath. "It is a warning Maeko delivered to me before we left, she told me she would care for those left behind but..."

"This is the first I have heard of this warning. What did she tell you?"

His firstborn's shoulders slumped momentarily before Haruko met his father's gaze, the pain and uncertainty in his eyes pulled at something deep within the taiyoukai.

"All she would tell me was that our house was in for a great hardship and that our entire future rest on this journey. I said I would stay behind to protect the family, but she was adamant that I must come with you." The younger inu pressed his mouth in a thin line. He had probed their bond relentlessly in the past few days but after the deluge of her consciousness, there was nothing. No sign of his sister who had, from birth, been ever present in his mind. He looked at his father and asked "Is Okaa-san alright?"

Sesshomaru was taken aback by the deep worry he sensed radiating off his child. "She is fine, I sense nothing amiss."

Haruko swallowed and shut his eyes briefly, "I cannot sense Maeko at all, it's almost as though..."

"Come." Sesshomaru's curt reply cut him off. "Strike camp and double our pace. We should reach the House of the Moon in two days time."

Wordlessly they all moved gathering their belongings and tamping out the fire. They were finished and traveling again in a matter of moments, with the discipline of soldiers governing their sound.

Haruko spent the next several hours trying to sort through some of the images and thoughts that were swirling around his mind, he had always been very logical and he found himself compartmentalizing each foreign item into rough groups to be finely sorted later. It was exhausting in a way he had never experienced. Early on, he had been tested for magical potential and it had been determined that while he had the ability to learn it, being heir to his father's lands his education would focus on other things. As a result he had never had the opportunity to build up the mental resistance and stamina his sister possessed.

Kenta watched Haruko from his position at the rear of the pack, he could tell the boy was fighting internally and it was wearing on him. His very carriage spoke of bone deep weariness, but as expected the lad kept pace with Sesshomaru, bound and determined not to hold them back any more than he already had.

Night had fallen, and Sesshomaru showed no signs of stopping to rest. Haruko made no complaint and continued, Kenta shadowing the boy in case it became necessary to help him. The moon had risen, and it winked at them through the trees. Silence pervaded, cloaking the entire forest with a noted pallor of quiet.

Kenta's eyes and ears never found rest. He scanned relentlessly, as was expected of him in the rear of the party when abruptly, and for no reason he could discern, his hackles rose. Every fiber of his being was crying out to be on guard, he opened his mouth to warn the others when Haruko let out a gasp and fell to his knees.

"Father!" he cried out. "They come for you!"

Sesshomaru whirled around and took a step toward his son, who at that moment had sounded just like his daughter, when a throng of attackers materialized from the shadows. Bakusaiga sang as he unsheathed the mighty blade and moonlight flashed off its deadly edge, while the taiyoukai of the west brought swift death to his attackers.

Haruko shook his head as his vision slowly cleared, he was vaguely aware of the sound of battle all around him and his uncle cursing; muzzily he wondered how he had ended up on the ground already. He stood and drew his mother's blade, and finding the solid anchor of Kenta's back, he joined the battle head on. The night was a hindrance, but not a severe one. Haruko dodged and blocked, parried and danced around the seemingly endless numbers of aggressors.

Sesshomaru slipped into the age old battle dance effortlessly, his blade and poison whip carving a path through the attackers to his son, who, from the looks of things had recovered admirably. Before he was able to reach Haruko however, the number of their attackers doubled and the ferocity of the attacks escalated until even Sesshomaru had trouble keeping up with the sheer numbers.

A hoarse cry from across the clearing drew Sesshomaru's attention and he looked on in horror as both Kenta and Haruko fell before the onslaught of youkai. He let out a roar as his eyes began to bleed red and blasted his attackers back before again moving toward his son.

Inuyasha heard his brother's battle call filled with rage and turned to find the cause. He assessed the situation instantly and moved to help Sesshomaru.

The two brothers fought desperately against the tide of battle, trying in vain to reach Kenta and Haruko. The two of them had made it partway across the thicket when Haruko let out another cry as his assailant grabbed hold of his limbs and took flight, accelerating into the air quickly enough that the pitch of the younger inu's cry changed as he was torn from them. The sound of his voice cut off abruptly and before either brother could react, Kenta was spirited away in much the same manner, the only distinction being the ookami was unconscious, head lolling back, hair torn from its queue.

"Sesshomaru!"

The taiyoukai drug his gaze from the black sky where his son had disappeared, to see his brother in much the same position. The winged youkai were pinning him down and had succeeded in disarming him. The sharp tang of blood pervaded his sensitive nose as he saw his brother dragged away, fighting and clawing as much as he could. Sesshomaru felt the rage battering within him; he fought his beast for control knowing that a cool head was needed if he had any chance of killing these vermin and finding his son.

He felt hands upon his person, seemingly everywhere. As soon as he removed one several more latched onto him. He felt his youki being sapped and he was unable to lash out, even the voice of his sword was growing dim. Shaking his head. he tried to dispel the disorientation that had taken hold. He felt his feet leave the ground and thrashed violently to loosen their hold on him.

For a brief moment he felt his body plummet towards the earth only to be reacquired by his captors, something was handicapping him severely and he could not in his dazed state identify it. The howling of his beast sounded odd, as though it traveled through a long tunnel before reaching him. He could not understand what was happening, and for the first time in a terribly long time, Sesshomaru realized he was helpless and at the mercy of his captors.

He was blearily satisfied to see that even while he was unable to resist, at least his sword hadn't given in. Each hand that attempted to take hold of Bakusaiga was viciously shocked or burned. The acrid odor of charred demon flesh assailed his sensitive nose and Sesshomaru gathered the dwindling reserves of his youki to let out a desperate blast of energy, a clarion call to any youkai within detection distance. And then, the great Taiyoukai lost his battle.

For the first time in four hundred years, Sessomaru succumbed to the attacks of lesser youkai and slipped into numbing darkness, the echo of his beasts' cry ringing in his head.

Kagome bolted up with a start. Eyes wide in the darkness and gasping for breath, she looked around at the walls of her chamber and slowly remembered where she was.

'What a dream.' she mused silently, resisting the urge to remain unsettled about it and being the ever practical girl she was, began to dissect it. Like her daughter, Kagome had been trained by her father and Kumari to channel visions. Unlike her child however, Kagome had never been able to induce a vision session. She remained woefully at the mercy of whatever Kami had made soothsaying such a murky, uncertain event.

This dream had been exceptionally vivid, she remembered flashes of desire and lust. The sight of her thighs wrapped around the trim waist of her mate, muscles flexing and straining as he plunged his cock into her with a steady rhythm. The magenta stripes appeared and vanished beneath her lean thighs as her heart pulsed and she gasped in pleasure.

The silver curtain of his hair shrouded them from everything around them, leaving them able to only focus on each other; his fangs nipped her silky skin, teasing the supple flesh at her throat before grazing her collarbones and settling on her pert nipples. He suckled with fervor, eliciting a soft moan from her that ended in a cry as he sank his fangs teasingly into her breast.

Kagome breathed deeply, her heart regaining speed as she remembered the erotic scene. She had even been able to hear the wet sounds of sex filling the room as she arched and cried out beneath her mate. She felt the head of his heavy member slamming against her cervix, the pain mingled with pleasure had been almost too much to bear, his ferocity and hunger driving her wild.

The sound of fluttering wings invaded her senses, slowly growing louder and louder until all other sounds were drowned out. Sesshomaru had been torn from her violently, leaving her reaching out in the gathering darkness, her screams twining with the distant echo of his roar. There was tearing wind and the walls shook. Her raven tresses swirled in eddies of the spinning wind and the very house around her trembled and began to crack and crumble. The roof and walls fell in large pieces, shattering as they crashed to the ground.

She called out for Sesshomaru in vain for no answering call reached her. Rising up from the bed, she had run through the halls of her home as it fell around her. Glimpses of the sky as she ran revealed a blood red color pervading the moon and stars. Kagome rushed through the manor checking each room only to find nothing save crumbling walls and devastation. Panic rose in her chest as she finally made it to the great hall and burst through the doors.

The hall was silent and filled with youkai. Each of the kingdoms were there, as well as the minor lords and ladies. Her father stood to the side and looked at her silently with sad eyes. Kagome couldn't understand what was going on.

The room was filled with light streaming through the open screens and in front of her on the dais she saw her youngest son standing next to a youkai who's face was obscured. Drawing closer she saw red hair and a lean body. The mystery figure turned to face her and she drew back with revulsion, the leering face of Suzaku looked down at her as he placed his hand on the back of her son's neck, his eyes sweeping over her body lecherously

Kagome found herself pulled inexorably forward toward the firebird as though drawn by unseen hands; Akira looked unsettled and afraid while Suzaku looked positively ravenous. Terror twisted sharply in her gut and it took all of her will not to scream aloud as Suzaku grew in size and overshadowed them all blotting out the light and casting a menacing shadow over everything.

Kagome shuddered remembering the emotions that flooded her during the dream; she rubbed her face and rose from her bed, wrapping a thin yukata around her shoulders. Silently, she padded down the darkened halls toward her son's room. Ever since the twins were born, she had taken to watching them sleep if she found herself unable to. It calmed her as nothing else could.

Along the way she reached out through her mating link as she often did when he was traveling. They would both from time to time touch gently on each others psyche, a soft brush to let the other know they were thinking of them. Smiling a small private smile she extended her awareness along the thread that bound them together and felt…nothing.

Her small feet stopped dead in their tracks and she reached out again.

Nothing.

Kagome felt her breath catch in her throat. Her mind reeling she changed course without even realizing where she was going, her pace quickening as she moved through the corridors toward the garden. She had an irrational urge to see the moon and ensure it was still white.

Bursting onto the flagstones she called out to her mate as strongly as she was capable of. In her mind, she sensed her beacon bouncing off Sesshomaru's essence but no reply came to her, no change to his being in acknowledgment of her cry. Her bones were suddenly cold, teeth chattering.

"Milady what is it?"

Kagome whirled at the soft voice of Amaya behind her. The Neko had heard her mistress wake from her dream and the scent of distress had not lessened, but intensified. The expression in Kagome's eyes was heart wrenching.

"Something has happened to Sesshomaru." the horror and fear in the hanshin's tone was thick.

She watched as the Lady of the West composed herself and straightened her bearing.

"We must prepare for the worst. Wake the rangers and have them gather to me in Sesshomaru's study. We must be ready for the coming storm."

Amaya bowed and moved silently to wake her brother and the two kitsune.

"Is it done?"

"Hai milord, word has reached us from the continent, the Inu travelers are no more."

"Prepare our departure, we leave for the west at dawn."

His vassal left the room swiftly, no doubt whipping the servants into action. Suzaku sighed and rose from his bed, his hummingbird courtesans shifted in their sleep but he disturbed none of them. He moved to the screen that stood open to his garden and gazed out into the summer night. A mere 3 hours until dawn, the fire bird smiled grimly in the torchlight.

'At last.' he thought. 'At last I will gain my birthright.'

Please Review!