Haruko awoke with a start. He lay perfectly still for several moments, taking time to identify the sounds and smells around him before moving. Slowly and carefully, he cracked his eyelids open just enough to allow some light in, the last thing he wanted was to be blinded by the summer sun and be unable to see possible threats. Inhaling, he noticed a distinct absence of other creatures around him. While the lingering stench of birds clung to everything, it was certainly not fresh, a small blessing to be sure.

His golden eyes opened fully and focused on the canopy of trees above him, they neither moved nor swayed in the cloying heat of the morning. He examined them more intently, and found they were unlike any trees he had seen before. Broad, dark leaves sprouted from thick branches, vines crossed and re-crossed one another until it was impossible to tell where they came from or where they ended. The young inu sat up slowly, wincing at the deep ache in his bones that spoke of healing not yet finished.
He turned his head and realized his hair was miraculously still in its high queue although there were more unruly strands than usual plastered to his face and neck in the heat. He busied himself for a short while, removing the thong from his hair and fastening it anew. All the while, his mind was slowly recalling snippets of the battle the day before and trying to pinpoint a direction to start looking for the others.

Haruko felt uneasy in his own skin, his sister's reishi churned within him, unsettled and volatile. He centered himself, reinforcing the barrier within that kept his youki and her reishi from tearing each other to pieces. Shaking off a wave of dizziness, the young heir of the west stood on shaking legs and proceeded to get his bearings. He took in every aspect of the scents and sounds around him, the coppery tang of his own blood flooded his nose causing him to look down at himself for the first time since awakening.

His clothing was stiff with dried blood and full of tears, some miniscule, others quite large and though the skin beneath had healed he could feel a few deep aches corresponding to the largest rips. '

Good thing I'm youkai.' He thought. Any lesser creature would have been dead for sure, he wondered who had attacked them but stopped that train of thought before it could get started. 'Now is NOT the time.'

Haruko remembered a few flashes just before he had lost consciousness. Kenta had been battling back to back with him and had been seized at the same moment he had; he figured his best bet would be to search for the ookami. He tested the wind and was unable to single out the scent of any creature but those damnable birds so he set out to follow the trail of his assailants. Logically, the scent of birds would lead him to his father and uncle as well; he would just have to be careful not to stumble into a village or settlement of the enemy.

He knew he was vulnerable alone, strength lay in numbers. He had to find the others. Haruko, Heir to the West, straightened his spine and began to track the stench of avian demons, moving ever northward.

"Kagome…." The timid note in Kikyo's voice brought Kagome up short. She turned to face her former rival, looking at her clearly for the first time since she received word of the calamity that had befallen their family. Kikyo looked pale and frightened, but seemed to be doing the best she could to hide it.

"What's wrong Kikyo?" she asked, her words soft and entreating. She was strangely grateful for something else to focus on, she was fighting the urge to become lost in despair and she always did better when there was a problem she was able to solve.

Kikyo twisted her hands nervously together and shifted her weight. "I just came from the infirmary."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes…" she smiled a small almost broken smile. "I'm more than alright."

Kagome's brow furrowed. "I don't underst-" Then her mouth fell open in realization. "Oh Kikyo! Congratulations!" She rushed forward and took Kikyo's hands in her own before guiding her to a stone bench in the flowers.

Her green eyes shone with happiness and she felt as though she might burst if she held in the babble of questions a minute longer. Happily Kikyo saved her from such an untimely end by opening her pretty mouth to speak.

"Tatsuki says I have half the years turning to wait before the child arrives."

Kagome noted that Kikyo still spoke of children and not pups; it was something she sympathized with having faced that idiosyncrasy with her own brood.

"What will I do Kagome?" The former miko all but wailed, again clenching her hands and twisting her fingers. "I wish Inuyasha were here."

Kagome felt another hairline fracture spiderweb its way across her heart as she took in the bittersweet moment with Kikyo.

"We have been trying for so long and now I don't even know if he's alive or what the future will hold." Tears slipped down the demoness' cheeks and Kagome reached up to wipe them away.

"I swear to you Kikyo, no harm will come to you and yours while you are near me and I draw breath."

Kikyo blinked at the fierceness coming from Kagome, the normally calm hanshin was gone, replaced by the mask of a warrior. At a loss as to how to reply, she patted the backs of Kagome's hands and murmured.

"All will be well Kagome-chan, they will return, I can feel it."

Kagome's expression softened somewhat and she cracked a smile. "Can you feel Inuyasha?" she asked urgently. "Can you feel him through your mating mark?"

Kikyo nodded, her face troubled, "But he does not respond." She whispered.

Kagome hugged Kikyo close and stroked her hair as she would a frightened child. "Kikyo, you mustn't tell anyone else of your coming child. I fear the firebird would use you as a piece in his twisted game." She felt Kikyo nod against her shoulder. "Come." She said. "We must put together a plan you and I, for later."

The two of them rose and moved off into the manor to speak with Tatsuki and ensure her silence as well.

"Hoh!"

His ears woke first, twitching slightly at the sound of men's voices raised in unison.

"Hiyeh!"

He could hear steps now, again they moved as one in practiced steps. His olfactory senses kicked in at that moment and he realized he was in an infirmary.

'A ningen infirmary' he thought muzzily. Slowly his body began to stir and he could feel the blood flowing sluggishly through his veins, he made a wholly uncoordinated effort to sit up and just ended up jerking random muscles. He decided to focus on breathing for the time being until be regain control of himself. His broad chest rose and fell in a regular rhythm that soothed him by it's own repetitious normalcy.

He inhaled deeply, separating the unfamiliar odors and identifying each in turn. Linen, and the lingering faint scent of his own blood. Someone had washed him with water infused with some type of herb. His skin felt tender and somehow too tight for his bones which he could feel slowly knitting themselves together. That was odd. Though he had no idea how much time had passed since he was rendered unconscious, his healing should have been finished in a matter of hours. This thought was somewhat comforting as it meant he had not been senseless for an extended period of time.

His train of thought was broken. 'So easily?' by the sounds of the group outside the walls breaking up and moving independently. One set of footsteps broke off from the rest and approached him their pace almost idle. He was instantly alert and flexed his muscles in sections to ready himself for whatever may come through the door.

Nianzu moved his aging body easily across the courtyard, morning paces were complete and his body felt limber. The morning sun had crested the treetops on the mountain hours ago and the birds sang in the sunlight. Breakfast in the monastery was sparse but good, there was none left wanting, it had been some years since any novices had arrived from the surrounding villages. Nianzu himself had been a resident of the temple for the majority of his life, as the sixth child to farm tending parents his hungry mouth had been a burden as long as his memory served him.

After a chance meeting with a traveling monk on his way to the temple, Nianzu had petitioned for entry. Not that it was a terribly sophisticated petition as he had only the wisdom and knowledge of a nine year old boy. The monks of the monastery had sent a query to his parents who had relinquished him with nary a word save for 'thank you' He didn't even remember what his name had been then, from that day onward he had been known as Nianzu.

'Aptly named.' he thought wryly to himself, a name meaning to think of one's ancestors seemed the perfect fit for the smallest child of overwrought peasants who surrendered himself to the monks instead of being a burden. As a child he had not understood and his motives had been much more simple and selfish. Enough to eat and not having to wonder if he would survive the next winter was the compass that sent him unerringly up the mountain to find solace.

Nianzu shook himself gently free of the threads of memory he seemed to find himself entwined in more and more as he moved on in years. He moved toward the infirmary where he had been able to find unexpected enjoyment throughout his life, tending others just came naturally for him. He was empathetic, but not overly so, and unflappable in the face of sickness and injury having born witness to several of his siblings dying of sores and wasting disease. Not to mention the sadly common wounds of violence that were part of everyday life of the serfs.

He entered the door of the sickroom and glanced over at it's only inhabitant. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, as he had now for almost two cycles of the moon. His accelerated healing left no doubt in the minds of the monks he was not a ningen. His physique was broad and solid, the calluses on his hands spoke of long years handling the sword and the claws that tipped those slender fingers were indicators of Mogui.

The fearsome and awe inspiring mogui were an integral part of their lives, the myths and stories told since the dawn of tribes that would become empires spoke of ningen being descended from a princess of the heavens and a clever gou mogui. The dog had served his emperor loyally and been rewarded the hand of his daughter as a reward. As a result, they lived in harmony with the Lions of the west and tentatively held their truce with the bird tribe of the south.

A group of young novices had found this mogui lying unconscious in a pool of blood, covered in feathers and filth. A mighty battle had obviously taken place in which the strange mogui seemed the dubious victor, quite the worse for wear, but hanging onto life. Apparently he had run a-foul of the southern eagle tribe, not that Nianzu cared why. All he saw was a patient in need of tending. Clutched in the mogui's hands were two swords that were glaringly foreign, curved and sharp only on one side they screamed of their eastern origin.

Looking again at his slumbering charge, he noticed suddenly that his patient was awake. His eyes still shut, chest rising and falling no differently than before, Nianzu suddenly saw a tenseness of the muscles in his face that had not been there before. The old monk was acutely aware of the imminent danger to his own life. He was in the room with a mogui who in all likelihood had no idea where he was or who was keeping him. He decided to meet this head on.

"Ah so you're finally awake." he commented calmly. "Would you care for some water?" He assumed a non-threatening posture and faced the creature squarely, but avoided looking directly into his eyes. Whatever species of demon this was he was well aware than none of them responded to threats well. The monk was also very conscious of his own reishi, keeping it as muted as he could.

The demon shifted his body ever so slightly and Nianzu fancied he heard a strained exhalation of air from his patient's mouth. At once he was all business, and leaned in to inspect the source of the Mogui's discomfort. Reaching out gently with his reishi, Nianzu bowed his head and probed, being careful not to disturb the soul energy of the creature.

"You are mending well, but slowly. I wonder how you came to us this way, you are obviously strong and capable. Your soul energy is immense I can't understand how you were overwhelmed." His voice was pitched soft and low, its cadences and tones dull and even. His babbling served not only to keep his patient calm, but to keep himself from becoming tense as well. A nervous physician was not a physician at all.

Niazu mustered the bravery to meet the eyes of his patient for the first time and was struck speechless. The power and fierceness held within those golden orbs was mind boggling. Satisfied that nothing was seriously wrong with the mogui, Nianzu sat back on his heels and asked the question before he realized what his traitorous tongue was up to.

"Who are you?"

A silence ensued during which he felt himself being assessed and judged by those inhuman pools of molten gold. A small shiver threatened to work it's way down his spine but he held it at bay through sheer force of will. The mogui blinked and broke the spell.

"Where am I monk?" the shape of his vowels and deviations in his tonality told nianzu this was a creature from the islands to the east. What did they call the mogui there? His mind searched for the answer he knew lay in the depths of his memory.

"You are in a monastery attached to Beiyue Temple, seated upon the Northernmost sacred mountain Heng." the mogui seemed unfazed by this information so Nianzu continued. "You were found not far from here in the aftermath of what looked like a fierce battle."

"My swords." It was not a request.

"They are there." he replied, gesturing to the corner of the room where the blades leaned.

The novices had been tasked with cleaning the blades shortly after the arrival of the wounded Mogui. The demon had lifted his head up from the mat to look, his pale hair shifted and slithered over the floor as he did so.

He tensed his muscles and began to rise from the mat, no pain showed in his face but there was a tightness around his eyes that spoke of great discomfort. Nianzu refrained from assisting him, it was plain to the monk that this was a proud demon who likely would not appreciate help from him. After several moments of struggle, the mogui was successful in achieving a seated position and paused a moment, presumably to collect himself.

"How long have I been here, monk?" His voice rumbled forth smooth and deep, startling Nianzu into immediate speech.

"Nearly two cycles of sister moon." he replied with a small bow.

"Two-" his startled reaction cut off abruptly and he brought a graceful hand across his eyes for a moment. A small shake of his head seemed to the monk a gesture of disbelief. Golden eyes were again revealed and burned into Nianzu's psyche.

"I do not believe you monk."

Nianzu made a small gesture of supplication. "I regret this, however this does not change the fact that I speak truth."

"I am still healing, I feel my very bones knitting monk! What kind of fool do you take me for?" Those eyes were angry now, accusing him of deceit. A snarl worked it's way into the mogui's voice, his demonic energy swelled and closed in on Nianzu leaving him somewhat breathless.

Then as quickly as it had come, the pressure vanished. A quick glance at the demon's face showed bald confusion and keen discomfort, he was panting slightly and his posture slumped as though he was unable to help himself.

"Wh- what has happened to me?" he said quietly releasing a shuddering breath.

Nianzu again shook his head. "I know not Lord Demon" he said. "I know only that your healing is terribly slow and your energy is erratic."

He said nothing in return, but Nianzu could tell he was considering all the implications that came with this information. He was clearly agitated, not that this was surprising but the monk was curious. He had never seen a mogui who looked like this one before, and his manner of speech spoke of the eastern islands of Nippon.

"Lord Demon, I would that I could call you by name..." he let the sentence trail off and waited. The mogui's head came up proudly and he fixed the monk with an intense gaze.

"Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands and Keeper of the House of the Moon." His reply was strong and there was a sense of pride so strong Nianzu felt chills run down his arm. The monk stood and bowed.

"Wangye Sesshomaru, it is an honor to meet you." The demon lord inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"Was there evidence of any others of my kind nearby?"

"Not that we could find, only remains of bird mogui. Not bodies you understand, they always collect their dead." Sesshomaru cocked his head slightly at this piece of information.

"You seem to be familiar with my attackers." It was not a question, but Nianzu answered the unspoken query just the same.

"It is in our interest to be aware of mogui in all their tribes and customs, but I confess lord, I am not familiar with yours." Nianzu paused to see if this would encourage a reply from his tight-lipped patient. When it did not he continued. "You are from the island nation to the east yes?"

Golden eyes evaluated him again before Sesshomaru grudgingly nodded. "Your accent is slight I must say and it took me a moment to place it."

The Taiyoukai knew the monk was flattering him as his accent was something he kept purposely, he was above needing to blend in after all. Instead of outing him for these tactics, Sesshomaru accepted the effort for what it was.

"What type of Mogui govern the House of the Moon?"

Sesshomaru was for a moment confused by the word mogui, it was not one used in the western dialect of the continental language, after framing the context of the statement he decided it was their way of labeling youkai. As this monk had sheltered him and done his best to tend his wounds he felt an answer was in order. "I am Inu youkai." Seeing confusion cross the ningen's face he translated. "Gou Mogui."

The transformation that came over the monk was dynamic and startling. His face expanded comically, eyes wide and mouth open. He seemed to realized his jaw was slack and shut it with an audible snap and blinked. Sesshomaru was fascinated by the sudden animation of his host who had been up till this moment a study in calm control.

Nianzu's head was spinning 'Gou Mogui?' He realized suddenly how terribly dishonorable his actions were and bowed so deeply his brow touched the packed earth of the floor. "A thousand pardons for my forwardness, my lord!" he breathed. "Please excuse me I shall fetch the Fangzhang!"

Without another word, Ninzu was gone from the infirmary with a nimbleness that belied his years. Intrigued, Sesshomaru craned his neck to peer out the entry the monk had used earlier, unable to see anything save an empty courtyard he gathered his resolve and slowly stood.

The pain involved with such simple movement was astonishing. Looking down at himself, he took stock of the evidence of battle still visible on his skin. A patchwork of mottled bruising spread across his lean torso punctuated randomly by livid lines left over from the gashes in his flesh.

It had been many years since he had felt weakness such as this. The last time this happened he had been near death after a battle with Inuyasha, in which Tenseiga had saved him from the wind scar.

This feeling of helplessness grated on his nerves in a way that was not lessened by the knowledge his son had been taken by the youkai who had been able to do this to him. Him. A taiyoukai in his prime. It took him a moment to identify this emotion as fear; fear for the fate of his child. Uncertainty spawned from his apparent inability to call upon the power of his own youki or to speak to his beast.

Sesshomaru knew his inner beast was still there, but no response was forthcoming when he called to it. Pushing these thoughts aside for later examination, the taiyoukai marshaled himself and stepped out into the dappled sunlight of the courtyard.

Note from the beta- So sorry this is so late! It's my fault entirely so if there are any angry fans waiting to throw stones, aim them at me. I got busy and was unable to get this back to the esteemed author with haste. A thousand pardons!

Creature of Shadow

*A/N* Don't own any of it except for the Oc's them's mine! Many thanks to my lovely Beta Creature of Shadow who cares enough to apologize even though it's no big thing. :-)

Mogui – Demon

Gou – Dog

Fengzheng – Head monk(loose translation)

The temple mentioned in this chapter is a real place google it for some really cool reading! The legend about the heavenly princess and the dog is also a real legend.