Lord Hiyama told his son Nishi many tales of the mysterious land of China across the sea—legends of dragons and the immortal phoenix. So enchanted by the tales was the young demon, that one Summer he resolved to see this fabled land for himself. So he flew across the sea to find a dragon and test his strength against it, reasoning that if he could defeat a dragon, no demon in his homeland would dare challenge him. He searched for many weeks, asking the local demons, spirits and even the gods and humans where the dragons could be found. Finally, news of a foreign demon dog who longed to challenge a dragon reached the ears of the warrior Yazi, the bravest of the nine sons of The Dragon. Yazi decided to take the measure of his foe before deciding whether or not to do battle with him, so he assumed the form of a simple farmer in plain clothes and armed only with a staff. This was how he met Lord Nishi, who approached him in his demon dog form and asked Yazi where the dragons could be found.
        "Why do you seek dragons, Sir?" Asked Yazi politely.
        "I am Lord Nishi, son of Lord Hiyama, the Great Demon of the Western Lands of Japan," Lord Nishi replied proudly. "My father has told me stories about the dragons of China, so I have come here to challenge one, for if I can defeat a dragon, I will never have challengers when I am Great Demon."
        "Then you are not a warrior, Sir?" Yazi asked curiously. "You prefer the easy life of peacetime? You must have a mate and children, then, Sir."
        Nishi growled, thinking he was being insulted, but Yazi just leaned on his staff without so much as a flicker of fear in his eyes. "You mock me, human! I could tear you apart where you stand for your insolence! I am a warrior, the son of a warrior! My prowess has been tested in many battles, and from the bones of my fallen enemies I am making my throne for the day when I become Great Demon! Fool! Tell me where the dragons are, or get out of my way before I crush you in my jaws!"
        Yazi chuckled and shook his head. "I see now that you are nothing but an arrogant pup, trapped in the shadow of his great father. Your day will come, Lord Nishi, son of the Great Demon of the Western Lands of Japan. You are not a worthy opponent for The Dragon, nor even one of his nine sons." He sighed and in a flash of light shed his disguise and showed Lord Nishi his true form.
        The great dragon towered over the demon dog, his iron-colored scales glimmering with hints of emerald green. His golden eyes sparked fire as he slammed his mighty tail into the ground, causing an earthquake that shook Lord Nishi off his paws and onto his belly. Yazi lifted his antlered head and let go a roar that deafened his challenger and rattled his demon bones. "You are not worthy to fight The Dragon’s sons, especially not I, Yazi the warrior. Therefore, you will fight my youngest daughter. If you can defeat a hatchling, I might forgive your foolishness and spare your life." With that, he lifted his head to the heavens and roared a name: "KUAILONG!"
        Lord Nishi trembled where he lay. His father hadn’t mentioned the dragon’s great size, nor its ability to shake the very earth! And now this warrior-dragon Yazi had insulted him, calling him a pup trapped in his father’s shadow! He had defeated many powerful enemies without Lord Hiyama’s help, and this Yazi believed him unworthy to fight any but his hatchling daughter—a mere child! "When I finish with your hatchling," he growled to Yazi as he struggled to his feet, "I will fight you!"
        Yazi chuckled, a deep rumble that made the earth vibrate beneath Lord Nishi’s paws. "Are you so eager to die, little pup? I hope you have brothers."
        Lord Nishi had neither brothers nor sisters but he said nothing to the dragon about that. His blood was boiling, and he was seeing the dragon through the tunnel of hunter vision. "I will kill you," he vowed silently, though he had no idea how he’d do it. The dragon’s armor looked like it was made of iron. How could even his fangs get through that?
        Then a much smaller dragon with green scales and antlers that were little more than nubs on her head alighted in the grass beside Yazi and turned her golden eyes on the demon dog. "This is my opponent?" She asked in a voice that was surprisingly silky, compared to Yazi’s rumble. "This puppy?"
        Lord Nishi could take no more. Being insulted by a full-grown, seasoned warrior was one thing, the same from his little girl was unforgivable. With snarl, he launched himself at the smaller dragon, but with a single flap of her wings, she danced nimbly out of his way.
        "She is called Kuailong," Yazi explained as he watched the dog try to catch the acrobatic dragon as if his child was a butterfly. "It means ‘swift dragon’, and she really is very fast, as you can see. Nimble as a cat. But beware, pup, for she strikes with the speed of a viper, and her young jaws can crush you like brittle wood."
        "Do not underestimate MY jaws!" Lord Nishi retorted, but his breath was growing shorter. Though he was also airborne, he was unable to keep up with Yazi’s nimble "hatchling". She was more than twice Nishi’s size, which made him wonder how big dragons were when they hatched, or even how big their eggs must be if Kuailong was a hatchling. "Clever girl," he thought when he realized what her tactic was, "wear me out, then move in for the kill."
        By the time Lord Nishi was able to push aside his rage long enough to realize that, it was too late. He misjudged her trajectory and shortly found his throat in the jaws of a dragon. She slammed him into the ground, but before she could tear his head from his shoulders, her father stopped her.
        "Enough, Kuailong, you have defeated him." Yazi lowered his mighty head until his eyes were level with Lord Nishi’s and said: "Go home, pup, and get good, then return and perhaps you can defeat little Kuailong. As I said before, when you defeat Kuailong, you will be worthy of being killed by Yazi. Now go. Kuailong, release him."
        And so Lord Nishi returned home to his father with the dragon’s words burning his ears. Three hundred years later, he returned to China to challenge Kuailong but once again failed to defeat her. This time, however, he was older and wiser and humbly asked her father to make him his pupil. At first, Yazi refused, but his daughter interceded on Lord Nishi’s behalf, surprising her father and the demon. So it was that a demon Lord’s son from Japan learned the warrior’s art from one of the nine sons of The Dragon of China. It was these skills, that Lord Nishi later passed to his heir, Sesshoumaru. Along with the scrolls, which contained writings on Feng Shui and also a complete text of Sun Tsu’s "The Art of War", which Sesshoumaru found most valuable.

        The scent of food distracted the young demon prince from his thoughts, so he left his apartments in search of the source, hoping his father would join him for dinner this time. If he did, it would be the first time since he’d brought Lady Shinju home. Sesshoumaru didn’t get far before he encountered his servant Jaken in the hallway, carrying a tray with bowls of rice and meat on it.
        "Forgive me, My Lord," Jaken said with as much of a bow as the tray would allow, "but your Lord father said to tell My Lord that he and Lady Shinju will take their meal alone this evening, and that I should take you a tray." He bowed again. "Forgive me."
        "For what am I to forgive you, Jaken," Sesshoumaru asked with a disgusted sigh, "obeying My Lord father’s command?"
        Jaken bowed again but said nothing.
        "Very well," Sesshoumaru sighed, "bring it to my room."
        Jaken followed his Lord into his chambers and set the tray down in what had become the customary place: Near the small chest of drawers in which Sesshoumaru kept his scrolls and on which sat his favorite treasure, a jade statuette of a dragon, which his father had brought from China before he was born. When Sesshoumaru had settled himself before his meal, Jaken bowed and asked: "May I serve My Lord?"
        "I will eat alone," Sesshoumaru replied, "leave me."
        That, too, had become customary since Lady Shinju’s arrival. Lord Nishi took his meals with his mate, and Lord Sesshoumaru ate alone in his room. Lord Nishi’s vassals no longer bothered to come to the palace to eat with their Lord, choosing rather to await his invitations once again. Jaken bowed to his master and left.
        Sessoumaru waited until he heard the panel slide shut, then picked up the jade dragon and set it on his dinner tray. As he caressed its smooth, cold surface with his fingertips, he thought about his father’s years among the dragons of China. Lord Nishi was no longer the mighty demon Lord who would only have a woman if she could hold her own in a fight against him. What had happened to the demon who took his mates in bloody battle, who struck terror into the hearts of all who heard his name? The demon who had learned warcraft from the warrior son of The Dragon of China, himself? How had he come to this humiliating state, spending all of his time pampering a tiny, frail, human who couldn’t even lift a sword and never spoke a harsh word to anyone? Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on the little statue but caught himself before it broke.
        "Kuailong," he told it bitterly, "I am glad that you cannot see your father’s student now. You would curse yourself for ever convincing Lord Yazi to take him on." He bowed his head and forced himself not to crush the precious jade. "May you never know what has become of him, never see his shameful behavior."
        Sesshoumaru had never met the dragon’s daughter. He only knew her from his father’s stories and the paintings of her Lord Nishi had done on bamboo scrolls. All of the paintings showed her in dragon form, like the jade statue that had been Sesshoumaru’s childhood treasure. Kuailong had taken to wandering after Nishi returned to Japan. She sought enlightenment, she’d told him and her father. Sesshoumaru wondered if she’d ever found it, or ever would and if her feelings for his father (and his for her) had been more than platonic. A dragon’s daughter would make a far more suitable mate than a human’s! Considering that Nishi met Kuailong before he met Dokutsume, had the relationship been other than what it was, the dragon girl might have been Sesshoumaru’s mother. That made him smile: What a formidable demon he would be with dragon blood in his veins.
        He sighed and turned his attention to his meal, wondering what Kuailong would make of Lord Nishi now if her wanderings were to bring her to his territory. He hoped his father would get bored with the human soon and send her back to her people. Sesshoumaru certainly found her deadly dull: All she seemed to do was keep Lord Nishi company and play her flute at all hours of the day and night. His chopsticks paused with a chunk of rice halfway into his mouth, then finished pushing it in. Shinju’s music was always so sad. Was she homesick, he wondered. Did she miss that pathetic family who were even now accepting gifts for her funeral and burning incense for her? Did she even know they were having a funeral for her, or was that the cause of her sadness. Perhaps that was why Lord Nishi spent so much time with her, to comfort his new mate who no longer had a family outside of him. Sesshoumaru didn’t consider himself to be any family of a human woman, no matter that she was his father’s mate and would bear his child in the Spring. And if anyone, even his father, thought he would treat that half-blood whelp like a sibling, they were sadly mistaken. The most the child could hope for from Lord Sesshoumaru was to be ignored and it had better pray he never chose to notice it.
        Sesshoumaru raised his tea to his lips and thought: "May you have a daughter, Shinju, and may you both mercifully die in the birthing."

        Lady Shinju was playing her flute again. Sesshoumaru could hear its mournful song from his perch in an oak not far from the mouth of his father’s den. He closed his eyes, feeling the dappled moonlight on his face and wishing Shinju knew a different song. He wasn’t in the mood for melancholy, having had his fill of it all evening as he brooded over the changes in his father. But the Lady only played sad songs. Sesshoumaru sighed. Why didn’t Lord Nishi command her to play something happier? He couldn’t possibly have developed a taste for sad songs since Dokutsume’s death, could he? Or did he just go along with whatever his little Shinju wanted?
        A stranger’s scent brought Sesshoumaru to full alert. Human female. Not trying to hide her approach, meaning she probably had no idea she was that close to a Great Demon’s lair, or didn’t care. He relaxed. She posed no threat, but he kept his senses keyed to monitor her approach. Hm. It sounded like she was stumbling now. Sesshoumaru readjusted his position in the tree and strained his eyes to see her in the darkness. A flash of some light-colored cloth beside a tree a few yards from his own drew his attention there. He watched as a girl leaned against the tree, heard a choking sob, then she slid down the trunk to land in a heap of cloth in the dirt.
        "Fool," he thought with a shrug, "coming out here in the middle of the night. What are you looking for?" Not that he really cared, he was just curious since most humans steered clear of this part of the forest, their legends telling them only death awaited them there. However, when she sobbed the name of his father’s mate, Sesshoumaru realized with a sinking feeling in his belly that he had to act, or Lord Nishi would never forgive him. So he jumped down from the tree and went to stand over the weeping girl. He noted the fine cloth and cut of her kimono and gold ornaments in her hair, which was coming loose from its ties.
        She noticed him all of a sudden and looked up with a fearful gasp. Fear turned to abject terror when she saw what sort of man stood beside her, then the terror evaporated and was replaced with joy. The girl fell on her face at Sesshoumaru’s feet and sobbed: "Great Demon! Please forgive me for intruding into your domain!"
"You are mistaken," Sesshoumaru interrupted her in a disgusted tone. "I am the Great Demon’s son, Lord Sesshoumaru. Who are you, and how do you know this is the Great Demon’s domain?" He had a guess: She was either a relative, friend or handmaiden of Lady Shinju. The Lady had two sisters, who may or may not have known about her relationship with Lord Nishi before he took her to live with him. The Lady’ personal servant might have learned the secret, though, or even been told by Lady Shinju where the den lay.
        She looked up into his face again, then blushed and bowed her face to the ground once more. "Please forgive me, My Lord. I could not see your face in the darkness and through my tears. I am Umeko, handmaiden to Lady Shinju. I bring terrible news to My Lady! I beg My Lord to take me to her!"
        "What ‘terrible news’?" Sesshoumaru asked. "That her family has declared her dead and had a funeral for her today?"
        Umeko sat up with a start. "My Lord? You know?"
        He nodded. "I witnessed the fools bringing gifts to the family of a living girl. Is this Lord Yomitora’s way of padding his treasure room at the expense of his daughter’s honor?"
        Umeko looked away and bit her knuckle. "No, My Lord. Please, I must—"
        "Does Lord Yomitora feel his daughter has disgraced her family by marrying the Great Demon of the Western Lands?" Sesshoumaru cut her off with a snarl.
        Umeko threw herself to the ground with a trembling sob. "No, My Lord! Please hear me! Lord Yomitora is gathering his allies to avenge Lady Shinju against Lord Nishi! I beg My Lord to take me to Lady Shinju that she might warn him!"
        For a moment, Sesshoumaru was too astonished to speak, then he took hold of the girl’s arm and pulled her onto her feet. "Has Lord Yomitora gone mad?" He growled as he dragged her toward Lord Nishi’s den. "You still haven’t told me how you found this place, girl!" If she could find it, Lord Yomitora’s forces could find it, as well, and even Sesshoumaru wasn’t conceited enough to believe his father’s stronghold to be impenetrable.
        "The night Lord Nishi came to take her home, Lady Shinju told me how to find the den of the Great Demon," she explained in a trembling voice. "My Lady feared Lord Yomitora would raise an army against Lord Nishi, so she instructed me to tell Lord Nishi when it happened." She winced as he tightened his hold on her arm, and his claws dug into her skin through the fabric of her kimono.
        The girl might have shared the location of Lord Nishi’s den with Lord Yomitora, Sesshoumaru thought. No, she was Lady Shinju’s servant—unless that was a lie, but only the Lady would have known how to get here. He looked down at the struggling handmaiden and realized he was hurting her, so he loosened his grip. "Can you walk, girl?"
        She nodded, but when he let go, she immediately stumbled and fell to her knees. Sesshoumaru picked her up in his arms with an impatient sigh and carried her the rest of the way to the den, more aware than he cared to be of her scent of jasmine and sweat. The journey from Lord Yomitora’s castle on foot would take at least two hours if one had a demon’s endurance and could run the whole way without stopping. This poor human girl looked like she had run most of the way. Sesshoumaru admired her loyalty to her Lady, but in obeying Shinju, Umeko had betrayed Lord Yomitora. Under the circumstances, Sesshoumaru decided the little handmaiden had made the best choice, chiefly because it was in his father’s best interest.
        When Sesshoumaru entered the main hall on the way to his father’s apartments, he found Umeko was clinging to his kimono, staring at her surroundings with wide eyes. He could feel her trembling in his arms. Was she afraid of him, or the hall’s grisly decor? Probably both, Sesshoumaru thought smugly but was pleased that she wasn’t crying or becoming hysterical. Lady Shinju had fainted at the first sight of Lord Nishi’s throne, as he recalled. So this Umeko was no pampered court bird, as her Lady was, and actually had a little courage. Wonders never ceased.
        The den was quiet except for the weeping notes of Lady Shinju’s flute. Umeko perked up at the sound, looking eagerly into Sesshoumaru’s face, then her expression grew suddenly sad. "What a sorrowful melody," she whispered. "Lord Sesshoumaru, is My Lady unhappy here?"
        "See for yourself," he replied tersely and set her down outside of the Lady’ door.
        Umeko immediately dropped to her knees and gently pulled back the partition a little way. "My Lady, it is your servant Umeko. I have news for your Lord."
        Heavy footfalls followed her calm announcement, then the partition flew open to reveal Lord Nishi, himself. He saw Sesshoumaru first, then looked down to find the handmaiden, who calmly scooted back and bowed to the Demon Lord. Behind her, Sesshoumaru bowed low, as well.
        "My Lord," he began, "Lord Yomitora is gathering an army against My Lord."
        Lord Nishi growled in disgust and stepped back into the room to allow his son and the handmaiden to enter it. With animal grace, he took a seat on the mat beside Lady Shinju, who looked as though she might burst with the desire to go to her exhausted servant. She mastered herself, though, and sat quietly beside her Lord with her hands atop her flute in her lap.
        Sesshoumaru and Umeko knelt before the Lord and Lady, bowed and waited for Lord Nishi to speak.
        "Old wounds never fully heal, I see," the old Lord mused aloud in a wry tone. "You did well to bring me this news, Umeko." Lord Nishi was a head taller than Sesshoumaru and broader at the shoulder. His wolf ears swiveled constantly about, following every little sound in the room. He fixed Umeko with hard, topaz eyes. "Were you followed, Umeko?"
        She shook her head. "I neither heard nor saw anyone, My Lord, but…"
        He turned to Sesshoumaru. "Did you notice anyone else in the forest, Sesshoumaru?"
        "I neither saw, heard nor smelled any but Umeko, My Lord," Sesshoumaru replied.
        Lord Nishi thought for a moment, a low growl rumbling menacingly in his chest. "There are many places to hide in a forest. Sesshoumaru, search the forest. Make certain Umeko was not followed."
        Sesshoumaru bowed. "My Lord!" He rose and hurried to obey, thrilling to the cold steel in his father’s voice. That was the Lord Nishi who had raised him! The ruthless dog demon who fought like a dragon and showed his enemies no mercy! There was still hope. Perhaps he would be so enraged at Lord Yomitora’s affront, that he would send his daughter back to him, and let her deal with his half-blood pup. Her father would probably make her kill herself and her unborn—Sesshoumaru’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt at that point. It would never happen. Lord Nishi would not allow his own child to be murdered, nor his mate disgraced. It would reflect upon him, and he would be obligated to do something about it. Sesshoumaru flexed his claws as a new thought entered his mind, and it made him smile with greater pleasure than he’d felt since the Lady’ arrival. He would be called upon to do battle at his father’s side against Lord Yomitora, the foolish human who dared bring an army against the Great Demon of the Western Lands. The prospect of going into battle again made Sesshoumaru’s heart race. He imagined impaling Lord Yomitora’s arrogant head on one of the horns of his father’s throne. It would make the Lady faint, but that would just make the victory even sweeter.
        Once outside the den, he took to the trees and put his senses to work, seeking humans and hoping he found one to kill. He craved the feel of blood on his claws and the taste of it on his fangs, longed for the scent of mortal terror in his nostrils and death cries in his ears. Sesshoumaru tried not to think about the prospect that Umeko had not been followed. That would be too disappointing because it would mean he’d have no Yomitora humans to take out his frustrations on tonight. In truth, he was glad Lord Yomitora planned to attack his father. It was the only way he could punish him for siring Lady Shinju--without getting himself punished by Lord Nishi in return.
        But why would that fool make war on a Great Demon for taking his daughter to mate? Lord Yomitora had already declared the girl dead and held a funeral for her, on what grounds was he gathering an army? Was his honor so damaged by having his youngest daughter married to a Great Demon that only Lord Nishi’s death could repair it? Lord Yomitora had two other, older, daughters, why make such a fuss over this one? Even if she had been betrothed to another (to Sesshoumaru’s knowledge, she hadn’t been), it would have fallen to the jilted betrothed to seek revenge. Even so, a demand for satisfaction was usually issued before launching an attack, but if one had been issued in this case, Sesshoumaru had heard nothing of it. No, there was more to this than just a human girl’s marriage to a demon, some underlying thing his father hadn’t told him about.
        Suddenly, he remembered what Lord Nishi had said when he first learned of Umeko’s news: "Old wounds never heal." What old wounds? Did a human clan have a grudge against a Great Demon? What had his father done to so offend these mortals that they’d be foolish enough to go to war against him over one, pathetic girl? Sesshoumaru resolved to ask his father about it as soon as he returned to the den. If he found a Yomitora in the meantime, he would interrogate it a little before bringing it to Lord Nishi. Sesshoumaru smiled as he leapt from tree to tree, sampling the air with his sensitive nose. He very much hoped Umeko had been followed.