b/F, oral, beast, rom

Fox Fire!
by Will

"Shippō!"

The young fox demon moaned groggily at the sound of Kagome's voice. A strong wind was blowing straight into his face. His head was pounding.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled from somewhere above him. Above..?

Abruptly, Shippō's eyes opened wide. He was falling! In stark fear, he let out a scream, desperately trying to transform into a balloon. The pounding in his head prevented it, though, and he continued his frightful plummet toward the jagged rocks below.

Above him, Shippō heard a familiar roar. "Kirara!" he yelled out joyfully, turning his head. He let out a yelp of surprise, seeing an enormous vulture demon swooping straight for him.

"Hiraikotsu!" he heard, just before the enormous bone-forged weapon blasted through the demon. Paws ablaze, Kirara came swooping in straight through the demon's remains, snatching Shippō's shirt in her teeth. Before the fox demon could even breathe a sigh of relief, Kirara roared in pain, green flames rolling over her sides as the pair tumbled the last ten feet to the ground.

Dazed, Shippō looked up to see his nekomata companion standing over him, growling. A large and vaguely humanoid demon stood in front of her. Reflexively, Shippō retreated a foot at the sight of the demon's baleful yellow eyes.

Kirara growled threateningly, staying in between it and Shippō.

Seemingly amused, the demon lunged forward, blasting the tiger demon backward in gouts of dark green flame. As she rolled, Kirara reverted back to her smaller form, stopping next to the fox kid.

Horrified, Shippō grabbed his companion. "Kirara!" he cried out, tears in his eyes. She didn't respond.

From behind, the demon laughed. "These are the warriors who gave Naraku so much trouble?" His guttural laugh was infuriating the fox child. "Pathetic," the demon said with contempt.

Enraged, Shippō stepped forward, in front of the fallen nekomata. "You'll pay for that!" he yelled angrily, leaping at the demon's face. "Fox Fire!" he called out, unleashing his glowing blue flames straight into its face. Without even blinking, the demon slammed his forehead into Shippō's, sending the fox demon reeling.

Ignoring his scrapes and bruises, Shippō jumped back up. With one more look at Kirara, he ran forward again. "Heart Scar!" he yelled just before sinking his teeth into the demon's thigh. The fiend grabbed Shippō by the neck, yanking him off and throwing him back to the ground, skidding across the rocks.

Battered, Shippō tried to stand up one more time. I'm sorry, Kirara, he said silently. He looked on helplessly as the yōkai summoned up a ball of flame. What happened next was almost too fast to process.

The demon pulled his arm back, preparing to incinerate the pair. Kirara – alive! -- still in her smaller form, leapt in front of Shippō. The green flame was coming straight for them, filling his vision, no room to dodge.

Then there was red.

"You bastard!" The green flames were swept aside.

Kirara mewled in surprise, Shippō incredulously calling out, "Inuyasha?"

"You think it's fun to pick on those weaker than you?" Inuyasha growled, holding the Tetsusaiga in both hands.

Unfazed, the demon let out its guttural laugh. "When Naraku sent me, I thought that –"

"I don't give a damn!" their half-demon savior yelled out angrily, lifting Tetsusaiga over his head. Shippō saw the air swirling around the enormous fang. "Wind Scar!"

As the power of Inuyasha's father's fang ripped through the demon at point blank range, Shippō managed to get to his feet.

The fox demon gratefully threw his arms around Kirara's neck.

Shippō hissed in pain and tried to yank his arm away. "Hold still," Kagome said quietly, "this'll help it heal faster." She sprayed his scrapes one more time, making them feel on fire.

"Yeoww!" Shippō yanked back on his arm again and this time she let go.

"There now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Kagome smiled at him.

The fox demon shook his head, even though he was thinking to himself, Maybe not for you.

Pulling his shirt back over his compact frame, Shippō wondered how Kirara was doing. He lightly ran across their campsite to where Sango was treating her wounds. The nekomata mewed in concern almost as soon as she saw him.

"Oh, I'm fine, Kirara!" Shippō said brightly. In truth, he hurt all over, but a real man wouldn't say that out loud. "What about you?" Kirara let out a pleased chirrup and looked up at Sango, who was tightening a bandage around her forepaw.

Sango glanced back at him and smiled. "Kirara will be just fine. The salve I put on her burns should heal them up in no time. After a bit of rest, she should be good as new."

Shippō looked into Kirara's luminous orange eyes. "I'm glad," he said happily. He would have said a little more if Sango wasn't there. The little cat demon swished her tails, though, and then let out an appreciative mew. Shippō blushed self-consciously – even knowing that Sango didn't understand her. "You saved me first," he replied, smiling at her.

Sango looked over questioningly, but pulled out another bandage and didn't ask.

The young fox turned and started heading for the campfire. He passed by Inuyasha, sitting on top of a log. Suddenly there was a sharp pain as Inuyasha clapped him on the back – hard!

"You did pretty good out there, runt," the dog han'yō said with a hint of pride.

Shippō turned on him angrily. "What'd you do that for?" he shouted, still feeling the sting.

Inuyasha's eyebrows drew forward. "I was trying to pay you a compliment."

"By hitting me? I'm injured, you know!"

Suddenly Inuyasha stood up and cuffed Shippō on the top of his head. "You can't be that injured if you're whining!"

Clutching at his head, Shippō angrily cried out, "Ka-go-me!"

"Inuyasha," the girl growled angrily from behind them.

"No! Wait!" the half-demon shouted desperately.

"Sit, boy!"

The Beads of Subjugation lit up and slammed Inuyasha into the dirt. Shippō stuck his tongue out at him while the amber eyes glared back at him. Serves him right, Shippō thought triumphantly.

Later that night, Shippō lay back staring up at the sky. He hadn't been able to sleep at all due to the questions plaguing his mind. With a sigh, he got up. Maybe if he walked around for a bit he could fall asleep.

Aimlessly, the kitsune began walking away from the campsite. He had not gone far when he was surprised to see someone sitting on the slope next to the river. Getting closer, Shippō saw that it was Miroku. So he wasn't the only one unable to sleep.

Would Miroku be able to grant him some insight? The monk did seem fairly wise at times.

It was worth a shot. Shippō walked over and sat down next to Miroku, who looked at him only briefly. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

Shippō shook his head, still trying to decide how best to phrase his question.

Miroku turned back toward him with a sly smirk. "Don't tell me… its girl trouble? Did you make another little girlfriend? We were only in that village for one night!"

The kitsune's eyes widened – how could Miroku be so right and yet so wrong at the same time? This wasn't a silly little crush like before, though. At least, he didn't think it was.

He started to open his mouth when Miroku leaned toward him conspiratorially. "You must tell me your secret, Shippō," he said with a lecherous wink.

Abruptly, the fox demon remembered the less holy side of the monk. "I'd like you to bear my children,"Shippō quoted to himself, What was I thinking? With a sigh, he stood up and walked off, leaving Miroku talking to himself about how to charm women.

Dejected, Shippō circled around the camp, wanting a little distance from the monk so he could think.

His mind was all jumbled up, and he couldn't figure out what to do. Did he want..? Would it be wrong to..? Did he care whether it was..? What would the others think?

What would she think..?

"Watch where you're heading, squirt," came a tired voice from in front of him. Shippō looked up in surprise to see Inuyasha sitting in the tall grass, his sword on the ground beside him. He'd been so distracted he almost walked straight into the han'yō.

"Doesn't anyone sleep around here?" Shippō cried out incredulously.

Inuyasha looked over without saying anything, before turning his eyes back up to the stars. Shippō realized it was a silly thing to say when he himself was awake. "I don't need as much sleep as you guys," Inuyasha replied after a moment, without looking at Shippō.

From the sound in his voice, Shippō didn't think that was why Inuyasha was out here. He'd seen the half-demon and Kagome talking earlier and wondered if it had anything to do with that.

Standing uncertainly for a moment, Shippō finally walked around and sat cross-legged on Inuyasha's right side. Turning his amber gaze on the kitsune Inuyasha asked, "What's got you up?"

The young fox demon hadn't expected Inuyasha to ask anything! He'd just felt like sitting there… next to someone who shared his canine heritage. Shippō looked up at the stars in silence for a moment, pretending not to have heard Inuyasha. He could still feel the han'yō's eyes on him, though.

At last he looked over at Inuyasha and spit it out. "How do you know if you're in love?"

His silver-haired companion's eyes went wide, and he quickly looked straight ahead, away from Shippō. "Why are you asking me?" he asked irritably.

"I couldn't ask Miroku," Shippō responded.

Inuyasha glanced over at the fox demon. He said, "I guess you're right."

Wind rustled through the grasses as the silence stretched on. The fox demon was wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. Shippō was about to say something to change the subject when Inuyasha spoke up.

"You just know."

Without thinking, Shippō blurted out, "But you don't just know!"

He knew it was the wrong thing to say when he felt the han'yō's fiery glare.

Quickly, he tried to take back his words. "What I meant was…that…" he said hesitantly, "… Well…it's complicated!" Shippō couldn't think of what else to say.

Still glaring, Inuyasha stood up and turned away. Shippō saw his hand tighten on Tetsusaiga's sheath. "When you have to decide between your resurrected first love," Inuyasha said quietly, "and her reincarnation from five hundred years in the future, then… maybe… you can talk to me about how complicated it is." With that, Inuyasha walked off into the darkness, leaving Shippō alone in the night.

"Hey Kirara!" Shippō called out brightly as he ran up to her. Seeing him coming, she mewed happily. She sat down and waited as he caught up with her.

The sky was bright overhead, and in front of them was a small lake. Even the grass seemed more vibrant. It wasn't just because it was a nice day, either.

Kirara jumped up when he got close, chirruping playfully. She reared up and tapped his shoulders, then bounced away. Shippō laughed as she looked back over her shoulder, giving him a special little smile. He jumped forward, trying to tag her back but she darted out of reach.

The young fox demon eagerly chased after his nekomata companion. He was filled with energy after Inuyasha had lifted that weight off his shoulders. Shippō giggled as he caught Kirara and they tumbled through the grasses. Kirara purred loudly as they rolled.

In spite of how harsh he'd been, Shippō had eventually realized that Inuyasha was right.

The kitsune hopped up and started darting away. Effortlessly, Kirara ran in front of him and stopped, swishing her tails happily. Shippō grinned and took off to the side, toward the lake, the tiny nekomata easily matching his pace.

He felt bad for Inuyasha, really he did. That was how he'd finally come to his senses. Shippō realized that he didn't have it nearly as hard as Inuyasha. He and she were both alive. They were both fighting to help their friends.

Shippō cried out in surprise as Kirara pounced on him from behind, sending them rolling through the soft grass again.

He was a boy demon, she was a girl demon.

They came to a stop with Kirara standing on his chest, mewing at him triumphantly.

The only question was whether she felt the same way.

Shippō grinned stupidly up at her beautiful orange eyes. "I love you, Kirara," he said, beaming.

The nekomata reared back in surprise, orange eyes shooting wide. She let out a stunned meow, and Shippō nodded. From the expression on her face, the kitsune started to feel a sense of dread coming over him. He hadn't given any thought to what might happen if she didn't feel the same way. She just has to, he thought, looking at her confused expression. Please, Kirara…

Kirara stepped to the side, looking away. Shippō sat up, his heart stopping. "Kirara…" he said, pleadingly, but she only turned further away.

Shippō felt his world crashing in around him.

The young fox demon turned away, feeling tears threatening. No! he thought defiantly, a real man wouldn't cry. Squinting his eyes tight, he got to his feet and started walking away, choking back the sobs that were trying to escape.

Behind him, Kirara mewed slyly.

Shippō turned around hopefully, just in time to catch a ball of flying cat-demon. "Kirara!" Shippō cried out joyfully as he landed on his back once more. He giggled as Kirara started licking all over his face while sitting on his chest.

"Stop!" he cried out between laughs. "That tickles, Kirara!" He gasped as he felt her sandpaper-like tongue slide into his mouth. Instinctively, he pushed his tongue back at hers, amazed at the feeling. The taste of her tongue against his was incredible, and Shippō groaned in disappointment when she pulled her tongue back.

Kirara looked down into his eyes, and Shippō smiled up at her. Abruptly, he twisted, rolling the nekomata off of his chest. Kirara let out a surprised squeak, and Shippō quickly got his hands on her shoulders before she hopped away.

The young fox demon started rubbing around her shoulders, his fingers spread out. Shortly he had Kirara purring loudly as he worked his fingers through her silky fur. "How's that feel?"

Kirara let out a long, pleased chirrup, looking back at Shippō longingly. His hands moved up to scratch behind her ears and she pushed her head back against his hands, purring even louder. The nekomata met Shippō's eyes and mewed enticingly.

The young kitsune gulped as his face turned red. Kirara started swishing her tails lightly back and forth along his side. "Are you sure?" he asked, both excited and worried. She let out a very sure meow. Shippō could already smell her arousal.

Shippō gave Kirara a light push, rolling her onto her side. At first tentatively, Shippō ran his hands through her fur, gently caressing the nekomata's nipples. With a squeak of pleasure, Kirara began wriggling on the ground, encouraging the kitsune to rub harder. Her purring was almost vibrating the ground.

Kirara was now on her back in the spongy grass, squirming under Shippō's ministrations. Her smell was becoming stronger, and the young fox couldn't resist any longer. Still rubbing the nipples along her stomach, he leaned over and buried his nose between Kirara's hind legs. The nekomata let out a surprised meow as Shippō began licking furiously at her insides.

Her breath coming hard and fast, Kirara managed to get away from Shippō's tongue and roll to her feet. Immediately, she lowered her front to the ground and presented her hindquarters to the young kitsune. She mewed desperately, lifting her tails to the side and looking over her shoulder at him.

Looking at her in front of him, Shippō grinned. "You're so great, Kirara!" Her taste still on his lips, the fox demon dropped to all fours behind her and renewed the attack with his tongue. At first the nekomata squeaked in protest, but before long she started pushing back onto Shippō's face, getting hotter and hotter by the second.

Shippō pushed his tongue deeper inside her, sending the tiny cat demon over the edge. With a shrill caterwaul, Kirara exploded in Shippō's face. The sound reverberated through the surrounding countryside, causing Shippō to rear back in surprise. He watched as the nekomata trembled with pleasure and then flopped onto her side, chest heaving.

She looked lovingly at Shippō, who crawled over so he could lie face to face with her. Kirara chirruped tiredly but happily at him, causing him to smile. "Kirara," he said quietly, looking into her luminous orange eyes, "will you be my mate?"

Without hesitation, Kirara mewed in the affirmative and started licking all over his face, her sandpaper-like tongue leaving his cheeks red. Shippō giggled, leaning forward to lick the diamond on her forehead.

Kirara sat up, then, purring at Shippō seductively. She reached a paw over, causing the young kitsune to jump as she started kneading around the tent in his pants. With a mischievous look in her eyes, Kirara licked her chips and let out a playful rawr.

"Did you hear that?" Miroku said in alarm.

Kagome jumped up from her seat on the log. "Oh no! What if Shippō and Kirara are in trouble?"

"They're fine," Inuyasha said simply, looking off at the waning sunset.

"How can you be sure?" Sango asked irritably.

Kagome looked at him with concern. "Even if you think they're ok, we should go and find them. The food's just about cooked, anyway." Kagome started past Inuyasha, heading toward the lake.

Inuyasha grabbed her sleeve. "They're fine," he repeated, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "They'll come in if they get hungry."

For Kitsuneyoukai and Kirara.