Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the fictional characters. No characters were harmed during the creation of this story, I swear. Author's note:
Never Surrender
One shot
He ran. He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, faster than he had ever ran before… further than he had previously dared to go. The sound of leaves and twigs crunching under his weight reached his sensitive ears, briefly betraying his whereabouts. He had to run, he had to hide! His heart thumped erratically against his chest, the adrenaline pumping through his body. Never before had he pushed himself this hard.
Somewhere along the path, he had gotten separated from the others. Oh, how he wished for Kagome's safe embrace! To curl up in her arms and have her whisper sweet words of comfort into his ear… that was his paradise.
Shippou blinked several times as salty tears brimmed his eyes, threatening to spill over. No! Kagome can't protect me this time!
So he ran, bravely ignoring the pain of physical exertion that spread over the muscles in his tiny legs. His panting came out short and rapid, fusing into a steady rhythm with the melodious sounds of his feet against the forest soil. His eyes searched desperately for an aperture, a cave, anything! Somewhere that he would not be found.
His deliverance came in the shape of a small opening in the thick trunk of a tree. Making a beeline for his newfound sanctuary, Shippou dove into the opening and hid from the world. Covering his mouth with his hand, he listened intensely for his foe.
Sounds of heavy footsteps reached his ears moments later, and Shippou's eyes widened fearfully. He kept completely still, desperately biting back the rapid gasps that threatened to escape him. His emerald green orbs peered out from under the tree, through the crack, searching for any sign of the intruder. Silence greeted him, and for a split second, his heart truly believed that he was safe. He had escaped and won this battle.
A firm hand suddenly shot in through the crack and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Shippou wailed and struggled with all of his might as his assailant pulled him out from under the tree and lifted him off the ground. The world spun, and the kitsune cub soon found himself at eye level with his opponent.
"Found you."
The kitsune inhaled sharply… then planted a swift punch to his assailant's nose.
"Oi, runt! What did you do that for?" Inuyasha protested, rubbing his nose with his free hand.
Shippou glared at him while his fists balled. "You cheated!"
Amber eyes narrowed in response. "How the hell did I cheat? Your scent leaves a trail that any idiot could follow!"
"You weren't supposed to use your nose! You're a horrible 'seeker'! I'm telling Kagome that you cheated!"
The hanyou seemed to ignore the kit as he began his way back to the camp, still rubbing his aching nose. "Keh, whatever! This game is stupid anyway."