Hello! This is NightShade. And this is a quick one shot. It is a side story of "Becoming One." I don't own a single Inuyasha character…wish I did. I do have custody of Danyell(but only in character) and other oc's. enjoy!

Kitsune flowers

Danyell picked up a watering can. She filled the plastic bottle with cool, clear water. Her friend and new mate, Shippo, remained inside tending to some bellflower seedlings.

"Ah! It is such a nice day! A cool spring breeze, warm sunshine…what could go wrong?" thought the tiger.

"Look out!" apparently a kid on a skateboard could go wrong. Danyell was not quick enough to stop the kid, but Shippo was. The Kitsune grabbed the out of control kid and pulled him off his skateboard. Unfortunately, the skateboard flew into a stand of dahlias. The flowers exploded all over the sidewalk. The kid cringed.

"Sorry, is there any way I can help?" asked the kid. Shippo glared at the kid. Danyell went over to soothe her mate.

"Yeah, you can go home, tell your parents what you have done, and return to help me take care of 24252 yen of flowers. These cost me a lot to ship the damn seeds." Growling, Shippo dropped the boy and sent him home.

"Get here at 10 am sharp." Nodding, the boy picked up his skateboard and walked home. Shippo went over and began to pick up the remains of the flowers. Danyell kneeled next to her mate and helped.

"Shippo, don't worry. We can heal some of these flowers. I'll help."

"thank you Danyell. Can you go and fetch a bucket? Of we are going to save some of them, they need water." Danyell nodded and went into "Kitsune Flowers" to retrieve a bucket.

"poor Shippo. Those were Rin's favorite flower." Sighing, Danyell filled the bucket with cool water.

"even when he has now moved on, he continues to grow those flowers. Old habits die hard I suppose." The tigress then carried the water out to Shippo, who sorted which flowers will survive, and which go into the trash. The dog-fox smiled and began to place the surviving flowers in the bucket.

"thank you Danyell." The tigress blushed. She then remembered when she fell in love with the fox.

~~~flashback~~~

Danyell walked over to the training fields. Her teacher, Kanadi, had told her to bring some ointment over to her mate, who suffered a bad bite from a training wolf cub. It has been 200 years since her Lords have mated and brought peace to all yokai.

"oi! Danyell! Over here!"ToraMaru waved to get the young tigress' attention. spying the older Lion, the younger feline walked over to him.

"hello! ToraMaru! How is your bite?"asked Danyell. The Male winced.

"well, it has been doing okay. Kinda sucks that I can't help the younger trainees train and perfect their attacks." ToraMaru held up his arm. A thick white bandage was wrapped around his bicep.

"looks like it hurts."

"it does. Not as bad as receiving it."

"true." A large ball of blue fire went flying at a trainee. The owner of the fireball stepped away. He had a long smooth red tail, deep green eyes, a well muscled body from years of training, and a very handsome face. Danyell gulped.

"who is that?" she asked. Turning to see who the tiger was talking about, ToraMaru smiled.

"do you remember the young kit who was constantly happy and chipper?" Danyell nodded.

"that's him. He has grown into a fine young man no?"

"no way, that can't be Lord Inuyasha's adopted kit."

"oh, it is. And he is very strong. But he has been cold after Miss Rin's demise." Danyell turned her gaze to Shippo. The Kitsune then waved his hand and a thorny vine was wrapped around another trainee. That one was tossed into a pond. Both ToraMaru and Danyell winced at the impact.

"that had to hurt…but still, Miss Rin was his friend. they grew up with each other. Almost like sister and brother." Danyell then unwrapped the guards bandage and lathered his wound with the ointment. ToraMaru winced a bit.

"ah! That stings. Why does she always give me the kind which stings? There are others which don't." he complained.

"then why don't you tell her?"

Hell no. she will just make one that stings more and use it on me!" ToraMaru grinned at Danyell. But his grin grew when he saw that the tigress was too busy staring at his partner. His brother walked up to the fox and whispered in his ear. Shippo followed the male out of the field and away.

"Danyell, are you now in love with Shippo?"teased the lion. Danyell blushed. ToraMaru got his answer.

~~~end flashback~~~

"300 hundred years has past since I fell in love with Shippo. I have a job at the local hospital. Today is my day off. And I want to spend it with my mate of three months." Danyell then placed the remaining flower into the greenhouse behind the shop. Shippo ushered her out and locked the door.

"Shippo? I was thinking that maybe we should go out to dinner tonight. It is a full moon, the weather is great, and we have to spend time with each other." Smiling at the tigress' speech, Shippo agreed.

"eh, why not? Besides, I want to get something for Kaede. Her birthday is in a few days." Shippo grabbed a coat and walked outside. Danyell grabbed hers and walked beside the dog-fox. They really did not need the coats. It was just for show.

~~~~at a diner~~~~

Shippo took a bite of steak. Danyell bit into a piece of salmon. She sighed in bliss. Shippo chuckled at her actions.

"that good eh?"

"yep! I get a good salary at the hospital as a nurse, but I rarely get to go out with friends or my mate."

"…why did you mate me? Foxes and tigers don't get along well. And tigers have a hard time conceiving from a fox." Shippo asked. Danyell smiled. Her age showing.

"my best answer is that I love you. If I cannot have cub, then so be it. You and I are from minor clans. We don't have to have a cub. And even if I do, well, my life will be complete." Danyell then reached over the table and stroked her mates hand. Shippo smiled.

"you really think that?" Danyell nodded.

"oh, Danyell. I have been a cold and cruel mate to you. We have not even mated once." Danyell blushed. Her dark cheeks deepened in color.

"we really don't…" she trailed off as Shippo leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I think we are done here." Shippo then stood and led his timid mate outside. He then led her into a hotel…a love hotel.

"Shippo, you really don't have to." Danyell was blushing like mad.

"hmm…how far does that blush go?" the fox wondered to himself. As he rented a room, Danyell felt the effects of her heat come. She was excited and afraid. This was the perfect time to mate and conceive.

"alright, we got a room." Shippo held the key in front of his mate and led the blushing tigress into room number eight.

"lucky, we got eight." The dog-fox teased. Danyell blushed harder.

"come now, your heat has peaked. I feel the need to satisfy your urge of kits." Nipping the tigress' neck, Shippo removed her clothing until she stood nude in front of him. Lifting her up, Shippo placed her in the center of the bed. He then stripped himself and climbed onto his mate.

"Danyell, I love you. I know I never told you, but you were the only one who stood and provided for me when Rin died. Its true that I loved Rin, but I love you more. Rin was like a sister to me." The Kitsune placed a kiss on the feline.

"Shippo, I am yours."

"I know." They never reasted until the rose.

~~~~Three weeks later~~~~

"Shippo held Danyell's hair back as she lost her breakfast into the toilet.

"and just when you think it is done, the beast rears its ugly…oh god." She lurched and tossed her cookies into the toilet.

"you do know what the symptoms are? Morning sickness, increase of weight, odd diet…must I spell it out?" Shippo said. Danyell gaped.

"I'm pregnant." The Kitsune nodded. He smiled.

"and I think with a litter of kits." Danyell smiled, and then turned green she finished losing her lunch as Shippo grimaced at the sour smell.

~~~~A few hours later~~~~

"Hey Shippo! Are you here?" a loud voice exclaimed.

"yeah! Give me a minute!" Shippo called back. As he helped Danyell with a special herb to help morning sickness, he led his mate in to the front of the store. Inuyasha stood there, holding his four month old son. Mugetsu yipped when he saw his adopted brother. Danyell saw the pup and laughed.

"hey Inuyasha. How are you?" Inuyasha smiled. Mugetsu wiggled to get out of his mother's grip. Inuyasha laughed.

"stop squirming, I'll put down in a minute." The black haired pup let out a whine. He wanted down now!

"hehe. Where's Sesshomaru? You usually don't come here when he is not around." Asked Danyell. Inuyasha smiled.

"well, he had to attend a meeting with other hotshots of the business world, and I did not want to stay home…its boring. And since you and Danyell are only minutes away, I decided to come over and visit." Inuyasha then hissed a bit as Mugetsu got a firm hold on his hair.

"alright, alright! Hey kit? Is there anywhere that I can place this little beast?" Shippo nodded and led his adopted father over to a safe and child friendly garden. Mugetsu was quick to find a small garter snake. He tried to hten place it in his mouth, but his dame removed the snake.

"so, Danyell. Expecting little ones?" the dog joked.

"well, yes. I am glad that I am expecting. Where is Kanade?"

"Kaede want to baby sit her sister and I allowed her to. I did not tell her that Kanade knows how to escape from the nursery."Inuyasha then gave Danyell a kiss on the cheek.

"anyway, congrats. So when do you think you are due?"

"I believe in two months." Danyell then hugged Inuyasha and went over to cuddle with her Kitsune. Mugetsu let out a sharp yip, bringing the older yokai's attention to the human looking pup.

"feh! I guess it is time to go home. Congrats again." The hanyou picked up his pup, gave farewell nod to the couple behind him, and left. Shippo stood with Danyell in his arms.

"well, should we go and tend to the flowers?" teased Shippo.

"you have to. I need to go to the hospital to tell my boss that I am pregnant." The tigress then kissed her mate and strolled away. Shippo smiled. He went back into the shop.

"umm…is this Kitsune Flowers?" asked a woman. She seemed shy.

"yes, how may I help you?" placing a smile as empty as a light bulb on his face, Shippo went to serve the woman.

"Kitsune flowers are all locally grown. If one has a foreign flower that they desire, I will personally ship the seedlings. Is there a flower that you desire?" the woman shuddered at Shippo's coaxing voice. The Kitsune grinned. His shop, Kitsune Flowers, was fastly becoming popular.