A/N: I bring you a series of Koto/Adult!Shippo oneshots; a story told in bits in pieces, based on the LJ community 30kisses theme set "Window."
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, InuYasha, or any associated franchise.
Water Bottles
It seemed almost funny, how everything had started over little more than a bunch of water bottles.
Water bottles, of all things. But there she had been, reaching for one in the Makai Tournament contestant lounge (she'd exhausted the employee lounge's supply of beverages), when she met him.
Oh yes; all she was doing was minding her own business, glancing at all the monstrous-looking youkai in the room who eyed her back, knowing that she was the commentator and somewhat-famous, sadistic catgirl idol, Koto. She reached for a water bottle.
Her fingers closed around air.
Suddenly she was aware of the sly presence beside her. She jolted and whirled, backed against the table covered with water bottles, only to be confronted with a very charming Kitsune, rotating and twirling the stolen bottle between two long, clawed fingers. His eight silky, auburn-brown tails matched his long ponytailed hair; laughing emerald eyes gazed down at her, set among soft facial features, tapering elfin ears, and a mischievous fang-clipped grin. Pale-skinned, tall, and solid. And, of course, undeniably handsome.
Shippo, she thought. The name popped into her head without warning or summons; but knowing the contestants as well as Koto did, she'd be mighty pathetic not to recognize him. Kitsune. Class A. Signature weapon: foxfire.
For a moment she allowed herself to gape and melt a little inside, just as she always did when confronted with a hunk of… well, hunk. Then she shook her head, blinked and pushed her eyebrows high. "Are you going to give that back?" she wondered with an amused expression. After all, he was a Kitsune, right? You could never take one seriously.
His smile widened. "Maybe." He dangled the bottle in front of her but quickly jerked it away when she reached for it, juggling it with his fingertips again.
"Ha-ha," Koto stressed, crossing her arms, but not without a twinkle of a smile herself. "C'mon, I need that for the Tournament."
"Let's play Rumpelstiltskin," he told her. "If you guess my name, you can have your water."
"Shippo," she replied without hesitation, reaching up to confiscate her prize. "I know about all of the contestants."
"And you have the entire Dark Tournament rulebook memorized, right?"
She blushed, thinking of her amateur days. "Yeah," she replied. "I'm sure it's still up here somewhere." Koto gulped from the bottle. She wasn't sure how much of her anxiety was from the competition – imminent pain and gore always got her excited – and how much of it was from her new Kitsune friend.
Something vibrated and beeped incessantly at her hip. Koto scooped the pager from her waistband, checked the screen, and gave a coy, vaguely apologetic smile. "Sorry, that's for me. I'll be rooting for you, Shippo."
She made a beeline for the lounge exit.
I'll have to remember to get my water bottles from the contestant lounge from now on.
Words: 482.