Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the Phil Collins song. I'm just playing with them for a little while…
You'll Be In My Heart
Shippo sat up with a muffled scream.
Kagome, who had been sitting by the fire talking with Sango and Miroku, swung round to look at the little kitsune in concern.
"Shippo, what's wrong?" she said.
Seeing Kagome, Shippo scrambled out from beneath the blanket he had been sleeping with and ran into her arms. Kagome settled him in her lap, and he buried his face in her shirt. She looked over to the other two in surprise. Shippo was trembling in her arms, and once or twice she thought she heard him make a sound that was closer to a sob.
"What the matter?" she tried again. Shippo didn't answer, and Sango and Miroku exchanged glances of concern. Kagome stroked the little boy's head helplessly, at a loss to explain what was the matter with the usually cheerful kitsune.
"Maybe he had a bad dream," she wondered to the others. "Shippo, did you have a nightmare?"
For answer, Shippo buried his head deeper into Kagome's shirt, his trembling becoming more pronounced. Kagome looked over at the other two, who were sitting uneasily on the other side of the fire. Sango exchanged another glance with Miroku, and they both stood up.
"Maybe we should go and get some more firewood," she said. "Shippo might be more inclined to talk about it if its only you here."
Kagome looked worried. "Are you sure? Its dangerous in the forest at night."
Miroku laughed. "For us?" he said. "The worlds greatest demon hunter and a wind-scarred priest? Demons will run and hide at the very sight of us." His hand crept towards Sango's bottom as they stood, until she whacked him firmly with her boomerang.
"We'll be fine," she said. "You just find out what is wrong with Shippo, okay? We won't go far."
With that she strode off into the darkness outside the circle of firelight. Miroku followed her, limping, and paused at the edge of the camp. "Don't worry about us," he said. "And Inuyasha is here, so you'll be fine. We'll be back in about half an hour." He winked. "Or maybe longer. She's obviously dying to be alone with me, and I must say, I like to take my time with these things." Sango's boomerang came whirring out of the darkness at Miroku, narrowly missing his head. He yelped, and ran off into the forest before Sango could take new aim.
Kagome was left sitting alone by the campfire, Shippo still crying softly into her shirt. She remembered Miroku's last words, and looked up to see Inuyasha who was sitting in the tree above her. He had made no move to follow the other two, but remained watching over her. His yellow eyes gazed at her and Shippo, but he did not say anything.
Kagome turned her attention back to the obviously distraught kitsune in her lap. She stroked his back soothingly, as her mother had done for her after she had woken up with nightmares so long ago, and waited for him to collect himself enough to speak. When he seemed a little calmer, she tried again.
"Shippo, did you have a bad dream?" Shippo at last lifted his head from her shirt, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Yes," he said, his voice barely audible.
"What about?" asked Kagome gently.
Shippo's voice dropped even lower. "My parents," he said. "How they died."
"Is that what upset you so much?"
Surprisingly, Shippo shook his head.
"What is it then?"
"It's just that…now my parents are gone, I don't have a family anymore. I'm all alone." Shippo started trembling again, his little eyes filling with tears. "I don't wanna be alone. I want to have a family again."
Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, whom she knew had heard every word, despite how low their voices were. He was staring out into the darkness with an almost sad expression on his face. With a start, Kagome realised that what Shippo had been saying could be applied to Inuyasha in exactly the same way. Both of them had lost their family when they were young, and Inuyasha was probably just as lonely as Shippo. She thought of her own mother and grandfather and little brother, and the sadness hit her again. Shippo had returned to crying into her shirt, and she rubbed his back helplessly. A memory came to her, of her mother singing her to sleep after she had had a bad dream, and she searched through her mind for a lullaby that Shippo would understand. A song she had heard recently came to her mind, and without knowing what she was doing, she began to sing it softly.
"Come stop your crying, it will be alright
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you from all around you
I will be here, don't you cry."
Shippo quietened as she sang the words, resting his head against Kagome. Encouraged, she sang the second verse, her voice sounding small and sweet in the silence of the camp.
"For one so small, you seem so strong
My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm
This bond between us, cant be broken
I will be here, don't you cry"
Kagome's voice trailed off, and she lifted Shippo's head with one hand, looking intently at the young boy. "You see, you're not alone, Shippo," she said. "You have a new family."
Shippo looked up, confused. "I do? Where?" and he looked around as if expecting to see them rise up out of the grass. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Inuyasha's ears twitch towards her, though he remained staring out into the darkness.
"Right here," she said firmly.
"I don't understand," he said, confused again. "There's only you and Inuyasha here."
"That's right," she said.
Now Inuyasha was looking down at her as well, a puzzled expression on his face. "But you're not kitsune," said Shippo. "You cant be my family if you're not even the same as what I am."
Kagome smiled down at him "That's where you are wrong," she said. "The reason we can be your new family because we love you."
"You love me?"
Kagome smiled at him "Of course we do. All of us."
Shippo's eyes brightened. "Does that mean you will be my new mother?"
Kagome laughed a little uncomfortably. "Yes, if you like."
Shippo looked up, excited. "And Sango and Miroku can be my aunt and uncle, right?"
She smiled at him, glad to see he was cheering up. "Sure."
Shippo frowned suddenly. "But what about Inuyasha? He doesn't love me."
"Yes he does," said Kagome firmly.
"Do not," said Inuyasha at once from his perch high in the tree.
"He does love you," said Kagome, ignoring him. "He's just too embarrassed to show it, that's all."
"Not likely," said Inuyasha, his yellow eyes glaring at Kagome in the dark.
Kagome smiled up into the darkness of the tree.
"Inuyasha," she said sweetly. "Sit!"
Inuyasha came crashing down out of the tree to land on the grass beside Kagome and Shippo.
"There, you see?" she said to Shippo. "He loves you so much he's going to sit here beside us until you fall asleep."
Shippo giggled at the sight of Inuyasha on the grass beside them. Inuyasha growled in the back of his throat, and made to get up, but Kagome put a warning hand on the back of his head, and he obviously thought better of it. Shippo tugged at her shirt again. "Sing some more song," he commanded. Kagome cleared her throat, secretly delighted about her triumph over Inuyasha, and began to sing the chorus.
"Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always"
Shippo's little head started to droop against her, and she could feel his breathing begin to settle down. Inuyasha remained motionless by her side, her hand still on the back of his head. She felt his hair underneath her fingers, surprisingly soft and warm. Absently she began playing with it, running it though her fingers as she sang the verse.
"Why cant they understand the way we feel
They just don't trust what they cant explain
I know we're different but, deep inside us,
We're not that different at all"
Shippo was now asleep in her lap, his soft breathing mixing in with the crackling of the dying campfire and the sound of Kagome's voice. She was still playing with Inuyasha's hair, now stroking it gently like she had been stroking Shippo a few minutes ago. Surprisingly, he hadn't moved from his spot beside her, although the spell had long since worn off.
"And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
Don't listen to them, cause what do they know
We need each other, to have, to hold
They'll see in time, I know
When destiny calls you, you must be strong
I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on
They'll see in time, I know
We'll show them together"
Kagome shuffled back so that she could lean against the tree. Her eyes were drooping in tiredness despite her efforts to remain awake until Sango and Miroku returned. Inuyasha stirred as he felt her hand remove from the back of his head, and he opened one eye to check where she was. Seeing her move back, he sat up himself. Kagome was afraid he would jump back up into the tree, but he merely moved back towards her and flung himself back in the grass beside her again, this time on his back. He closed his amber eyes without a word, and appeared to go to sleep.
Kagome smiled. She felt warm and safe, with Shippo curled in her lap, and Inuyasha lying beside her. From this position she could see his face, which had been turned away from her before. His yellow eyes were closed, and his face peaceful, for once rid of his ever present scowl. She reached out, and when he didn't move, touched his face gently. Her hand found its way up to his ears, and she tweaked them mischievously. He opened his eyes a slit and glared at her, and she stopped. She removed the offending hand and laid it instead on his chest. His eyes were shut again, and she smiled, feeling his heart beat warmly through the material of his top.
"Cause you'll be in my heart
Believe me, you'll be in my heart
I'll be there from this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always"
Sango and Miroku returned a while later with their arms full of firewood. They stopped on the edge of the camp though, their eyes widening in surprise with what they saw. Kagome had obviously been sitting with her back to one of the great trees that ringed the campfire with Shippo in her lap, but sometime in her sleep she had slipped down and was now sleeping peacefully with her head on Inuyasha's chest. Shippo was curled up in her arms, and Inuyasha had one hand lightly resting on the curve of Kagome's back.
The two of them exchanged knowing glances. Sango motioned to be silent, and the two of them quietly dumped their firewood, and rolled themselves up in their own (separate) blankets. Soon, the silence of the night settled over the small clearing.
Shippo woke at a sudden sound, and smiled to himself as he saw the people around the campfire. He snuggled back into Kagome's arms, happy again.
"My new family," he whispered. His eyes closed, lulled by the comforting warmth, and he fell asleep.
And you'll be in my heart
Believe me, you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always
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