Title: Kitsune Bi

Author: Minako (minakiwi)

Genre / Rating: Romance

Universe: AU

Theme: Alternate Universe

Word Count: 1129

Character/ s: Shippou, Aikiko (oc), Kagome, Kouga

AN: Set in the same AU as my story Knight Errant, in which many things are different because it was Kouga on the Goshinbuko tree.

Disclaimer / Warnings: All characters save for Aikiko are Rumiko's. No warnings to speak of unless you dislike Kouga / Kagome pairings.

Shippou sat in almost solemn contemplation by the campfire, his almost elegant fingers caressing the object that he had drawn from the pouch at his waist. That pouch held not only his toys and items he used for his illusions and fox magic but keepsakes that he always wanted with him. This particular object was his favorite and he often held it when he needed to think or calm down but most especially because it reminded him of his sweet Aikiko. She was the daughter of one of the strongest healers of Kouga's tribe, her eyes bluer than the sky at noon and her hair white as clouds; she was perfect in Shippou's eyes and not just because she loved him back.

The small glowing stone in his hand made him smile as he thought of how it had come to be. They had met when they were both small, kit and cub respectively and both longing to be more than they were. She had been mightily impressed upon first meeting the kitsune because of his fox magic and her favorite was his foxfire, his Kitsune Bi. When he had gone out looking for Jewel Shards with Kagome and InuYasha he had been surprised at how much he had missed the Den, and how much he had missed the admiration of that certain female cub. He had been so eager to return and she had been just as eager to greet him and show him what she had been working on while he was gone. When she had drawn him aside he had almost just known what she would do.

.

Aikiko smiled shyly at Shippou who bemusedly watched the pack cubs adoring his adopted mother and she tugged at his hand to pull him aside. She had been practicing, she told him in quiet whispers as her hands pushed back the pale strands of her hair behind her delicately pointed ears. Not quite white as her uncle Koichi's hair but close, and it shone softly in a way Shippou had remembered that his own mother's had, which made him smile to her encouragingly. He knew what she had been practicing and he'd told her time and again that she couldn't do it because she wasn't a Kitsune, but she'd looked at him with those big eyes and told him she would too.

In a fashion that Shippou found infinitely adorable she held out her hands even though they shook a little and she took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"FOX FIRE!"

Now while she was of course incapable of really and truly creating Kitsune Bi, she had indeed managed to do something and that surprised Shippou and those of the Pack that had been idly watching. Pure white light lit her hands a moment and then in a flash encased the small stone she had targeted. When it faded Shippou could still sense demon magic on it and picked it up to study later. She blushed and bit her lip and toed the dirt with her foot as she waited for Shippou's proclamation about her trick. He grinned at her and presented her with a lollipop that Kagome had given him earlier as a reward.

"Wow Aikiko! That was great!"

.

It had been with his encouragement that she had discovered that she had the rare Wolf Demon magic, rare in those days and he was so proud of her. That had been years ago and somehow the magic had never faded from the small stone. Sometimes he wondered if it was the strength of his love that kept the token as it was from all those years ago, and the thought always brought a smile to his handsome sharp featured face. He was in such a good mood that he ably ignored the whispering from across the fire as Kouga and Kagome pretended that he couldn't hear them talking about his feelings for Aikiko. His adopted mother and father meant well and a quick glance up at them filled his heart with the knowledge that no matter what happened in his life he was truly cared about.

Kagome's warm brown eyes had tiny laugh lines at the corners now, one of the few signs that she was aging, albeit slower than a human without powers like hers. They made her look almost wise at times, though mostly they just showed that she was kind and loved to laugh. Even after all these years Kouga would hold her hand as if she and he were still just courting, he did it without thought because her love was his strength and had led him to so many good things in his life. Without her he most likely would never have tapped into his true potential as a taiyoukai for one. She and her love gave him the balance and foresight that it took to be a truly strong and effective leader, and his strength and devotion gave her the confidence to be everything she could be as well.

Shippou felt his tails swish as he shifted his position, and his brilliant green eyes focused once more on the softly glowing stone in his hand. That was the kind of love he wanted in his life, and he knew that he could have it if he could just muster up the courage to ask for it. He sighed and put the stone back in his pouch, shaking his head. The timing just never seemed right, is all. He almost missed Kagome's excited new whisper then, because he suddenly sensed that the three of them were not as alone as he'd thought. He tipped his head just slightly, letting his keen youkai senses sample the air and there it was, that singular sweet scent coming their way. He almost missed her aura because Kouga's simply overwhelmed any lesser youki around it, but there it was as well, shining softly with the gentleness that was her Yourouzoku magic.

He stood then, a tall handsome Kitsune with a broad grin forming on his face and a sparkle in his eyes, hands loose at his sides to be ready to take her own when she appeared in camp. He snorted a bit at Kagome's giggling and Kouga's answering indulgent chuckle; let them plot and plan as they would but he didn't care. The one he loved was on her way and all was right with the world because of it. When he could see the shape of her silhouetted by the moon he had had enough of waiting and threw his dignity to the winds and ran to her, grinning wider because she was running towards him with her arms wide and a happy laugh to wind around his heart.