Blood is Thicker than Love        

By Rachel

I don't own Inuyasha
Songo/Shippo

For Laura

Warning: not meant to be serious, just for pure fun and joking

"Ah, I am at last a man!" said Shippo gleefully as he flexed his muscles.  "Now I can finally be treated with respect by Inuyasha!" 

Shippo strutted back to camp after taking a bath.  He was about 5'5 and still looked more human than fox.  "Hey guys!"

"Hey Shippo!" said Kagome.  She missed the days when the young fox could jump into her arms.  Now he could knock her over. 

"Where's Sango?"  said Shippo.

"Oh, um she's talking with Miroku about…something" said Kagome, forgetting that Shippo was old enough to understand.  He looked down.  "Oh."

"Feh." Said Inuyasha.

Kagome knew that with his raging hormones, Shippo had fallen in love with Sango, but sadly, her feelings were directed toward another, the perverted monk Miroku.  They had finally expressed their true feelings for each other, with the intercession of Kagome of course.  Shippo had helped as well but this was before he knew he would regret it. 

Now, Shippo was in the deep depths of juvenile love.  But, little did he know, he was beginning to change in another way he never thought possible…

The next day

            "OUCH!"  yelled Kagome. 

            "Quiet down wench!" said Inuyasha with annoyance.  Tonight was going to be the new moon and Inuyasha was cranky and secretly worried about any potential demon attacks and other unspeakable attacks (particularly those of the emotional type). 

            "Shut up stupid!  Fine! I'm going back home and I'm going on a date with Hojo and I'm going to be normal!!!!" 

            "Hobo? Who the hell is that?" 

            "Sit boy!"

            On Kagome's magical miko command, Inuyasha was slammed into the dirt. 

            "Aiiieee!!!!"   His face smashed into a sharp root and his nose started to bleed.  Kagome felt bad.  She hadn't intended to draw blood. 

Meanwhile

Shippo's eyes bulged.  That smell.  Blood.  He felt his head begin to tingle and he sucked up some slobber.  Wait a minute! That was Inuyasha's blood!!!  Shippo jumped down from his tree and ran to the camp to find Kagome pressing a wet cloth against Inuyasha's nose.

            "I told you I'm fine already!  Get off me!" 

            "You're not fine and I feel guilty so you're gonna sit here and wait till the bleeding stops!"  Kagome said angrily. 

            "An apology would be nice! You're always doing this sort of thing to me!"

            "Well boohoohoo…"

            Sango enters camp with hiraikotse (sp?) and Miroku following her.  "What's going on guys?! Did a demon attack?  Why didn't I hear it?"

            "You wouldn't hear it anyway considering all you hear is the sound of Miroku's—"

            "Ok that's enough!" said Kagome, cutting off Inuyasha.  Lately everyone was crabby.  "Inuyasha just got a bloody nose, that's all"

            "Yeah, cuz she sat me!!!"

            Shippo felt dizzy, he couldn't seem to stay oriented with his surroundings, the smell was so overpowering. 

            "Shippo, are you ok?" said Sango with concern. 

            Shippo started to sweat.  Everyone was looking at him.  He had to get away!
            "Hey wait!" yelled Ssngo as Shippo bolted into the woods. 
            "Poor guy." Sighed Kagome.  "Maybe someone should go after him while I take care of Inuyasha?" 

            ---

Sango trotted through the crunchy leaves…She closed her eyes as the wind played with her raven locks.  "Shippo?"  She could sense his presence near by.  She could even hear his breathing.  She heard a crack of a branch.

            "AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

            "AHHHHH!!!!!!!  Get off of me! You're heavy! Ow- my nose!"

            Sango grabbed her face like Marsha in that one Brady Bunch episode. 

            What's with everyone's nose getting hurt today? Thought Shippo to himself.  He gently lifted Sango's hand from her face.  "Shhhhh"  He said soothing words of comfort.

            He's so handsome, like that Elijah Wood or something thought Sango who had seen pictures from Kagome's novel thingies.  Kagome was currently obsessed with Elijah Wood, much to the annoyance of Inuyasha who thought that the strange dwarf's eyes were too big. 

            But right now it wasn't Elijah's eyes that were captivating…it was Shippo's. 

            "Sango?!  Shippo?! Are you guys ok?!"  Miroku's voice sounded through the forest.

Sango snapped out of her rapture with a hint of annoyance.  If only she could have…No! This is so stupid Sango!  Snap out of it! 

            She got up off the crispy leaves and brushed the dirt off her kimono.  "We're right here Miroku!"  Miroku appeared from a nearby thicket.  He eyed Shippo strangely.   He had a funny feeling but he couldn't exactly put his finger on it. 

There was no moon that night.  Shippo didn't need to slink around in the shadows.  Inuyasha had no demon senses; he could do as he pleased and it was all too tempting. 

            Shippo crouched in the damp soil and picked at a bit of bark with his claw.  He liked this tree and hoped they would stick around for just another day or so.  He especially noticed there were a lot of small animals around…Something flashed out of the corner of his eye and he bounded off the tree trunk and ran cheetah-like after it.  A squirrel.  He squeezed its middle in his hand to feel the juiciness of its plump body and sank his teeth into it to drink the warmth of its life blood. 

            Sango couldn't sleep that night.  Her previous encounter with Shippo had her mind buzzing with questions.  What was going on with him?  Why didn't things feel right when she was with him?  She might as well have not even tried to sleep so quietly got up and snuck into the woods for a walk.  No one would be in there considering she assumed everyone was sleeping by the fire except Inuyasha who was staying awake in case of a demon.  Sango traversed the small paths that wound through the trees in the forest.  The lack of moon made the forest seem extra creepy and foreboding that night.  She almost wished she had stayed at camp. 

            crack!

            A twig?  Sango snapped her head to attention. She definitely wasn't alone.  There was something behind her.

            A heavy breathing.  She whirled around with her hand on her weapon. 

            "Shippo, what—" Sango stopped short when she saw Shippo standing in front of her.  His chest breathing in and out and his shoulders going up and down.  He had blood running down the corners of his mouth. 

            Sango wanted to scream but couldn't.  What was happening to Shippo?  She wasn't sure whether to approach him or not.  Perhaps he was dangerous. 

            He stepped closer to her.  "Don't worry, I'm not going to.."  Shippo stopped.  He stared at the ground in shame.  "Please don't tell anyone".

            Sango finally looked up and met his gaze.  "I-I won't" 

The next day

It was time to move on and find some more jewel shards, but a new challenge lay in their path.  A village that consisted of a demon family, all of which appeared as humans.  Sango remembered her father's words as they approached its outskirts.

            "Inuyasha, are you sure about this?" Said Kagome worriedly. 

            "Duh, there're  jewel shards in this place!"  Inuyasha yelled.

            "Well, you don't have to yell!!!!!!!"
Sango had a bad feeling about this place and didn't feel like the jewel shard was worth it.  Miroku put his arm around her shoulders and she almost shuddered but remembered that she liked him. 

            Shippo seemed to drag behind them.  Even though his powers were much more skilled and refined, Shippo was still somewhat awkward. 

            "Inuyasha watch out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Instantly, a huge monkey demon came flying out of no where. He must have gotten wind of the foreigners!!!!  Kagome pushed Inuyasha out of the demon monster's path and shot it with a sacred arrow.  It started screeching for it's life until it vanished leaving only a jewel shard.

            "Alright!" said Inuyasha with excitement.  He picked up the jewelshard and handed it over to Kagome and they exchanged a smile. 

            "This is my land." Said a deep and ugly voice..  Inuyasha whipped around to see an ugly turkey demon that looked like a man with a shriveled turkey gobble and tail feathers.  He had on a samurai type outfit on and a fiery sword.  Despite its appearance, Inuyasha knew that turkey demons were nothing to laugh about.

            It wasn't long before several more powerful demons showed up. 

            While Inu battled the turkey demon, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippo were busy with their own demons. 

            Sango dodged to the left to avoid the stinging glow of the stones that the pea demon directed at her from his evil eyeballs.  She whipped her boomerang off of her shoulder and let it fly at the demon.  She watched as it sliced through the green interior and circle back to her.  She was about to turn to fight another demon when she was shocked to see the pea demon meld back to its original form.  He blew a stone at her chest and she felt her heat stop.  This was it.  And then all was black.

            LATER

            "Is, is she going to be ok?" said Shippo with tears brimming.  They had defeated the demons and gained 3 jewel shards, a great victory.  But Sango was deathly injured by the stones of the pea demon.  One was even lodged in her stomach before Kagome had the nerve to yank it out.  She breathed in raspy breaths and her face looked deathly pale.  Shipp looked worriedly at her.  She didn't have much hope. 

            "Someone's gotta keep watch tonight, especially on Sango.  We need to be alerted if she moves or anything." Said Kagome.

            "I'll watch her!" said Shippo a little to eagerly.  Miroku looked at him with suspicion. 

            "Thanks Shippo." Said Kagome sadly.  She didn't have a good feeling about this. 

The sound of the crickets lulled everyone to sleep; even Inuyasha who claimed he didn't need to sleep.  Sango moaned in her sleep.  She had amost no pulse.  Shippo sat there watching her beautiful face.  He had to decide and now!  He watched the sweat slowly drip down her temples and from under her hairline.  He stuck his hands under her back and legs and carried her off into the woods. 

            The moonlight shone brightly into the forest and this time Shippo wasn't afraid of it.  He brushed a claw over her pale cheek and brought his lips down to her neck.  Sango was going to live. 

THE END