Authors commentary: okay, I am a obsessive fool. If you dont agree with me now, you will eventually if you read enough of my work. Here for you is another Fic I have written, at a late hour of the night, that centers around shippou for a while. It will eventually evolve into something a bit more....complex if I get reviews. If not I will drag my tattered carcuss somewhere else to write. Depending on feed back, this may remain a one-to-two chapter fic, if you like it, I will enlongate it for as long as my ideas stay fresh and unforced. And now I leave you at the mercy of my writings.I am going to make these long chpaters, so be prepared. My apologies for any gramatical errors, I dont like all the little marks. *turns to where you cant see and huggles shippou that she was hiding behind her*

(I only know what I am writing about due to what I have learned in bits and peices from other fanfictions. [For the sake of my poor mind, can we assume shippou is...seven? {no idea if that is too young or old. just guessing by his size}] It should be pretty accurate though, I have read a LOT. especially Silver Destiny's work. Go! read her stuff!!!)
A Date of Birth
by~ Ash Scar Kitsune
The group sat around in Kaede's hut, the human's and Shippou around the fire while Inu-yasha stood looking out the window. Miroku Sat agaisnt a wall and gazed apreciatively at Sango and Kagome while Shippou sat in Kagome's arms, Listening to the girls.

"So magical rays come from the box into the food and cook it?" Sango asked, completly confused my Kagome's explenation to microwave ovens. Kagome sighed and knocked on her forehead with her knuckles.

"No, Invisible vibrations travel inside the box, into the food. The viabrations have radiation and it heats the food till it cooks." She explained again, confusing herself slightly with her own wording but knowing she got the point across.

Sango Turned away and held her head in her hands as she tried to picture how these things would work and Miroku did the same. Kagome decided she would have to somehow show them what she ment sometime, this wasnt working. She looked down at the silent bundle of kitsune in her lap and raised and eyebrow.

"Why you so silent Shippou?" She ruffled his hair affectionatly and he tunred his head up to look at her, laughing at her gesture. "Oh just thinking. In five days I will be a year older.." he said off handedly.

Kagome looked down at him first in surprise, then in delight. "Five days till your birthday?? I cant wait. How old will you be?" she asked, while Sango and Miroku tunred back to face them and watch. "Umm. 8? I think. Im not sure." he muttered counting softly to himself. "Yes, Eight, I'm pretty sure of it." he said, smiling at her and wondering why she was so happy.

"Eight? Oh good. Now I need to go home, and talk to my mom and.." he words were cut off and Inu-Yasha walked over and glared down at her. "Who said you can go home. We have shards to look for." he said grumpily.

"The shards can wait, its Shippou's birthday soon!" Kagome reasoned.

"So? What difference does that make?"

"It makes all the difference. Birthdays are special. They are a celebration of your life that only come once a year." Kagome sighed, wondering if it was possible that they didnt celebrate birthdays the same way she did in her time. She guessed herself to be right by the blank looks she got from everybody. She sighed again and hung her head.

"Well I'm going to go home for a few days, and then I'll come back. Okay?" She pleaded to her canine protector, a begging look on her face.

Inu-yasha was about to tell her no again but wilted under he sorry look and finnaly draped his head. He couldnt resist her simple wishes when she acted like that. "Fine, but not to long." he muttered with a slight growl to his voice before walking out of the hut and leaving to go sit in a tree somewhere.

Kagome beamed at the kitsune and hugged him, kissing his forehead. "There, now in the morning I can go back and get everything ready!" she said so cheerfully that everyone smiled even though they didnt know why. "What do you have to get ready?" that child demon asked, excited already my the change of atmosphere.

"Thats a surprise for you. Now lets go to sleep. I need to be up early tommarow so that I have a lot of time." she said, standing and going over to where she made her bed and layed down to sleep. Shippou curled up against her smiling softly as he immediatly fell asleep and kagome watched in the fire light as Sango and Miroku layed down as well.

Kaede, silent as usual, dimmed the fire with ash and then went to her own bed and smiled at the others. Whatever Lady Kagome was planning, it was sure to be a grand surprise.

~~~~
Kagome woke early alright, the sun barely rising and the birds just begining their morning song as the warm beams of light fell onto their chilled feathers.
She slipped out of her bed, moving Shippou gently to where she had been, the warm incave soothing to ruffled dreams of the little kaitou. She grabbed her backpack and dashed out the door, moving swiftly toward the bone eater's well incase anyone should rise and wander where she went so early.

As she was throwing her bag into the well, Inu-Yasha jumped down from a nearby tree and stood looking at her. "You wont be gone long will you?" he asked, his voice husky from just awakening. "No, just three days. Then i will come back for one day, and the next day will be the surprise." She said laying out her schedual for him so he would know when to expect her.

Inu-Yasha nodded and glanced toward the village for a second, sighed, and then turned back to her. "Three days." he repeated, and then nodded his grumpy goodby to her and jumped off to the tree. As Kagome jumped down the well she could hear him muttering outloud, Something about 'stupid bitches who cant make up there minds about what time they stay in.'

She scowled as she landed on her side of the well, Knowing full well that he could only be talking about her in such a way. "Gods he is so..so rude!" She climbed out of the well and walked towards her house, wondering what she was going to do for Shippou. It had to be special. That was certain.

Inside her home, she went directly to her room since her family was still sleeping for some reason, no...wait...it sounded like her grand father was awake, but doing something in his room. She would wait till later to say Hello to him.

She dropped her stuff onto her floor and sat down on her bed, trying to brainstorm for the party she was going to throw for Shippou. First she would have to tell her mother, and Sota. She pondered for a second whether or not her Grandpa would opose to throwing a demon's birthday party in her house. No, Shippou didnt count as a bad demon, he was her friend.

Next, would she be able to get them through the well. Yes, there didnt seem to be any problems, Inu-Yasha could come and go as he wished, she was sure that the others could come, especially if she escorted them.

Kagome grinned at the next part of her planning. Food. She grabbed a notepad form her desk and began writing down all her favorite foods, foods that Shippou probably hadnt eaten before, and Foods she knew he loved.

Her door cracked open and her mothers head stuck in, no doubt wondering why the light was on. "Oh, hello dear. Have you been home long?" She asked in her groggy state of unwakefullness. "No, and when you are awake, can i talk to you about some things?"

"Oh sure honey, just let me go get something to eat and then we'll talk. " She said and departed from the door when Kagome nodded in agrement. She then continued on her list of foods.
~~~~

"Oh it sounds like fun! And you say you dont think he has ever had one? How positively horrible! We have to make it fun for the little dear!" Kagome's mother exclaimed in bliss at the prospect of being able to perform a maternal act to a 'neglected and helpless orphan'. Sota was just as ethusiastic.

"I get to meet another demon? What kind is he, what does he look like, What was his name again? Shoe-oh?" Sota rambeled on endlessly as he seeme to do often these days.

"Shippou" Kagome corrected. "Yes mom, he's never had one. I wanted to host it here. I've already done some planning." she said, indicating the notebook she had on the table. Her mother snatched it up and began reading through it, adding things with a pencil where ever she seemed to deem worthy.

Kagome looked toward her grandpa who just sat and thought. "Grandpa, you okay with this idea?" Kagome asked nervously. She didnt want to upset her grandpa, although she would if she had to in order to give this to Shippou. "Yes, its a perfetly fine idea, I understand he had become an important friend to you. There is no harm in conducting a child demon's birthday celebration." he said, looking up at her.

"Then why are you so quiet?" Kagome asked. "Oh, just thinking about random things. Praying that Inu-Yasha wont burn down the house or kill Buyo while he is here. You know, my typical thoughts." her grandpa said with a smirk as he got up and left. Kagome laughed although she agreed with him. They would need prayers.

Kagome smiled as her mother went on with her planning and sota began talking about what he would show the little kitsune when he got there and such things as that. This would deffinatly fun, she just hoped that her friends in the fuedal age thought so as well.
~~~~
Shippou woke up to emptiness as he relized he was sleeping alone. He glanced around for kagome a few times before he remembered that she had said she was leaving early to set up the surprise. She grinned and leapt over onto Miroku's stomach, jumping up and down and making a ruckus.

Miroku woke up yelping and trying to get the kitsune off him and Sango laughing at the sight. Kaede waited until they had settled down before serving them breakfast and smiled when shippou annouced he was to excited to eat. Kirara took his portion, proving the already know fact that demons either didnt eat, or pigged out horribly.

Afterwards sango left to bath, and instead of following, like he soooo wanted to, miroku stayed with the hyper kitune, talking.

"so what do you suppose the surprise is?" Miroku asked casually.

"I dont know, Kagome mentions celebrating, so i suppose that means a party, but i dont know what the surprise could be. Perhaps Inu-Yasha will develope manners?" Shippou laughed uncontrolably. And miroku grinned at the thought.

" I doubt anything THAT unlikely is going to happen. But maybe they do something different in her time then in our when it coms to birthdays." Miroku sighed, laying back on the floor and closing his eyes.

"They do everything different there. It is impossible to imagine any of it!!!" Shippou said with a grand wave of his tiny arms. He sat down and was still for a moment before his eyes grew wide and he jumped up again. "Maybe i will get to go to her time this time!!!!!" His excitement was contagiuos and Miroku sat up to, smiling broudly.

"ANd perhaps Sango and I as well..... We really shouldnt get our hopes up...." Miroku added as a careful afterthought.

"Oooh dont ruin my hopes Miroku!" Shippou squeeled and dived at the poor monk, sitting on his chest and glaring down at him.

"Fine, i wont, i wont. But get up will ya, your heavy" He joked and Shippou got up laughing. "Feh, what are you all so happy about?" Inu-Yasha walked in, his arms crossed and looking grumpy- as usual.

"My surprise! My surprise! What else moron!" Shippou exclaimed bounceing around on his tail. Inu-Yasha stared at him with mild anger and a bit of shock at his hyperness.Inu-yasha moved to go sit in a corner, and watrched shippou with wary eyes as shippou still bounced. To tell the truth, both he and miroku were waiting untill his energy died and he reliezed it would be days till Kagome returned.

Inu-yasha smirked as he imagined a grumpy, anxious, excited, and hyper shippou all at once. The kit was sure to blow a fuse somewhere.

Kaede remained unnoticed through most of this, untill she walked out of the hut laughing softly to herself. Only then Did Inu-Yasha glance in her direction, but she was of no interest.
~~~~

Sango swam in the cold river water, waiting for anysecond when Miroku would make the unavoidable crash to alert her of his whereabouts. But instead there naver came one. Her eyesbrows raised and she almost laughed in shock. He hadnt followed her?

SHe swam to the shore and rested her arms on the bank while submerging to majority of herself in the water and closing her eyes, relaxing. Kagome had seemed to excited last night. what could possibly be all that great about birthdays. Sure, it was a special day, people were nice to you, and you got to say that you were a new age for the first time, which for Sango had alsways been fun. Feeling the new number fall of her toung made her feel older somehow.

Her brow furrowed as she thought, what was it like for youkai? Did demons celebrate birthdates, or did they simly acknowledge that they were older. Did Inu-Yasha just achknowledge that he was a year older, another year to his age before he had been pinned to the tree. Another year towards the demons age of maturity.

And what of shippou? What did he acknowledge. Another year of youth? Shortness? Sango laughed, but stopped suddenly as she though of the next. Another year without his parents. She wasnt sure, but perhaps he had at one time mentioned a sibling. Perhaps, perhaps not. He talked far to much for her to keep record. But she hoped he hadnt. She knew that pain, pain of a lost sibling......

Sango shook her head and ducked under the water, she was getting al gloomy thinking about this stuff. It just wouldnt do for her to be like this. Again she pondered what Miroku was doing. Hopefully playing with Shippou or teasing Inu-yasha, as long as he hadnt found some other girl to torment with his lecherous ways. She smirked under water and then went up. The water flung fron her hair and she pulled herself onto the shore, drying with a towel that Kagome had given her. So soft..

She dressed and walked back to the village, drying her hair and again pondering...what could the surprise be??
Author Commentary: BTW in this fic, i dun care whatever the bloomy-seven-hells you say, they CAN go back to her time with her. If you argue, then kindly give me an adress to because i wil have to come and re-educate you on proper behavior towards grumpy old kitsunes.