Chapter One - Beauty of the Soul

Shippou scampered down the well-worn dirt path with unmatched eagerness, the soft midday winds ruffling his bright red hair into a tangled mess. His breath came in short pants, a mixture from the exertion from running at top speed, and the product of his own choking anticipation. His bare feet beat against the ground steadily, adding a constant drum beat to the orchestra of the chirping birds. Large innocent green eyes stayed trained on the dim lighting ahead of him, a sure sign that he was nearing his destination. As the old well finally came into view, his bounding became faster and faster, ending abruptly upon him crashing against the weather worn wood. Tiny clawed hands grasped the well's edge, hoisting his body up to sit precariously atop it. He stared into its bottomless depths with knowing eyes, willing her to appear.

He imagined her silhouette bathed in soft pink light, quickly fading to reveal her reaching down to retrieve her bulging yellow pack from the ground beside her. She would wave at him warmly and call out a greeting in her soft voice, one hand shielding her eyes from the blinding sunlight above her, before climbing up the tangle vines with practiced movements developed over years of performing the same routines. When she finally reached the top, her bag would be heaved unceremoniously over the side of the well with a large thud, her own form tumbling down after to land in a heap on the ground beside it. There she would rest to catch her breath, before he would ungracefully pummel her with a fierce hug, all the while shouting in her ears of how glad he was that she made it back. Oh, how he hoped she would be bringing more scrumptious treats for him this time.

He sighed softly, his short legs clanking against the inner wall of the well in impatience. She wasn't due to return for a few hours still, but he always had hopes that she would arrive sooner. He missed his mother, and often feared she may never return to him. You might say he had separation issues after the death of his biological family. Knowing that she probably wouldn't be appearing any time soon, he hopped back onto stable ground with an exasperated huff. Bringing a finger to his chin, he stroked his imaginary beard in deep thought, wondering what he could do while he waited. Help Kaede? Too boring. Talk to Miroku? Too emotionally scarring. Bother Inuyasha? Too painful. On and on he went, mentally ticking off his favorite things to do, until finally it came to him. Snapping his fingers in delight, he glanced toward the small patch of wildflowers growing freely around the base of the well. He eyed them in suspicion, critically appraising their appearance before shaking his head slightly. Those just wouldn't do.

Content to have a mission with which to chase away his boredom, Shippou set out dutifully to collect the most beautiful flowers in the forest for his adopted mother. Picking a direction at random, he tramped into the forest with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Every flower he passed was thoroughly scrutinized, almost none meeting his high standards. Only the most beautiful flowers would come close to being worthy of his selfless caretaker. After an entire hour of cavorting through the forest looking for anything with petals, only two very lucky flowers had passed the test; one bright green with a black patch that faded out from the center, and the other plain white in coloring, but with a radiance and brightness that would never fail to please the eye.

Shippou slowed his pace considerably as time went on, kicking absently at small pebbles on the ground as he debated on whether or not to head back to the well. His bouquet was small, much smaller than he had planned, but he knew that wouldn't matter to her. Small or not, she would still exclaim over their beauty and thank him profusely. She would still praise him for his kindness and shower him with compliments. She would still tie them together with a silky ribbon and cherish them until they died.

Shippou tilted his head wistfully. Sometimes, he thought Kagome an angel. Surely, no human could possibly be that perfect, that loving. And perhaps he was right. It wasn't as if her story wasn't odd already. A miko girl from the future falls down a time warp well with a very powerful and dangerous jewel held safe in her possession, not to mention the fact that her purification powers are unparalleled and her compassion is whispered about in tales of their journey across the land. Throwing in the fact that she was an angel from heaven just might make the story a bit more believable.

He lifted his chin in pride for his surrogate mother, immediately deciding to continue his search. She deserved it, more than she could ever know. He wondered if she knew how rare it was for a human to take on a demon kit as their own blood, let alone help him avenge the death of his biological parents. He shook his head lightly with a laugh at the thought. Part of what made her so wonderful was the fact that she didn't even know it. Her modest thoughts about her actions were a friendly reminder that everything Kagome does is a product of her own generosity, never for self gain or personal vendettas. It was as if she lived to serve the world in its entirety, right hand to the gods if you would, and was humble enough to never wish anything in return. A purer heart would never come to exist.

Eventually, Shippou stumbled upon a rounded clearing a ways from the well. It was exactly what he had been searching for; a meadow stocked plentifully with exotic looking flowers. A cornucopia of bright colors and shapes glimmered brightly at him, refracted light sending hundreds of rainbows to bounce along the treetops. With a loud yip of excitement, he threw himself headfirst into their cushioned bed, content to fall asleep amongst their infinite beauty. He hummed happily to himself, one of the many tunes that he had picked up from Kagome in their time together.

If there was one lesson that Kagome worked hard to instill in him over the years, it was how to recognize and appreciate the beauty in everything and everyone around him. She had reminded him to be grateful of the role he was given in this world, and to play his part completely and selflessly. Nothing is more important than giving, she had told him. Nothing will make you feel more wonderful than when you reach out and help a lost soul find the beauty hiding within themselves.

It was pure lunacy, he thought, that the same beauty he saw in his surrogate mother also resided in someone like Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru was calloused, uncaring, a cold being that held deep prejudice against the entire human race for something they couldn't control. How could his soul hold any beauty? Or worse, how could Naraku's? In his eyes, Naraku was someone to be despised, a despicable monster that had no right to exist. He was a heartless demon that toyed with the hearts of thousands and ended lives without remorse. His mother, however, was seemingly incapable of hate. She seemed to think that somewhere inside him he housed some shred of humanity, a little scrap of beauty that could one day redeem him, if only in one person's eyes. How could someone so ruthless, a mindless killer, possibly withhold beauty? The answer, he thought, was obvious. They could not.

In some ways, Shippou was more grown up than his self proclaimed guardian. He was jaded, forever haunted by the deaths of his parents. He had seen reality. He had come to terms with the meaning of death and betrayal and loss. His eyes, though young, were stained with a lifetime of destruction, something that could never be undone. His optimism had waned fractionally with time. She still held her childish ideals of world peace and happy endings. Her blind faith captured the hearts of nearly everyone she met, bestowing upon them a shred of hope that the sun would rise once more. When he was near her, thoughts of the battlefield disappeared altogether, leaving only love and contentment in their wake. She allowed him to be the child he was, rather than forcing maturity upon him like so many others had done. She vowed valiantly to protect him from the dark.

Sniffing the delicate blooms with a tiny snort, he sat up and ran his gentle fingertips over their silky petals. He was fascinated, entranced by their simple elegance. How could something as plain as weeds one day grow to become a breathtaking garden? A laugh escaped him in remembrance of a story Kagome once told him of a hideous little duckling that turned into a beautiful swan. Smiling quietly in wonderment, one hand slowly raked through their tangled stems, careful not to damage them. His other hand loosely clutched his mothers two flower bouquet, holding the special blooms against his chest in a show of protection. So absorbed he was in observing their beauty, he didn't even notice the way the birds fell dead silent in terror, leaving only the sound of his childish giggles to fill the empty air.

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Kagome touched down on the ground softly, still somewhat suspended in the air by the swirling pink tendrils of the well's magic. Her bag lay still on the ground beside her, its contents straining against the tightly secured pocket buckles. She hefted her bottomless bag with a quiet grunt, taking a moment to safely balance the weight of her pack by countering it with her own. "Hello," she called to the circlet of blue sky above her, slightly confused when no one admitted a response. Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she wove her fingers into the vines growing up the well's interior and began to hoist her body upward.

When she reached the top, she halfheartedly shoved her bag over the lip of the well, watching as it rolled sluggishly for a moment before coming to a stop a few feet away. Swinging her legs over as well, she dropped top the ground and looked about herself in apprehension. The midday sky was crisp blue above her, the sun hanging plainly in sight. The trees were flourishing beautifully in the late summer weather, just the slightest highlights of orange and brown on the leaves to hint at the fast approaching autumn. Everything looked completely normal. And yet...

Something was very wrong.

The absence of Inuyasha wasn't a huge surprise, really. He had calmed down somewhat about her infrequent absences, realizing that she was just as eager to return to the past as he was. Though still noticeably irritable toward the rest of their friends in her absence, Inuyasha had finally managed to acquire the ability of showing patience. He usually spent his time helping Miroku with odd jobs or teaching Shippou to fight while she was gone, rather than waiting around at the well all day.

It was the absence of her adopted son, Shippou, that managed to strike her as odd. Over the past four years of their journey, Shippou had grown quite attached to her, and she to him. He had even gone so far as to refer to her as 'Mama' on a daily basis, something that both filled her with a surge of maternal pride and caused a stab of pain to shoot through her heart at the memory of his cruel orphaning.

Usually, Kagome returned to find him fidgeting restlessly on the rim of the well. Now that the quest for the jewel shards was nearly over, he seemed to think that any time she jumped through the well to visit her family and stock up on supplies, she might never return to him. Time and time again, she had been pummeled by his small form when she climbed out of the well, Shippou nearly in tears because he was so overwhelmed with doubt of her return. Many times, she had taken him on private walks, just him and her, to explain to him that she would never leave without saying goodbye. She was very careful not to promise that she would never leave him because she knew very well that it was hardly her choice on whether or not the well would continue to work its magic. Gods, even promising to never leave without saying goodbye may turn out to be a promise she couldn't keep. Her destiny was not in her hands.

Her heart quickened in an instant and her mind raced as she imagined the possibilities. Was there a demon attack on Kaede's village? Had any of her friends come to harm? Shaking her head firmly, she silently reasoned with herself. She would just go back to the village and see for herself. It was as simple as that. Perhaps Shippou had gotten caught up in a game with the village children as he was wont to do. But even though her mind quieted at the thought, her instinct to protect her young was pumping adrenaline through her veins and sending her heart into unsteady palpitations.

She concentrated hard, reaching out with her miko powers to sense any demons in the area. Having been around her companions for so long, she had learned the difference in feeling between demons. She had practically memorized the feeling of her companions. She felt Inuyasha and Kirara in the village somewhere around Kaede's hut, but try as she might she found no traces of Shippou. Extending her reaches to the forest around her, she looked for signs of him among the many blips of lesser demons. Finally she caught a sign of him, somewhere in the opposite direction of the village about a fifteen minute jog away. Without a second thought, she grabbed her bag and bolted through the forest without pause, her only guide on her trip being her blind intuition and the hope that Shippou hadn't come to harm.

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Sesshoumaru patrolled the forest aimlessly, his feet floating soundlessly over the mossy floor. Everything was completely silent, as even the birds feared his blank stare; a look that showed absolutely no emotion, but still managed to make most recoil from his form in paralyzing fear. His eyes narrowed at the thought of their weakness, their inability to stand up to a threat. He felt no remorse for such cowards. They were undeniably beneath him.

He had left his charges a ways away from him, leaving Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un with the order to catch themselves some dinner in the river beside their temporary encampment. He had opted not to stick around to watch them fish, wanting much rather to have some time to himself. It wasn't very often that he could indulge in silence anymore. From the moment he had taken Rin in as his charge, she had constantly filled the air with her child's chatter. Her happiness amused him, filled him with a small feeling of contentment. Though he would never admit it aloud, he had come to care for the human child as if she were his own.

Jaken, on the other hand, was disposable at best. Though his loyalty was something to be admired, his cowardice proved to be a very large shortcoming. He was practically useless in battle, not that Sesshoumaru had any need for his assistance, and also had the tendency run in the face of danger. Jaken was much more suited to stay in the estate and deal with political matters. The only reason he was still allowed to come on his patrols was to keep an eye on Rin and serve as her companion in his absence.

Sesshoumaru sniffed the air suspiciously, searching for any traces of nearby demons. To his mild surprise, he detected two, one circling the other, along with the scent of a miko, quickly approaching the pair. It seemed to be a game of cat and mouse between the two demons, but the presence of a miko made absolutely no sense. His curiosity piqued, he turned to face their direction and began walking toward them at a leisurely pace.

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Shippou stood frozen amongst the flowers, looking up into the red eyes of a blood lusting bear demon. He clutched his mother's flowers close to him, willing his legs to move, to carry him away from there, but they refused to respond. The demon stalked closer, circling him in amusement. It let out a low growl, a guttural sound that caused Shippou fur to stand on end. The bear swiped at the air with his claws, a message of warning to the small fox kit. Bristling in hostility, it continued its threatening advance.

His brain wouldn't work, refusing to fully register the danger he was in. Shippou managed to take a few terrified steps back, a small whimper escaping him. He should have never gone out into the forest by himself. He should have waited by the well where he was safe. He couldn't protect himself, that much he knew. His mind screamed for Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, anyone, but his voice didn't make a sound. Growing tired of his own game, the bear demon threw himself forward, claws extended. The fight was over in a manner of seconds.

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Kagome's breathing was extremely labored as she neared Shippou's location. Never in her life had she ever run this fast. A painful stitch had formed in her left side, causing her to flinch in pain with each step she took. Her eyes were filled with tears, a sense of foreboding enveloping her as she picked up on a demon in close proximity to her adopted son. He was being hunted. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she forced herself to move faster. Shippou wasn't more than two minutes away.

She flew past the trees in a blur, collecting scratches from the branches that happened to be in her way. Her clothing was covered in dirt and sweat, an unpleasant combination that made her clothing stick painfully to her skin. Her backpack felt heavier than ever, but was no hindrance to her because she was running on pure adrenaline. Her mind barely registered the ache in her shoulders from its unbelievable weight.

When she finally reached the clearing, her heart stopped cold. Her pack slid off her shoulders unnoticed, landing harmlessly on the ground beside her. Kagome felt light, as if a simple touch could knock her out cold. Her eyes began to roll back into her head, but she forced them open, forced them to take in the sight before her. There in the clearing, she saw her son lying atop a beautiful flower bed.

Covered in his own blood.

Her mind spring back into action, she ran forward without hesitation, falling to her knees beside him. With violently tremulous hands, she carefully lifted his broken body into her arms. His beautiful green eyes were already glazed, forever witnessing a nightmare that only he could see. A deep gash decorated his forehead, a steady stream of blood flowing thickly down his pale cheek. His lips formed a prefect O, a silent scream that no one could hear.

Her hands fisted reflexively in the back of his shirt, bright red blood oozing from between her fingers. His clothes had been reduced to shreds, ribbons of blood soaked cloth hanging from his small frame. Holding him with one hand, she tore a piece of fabric off of her shirt sleeve. Bringing it to his face, she watched in morbid fascination as the white fabric turned completely red in a manner of seconds. Her mind was completely numb. Comprehension was entirely beyond her. She felt her mouth moving silently, forming the syllables of his name over and over in a silent mantra. Never had she ever felt so dead.

It was then that the tears finally came. Three small beads of salty liquid rolled slowly down her face, landing with a small plop on his bright red hair. A tiny whimper escaped her as she finally realized what this meant. Her son was dead. She had failed. Tearless sobs shook her thin frame, her eyes shut tightly against the sight of his mangled body. For once in her life, she felt no hope for the future. For once in her life, she knew what it was like to want to die. Not that she could. She didn't deserve such a release. Not after this. Not after she had allowed harm to befall the one person she had vowed to always protect.

Her head snapped upward at the sound of rustling coming from the trees in front of her. Fear filled her senses, and she clutched her son close to her in apprehension. Sesshoumaru emerged from the forest with a flourish, gracefully coming to a stop a few feet in front of her. His eyes swept over the scene in a few quick seconds, and he immediately knew what had happened. His half-brother's miko had failed to protect her son. She looked at him warily, watching his long silver hair float soundlessly about him. His golden eyes were fixed on her intently. He knew.

Slowly, she brought herself to her feet, Shippou still held protectively against her blood soaked chest. Bringing herself to full height, she matched his stare with equal intensity, though inwardly she felt ready to collapse. "You failed, miko." His deep voice rang with certainty, and her defenses crumbled just slightly. The truth hurt more than any lie ever could. "I did," she acknowledged, despair clear in her wavering voice. Another tear threatened to spill onto her cheeks, but she forced it back. She would not allow Sesshoumaru to see her break down.

Sesshoumaru watched as she struggled to appear strong in the face of her adopted son's death. Over time, he had slowly come to respect the young miko. She was one of the few beings he knew that was able to stand up to him, to treat him as an equal. As much as he hated to admit it, she was indeed very much his equal. Not very many people, if any at all, could claim that they had the same standing with him. His respect was not easily gained. This girl, this Kagome, had been the first one to seek out an actual conversation with him, excluding Rin, of course. She hadn't challenged him to a battle, nor had she initiated an insult match. She had merely walked over to stand beside him and began asking him about his day. It hadn't been a terribly interesting conversation, and neither of them had walked away with any life changing information about the other, but it was a conversation he would always remember. After all, her optimistic views were not easily forgotten.

It had been a day quite a few months ago when he and his companions had run into their ragtag group of friends. He had been curious as to how soon they would be heading after Naraku again, and had opted to go straight to them and ask them straight out, rather than trail along behind in the shadows and wait for something to happen. He had come to them with an alliance proposal, offering his assistance in the battle against Naraku. Now, usually, alliances weren't his style, but the moment Naraku had threatened Rin, he had been forced to make a decision. Either go after Naraku and kill him himself, which even he had to admit was unlikely, or he had to team up with the people who had been fighting him all along. He eventually decided on the latter. It was said that the only way for Naraku to be defeated was for Kagome to purify him herself. If that was the case, then he would make it his personal duty to see that she got the chance.

Upon meeting up with their group, his foolish half brother had immediately gone into attack mode, swearing and throwing his sword around without grace. He remembered how much restraint it had taken not to kill him on the spot for making such a fool of himself. In an instant, the hanyou had gone crashing into the ground face first by way of a subduing spell on the mike's part. She had berated him for his unwarranted attack, plastered a friendly smile on her face, walked right up to him, and asked him how his day was. The conversation didn't get very far, what with his short responses and his half brother's unending strings of curses in the background, but it had been pleasant enough. When the spell finally wore off, he approached Inuyasha with his proposal, which had been grudgingly accepted, and left without a second glance.

Looking at the miko now, he felt the slightest touch of compassion toward her plight. He had seen firsthand how much she had loved her young charge, how much the fox kit had adored her. It seemed almost unfair that she was to be left alone, all because she had arrived just a second too late. Yes, perhaps it was her fault for leaving the boy by himself, but death didn't sound to him like the proper justice. Thoughts of his own charge came to mind. Had he not left Rin with others on many occasions? In fact, at that exact moment, Rin was separated from him, down at the river catching fish. Surely, it wouldn't be fair if death befell her.

With his decision made, he reached his hand toward the hilt of his father's sword, Tenseiga. The sword with the power to bring life to 100 fallen men in one swing. He watched the way her eyes went completely round, a look of relief threatening to overtake her features. "Sesshoumaru." His name fell from her lips quietly, a plea of desperation, of help, of trust. He gave her a slight nod, unsheathing his sword and holding it up in front of him in one slow motion. Dazedly, she lowered her son to the ground, taking a few safe steps backwards. He walked toward the mangled kit, coming to a stop just inches from his broken body, and sliced his father's sword through his body in an even stroke.

The boy came to life with a ragged gasp of air. Rolling onto his side with closed eyes, he curled his body up to retain warmth, wrapped in his tail in a silent slumber. He backed up once again, watching the mike's still dazed expression fall from her face. She broke her eyes away from her son's breathing body, looking straight into Sesshumaru's eyes with overwhelming gratitude. A small smile formed on her face as one last tear trickled down her face. "Thank you. I am forever in your debt." He gave a small grunt in question, raising an eyebrow at the thought of her being indebted to him. He didn't like it.

"We are...friends, are we not?" His words surprised even him, but he controlled his expression with ease. Astonishment, confusion, and even a hint of happiness, flashed over Kagome's face. Friends with Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands. It was an interesting thought. "Yes, I suppose we are." Her smile grew wider, her eyes still locked on his as she retrieved her sleeping kit and held him gently in her arms. "And friends. Friends help friends, no?" Kagome raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out his logic. "Yes, friends help each other all the time." He seemed satisfied with her answer, a ghost of a smile appearing on his porcelain face. "There is no debt between friends." His voice held a tone of finality. Her confusion was evident on her face as she replied. "I don't understand."

Sesshoumaru, turned away from her with a flourish, effectively ending the conversation. He threw her an emotionless glance over his shoulder. "His life is in your hands now. You will not fail again. I will return in a week's time with any information I have on Naraku's whereabouts. Until then." She watched as he disappeared into the forest, her emotions out of control. She planted a soft kiss on Shippou forehead where the gash had once been, the only reminder of its presence being the dried blood covering every inch of both him and herself.

Feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion, she collapsed onto the ground, careful not to jostle her sleeping son. She sat in silence for a moment, listening contentedly to the sound of his even breathing. He was breathing. He was safe. Everything was going to be okay. For a long time she sat there with him lying safely in her lap, reveling in the fact that Shippou was okay. 'Friends' or not, one day she would repay Sesshoumaru for saving his life. His action was by far the kindest thing that anyone had ever done for her, without a doubt, and that would not go unrepaid.

Kagome was broken from her reverie when Shippou began fidgeting in her arms. She watched his bright green eyes blink open, his expression confused and slightly frightened. "Mama?" His voice was thick with sleep, and a tiny laugh escaped her at the sound of her title. "Hey, Shippou," she said, her voice cracking a bit in relief. He tilted his head at her from his place in her arms, snuggling closer to her warm body. "I'm not dead?" She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, lightly pressing her lips against his bright red hair. "No. He saved you." A watery smile formed on her face and she silently thanked him again in her head. Her answer only served to confuse him even more, his head hurting from trying to piece together what had happened. "Who?" Kagome looked toward the trees, where Sesshoumaru had left, remembering his pledge of friendship. "Sesshoumaru," she answered simply, eyes never leaving the trees.

It was that very moment, the very instant that Kagome spoke his name, that Shippou finally realized what Kagome had been trying to tell him all along. Everyone, even Sesshoumaru, possessed beauty of the soul.

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A/N: Hey, guys. Hope you're enjoying it so far. The idea sort of popped into my head last night and I stayed up most of the night typing this up. This is the first of many chapters, though I'm not quite sure what direction I want this story to take. I am an avid Kagome/Sesshoumaru, so expect some of that. I know that Shippou seems to have a really deep way of thinking about him, but I've always imagined that somewhere underneath all that fur and cuteness that there is a very subtly intelligent young boy who knows much more than he lets on. Read and review. Let me know what you think. This is my first ever fanfic, so I'm pretty open to constructive criticism and the like. I'll probably upload the next chapter within the next week. So long for now!

Oh, and...Disclaimer: I own nothing.