Shippo

The sunlight blared through the trees, shedding dappled light onto the path that wound through the forest. It was a beautiful spring day as a young village man walked at a steady pace, a load of fresh firewood perched on his back. He smiled a small smile at the peaceful woods around him.

SNAP.

The villager spun his head towards the sudden noise to his left. Tightening his hold on his cargo, he quickened his pace slightly. Laughing to himself nervously, he mentally chasticized himself for being such a chicken. It's only a small forest creature.

SNAP!

The sound was closer this time. The villager didn't spare the forest a look, but instead quickened his pace even farther. He was almost running now as his sandals beat down on the dirt path. He could feel a cold sweat developing on his forehead despite his best efforts to remain calm. Mental images of terrible demons with blood soaked claws and teeth filled his mind.

When the bright blue sky above him turned into an inky black, the young man felt a scream escape his throat. Suddenly, what he assumed was a demon began to appear directly in front of him from a swirling vortex of demonic energy. The villager's eyes widened as he lost his footing and fell backwards. Slamming hard onto the load of wood that was on his back, the man instantly detached his cargo and ran off screaming down the path.

"Please don't kill me! Ahhhhh!" The young man quickly vanished into the distance without looking back. The moment he was out of sight, the sky instantly cleared and in the place of a horrible looking demon was a small fox child with blazing orange hair and bright green eyes. A large grin grew on his face as a piece of paper appeared in front of him.

"Yes! Up to 12th already!" Shippo cheered and spun in a circle with his newest achievement held tightly in his little paw.

"Wow! Is that true Shippo? Twelfth already?"

"Shippo! Congratulations"

"Yaaay, Shippo!"

A weasel, raccoon, and squirrel demon appeared seemingly from thin air to congratulate their friend. Shippo simply nodded his thanks and stared at the paper once more. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Shippo was on his way. Changing himself into a very convincing bird, the young fox demon made his way through the skies. I can't wait to show Kaede and the others!

As he flew away from the kitsune academy and towards the village that had changed his life, Shippo couldn't help but feel a little sad. The one person who I REALLY want to show this to isn't here anymore.

Shippo remembered waiting for three days for his favorite person in the world to return. He was almost sick with worry for her safety. He knew that Inuyasha wouldn't let any harm befall her, but that didn't mean that he didn't want her with him instead. Stupid Inuyasha!

He remembered being angry. Angry that Inuyasha was the one who got to rescue Kagome and he couldn't even help, not even a little! It was so unfair! Just because he was little, everyone thought he was worthless.

Everyone but Kagome. She knew that he was destined for great things. So when the well finally reappeared and Inuyasha was the only one to come out in a pillar of light, Shippo felt so angry and sad that he couldn't stop the tears that flowed down his face. And when Inuyasha simply muttered, "She is safe", Shippo felt his heart break and he wanted nothing more than to beat up the hanyou for losing his surrogate mother.

The only thing that stopped his tongue from yelling until he lost his voice was the look on the hanyou's face. Shippo had never seen Inuyasha look so downtrodden. His eyes were dull and lifeless and instead of holding his head high and arrogant, his eyes were downcast and face was twisted into the deepest frown Shippo had ever seen. His white ears were droopy and his arms hung weakly at his sides. Without another word, the hanyou simply walked past Shippo, Miroku, and Sango and headed towards the forest.

Shippo was pulled back into the present as he descended on the human village that had grown to be like a home to him, as well as his other friends. It was hard to find humans that accepted demons, let alone an entire village of them. As the young fox demon made his descent, he noticed Kaede and Inuyasha talking on the outskirts of the village. Kaede was knuckle deep in dirt while Inuyasha simply watched, perched on the wooden fence nearby.

Inuyasha. The familiar hatred churned in his gut, but it was only a mild annoyance by now. It had taken the fox demon almost a year to get over his extreme hatred of the hanyou. He blamed him for losing Kagome and for the possibility of never getting to see his foster mother ever again. Now, though, he realized that Inuyasha was only doing what was right. Through eavesdropping, he had learned that Kagome was left with her family and friends, other people that loved her. But I love her too. Why did she have to be taken away from me?

Shippo caught the tail end of Inuyasha and Kaede's conversation as he made his final descent.

"…not the only person Kagome is important to after all," he heard Inuyasha mutter, his eyes averted towards the sun that was close to setting on the horizon. The dark orange color reflected over the water in the many rice patty fields. Shippo sighed in happiness as he quietly landed behind Kaede. I'm home…

"Inuyasha. When did you become so wise?" Kaede continued her conversation, seemingly not noticing Shippo, which brought a smile to his face. He had become much better at kitsune magic, and he was able to escape and hide very efficiently now. He decided to make his presence known.

"I know," the young fox demon said cheerily, trying to get a rise from Inuyasha. The hanyou simply stared at him, a deathly look in his eyes.

"Shippo," Kaede stated, greeting the young demon. He could hear the amusement in her voice, and he decided to push Inuyasha further. He still enjoyed tormenting Inuyasha. His mind searched for something else to tease the dog with.

He remembered his most recent spying expedition and how he had tracked Inuyasha all the way to the old well. The well that had stolen Kagome away from him. He watched from a distance as Inuyasha jumped into the well. Shippo held his breath as Inuyasha vanished into the depths of the well. He found himself praying to every kitsune god that he could think of that Inuyasha would be able to cross through the well and bring Kagome back. Tears came to his emerald eyes when Inuyasha hopped back out of the well alone.

Inuyasha stood by the side of well before collapsing to his knees beside it. Shippo's breath caught in his throat as the sun reflected off of the tears that wound their way down the hanyou's face. He quietly snuck away, not wanting Inuyasha to pound him for witnessing such a display of weakness. Shippo continued to spy on the hanyou and learned that he visited the well every three days, without fail.

"Inuyasha, you've been going to the well once every three days, haven't you?" Shippo let the information slip, a mischievous smile growing on his face. He watched as Inuyasha's face changed into a deep shade of red and a growl escaped his lips. Before he could begin to run, Inuyasha was upon him and had him by the tail. Shippo saw the dangerous glint in the hanyou's eyes, and he decided not to reveal the more intimate parts of what he witnessed.

He braced himself as he felt Inuyasha's arm muscles tense up. He struggled to free himself as Inuyasha wound up and chucked him out over the forest that surrounded the village.

"Once every three days? What amazing tenacity," he heard Kaede say as he flew through the air, traveling a good distance before transforming himself into a bird once more. Stupid Inuyasha…

He pictured what would happen if Kagome were there. He smiled in satisfaction as he imagined Kagome shouting out "SIT!" multiple times as Inuyasha's body was slammed into the ground mercilessly. He snickered at Inuyasha's expense as he circled through the air, admiring the village beneath him. He missed her saying that word and punishing Inuyasha. He missed her, period.

The kitsune circled through the air for a few hours, testing the duration and strength of his transformation. The three years of kitsune training had done him wonders. He could now transform into almost anything, and all without his tail showing! Shippo finally landed, simultaneous turning back into his fox form as he hit the ground.

A smile lit on his face when he thought of Kagome once more. He could picture her kind smile and proud eyes as he told her about how he had become a much better demon. He could see her clapping gleefully as he flawlessly changed into many different forms for her. Shippo could see her warm hazel eyes staring at him, could remember the feel of her arms around his small frame. He desired to perch on her slender shoulders and hide within her ebony locks once more.

He could feel tears building in his eyes once more, and he hastily wiped them away with the back of his paw. Kagome isn't here to wipe away my tears anymore, so I will have to do it myself. A sense of pride built in the small demon as he thought about how grown up he had become. He thought about how proud Kagome would be. And he thought, for the millionth time in the past three years, how much he missed her.

Shippo found himself where he usually resided when he came home: at Sango and Miroku's, watching with satisfaction as their children picked on Inuyasha mercilessly. He snickered and waited diligently for the hanyou to snap and hurt one of the little girls on accident, which would result in Miroku and Sango beating him. Shippo could clearly see it in his mind: Sango whacking Inuyasha across the head with her Hirakotsu while Miroku sutraed Inuyasha in place. The fox demon's green eyes sparkled at the mere thought.

So far, Inuyasha hadn't done anything but growl lowly and complain. It shocked Shippo how grown up the hanyou had become. He was much different from how he used to be. The smile dropped from Shippo's face as he thought of the reason behind the hanyou's more somber personality. Kagome had been gone for three whole years now, and as much as the fox demon hated to admit it, Inuyasha was taking Kagome's disappearance the hardest.

But, Inuyasha had changed even before that. Kagome had done that as well. Shippo remembered first meeting Inuyasha, and how rash, rude, and cruel he was. He didn't seem to care about anyone, not even Kagome. The kitsune had watched as Kagome healed Inuyasha's heart and he had watched as Inuyasha and Kagome grew to love one another. They thought he was just a stupid kid that didn't notice anything, but how could anyone miss that look that she got in her eyes when she was looking at him? Or the furiousness with which Inuyasha fought to protect the miko, putting his life on the line time after time to save hers.

"Doggy! Doggy! Doggy!" Shippo trained his attention back to the humorous scene before him. The twin girls were scaling the dog demon like he was mountain, pulling on his clothing and his rosary necklace. The fox demon shook his head in mock shame at the predicament that Inuyasha had gotten himself into.

"You're a toy," he said aloud, hearing the growl that Inuyasha was admitting grow a fraction louder and deeper. He doubted the humans detected the subtle change. It was so easy to anger Inuyasha! And Shippo enjoyed it every time.

"Hey, do something about the twins," Inuyasha grumbled, not really entirely paying attention to what the two small girls were doing to him. His gaze was somewhere off in the distance, like it had been ever since Kagome left.

"Not the ears kids," Miroku yelled over his shoulder while hanging a blanket on the laundry line. Shippo remembered how Kagome had shown them all how to make a laundry line. It was simply a branched tree limb stuck into one end of the ground with twine that tied from the ends of the two branches to the side of the hut. It definitely beat hanging clothing in the trees. It was just one more piece of evidence that Kagome had forever impacted their lives.

Of course, the moment that Miroku told his children not to go for Inuyasha's ears, that is exactly what they decided to tug on next. Shippo laughed at Inuyasha's misfortune once more.

"Sorry Inuyasha," Sango said, also hanging clothing on the line to dry. Her voice sounded a little more concerned than Miroku's. A little, but not much more. Shippo listened to the small baby coo on the demon slayer's back. The newest member of our pack…

Suddenly, Inuyasha's back straightened. Shippo was immediately at attention, his green eyes locked onto Inuyasha. He watching intently as Inuyasha's nose twitched. His ears pointed in a direction that Shippo knew very well. It was the direction of the object that brought him the most special person in the world. It was the direction where the woman who had saved his life came from.

Inuyasha was focused in the direction of the well.

Shippo opened his lips to say something, but Inuyasha held the twins in one hand above him. A cold sweat ran down Shippo's back. It was a sign that he had come to learn was his sixth sense telling him that danger was approaching.

"Go slay the kitsune," was all that Inuyasha said.

"Slay!"

"Shippo!"

His sense was right. Shippo couldn't get out of the way fast enough as two young children landed roughly on top of him. It wasn't a high enough drop to hurt the children or him, but Shippo was peeved all the same.

"Hey Inuyasha! What is this all of a sudden?" Shippo demanded angrily, glaring at Inuyasha. The half demon was ignoring him, staring intently in the same direction as before. Shippo's breath caught in his throat. Could it be?

Before anyone could question him, Inuyasha was gone. Shippo hadn't seen him run that fast in a long time. Not since…not since…Kagome. The kitsune's heart was suddenly beating almost too fast to bear. He paid no attention to the two giggling girls that were in a pile on top of him, pulling his fur and clothing in an attempt to 'slay' him.

Shippo tore his eyes away from the direction that Inuyasha had run in as he felt the weight of the twins being lifted off of him. He watched quietly as Sango hurriedly finished hanging the rest of the clothing and she made sure their newest baby was secured tightly on her back. Miroku held a twin in each arm. With a nod to one another, Miroku and Sango headed in the direction that Inuyasha had headed. Shippo leaped and landed on Miroku's shoulder in one easy bound.

No one said a thing as they headed down a path that none of them had used in three years. It was still so familiar. Shippo remembered racing down this very path dozens of times to greet Kagome when she came back from that world of hers. She usually had candy or treats for him, but he was mostly just glad to just see her, especially when that jerk Inuyasha made her mad and Shippo didn't know if she would ever come back.

He could feel everyone start to slow down as they approached the hill that would lead them to the final leg of their journey. Shippo squinted, but he couldn't see the well over the rise of the hill. He held his breath as Miroku took the final few steps and the well came into view. He heard that the two adult humans were holding their breaths as well.

In front of him was a sight that he had dreamed of seeing for three years. Well, with him in Kagome's arms, not that stupid Inuyasha! Shippo's jaw dropped from shock all the same. The young kitsune finally found his voice.

"Ka-" was all he managed to get out, his voice suddenly dying. He pointed with one paw at the young woman in front of him, making sure that the others were seeing her as well. He watching as she turned in Inuyasha's arms and faced their little welcoming group. For a moment, Shippo found himself transported back to the past, when they were on their journey to eliminate Naraku. He saw them all greeting Kagome as she returned, Inuyasha carrying her large yellow bag of goodies and medical supplies. The yellow bag wasn't with her, but Shippo didn't care.

"Kagome!" Sango finally managed to shout her friend's name. Shippo glanced at the slayer and noticed that the look of shock that was probably on his face was mirrored on Sango and Miroku's faces as well.

The young kitsune thought that no moment in time had ever been more perfect than this one right now. He saw the tears begin to grow in Kagome's eyes as Inuyasha kept an arm firmly wrapped around the young miko. She looked the same as Shippo remembered her, only her hair was a tad longer and she wasn't wearing her usual green and white, short kimono.

But it was Kagome. His Kagome. Their group was finally united. Shippo thought of all the new kitsune tricks that he had waiting forever to show Kagome and a small smile grew on his face.

"Miroku, Sango, Shippo. I'm back." Kagome stated simply, her voice like music to Shippo's ears and infinitely more beautiful than anything he could remember. He launched himself from Miroku's shoulder and made a beeline for Kagome's arms.

As Kagome caught him in her arms and hugged him to her tightly, he fisted his tiny paws into the soft fabric of her dress and hid his tears and face against her. He only had one thought as he cried and welcomed back his lost mother…

Finally…