Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto
It was just another day. Shippo went ahead to scout every once in a while, but he still couldn't find his way out of this dammed forest. Shirori walked on, and on, always to the east. Each day she hoped to find the edge of the forest, and each day she was disappointed. She was beginning to think that it was futile to hope for the end when Shippo ran back ecstatic. "Shirori, I found it! I found the edge of the forest!" He grabbed her arm and drug her out of the forest. Shirori stoop there in the sun for a full minute before saying anything. "About time! Jeez, it took you long enough," she said mockingly. "Aw shut up! I got us out didn't I?" he shot back. They laughed for a while and then started walking away from that damned forest for a change. After a while, Shirori spoke, "Shippo, I'm hungry. Think we could stop for a while?" "Lets get to that tree up ahead and then we'll stop" he replied. When they got to the tree, she sat down and pulled out their food. That was the one thing the bandits didn't ruin at all, so they had plenty of it. She fixed them each a lunch and they ate in relative silence. After the meal they got up to leave when the heard a voice from the tree. "I hope you enjoyed your last meal boy." Shippo immediately got on the defensive, "who's there?" A man jumped out of the tree and crouched there. "I am called Orochi, and I challenge you to a fight to the death!" Kakashi said calmly, pointing at Shippo. "I don't want to fight anyone," Shippo replied, "can we just leave?" Orochi laughed, "I'm afraid not. You see, I just ran out of supplies and have no money to buy more food. I'm sure your sword and that girl will fetch a fine price. When he mentioned selling Shirori, Shippo's looked changed from one of calm resolve to one of protection with inner rage. "No one talks about my friends as though they were property!" Shippo growled at the man in the tree, "I accept your challenge!" Orochi smiled as he jumped down from the tree, "Good, tell me when you are ready." "I am ready," Shippo said as he pulled out his sword and assumed the special stance his surrogate father had taught him. Shippo was the first to attack, rushing at Orochi with his sword behind him and his body weight leaning forward. Orochi dodged the first attack easily but didn't see the second coming and just barely leaned back in time. He was on his back, in the dirt with the fox demon standing over him, sword to his throat. "It's over," Shippo said. Orochi just grinned maliciously and a flash of light burst from his eyes. Shippo recoiled backward, hands pressed tightly against his face, "You bastard! What the hell was that?!" Orochi just laughed, to Shippo it seemed to be coming from everywhere, drilling itself into his head. Orochi ran up and punched Shippo in the chest. He sensed it to late and couldn't dodge it. Next, Orochi's foot collided with the side of Shippo's neck in a downward motion, forcing him to the ground. Still, all around him was Orochi's laughter, and then the keen and deep voice of his "father" rang through, "What are you doing? GET UP! Are you just going to let this punk beat you and take something you care for? SNAP OUT OF IT!!" and Orochi's laughter was silenced. Orochi hesitated for a moment. What was this disturbance he felt? He rationalized that it was the kit just giving up and waiting to die, so he decide to oblige him. He lifted his leg up to the highest it would go so that it would crush Shippo's skull on its way to the ground. "Time to die, little demon." He brought his leg down onto Shippo's head and found himself against the tree with a clawed hand against his throat. His captor's eyes glowed with a blue flame and his bared fangs were long and sharp. "You are to confident, human." Orochi smiled again, "and you are to assuming, demon." His hand darted up and grabbed a hold of Shippo's arm, pulling it away from his own throat. He slipped out of the choking grasp of the kitsune and dodged out of the way of a counter attack. "You assume that I am just a human bandit, many of which you have dispatched no doubt, but I am not just a normal human. I am what you may call a half-breed, but that doesn't exactly fit either. I have been combined with a snake by means of demon magic and now posses the speed and strength of a serpent demon." He laughed at the confused face on the kitsune. "I see you don't understand, let me show you." He rushed at Shippo with a speed so great; Shirori didn't even see him move. But when she saw the figures, it was Shippo who had the upper-hand. The demon had the man in a precarious position, his sword at Orochi's throat and a claw at his back. "I understand perfectly, what I was confused about was why would any man do that to himself?" Shippo said. Orochi replied with disdain, "I didn't do this to myself willingly. This condition was forced upon me. But since that time I have forgotten who I was and embraced my new power." In an instant he had gotten out of the position he was in and was on the other side of the clearing. "And now I see I will have to use a weapon against you, demon. You should feel honored, not everyone sees my sword unsheathed." Orochi said as he reached to his back and unsheathed a katana with an unusually long handle in the shape of a dragon. He rushed at Shippo and sliced into his midriff. Shippo dodged just in time to avoid a fatal wound but still became wounded in the process. He was getting tired; he had to end this quickly. It was very dishonorable, but Shippo had but one choice. He focused all the fire he had left into Orochi's blade. It glowed for a while before exploding, spraying shrapnel into Orochi's body and puncturing vital organs. Orochi stood for a while longer before collapsing on the ground. Exhausted, Shippo collapsed right after Orochi and passed out…