Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all rights to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

*Chapter Seven

It was another morning, that was as quiet as death itself. The sun still shone in a light blue sky, as if everything was as it always was, but though there was light, the world was still shrouded in darkness. Inuyasha set outside, in the branches of a tree, that was near the water tower. The hanyou had begun to grow anxious, he was never one to enjoy being cooped up, and the makeshift bunker had become much more crowded in recent weeks. Not that he didn't feel safer in a larger group, but had they been hold up in a bigger place, he wouldn't have become so tense. It seemed like it would be another typical day, the occasional undead would amble through, and the emptiness would linger on. It wasn't until a shot rang out and the sound of a child's scream pierced the air, full of fear and heartache. It struck a cord with him instantly and he had to locate the child, before harm came to him.

Koga could see Kagome flinch when the childlike cry cut through the silence, she didn't even come close to hitting the target with the hunting knife. "Oh, I can't stand that sound. You should go look for the kid..." The wolf youkai rolled his eyes at her suggestion, the girl cared too much for her own good, and would wind up heart broken if she couldn't harden her heart. "We can't go saving everyone, Kagome. You have got to learn when it's best to walk away." The naive girl didn't agree with Koga's harsh and uncaring opinions, she just couldn't hold her tongue to appease him this time. "But that is someone's child. You wouldn't leave your child out there like that." She regretted her words the moment they passed through her lips, she could see him wince, and the hurt return to his eyes. "You are still such a foolish girl, so careless." Inuyasha leapt down from the branches, landing in the grass with minimal sound, but Koga reacted to it none-the-less, so he questioned him. "Where are you off to?" Inuyasha spared a glance over his shoulder, there was determination in his golden eyes. "I have to find where that scream came from, that kid needs help."

Inuyasha then made his way into the woods, Kagome only hesitated for a mere few moments, before she moved to follow after the hanyou. Koga rolled his eyes, more for himself than anyone else, he couldn't understand how he got stuck with a group of people who were all so foolishly compassionate. If they were determined to go on a crazy rescue mission, there had to be someone in their right mind within the party, so he slowly trailed behind. Both hanyou and youkai could smell the scent of blood, that of another youkai, it hung in the air subtly, so they followed it. The sun spilled though the branches, it brought an eerie glow to the surrounding, as the wind rustled through the dying leaves and bare limbs. The scent of death grew stronger as the three came across the body of a fox demon, cause of death, a gun shot wound to the head. There was no child to be seen within the immediate area, either he had run off, or one of the undead had made a meal out of him.

Koga couldn't help but to be relieved, the last thing the group needed was a young child to slow them down. "Doesn't look like the kid stuck around. We should head back to the tower and just forget about him." The frown on Inuyasha's face only deepened, he couldn't give up sp easily, when a young life was on the line. "We should split up and at least look around for a few minutes, we have plenty of time to spare. I'll go with Kagome and check the west and south, you can check the north, and we'll meet back here. Okay?" The wolf youkai wanted to tell him to piss off, that he was not going to bother in some stupid search, and that he was going back. He would have to, he didn't care if people thought him cruel, but the look in the hanyou's eyes, kept him from doing so. "Whatever. You know this is a stupid idea." The party then split in two, walking in seperate directions, in search of a young boy, who may have just lost his father.

Kagome walked beside her white haired companion, she watched as the hanyou sniffed the air, as he tried to locate the scent of a fox kit. "Koga doesn't want to be looking for this little boy, he thinks a young child would be a safety risk. He probably isn't even looking for him, just sitting somewhere waiting for us to return." Inuyasha had to admit that the ex soldier could be a bit moody and cantankerous, but there was a warm heart buried beneath that disguise. "No. He's looking, there's no way he could really ignore a child, he just can't."

A young boy watched the dark haired man, as he searched the forest, he appeared to be looking for someone. He brushed aside his auburn hair, his teal eyes locked on the wolf youkai, he needed help, and this may have been his only chance at survival. He darted from the bushes and towards the man in the tattered uniform, he couldn't deny the small boy help. Clear blue eyes saw that child that moved forward, but he was still taken by surprise when the fox kit practically wrapped himself around the soldier's leg. "Get off of me runt. Let go this instant." The boy looked up at him with his tear filled teal orbs, tears that threatened to fall within any second. The child wasn't beyond begging, anything was better than being left on his own. "Please don't leave me all alone, I'll listen to everything you tell me, I'll be good." The youkai could feel the panic as it swelled, he did not have any desire to be responsible for another child, he couldn't bear to let a young boy down again. "Just remove yourself, release me." The fox kit only tightened his hold on the strangers leg, afraid of being left on his own, with no one but his eternally cold father.

He had to get the man to accept him, there were dangers around every corner, he needed protection, and this man could offer as much. "My name is Shippo, I'm seven years old, my dad was bitten, so he put a stop to turning, and I'm so scared. Please help me, mister, I'll listen to anything you say, other than let go." Koga groaned in displeasure, why he kept getting saddled with the helpless, he didn't know, but he wasn't about to stand around while a whiney little brat, sent out high pitched signals to the undead. He grumbled, more to himself than the child that clutched onto him for dear life, he turned back towards the clearing, while he dragged his leg and Shippo along. "Just shut the hell up, would ya?" The kitsune nodded his head, all sounds were silenced, but the hold remained.

The wolf youkai stood amongst the trees, impatiently tapping his foot on the leaf covered forest floor, while he waited for the others to return. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps as they approached, the sound was rhythmic, unlike the walking dead, which always had a more clumsy and aimless sound. Inuyasha and Kagome broke through the tree line and quickly sensed the wolf's aggitated stare on them. "Get this tiny thing off of me, before I lose my damn temper." Kagome's kind brown eyes landed on the young boy, he gazed at her with fear, while he remained clinging to the man who found him. "Oh Koga, you found him. That's great." She slowly made her way over to them, before she lowered herself to the boy's level. "Hi sweetheart. I'm Kagome. What's your name?" The death grip he had on the soldiers uniform, loosened slightly, he was being drawn in by Kagome's gentle nature. "I'm Shippo, I'm seven years old, and I just lost my father. Will you please help me?"

Koga growled his response, he knew it was a bad idea to even entertain the notion of taking the responsibility of a child in their current surroundings. The motherly Kagome, somehow managed to pry the child from the youkai's leg, as the boy now had his arms wrapped around her instead. "You all know as well as I do, that caring for children during this outbreak, is a foolish and careless idea." The hanyou knew that a child is hard to keep quiet, as they react honestly to fear and pain, but there was really no other choice. "That may be, but we can't really leave him out here to fend for himself, he's just a young boy. They can't even care for themselves when things are relatively peaceful, he'll be killed if we just abandon him. I can't live with that on my conscience. Can you?" A bitter smile was on his face then, he stayed quiet, as he built another wall between himself and the others. "Do whatever you want, Inuyasha, but that kit is your responsibility, not mine." He turned then and stalked back towards the tower, hell bent on keeping his feelings to himself and bonding with no one.

Shippo was huddled into a sleeping bag, the water tower was crowded, but this added a cozy atmosphere to the bare wooden space. The kitsune's clear teal blue eyes took in the faces of the people that surrounded him, the women of the group all looked kind, the teenager appeared as tense as he felt, but only one of the males, still seemed warm and kind, the human one. He decided then, that he would try to get on his good side, so he began the task of inching his way closer to the man. It didn't take long for the auburn haired boy, to sidle up next to the injured farmer, and stare up at him tentatively. Miroku finally spared the boy a kind glance, with softened indigo eyes, and offered him a gentle smile. He ruffled the foxes fluffy red hair with a light hand, tousling his hair in a fatherly manner, which only lead to tears springing into the wide and innocent eyes of the child.

"Awe now child, dry those tears. You're safe here, don't go getting yourself all upset, won't do you any good." The wide eyes remained on the man who offered words of solace, the one who reminded him of a kindhearted father, one that sounded like his did. In that instant, Shippo threw his arms around Miroku's waist, which sent a searing pain up the farmer's torso. He grimaced slightly, but said nothing to the boy, as he seemed to need the contact, for he desperately clung to a stranger as though they were long lost kin. It was that moment that lead the kitsune into taking a sudden shining to the mortal man, he felt familiar, like the father he had to leave behind, and he felt safe beside him. The boy removed himself from Miroku, before he wandered back to his lonely corner, to gather his bedding. He dragged everything he could, over to the farmer, and set to the task of making himself comfortable. "I think I'd feel best sleeping near you. I hope that's okay with you." The kitsune refused to look up, as he preferred not to see the rejection, if he was told to scamper back where he came from. "It's fine with me, Shippo, I don't mind the company."

Shippo looked at Miroku then, thrilled that he was accepted so warmly, in a world that had become so cold. The woman in the tower eyed the farmer with a different kind of look, the man gained their approval without even trying to, which only elicited eye rolls from the other males that were around to witness the display. "Oh Miroku, you're about the sweetest guy around." Kagome crooned as she watched the man with the young fox kit, a dreamy smile plastered on her face. Miroku only lifted an eyebrow at her, not fully understanding why he was suddenly receiving such praises, but he'd accept them none-the-less. "Um, thank you Kagome." The three woman continued to watch from the sidelines, as Miroku taught Shippo how to play old maid, with a deck of regular playing cards, Kohaku eventually joined in on the game, while Inuyasha tried to figure out why the girls were suddenly so interested in Miroku.

(A.N: If you are enjoying this story and want to read more of the tale I am attempting to weave, please leave a review, follow the story, or add it to you favorites. I will put more effort into the most enjoyed stories, as I have so many in progress. Be patient with me over these next few months, my mother passed away on the Jan 3, 2018, and I am having a difficult time focusing.)