I OWN NOTHING

Of course, working on this fic takes time since my beta and I have real lives outside this site. Be patient and we'll see what we can do, though show him some love for his efforts.

XXXXXX

Kagome watched the scenery from on top of a rock she decided to sit on for a rest. Yura was playing with Naruto's hair, making shapes before her eyes. Inuko for her part observed the rusty blade of her new sword, as if meditating. But what the schoolgirl was really drawn to was the adorable sight of her schoolmate and the tiny kit beside him punching the air.

"Jab, hook, upper!" Naruto shouted as Shippo did his best to mimic him.

"Jab!" he threw a fast punch, "Hook!" his fist moved in a wide, sloppy arc, "Upper!" his next strike was more like a fist-pump.

"You'll get the hang of it. Make sure to keep your arms close to you, giving an opening to an opponent will make you kiss the floor with missing teeth." The whiskered youth advised while skipping where he stood without removing his toes from the floor, "Again, from the top."

"Wait, how is this going to even help me?" the kit asked, "I know it's good to throw a proper punch, but I was expecting this boxing thing to be more serious."

"It's gotten me out of some trouble." Naruto replied.

Kagome nodded, "Like that time you helped Sota and those three guys."

"Y-Yeah, among others." He whispered the last two words to himself, 'I do feel bad not telling her it's not the first time I punch thugs. Good thing they don't wanna chase me. Maybe they're embarrassed a kid got to kick their ass.' Actually, it was because he was helped by a middle-aged yakuza in a white disco suit with a red shirt. He met the guy a couple times while in a red-light district and they even teamed up.

"But I was certain you had to have some spells." Shippo argued, "Come on, even I can sense you got more than a bit of power in you."

"Alright then, if you're so inclined to think you're that good." Naruto crouched to be on eye-level with the little boy and held up his palms, "Try and hit me."

Grinning, Shippo threw a jab, which Naruto swatted, "What the-" he tried again, but the blond not only swatted it, he also poked him on the forehead, "Hey, stop that."

"I said try, not that I'd let you do so easily." He retorted.

Growling, Shippo threw three fast punches which Naruto casually slapped away before poking his forehead again. The poke forced Shippo to stand more upright. Again, the kitsune stepped forward and launched a hook, which Naruto stopped before pushing him back, and poking the kit's knees. Despite the simple move, he angled the fox's legs for better balance. Inuko and Yura noticed it while Kagome grew worried.

"Poor little thing, he's trying so hard, but I don't think Naruto will make it easy for him." She sighed.

Inuko huffed, "Not like you should. Look, he's teaching the kit a thing or two."

"But it almost looks like bullying." The schoolgirl replied while Naruto poked the fox's arms so he kept his arms closer to his body.

"You really are an amateur. He's teaching him while letting him vent his anger." Inuko growled, "Just like my old fart..."

Yura giggled to herself in a humming tone, "Oh yes, that did wonders for your issues, I see." She got a growling glare, which she casually ignored, "Anyway, the dog's right. Look at the kit. His stance is much tighter than his pathetic first attempt." Kagome felt like her mind put two images of the before and after, and as Yura said the after one showed Shippo in a more decent pose.

"I...never knew boxing could be done so oddly." Kagome commented at a slight loss.

Yura didn't read the atmosphere and spoke with a dreamy sigh, "Ah, if he had let me make wonderful babies with him, I'd have let him teach our spawn that after getting their hair."

"Stiffen!" Naruto exclaimed after grabbing both of Shippo's fists, and then blinked in confusion, "Wait, why did I just say that?"

Kagome was taken aback when Yura was petrified again, "He reacted naturally even if he wasn't within hearing range!"

Inuko grumbled, "Good thing this girl isn't as aware of what I say, then."

"Hey, let me try again!" Shippo brought Naruto back to reality, who let him go and immediately backhanded the sucker-punch the kit tried to pull off.

"Good, but I'm no slouch. Try again." The blond told him with a small smile.

Inuko decided to take nap while everyone did their own stupid thing until her nose caught a whiff of two foul presences. Presences that carried the smell of intense battle. And they were nearing the group fast. "Hey!" She shouted to get everyone's attention. "We've got an incoming of demons. Two of them and they don't smell friendly. Smells like blood and lots of it."

Yura knew who she might be referring to and the humans could tell what the implications were albeit to a lesser degree.

Naruto immediately dropped the kitsune child on his butt and ignored his irritated growl. "How long until you think they get here?" He asked quickly.

Inuko shrugged. "Pretty soon, maybe in less than three or two minutes max."

Naruto nodded and his brain formulated a plan in a matter of seconds. "I've got an idea. We're gonna catch these bastards off guard."

Inuko gave him a questioning look. "Surprise tactics don't suit me. Besides, I wanna test Tessaiga out."

"You will." Naruto's gave her a determined and confident smile. "Given who we are and who we are going up against, it's best not risking some necks." He was referring to Shippo. The kit needed combat practice but not with whoever was coming their way. At least not in a prolonged fight, though the little fox boy did offer another use. "We're gonna take them out with a clean strike and here's how... "

While they work out a strategy, let's see the incoming arrivals.

"Brother, may I break off from here for a moment? I need a drink." Manten told his sibling. Hiten nodded and, wordlessly, Manten went to the ground near a stream to get a drink. He stopped for a moment to look at himself in the reflection. He couldn't help but lament at his lack of hair. "If only I had hair like my brother." He muttered. "Then all the fine women would come to me."

He began to daydream of himself as a dashing figure with long locks of ebony. Meanwhile, his older brother came upon a rather strange sight. A young girl in a strange outfit with her arrow aimed at some lower hair yokai beside a poorly made statue. Said scantily clad yokai rested against a tree. This strange sight was not unwelcome, for this was the girl that woman talked about and the hair yokai wasn't bad looking either.

"This must be my lucky day!" Hiten laughed out, gaining their undivided attention. "My target and a woman!" He said as he landed near them. They immediately turned to him with their weapons aimed at him. "Now don't be too hasty. I wouldn't want to hurt you now, well, at least not you." He said as he pointed to Yura.

Internally, Kagome groaned and Yura was thankful for the good gesture relating to her looks, "You have nice taste."

"That I... wait, hold up." A confused Hiten started. "What's with this lousy statue? Did a group of inept children make this?"

"I wouldn't go that far." Kagome told him while Yura just nodded at what the thunder demon said.

He walked a few more feet towards the statue. That was a mistake. "Got you!" Shippo yelled as he leapt from his statue disguise. Hiten though it was just him for that split second and wasn't wary. The smoke simply obscured Naruto and Inuko from his view and allowed them to lash out at him.

He was barely able to block the sword slash and punch combo with his spear. The recoil made his hands tingle and nearly threw him back, but he recovered and leapt back to face all his assailants. "A sneak attack? What a dishonor, but not unexpected from a motley crew such as you."

"That coming from a guy like you?" Naruto snorted. "Can't really say I'm sad to hear that." Internally, everyone wondered where the supposed second guy was despite focusing on the current one here. "Kagome, take Shippo and go now!"

Said girl quickly grabbed the kid and did as told, "What now?" Yura asked, readying her wakizashi.

"Sneaking won't help you again." Hiten said as he flew up, "And I've got an obvious advantage." He gave the group a mocking grin.

"That's why I usually have backup plans for winging it!" Naruto shouted, turning to Yura, "Now!"

Pulling her hand back, the kunoichi made the tree she was falsely cornered against fall. Hiten saw the yokai's hand using magically strung-together hair to cut it, letting the large piece of vegetation crush the lightning demon. Groaning as he was slammed to the ground, he was exposed for the dog hanyo to lift her massive sword over her head, swinging it down.

"Die, bastard!" she yelled, but Hiten responded quickly.

Using his spear to parry her strike, he summoned lightning from the skies. Seeing the clouds, Naruto was quick to yank her out of the way as the thunder brother got up. Grabbing the fallen tree with one hand, the increasingly angry demon threw it like it was a small stone. For his part, the whiskered blond gave out a loud roar as he coated his fist with chakra, stomped forward, and punched the tree to split it in two.

"What the-" Hiten gasped, leaving himself opened for Naruto to dash at him at high speeds, "But you are human!"

"So I've heard!" the blond answered with an uppercut the other male barely dodged. The whiplash of having to tilt his head to the side violently to avoid the strike disoriented him briefly. Abusing openings was what any cunning kunoichi would do, and Yura did so by wrapping her hair around Hiten's spear. Said armored warrior grunted when she tried to pull it out of his hands, leaving him widely open.

Forced to let his spear touch the ground, he lifted an arm to stop Naruto's punch and felt how it crack his magical armor! Seeing Inuko come close, he was forced to duck her horizontal slash, leaving himself opened for a hook right on his face. It sent his head flying back, straightening his back as Inuko spun around after her missed hit, yelled in anger, and swung again. Finally, blood splattered the floor and coated her blade.

"Argh!" Hiten gasped, holding his chest, his breastplate sporting a nasty diagonal slash.

"Had enough?" Naruto asked angrily, "Because after what you did to Shippo's dad, I still got to mess you up far, far worse!"

"Bastard..." Hiten growled, falling to a knee, "Like this would be enough to protect that woman!"

"Stop talking bullshit and die." Inuko growled, hefting Tessaiga on her shoulder.

Smirking, Hiten aimed where Kagome ran, "That stupid girl will find my brother sooner than later... And he will have the jewel."

"Oh shit." Naruto cursed, the idea causing enough of a distraction for Hiten to use his own blood to throw at his eyes.

Blinded, Naruto hissed from the burning sensation in his eyes and brought up his fists. Seeing him attacked, Yura and Inuko responded with an attack of their own. Just what Hiten wanted. Grabbing his spear from the floor, he used Inuko's slash to cut it free and fly off. Before the two could give chase, he was already flying away to where Kagome had run off to while both he and Naruto grew mad.

"Damn that human, to make his lowly servants wound me like this..." the thunder brother grunted and sped off.

"After him!" Naruto shouted, squinting with some of the still fresh blood making an eye-mask over his face.

"No need to tell me twice!" Inuko yelled, and then gasped when Naruto got on her back, "W-What gives!?" in any other situation, seeing a light pink dusting her cheeks would have been amusing and adorable. But he didn't care, so he answered bluntly.

"You two girls can move faster than me, so please give me a ride."

Clenching her jaw for half a second, Inuko conceded, "Don't fall off or touch anything only a husband should!"

Oddly enough, that just made him mad, "Oi, I'm not like some elderly pervert who ogles every walking pretty girl out there!"

As if possessed by a past memory of the subject he didn't want to be compared about, he just had to shout that. In the afterlife, a certain legendary super pervert and toad sage sneezed in the middle of observing the beauties of the other side. Promptly, he was shown what fates were worse than death, facing them without being able to die.

XXXXXX

"Let me go, please!" despite having spiritual powers, Shippo still had the physical prowess of a toddler.

Kagome shook her head, pedaling to a seemingly safe distance, "And you should trust in them. If anything, this is your best bet." She held the child close, looking into his eyes tenderly, "Shippo-kun, I know you are furious. I can't pretend I know what you're feeling, but I understand what it's like to lose someone you love..." she placed her forehead on his, calming him down.

"But... My father was all I had, and he was killed for his fur..." the tiny boy growled, his tail frizzling in anger.

Rubbing his head affectionately, Kagome soothed him with her words, "And it hurts to know you won't see him again, yes. But we have to move on." She gave the kit a small smile, "If we do not... We'd only make them worry for us from the other side."

"Kagome..." he sniffled, causing her to hug him tighter, "Sorry."

"Wh..." she gasped as he put a paper seal on her forehead, sending her to sleep.

"I won't hurt you, but I need that jewel's power." The fox spirit said and patted her stomach, seeing a glow.

"I thought I smelled something familiar." Shippo turned his head to the origin of that voice. It belonged to Manten who was walking towards them and sneering in morbid delight. "A new hat, the jewel, and a tasty looking maiden? A truly lucky day indeed!"

Shippo was stunned by fear for a second until he looked right at the fox skin across the lizard thunder demon's waist. 'Father...' Shippo's fear turned to rage at the sight of his father turned into a pelt like a trophy. Almost on instinct, he kept both hands over Kagome's belly.

He felt a power like a raging tsunami inside of him. A part of him thought that this was simply his rage yet the rational part of him understood something else. He was drawing some of the power from the jewel inside of Kagome. It didn't stop him his body from moving on its own. "I'LL SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!" His mouth roared while his free hand shot forth.

An inferno of azure erupted upon Manten's face! "AAAAAARRRGGH!" Manten's flesh began to sizzle and fry as he was thrown back from the sheer force of the fox fire that crashed down on him, his head mostly. Manten had never felt pain like it before, as if someone threw his face in a furnace and superheated the flames. "Put it out! Put it out!" He yelled as he rolled and ran in agony towards the stream once again.

Shippo's breathing immediately grew heavy after the ordeal and a sense of clarity began to overtake him. "That felt..." He swallowed, began to shake, and felt a cold sweat overtake him as he thought of the power in that jewel. "Horrible." He whispered. It was overwhelming, like an abyss. He felt the dark part of his heart surface, awoken by the jewel. It was terrifying understanding what he became for that short instance.

"You little shit!" Manten, whose right eye was forever sealed shut with a burn scar, growled. Most of his face was charred, and he opened his mouth to show a condensed amount of electricity. Shippo immediately took Kagome and carried her away as the injured demon unleashed his attack upwards. A dome of lightning exploded around him, scorching the ground and nearby trees.

"That was the attack that killed father..." Shippo gasped, "Even injured, he still has that much power..."

"Manten!" Shippo froze, knowing whose voice that was.

"Brother!" the lizard man growled, "What happened to you?"

"I should ask that!" the newly arrived demon held his scarred sibling with concern on his face, "Who did this to you, Manten!?"

"It doesn't matter, brother! That fox brat used the Jewel's power, it's inside that girl!" Manten aimed at the schoolgirl, Shippo cursing his actions.

"Back off, or I'll burn you to ashes!" the kit snapped, holding up a paw which glowed with blue fire, 'This...is the Jewel's power, even if I'm not touching it. Did it unleash my-' he had to cut his inner debate short for the eldest thunder demon twirled his spear and aimed it at the kitsune.

"Give me your best shot, runt! You'll pay for what you did to my brother!"

Anger consumed Shippo, "You don't have the right to be angry after you killed my father!" he unleashed a lightning fast fireball, which Hiten swatted aside.

Surprised, Shippo looked at his tiny hands, before yelping when Hiten used that opening to fly right at him. In a split second, he was kneed and sent into a tree. Bouncing off it was painful, falling flat on his face on a rocky road was almost as hurtful, but having Manten stomp on his head poured salt into the wound. The scarred demon was also pissed off.

"You damn brat! I'll make sure you join your father and-"

"Manten, silence, they're coming!" Hiten growled.

"What are you talking about, brother?"

"The people who did this to me, they're stronger than this brat and very dangerous." Hiten hated saying that, the rage in his face being proof of that. Thus, he turned to his sibling, "Grab the maiden and leave the runt for later. We better heal and get ready for them!"

"A-Are they that strong!?" Manten couldn't believe it, but the serious look his brother gave him answered his question, "A-Alright, let's go!"

"Wait, you bastards!" Shippo yelled, but was kicked by the brother whose face he burnt, sending him flying and forcing him to sleep.

As soon as the others arrived, Naruto was worried, "Kagome!" he called, but the brothers were leaving too fast. "Shit, what happened!?"

Inuko's nostrils flared, "A battle, one in which he..." she lifted Shippo by his tail, "...had a part of by the smell of burnt skin."

"But his fire was too weak to even warm wet wood, how did he do that?" Yura asked, intrigued.

Growling, Inuko shook the kit, "He must have used the Jewel! We shouldn't have left this punk with Kagome!"

"Let's wake him up and ask, then." Naruto growled, surprising the others with his sudden but reasonable anger, "He better have a good explanation."

Inuko snorted, eyeing the fox boy as she followed Naruto. "So how are you going to wake the fur-ball up?"

"Smelling salts." Naruto answered simply, giving little attention to the girl's confusion being so focused on the task at hand. Being a boxer meant risk of getting knocked out and he knew methods one could wake an out cold fighter up. One is smelling salts and the other meant dumping cold water on one's genitals.

The more you know.

He gently put Shippo down and rummaged through his sling-pack to pull out said salts from a capsule.

Inuko groaned, covering her sensitive nose. "Ugh, you don't use that for food do you? That salt smells... weird."

"Nope, like the name says, it's just for smelling." Naruto answered as he put the carefully salts near Shippo's nose.

Slowly, the fox child eyes began to open and his head came up. "What happened? Where's Kagome?" He mumbled as he woke. The moment he looked visibly awoken, Naruto picked him up, a bit roughly too.

"What do you think?" the blond asked. Shippo shrunk in the bigger boy's grip as he noticed the restrained anger in his eyes. The kit's eyes darted between him and the maidens, Yura grinned in wicked anticipation and Inuko looked just as angry but less restrained.

"You've got a lot to answer for," the dog girl growled, "for starters, explain what happened when Kagome was with you. Now."

"I..." Shippo didn't think it would be wise to lie. The demonic ones could probably tell if he was or not, "I used the jewel and..." he choked up a bit, remembering the dark power.

"Out with it already!" Inuko yelled, having little if any patience for the fur ball. Using the jewel and letting Kagome disappear pretty much put the boy on her list of belligerence.

"I tried to kill M-Manten but Hiten showed up. I was knocked out and I positive they took Kagome!" His eyes widened. "We have to go, we have to save her!" He yelled, trying to wiggle out of Naruto's grip.

Naruto sucked in a calming breath, barely able to keep from bonking the boy in his head. "Where is she now?" He asked Inuko.

She sniffed around and looked towards the direction the brothers came from before. "That way, along with the Jewel's scent."

Naruto nodded and dropped Shippo on the ground. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Shippo yelled. "I need to come too! I need to help you guys!"

Yura rolled her eyes and tossed him a withering side glare. "Like how you helped yourself to the jewel?"

Shippo ignored her for the most part and kept his eyes on Naruto despite flinching at her words. "I... I really want to help. I don't want that Jewel anymore, I just want to help you guys!"

Naruto looked at his companions, both giving him looks that spoke volumes of distrust and disinterest in the boy. He sighed and walked over to the boy, making Shippo yelp as he picked him up by the back of his outfit. He brought him to eye level. "Fine. But stay on the sidelines and don't do anything that could get you hurt. Got it?"

Shippo nodded, fully aware this was both a command for his safety and a threat. Naruto wouldn't kill a kid, but he could discipline one if need be.

"Seriously?" Yura groaned.

"Seriously." Naruto repeated with the same tone just to get under her skin some more. "I'm not going to leave a kid alone."

"But you're actually going to bring said kid to a battle." The hair demoness retorted.

Naruto didn't really have a comeback for that one. "Right. Enough time wasting, let's get going!" He yelled, hopping on Inuko's back with Shippo on his back to her surprise and chagrin. "Make haste Inuko!"

"Go to hell!" She yelled back as she ran off with Yura close behind and quietly snickering at the half blood's situation.

XXXXXXX

The Thunder brothers wasted no time making it back to their lair, a rather nice yet old castle. Inside, they would usually devour human maidens and consort with their demon mistresses, usually killing them after too. This time was different though, for they had a female with the Sacred Jewel inside of her lying within their domain.

Manten, with bandages on most of his face for his burns, couldn't help but focus on her hair. "Brother... what do you plan to do with this girl after we take the Jewel out of her."

"We, brother," Hiten corrected with an eye roll and smile at his little brother's need for guidance, "will probably eat her. I mean," he put on a know it all and teasing smile, "unless you have other plans for her."

"I want her hair." Manten quickly answered, hand rubbing his nearly bald scalp.

"As usual." Hiten sighed. "If she survives the Jewel removal, we can pretty much do as we wish. Now," he put his right hand on the paralysis seal and gave it a once over. 'Not bad for pipsqueak', he thought to himself before ripping the seal from her forehead and tossing it aside.

Kagome's eyes immediately shot open and she slowly managed to lift herself up to look around. She noticed the brothers and tried her best to muster a glare despite the paralysis having some lingering effect on her. "Where's Shippo?" She slowly moaned out.

Manten growled at the mentioning of what he deemed the ultimate pest and his older brother simply scoffed. "Away from us like he should be." Hiten answered as he put his hand on her belly with a grin, much to the girl's disgust. "Now, let's focus on a more important subject, such as you being the vessel of tr-"

She replied with a hard slap across his face, "Hands off!" she growled, red on the face.

Hiten groaned as he rubbed his sore cheek, "For a human, she has a heavy hand..."

"Hiten, darling, is everything alright?" asked a female voice, revealing a yokai woman so scantily clad she made Yura look modest. "Huh, who are those two?"

Kagome watched Hiten walk to the woman and put a hand on her shoulder. Her only garment – if it could even be called that – was a snake covering only her nipples and crotch. Red sclera and dark blue irises. Part of her envied the yokai's long, wavy hair. Perhaps she had been around Yura too much.

"Don't worry, honey, it's just a girl my brother brought." Hiten said with a smile.

But the female yokai stared at the fat lizard man with disgust, "Seriously? You're related to such a hideous thing?" Hiten closed his eyes, then put his palm in front of the yokai's face. Kagome watched in horror as lightning shot from his hand and fried the woman, burning her to a crisp!

"H-How could you!?" Kagome asked while Hiten put a smile on his face.

"I won't let anyone disrespect my brother." He explained matter-of-factly before approaching her.

Followed by a loud, explosive crash and a familiar voice, "Oi, Thunder Morons! Touch a single hair on Kagome-chan's head and you're dead!" at the large entrance, Naruto had his fist forward, Inuko her sword ready, and Yura grabbed her sheathed wakizashi. A massive imprint could be seen on the gate, which had been punched off its hinges.

"So, why do we trust this plan?" Inuko asked.

"Because my master used his head." Yura replied, though put some venom on how she referred to Naruto.

"It's simple, we fight the brothers on their turf, so Shippo has it easy." The blond answered, "He should be able to sneak around while we fight these guys."

"I'm saying it's easy to kill them and find Kagome afterwards." Inuko retorted.

Yura slapped her face, "Because if they have her hostage or hidden, at least the brat can try something. He's sneaky enough to do so."

"Ugh, fine." The dog girl growled as the brothers appeared.

"Well, well, well, it seems I can pay you all back for those wounds." Hiten said with a smirk, using his fire wheels to stay afloat.

Manten walked forward, rubbing his chin, "Wait, where's that damn fur-ball? I want to make hotpot out of him for what he did to my face!"

Naruto kept his act, "We left him behind! What did you expect after the shit he pulled on us!?"

"Fair enough, you die now." Hiten said as he twirled his lightning spear.

Unaware of the shadow dashing behind them into their house, the brothers focused on fighting the three strongest intruders. The fourth, like Naruto had planned, went inside undetected. Sighing in relief, the tiny fox raced forward. Sniffing the air, he quickly found Kagome's sweet shampoo scent and followed it, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

"Go for it, Naruto-san, I'll save Kagome!" he whispered as he ventured in...

"What the!?" gasped another child, a head taller than him.

"Dammit, I've been found already!?" the fox yelped.

"So, you're one of the intruders!" the other kid accused him with a finger. "Well, you ain't walking out of this one alive! That I, Souten of the Thunder Clan, promise!"

Shippo examined his opponent as said enemy pulled out a massive mallet from hammer space. Souten appeared to be a boy resembling Hiten with two short puffy ponytails, and a small cowlick on the right side. Also like Hiten was the clothing: red shoulder plates, a white and blue shirt, blue pants, a yellow sash tied around the waist, matching bracelets on each wrist, red shoes, and simple red earrings on pointed ears.

Said ears told him something, "A full demon?" He panicked, 'This guy is right, that face looks very similar to Hiten's. But wow, that is a large forehead.' He stared at it, easily done due to the thin curvy eyebrows making it hard to ignore. He should've looked at the blood red eyes glaring at him, though.

He was swiftly smacked across the face by the mallet, sending him skidding on his back, "What're you staring at, intruder?" the tiny demon – although a head taller than the fox – growled.

"Sorry, but I gotta go!" the fox said, getting up while rubbing his sore cheek to run forward, "Eat this, Weeping Mushrooms!"

As his attack said, he threw a barrage of fungi with crying faces, but the other yokai snarled.

"Like I'd fall for that, Laughing Acorns!" suddenly, acorns with laughing faces flew and clashed against the mushrooms, throwing both uselessly to the ground.

Growling, Shippo threw a hand forward, "If that's how you want it! Foxfire!"

"It's futile, futile, futile!" the lightning child yelled when lightning and fire collided from their palms.

"Tch, we're matched equally, what a great warrior..." Shippo let his ego slip by when saying that.

"I'll give you this, you're strong." His opponent also had a lot of pride.

"Alright then, you asked for it..." Shippo said and took on a boxing stance, bouncing on his paws, "Let's settle this with our fists, like real warriors should!"

Grinning, the Thunder Clan member walked forward, "Do you forget who's bigger, pipsqueak?" That question made Shippo rush forward, shocking the other yokai, "What the-" that cry died in the child's throat as Shippo's left jab nearly hit its mark. The thunder yokai had to step back and put up both fists.

"Huh?" Shippo looked at his fists, "Did Naruto-san teach me that?"

"You're wide open, tiny!" Souten yelled, throwing a sloppy straight punch.

Shippo's body reacted, remembering for the boy how the whiskered pugilist moved him around. Once the punch was close, the kit weaved, ducking under it. Shocking the other yokai, he threw a blow right into an unprepared Souten's side. Said yokai's armor softened the blow, but not enough to avoid staggering back. Seeing his opening, Shippo raced forward and threw fast punches as he remembered.

"Jab!" he landed one across Souten's chin, "Hook!" he landed another against the jaw, "Upper!" and a final one right to the chin.

Gasping in shock and mild-exhaustion, he saw the other yokai kid land hard ass-first, groaning, "Ugh... What the Hell!?" Souten tried to get up, but groaned, holding a sore chin. Looking at Shippo with both fear and awe, the Thunder Clan child remained on the ground, "I-I'll make you pay for this, I swear!"

"Sorry, but there's someone I have to help." Shippo said, trying to look manly, "I owe a lot to those people, so forgive me for dishonoring you, but I'm not backing down after the mistakes I made!" he pumped both fists up, "That's why, if you want a rematch, remember I'll keep getting stronger, because I'll make it up to the one who taught me how to fight!"

A red tint crossed Souten's face as the boy left, for a moment, when he talked so seriously, he looked, "...handsome..."

Shippo was sadly unaware Souten was a girl, otherwise he'd have held back.

XXXXXX

And that's my rap!

Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I think you'd rather see something than wait too long for too little. Next chapter will be the showdown between the Thunder Brothers and our heroes. Also, am I the only one disappointed guy that Souten was a filler chapter for a single episode? Perhaps it's me getting in touch with my feminine side, but she's insanely adorable.

For now, I'll have to deal with an annoying case of summer flu as I've done these past weeks, hence the lack of fics. Well, that and the fact it's finally summer and my job has been killing me. I need the break. After all, I don't even get paid or do commissions, I only write for fun. Same reason my beta's been helping me so much here, so thank him a lot.

Swordslinger out!