Nine
Shippou was conflicted. As he and his pack moved through the forest he was uncharacteristically quiet as he lost himself in his thoughts.
On one hand he felt shame for his outburst the day before, he'd distracted Inuyasha and the others from the fight and had put them all in danger. He'd cowered when the bear youkai had come for him, and because he had been too terrified to defend himself Toshiro had gotten hurt. But on the other hand a part of him was glad he'd frozen up, not because he was proud of his actions or happy that his friend was hurt -definitely not that- but because the altercation seemed to have given Toshiro a confidence he didn't have before.
Usually during dinner Toshiro would sit a bit apart from the rest of them, he'd eat quietly and watch them with those piercing eyes of his, never saying a word. But last night after Inuyasha had patched him up he'd limped over with a fanged smile, he'd sat down next to Shippou almost happily, and had actually laughed at one of Miroku's stories. Even bruised and bandaged he didn't brood, he didn't scowl, he didn't glare at Shippou for sitting too close or blame him for his wounds. If anything he seemed to be proud of his injuries, more alive than any of the others had seen him thus far. Though he did get irritated when Inuyasha had forbid him from joining the hunting trip for dinner, but he accepted the older hanyou's order with surprisingly little argument as he knew he was in no condition to keep up. The most surprising thing though had been when dinner was done, when the fire had died down to embers and Kagome had sent he and Toshiro to bed.
When they were in the village it'd taken a week to convince Toshiro to sleep in Inuyasha's hut instead of outside at the base of a tree, his back straight against the bark and his ears high and alert even as he slept. He'd refused to be in such an enclosed space with one exit, he'd refused to sleep in the same room as someone else-even if it was Shippou. When Inuyasha had finally convinced him that it'd be safer inside than out still he'd insisted that his bed be as far as possible from the other child.
So it was as Kagome was tucking Shippou into his pallet for the night that Toshiro had shocked them all when he'd hesitantly walked over. He'd met Kagome's eyes, as if afraid he'd be told to go away, and when she'd smiled at him he blushed and crawled onto the pallet beside Shippou, pulling the covers up around his shoulders himself and placing his back against the kit's in an almost protective gesture without a word. The others had collectively stopped breathing, shocked that he'd willingly put himself so closely to another-he never allowed himself to sleep near anyone else. He never allowed anyone but Inuyasha to touch him.
Tears had risen in Kagome's brown eyes, she'd quickly wiped them away before they fell as she'd moved to sit at the base of a nearby tree. Miroku had wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, pulling Sango closer to his side as they watched the boys with almost longing expressions. Inuyasha sat perched in the branches of the tree above Kagome, the corners of his lips tilted up and his eyes moving from the drifting boys to Kagome with a look of almost peace. Shippou had smiled to himself, snuggling deeper into the blankets and curling his tail around Toshiro's injured ankle in a silent thank you.
He'd never had someone his age to look up to, and though he often played with the other village children he was never really close to any of them. Before he'd fallen into comfortable unawareness he couldn't find it in himself to regret his cowardice. If it meant that he and Toshiro would become friends, family, he'd do it again without a second thought. He'd always wanted a big brother.
"Are you listening?" Someone said beside him.
Shippou shook himself, bringing his head back to path they were walking along and the young hanyou who looked at him in annoyance.
"Sorry." He said sheepishly. "What did you say?"
Toshiro rolled his golden eyes. "And Inuyasha calls me absentminded "
Shippou's eyes widened. "Did you actually just make a joke?"
"I'm not made of stone!" Toshiro's cheeks turned pink.
"You could have fooled me."
"I can be funny." The other child grumbled, his ears folding back against his head.
"Oh yeah?" Shippou challenged, his jade eyes gleaming wickedly. "Prove it!"
Toshiro's face hardened in determination. After a moment of glaring at his younger companion he slowly moved to press two clawed fingers to his nose, pushing his nostrils up before he snorted loudly like a pig. Shippou burst into disbelieving laughter, gaining the attention of the adults that walked in front of and behind them. They all smiled at the cackling boy and his still snorting companion without comment, letting them have their moment. Shippou hadn't expected the hanyou to do something so silly and completely out of character. He wiped the corner of his eye and laughed harder when Toshiro's ears folded down to further sell his pig impersonation. When the kitsune was finally able to catch his breath the hanyou looked smug.
"Told you I'm funny." He said as he crossed his arms, his puppy ears twitching as they perked back up.
"Yeah, looking." Shippou grinned a moment before he stopped, suddenly worried he'd offended the other child.
Toshiro smirked at him, no trace of resentment held in his amber eyes. "Says the baka with the bow in his hair."
Shippou laughed again, his tail brushing against the back of Toshiro's legs as it moved happily. He wanted to shove his friend playfully for the jab but he refrained, not willing to push the half-youkai too far. Toshiro had been nice to him all day. He was always polite, but today he was nice. Helping Shippou put away his pallet, letting him see his prized picture book that he kept tucked into the waist of his hakama, and actually engaging in conversation instead of Shippou talking constantly at him and receiving only grunts or glares in response. He wasn't about to push him, this new pleasant Toshiro could disappear at the drop of a dime and Shippou had pulled teeth and risked his life to get this far.
"You should start training." Toshiro said conversationally, his arms still folded over his bright red t-shirt.
"Why would I do that?"
The honey color in the hanyou's eyed froze in a second. In less time than it took to blink, all of the hesitant friendliness bled from his eyes to be replaced by a cold, clinical glare.
"You didn't defend yourself yesterday. You were reckless. You were afraid, and allowed that fear to become weakness." He said sternly. "You could have been killed."
Shippou winced, a new wave of shame washing over him.
"You're right . . . I want to, I-I'm just not sure I'd be much of a fighter. I've never been much help in battles besides using my illusions as distractions. I can't even hunt."
"Then train with me and Inuyasha." Toshiro said with a shrug, some of the frigid tenseness fading from the set of his shoulders. "You'll learn. You're more than capable."
"You really think so?" Shippou looked up through his auburn lashes, insecurity swirling in his tummy.
Toshiro glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, his eyes still serious and his voice flat. "I don't say things I don't mean."
"I-I'll think about it." Shippou mumbled uncertainly and looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha, who smirked and gave him a small nod.
0:0:0:0:0:
"Shippou wants to train." Inuyasha said lowly to the girl beside him.
She gasped, her brown eyes bright. "How do you know?"
He jerked his chin to the two boys, one beaming and the other with a small smile on his face. Inuyasha had of course heard their entire conversation, and he couldn't deny how proud he felt at Shippou for wanting to step up, and at Toshiro for encouraging him to do so.
"He's unsure still. But he'll do it, and he'll be fine. He just needs to be a little more confident in himself."
"That's great!" Kagome clapped, grinning over at him. "They'll be kicking youkai butt in no time!"
"Don't chew it to death, wench." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He would never admit it but the thought of Shippou and Toshiro facing a youkai, even accompanied by him and the others, set him on edge. They were nowhere near ready to see real battle yet, they were still so vulnerable. "The pest still has trouble with just rabbits, and the runt ain't got no real training at all yet. Let's just get them through this job first. "
"Look at you, being all protective." She grinned, reaching over to tweak his ear and ignoring when he flushed and tried to jerk away. "If I didn't know any better I'd say the big bad hanyou has a soft spot for kids."
"Good thing you know better." He grumbled.
Kagome giggled and Inuyasha reveled in the sound, in the fact that he'd been the one to make her laugh. Something in his chest clenched when she smiled at him. He allowed himself a small smirk, his worry about the pups taking a backseat as he had to physically hold himself back from brushing a flyaway strand of hair from her face. Her shoulder brushed him as they walked, small jolts of electricity shooting through him with each unintentional touch. His instinct to claim her came at the most unexpected times. When she smiled dazedly at him when he pulled her from one of her daydreams, when she cried over the sick and injured, when she yelled at him for something stupid he'd said. His need to provide for her, to protect her, to have her was sometimes almost too much to bare. He fought with himself every day for control, and as they drew on he found it more and more difficult.
The jewel around her neck gleamed in the afternoon light, mocking him. He frowned at it, his hands closing into fists. He tore his gaze away from her with a look of disgust, glaring at the ground and cursing himself and the damn thing keeping him away from his mate. There may have been a time when he'd wanted the jewel for himself, but now he just wanted it gone. Kagome noticed his sudden change in mood and she quieted, her brow creasing in hurt before she too looked away with a small sigh. Inuyasha could smell the sudden salt in the air and he knew she was fighting back tears. Her aura beat against him accusingly, heavy with the weight of his rejection.
This had to stop.
He couldn't keep up this indifferent act much longer. They needed to purify the jewel before he pushed her away one too many times . . . And she decided that he wasn't worth the effort anymore. He almost whined at the thought.
A familiar stink drifted across his nose at the same time Kagome stiffened beside him, her eyes suddenly far away. He felt the youki moving toward them. The contained, arrogant aura that surrounded the youkai causing Inuyasha's own to rear up in agitation. The children had stopped in front of him, Shippou rolling his eyes and Toshiro frozen in what smelled like shock. Inuyasha didn't have time to debate why that was before his bastard of a brother emerged from the trees.
The Lord of the West moved with a grace that annoyed Inuyasha to no end. His armor shone in the patches of sunlight that broke through the trees, his steps careful and measured. His boots somehow made no sound as he crunched through the snow. He walked between Sango and Miroku without a glance at either of them, his imp and human girl at his heels. Jaken looked irritated as usual, his large eyes narrowed. Rin beamed at them all, her eyes especially bright when she looked to Shippou and curious when she took in the still hanyou at his side. Sesshomaru stopped a few feet away from his half brother, his eyes cold and his lip curled.
"Half breed." He said by way of greeting.
Ever since Sesshomaru had assisted them in slaying Naraku, Inuyasha and the dai-youkai had had an uneasy peace. They didn't fight as much, unless the bastard mumbled one too many snide comments or if Inuyasha just felt like getting a rise out of his stupid stoic face. On some occasions the youkai would appear in the village out of the blue, leaving Rin in Inuyasha's and Kagome's care for days and sometimes weeks on end. Though that seemed neglectful to some, Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru did so to protect her and that him leaving her with them was as close to trusting him as his brother would ever get.
Inuyasha took a step closer to Kagome instinctively, placing a hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt as he nodded. "Bastard."
"What brings your stench into my lands?"
Kagome cleared her throat, "We're going to a village on the southern end. Our helps been requested there."
"Apparently a band of youkai has been abducting their children for weeks." Miroku added from his place beside his wife.
"Hn."
"You guys ain't gotta explain yourself to him. If the bastard was any real Lord we wouldn't have to come here and clean up a mess in his own territory."
Sesshomaru looked down his straight nose at him, his moko-moko sama and long silver white hair flowing in the breeze. "I care not for the matters of humans."
"Keh." Inuyasha stared pointedly at Rin as she and Shippou talked quietly. The kit gestured to Toshiro but he wasn't giving either he or Rin an inkling of his attention. "Coulda fooled me."
When Sesshomaru followed his half brother's line of sight his eyes immediately went not to his ward, but to Toshiro, who still stared wide eyed at the dai-youkai with his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Their gazes held for all of two seconds, but in those two seconds Inuyasha felt Toshiro's youki quiver, smelled fear and anxiety pour off of him in waves. His brother's cheek twitched as he stared at the young hanyou before he turned back to Inuyasha, looking almost bored. Something in his expression made Inuyasha uneasy, the uninterest in his amber eyes almost seeming forced. Before he could ask his bastard of a brother what was eating him the imp at his feet screeched.
"Milord! Milord!" He waved his staff of two heads at Toshiro, who growled dangerously at the small youkai in return. "Isn't that-?!"
Sesshomaru placed a booted foot firmly on the frog youkai's neck, effectively squashing him and cutting off his tirade. Inuyasha raised a brow as the others looked between the hanyou pup and the Inu no Taisho. Toshiro seemed to squirm nervously under their stares, Sesshomaru stared carefully blank eyes at his brother.
"Do you two know each other?" Sango asked, her brown eyes wide and curious.
The dai-youkai scoffed quietly. "Be not a fool. This Sesshomaru knows not such filth."
Inuyasha growled, his curiosity drowning in his sudden fury. "Watch your mouth, before I watch it for you fucker."
"Profanity is used as a means of expression by lesser beings, Inuyasha. So it surprises me not that you'd resort to such uncouth language."
The hand on Tetsusaiga twitched. "Don't you ever insult Toshiro. Try it and I'll rip off your arm again."
"Do you wish to challenge me, baka? Over the honor of a worthless welp?" The Inu no Taisho's demon marking grew jagged, his eyes turned pink. He moved a hand to rest on his own sword, Bakusaiga. "If you think so little of your life, This Sesshomaru will end it for you."
Inuyasha felt his hackles rise. He didn't care if his ass of a brother insulted him, but at the disrespect of Toshiro something deep inside him called for blood. He felt red begin to bleed into his eyes with the beat of his heart, his markings surface on his skin. His youkai demanded retribution for the slight against it's kin. No one insulted what belonged to Inuyasha. Not his mate, not one of his pups. The beast inside of him paced angrily, begging to be released and to tear into who had dared disrespect what it'd claimed. His grip tightened on his fang, his lips pulled back to bare his lengthened fangs. Before he could draw his sword Kagome stepped in front of him, blocking his way to his brother and making the feral thing inside of him all the more furious.
"Cut it out, you two!" She demanded, whipping her hand back and forth to glare at each brother and placing a hand on both of their chests, attempting to push them apart.
Neither moved an inch.
Inuyasha felt the fire in his blood magnify, every thought leaving his mind as his eyes zeroed in on Kagome's hand.
"Stop touching him." He snarled dangerously.
Kagome looked up at him in confusion, her hand clenching slightly into the inu youkai's haori. Inuyasha growled and Sesshomaru looked slightly disgusted.
"Do listen to the baka. Touch not This Sesshomaru unless you wish to lose that hand, miko."
"The fuck did you just say to her?!" Inuyasha roared, gripping the hand still resting on his chest and yanking Kagome behind his back. "What, she's not good enough to touch you or somethin?!"
Amusement and . . . Satisfaction? Lit in Sesshomaru's eyes. His eyes faded back to their usual distant gold, the duel youkai markings on each of his cheeks returning to their usual shape. "You contradict yourself, half breed." He turned on his heel and headed back toward the shadow of the trees, his voice dismissing. "Do what you must and then remove yourself from my lands."
"Oi! We ain't done! Get back here and fight me, bastard!" Inuyasha raved, Kagome holding onto the sleeve of his haori in order to keep in from lunging at Sesshomaru's retreating back. His youkai calmed despite his tone with his brother's distance, his eyes turned back to their bright amber, the purple markings on his cheeks melting back into his skin.
Miroku and Sango watched in amusement as the dai-youkai passed them without a backward glance at his brother. Rin threw her arms around the neck of a blushing Shippou in goodbye, turning next to the stunned Toshiro prepared to do the same to him. Seconds before she crushed him into a hug as well Sesshomaru called out to her.
"Rin. Come."
Toshiro seemed to snap out of his daze at the Inu no Taisho's voice. He jerked back from Rin's outstretched arms as if she were about to attack him, his eyes wide and flickering from the girl to Sesshomaru.
"But I was saying goodbye to Tosh-"
"Now, Rin."
The little girl deflated, "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."
She followed after him, looking over her shoulder at Toshiro with confusion in her eyes. Jaken pulled himself from the snow, his staff waving around frantically as he ran to keep up with his lord.
"Milord! Milord! Please, don't leave me!"
And then they were gone, Inuyasha left struggling to reel in his temper. Kagome's grip on his arm tightened, her touch doing nothing to calm him for once. In his mind's eye he saw her hand resting on his brother's chest and felt an unreasonable rage. He whirled on her, forgetting that his friends and the children were but a few feet away.
"Why'd you have to get in the middle of it, wench?" He barked at her. "You shouldn't have gotten involved."
"I was trying to help." Her cheeks burst in color at his tone, her hands going to rest on her hips. "Why do you always have to fight with him?"
"Why'd you have to touch him!?"
"Why do you care?!" She yelled back.
"Keh!" He turned from her, crossing his arms over his chest and his nose turned toward the sky.
"Baka!" Kagome fumed at his back, stomping a foot angrily before she walked in the opposite direction Sesshomaru had taken. "We don't have time for this."
Sango cast Inuyasha an exasperated look before she jogged to catch up to her best friend, wrapping an arm around the smaller woman's shoulders. Miroku made his way to Inuyasha's side, a small smirk on his face.
"Do you think that was completely necessary, Inuyasha? She was only trying to keep peace between you and your brother."
Said hanyou gave the monk a death glare. "Save your infinite wisdom, lech. I don't want to hear it."
He stomped off after the women leaving the amused Miroku, still blushing Shippou, and the brooding Toshiro to trail after him.
0:0:0:0:0:
The peace and quiet happiness that had filled everyone from the morning had disappeared by days end. Since Sesshomaru's appearance Inuyasha and Kagome hadn't spoken a word to each other, Kagome choosing to walk ahead of the group with Sango and leaving Inuyasha grumbling beside his best friend to bring up the rear. Shippou was used to them fighting, and he knew that their silly spats never lasted and that they'd be back to normal in a day or two. What worried him was the sudden change he saw in Toshiro. Ever since the dai-youkai had shown up his friend had again become stiff, formal, cold. He'd shunned all attempts at conversation since Sesshomaru's departure, and when Shippou had accidentally brushed his tail against him as they set up camp for the night Toshiro had glared down at his appendage like he'd wanted to bite it off. The kitsune figured that maybe Toshiro had been afraid of the Inu no Taisho, and had tried to assure him that he'd have nothing to be afraid of from him as long as the others were around.
"He's really not so bad." He'd said to the silent hanyou as they'd walked earlier. "He seems like a jerk -well, he is a jerk- but Kagome and Inuyasha would never let him hurt us. You don't have to be afraid of-"
The hanyou had spun on him, his eyes golden fire and his top lip pulled back over his fangs. "I'm not afraid of him."
Shippou had taken a step back, "O-okay."
The malice in his aura and the smell of fear in his scent had told him that Toshiro was definitely afraid of something, whether it was Sesshomaru or something else entirely. They spent the rest of the day's journey in uncomfortable silence, Toshiro glaring at ground, his ears never lifting from his ebony head. Now they were gathered around a fire in a clearing, only a day's travel from the village they were requested to help. Miroku and Sango sat beside Shippou, their heads bent together and their voices low hums. They were the only ones it seemed who were more or less unaffected by the anger and frustration that came off of their companions. Inuyasha had went hunting on his own again, dropping the meat at Kagome's feet upon his return before he bounded into a nearby tree to glare at the setting sun. Kagome cooked and distributed the meals without a word, sitting beside Shippou with her food and her back to Inuyasha. Toshiro sat across the fire, his legs and arms crossed and his clawed fingers tapping restlessly against his bicep. His food sat untouched in front of him. His face was screwed up, his brows furrowed as he glared at the fire unseeingly.
Shippou sighed, placing his barely eaten meal at his feet before he pulled his legs to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. Was it something he did? Why was Toshiro so standoff-ish again? Maybe he really had been offended by Shippou's earlier joke. Or maybe he was upset that Rin had tried to touch him earlier. But that wasn't really her fault, she didn't know that he didn't like to be touched. Shippou watched the older boy through the crackling of the flames that separated them, wanting more than anything to go sit beside and talk to his friend but afraid he'd just piss him off more. The kitsune sighed quietly again just as the monk beside him spoke up.
"Anyone want to tell a story tonight?"
No one spoke. Sango smiled encouragingly at her husband before she cleared her throat. Everyone turned eyes to her, weary for their own reasons but expectant.
"Have I ever told you the story of how Kohaku and I defeated a dragon youkai in the Eastern lands?"
Murmured no's echoed around the clearing. Miroku wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and she leaned against him as everyone waited for her to begin, but before she could Toshiro spoke up across from them.
"Who's Kohaku?" He asked numbly, reds and yellows from the fire and setting sun reflecting in his eyes. It was the first thing he'd said since before their encounter with Sesshomaru. Not even a bad mood seemed capable of quelling the hanyou's curiosity.
Sango smiled warmly at him, causing the hanyou to blush lightly though his frustrated expression did not change.
"He's my brother. He's currently traveling, working as a taijia himself."
"Why isn't he with you?"
"He prefers the open road, discovering new lands as he helps people. We used to travel a lot, but since we've beaten Naraku we don't do so nearly as much. He's too much of a free spirit to be held in any village."
Toshiro nodded at her, accepting her explanation without another word. As Sango began her story Shippou couldn't seem to be able to take his eyes off of the young hanyou. Something was off with him. The hanyou being rude, he could tolerate. Angry, he could stand. But this frustration, this nervousness, this . . . Fear was unlike what Shippou had become used to. Toshiro didn't even seem to be listening to the story, his eyes leaving Sango every few seconds to glare in one direction or another, his fingers beating almost constantly against his arm, the black puppy ears atop his head twitching irritably. It wasn't until the sun finally disappeared behind the trees that his movements stopped all together.
No one but the kitsune seemed to see Toshiro stiffen, no one saw his eyes change color quickly before settling back on a fearful gold. No one but Inuyasha would be able to smell the sudden anxiety exuding from the young hanyou. Shippou glanced up at his father figure and saw that he too was now looking at Toshiro, a grim understanding in his eyes. When the younger half youkai's eyes changed again he rose quickly from his spot in the dirt, stumbling a little. Sango's story died on her lips as everyone looked to the Toshiro, confused. He gulped visibly, the smell of fear coming off of him spiking before he took off into the trees as fast as he could, his injured ankle hardly deterring him.
"Toshiro! Where are you going?" Kagome called out, moving onto her knees and reaching out a hand as if she could pull him back.
Inuyasha dropped out of his tree, landing lightly next to the miko on the balls of his feet. "Let him go, wench." He said seriously.
"Was it something I said?" Sango asked worriedly, her sharp eyes scanning the tree line for the little hanyou.
Shippou rose to his feet, his paws carrying him a few unsure steps toward where the other boy had disappeared. He couldn't be out there alone, it was way too dangerous and he didn't even take a weapon. The adults around him continued to question one another, the kitsune hardly hearing their words through the worry twisting in his stomach.
"Why did he run off?"
"Where'd he go?"
"It's getting dark, Inuyasha. What if he gets hurt?"
"One of us should go after him, right?"
They continued to toss questions between them. Inuyasha said nothing, meeting Shippou's eyes across the clearing before nodding slightly to him. The kit's green eyes hardened in determination. While the others were distracted he quickly grabbed Sango's wakizashi from where it lay in the snow and took off after the other boy. As he made it into the cover of the trees Inuyasha's steady voice reached him.
"Toshiro hasn't gone far. Shippou will handle it."
And he would. His grip tightened on the blade in his hand, and he swore to himself as he sniffed out his friend that tonight he would be the one to protect Toshiro. He would be the one to keep the bad things away, he would be the one to offer reassurance to his friend during his night of vulnerability.
Shippou's nose led him to a small cave not a quarter mile away from their camp, and inside he felt Toshiro's weak youki, becoming harder and harder to sense as the half moon rose in the sky. The kitsune padded carefully to the mouth of the cave, sniffing around for any predators before he stood at it's entrance, staring into the darkness.
"Toshiro?"
He heard a gasp from inside the cave, and the smack of bare feet against rock before his friend came partially into the light. Half of his face showed, the other shrouded in shadow, one dark blue eye blazing in fury. His dog ears were gone, small human ears just visible under his black hair. He bared his teeth at the other boy in warning even though his fangs were no longer there. When he spoke he sounded the most angry Shippou had ever heard him.
"What are you doing here?"
Shippou moved from foot to foot uncomfortably, suddenly feeling silly with Sango's weapon. When he didn't speak Toshiro's cobalt eye darted to the blade in his hand, then back up to his face in suspicion. Hard blue met panicked green.
"You've come to kill me, then? Is that why you're here? I can promise you that just because I'm human doesn't mean I'll be an easy target! I'll-"
"No! No, no you've got it all wrong!" Shippou waved his hands in front of him, the wakizashi glittering in the moonlight. "Why would you think something like that?"
"So why, then?" Toshiro growled, ignoring his question.
"To . . . To protect you." Shippou mumbled.
"Tch. Speak up, kitsune! I can't hear as well with these stupid human ears."
Shippou straightened his spine, his grip tightening again around his borrowed sword's hilt. "I said I'm going to protect you."
The blue eye widened slightly. The scowl on the older boys softened a fraction. He didn't speak for a long time, and when he did it was a quiet, almost whispered word.
"Why?"
"B-because," Shippou blushed, swallowing back his hesitation. He reached his free hand up to tug on a pointed ear, kicking a paw at the small rocks at his feet. "Because I owe you. And because I'm your friend . . . Because you're my brother."
He watched as several emotions flit across Toshiro's one visible eye; shock, suspicion, hope, fear, happiness, reluctance. He then glared quickly, accusingly, up at the moon before he turned and went back into the darkness of his cave. Shippou sighed, taking his silence as acceptance before he sank to the cold ground just inside the cave's entrance, his back to its opening and his sword laid across his lap.
He kept himself awake and alert, determined to be ready to attack at any moment should someone or something tried to come for his friend. Nocturnal youkai and animals hunted for their breakfast, thankfully never coming too close to where the boys hid. If Shippou concentrated he could still hear the crackling of their camp fire, the low hum of the voices of his family. The twinge of uncertainty he felt at his ability to protect himself and Toshiro disappeared knowing that they were close by. The night creatures calling to one another and the labored, unsteady breathing of the hanyou at his back was all Shippou heard for hours. When Toshiro's breathing finally evened out Shippou thought that he'd fallen asleep, but his voice rang out from the darkness of the cave, soft and quiet.
"You called me your brother."
Shippou nodded, keeping his eyes on the trees as he spoke. "That's what I've started to view you as. That's what I hope you'll become."
Toshiro's breathing hitched. " . . . You barely even know me."
The kit released a white puff into the cold night as he sighed. "I want to know you. I want you to know me."
"Why . . ."
Shippou shrugged. "Everyone needs someone."
"And what makes you think I have no one? What makes you think I want to know you." Toshiro snapped, his voice sharper than the edge of the wakizashi Shippou held in his grasp. "What makes you even think I need you here now? I didn't ask you to come. I don't need you to look out for me, to protect me. I don't need anyone."
Shippou scoffed quietly. "You forgot tonight was your human night."
A pause. "How did you kn-?"
"You acted all weird when Sesshomaru showed up." Shippou cut in, stretching his legs out in front of him. "I still don't know what that was about-but anyway, you got all spacey, and jerky, and lost in your head like I've realized you do when you're upset. You got that stupid pucker in your forehead and you growled at me whenever I tried to talk to you. You were so stuck thinking about whatever the heck you were thinking about, you forgot it was your night of vulnerability until literally the last minute. And you called me reckless."
The other boy didn't respond. Just the sounds of his breathing and the whistle of wind through branches met the kitsune's ears for a long time. Shippou's tail swished behind him patiently, gliding against the cold rock of the cave. He felt the presence at his back come closer, the warmth of the body behind him scoot nearer to the mouth of the cave.
"You're right." The hanyou said finally. "Sometimes I get so . . ."
"Distracted?"
"Tch."
Shippou smiled to himself. He knew he was right. As observant as the hanyou was, as quick thinking, he got distracted by his own thoughts more than anything. And to a hanyou . . . Being unfocused could mean your life. Shippou felt fear shoot through him, along with a vicious protectiveness. What if someone came after him while he wasn't paying attention? What if his absentmindedness cost him his life? Shippou wouldn't allow it. He promised himself then that he'd get stronger, he'd protect his friend on the one night he was unable to protect himself.
Shippou cleared his throat. "How about you let me look out for you on half moon nights, and I'll agree to train with you and Inuyasha?"
"I don't need you to-"
"Yeah, I know." Why did he have to be so difficult? "I know you don't need me to protect you. But wouldn't you feel better knowing someone had your back on nights like this? I know I would."
The warmth at his back moved closer. "I don't see what I get out of this deal. You get the training and I get what? To be indebted to you?"
Shippou rolled his eyes. "Are you always such a pain?"
"Yes." Toshiro said seriously.
"Well you can either agree, or I can just follow you on half moon nights and annoy you until the sun comes up."
Toshiro then moved to sit behind Shippou, moving the still swishing tail out of his way as he plopped back to the ground, pressing his back up against the other boy like he had the night before.
"Tch." A yawn. "You do that anyway."
Shippou chuckled, pushing back against his chosen brother and smiling to himself when he pushed back. They stayed that way all night, covering each other's back, and for the first time Shippou felt needed. When the taller boy's head lolled against him in eventual sleep Shippou knew that while he didn't regret his cowardice from the day before, that he'd never allow himself to be in that situation again. He would become stronger, he would protect his family no matter what.
For a less than a second during the night Shippou thought he'd sensed another youki close by, a familiar one, but it was gone in less than a breathe and he shrugged it off to his imagination. He straightened his spine no less, his ears and nose straining to sweep the area around him. His eyes stayed wide open all night, letting the older boy rest against him and his hand on the wakizashi's hilt until the sun rose.
