Eri clasped her hands together and in front of her as she walked beside Shippo. It was very late and still dark outside, but she found she couldn't sleep. Instead, she took a walk around the subdivision with Shippo. It was peaceful in the neighbourhood and she was reminded of one of the villages in Shippo's tale.

"I still don't understand something," she told him, her eyebrows wrinkled as she thought of her words. "You said everything that happened in your story happened five hundred years ago. Yet, you speak of it as though you had been there. And the entire time you spoke, I could see different expressions on Kagome, Inuyasha, and Koga's faces. It was like they had been there as well. How is that possible?"

He glanced at her before staring at the road in front of them. He smirked. "I told you you wouldn't believe me."

"I never said I didn't believe you," she pointed out. "I'm just trying to understand it. You also said that not all demons were bad. But in religion we are taught that…"

Shippo snorted. "Yes, humans have always feared demons. And I don't blame them. During the Feudal Era, there were far more evil demons than there were good. They gave us quite a bad reputation."

"So, what is a demon? How do you tell a demon from… well, a human?" she asked.

He pinched his lips as he thought about it. "Well, for one demons don't age as quickly as humans do… Years ago, long before World War II, humans were able to see demons quite clearly. Many demons have markings, fur, tails, and other such things that point them out as demons. As time went by, humans just stopped seeing us."

Eri nodded. "So, demons are humans with animal-like features?" she asked.

He chuckled. "More the other way around," he replied. "Though, in all honesty, demons are neither human nor animal."

A light wind picked up and wrapped around the two people. A thought struck Eri at that moment and she couldn't help but voice it. "You said 'us.' Are you a demon, Shippo?"

The fox froze in his tracks and stared at the girl. He looked for signs of fear or anger. What he saw instead was genuine curiosity. "I am," he answered honestly. He didn't see any reason to hide the truth.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "But you don't look like a demon," she said.

He smirked. "What do you think demons look like?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "Scary. With glowing red eyes and sharp fangs. They have long, wicked claws and there's fire. Fire is all over the place. And they're huge, like skyscraper huge. And ugly."

He raised an eyebrow. Taking her hand, he brought her to the center of the neighbourhood. With a smile, he said, "Some demons are like that, however, at this very moment, you are surrounded by demons."

She stared at him dubiously. She did not see any demons around and she certainly could not believe that Shippo was one. "Prove it," she challenged. "If you really are a demon, then prove it to me."

In response, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her. At first, she was shocked by his sudden, bold movement, but she felt herself relaxing. He was a really good kisser and, despite his short stature, he was very handsome. She closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around his neck. Somehow, he felt… right to her.

As she lifted one hand to play with his hair, she felt something odd on his ear. She played with his ear a bit as she tried to figure it out. It was like his ear was pointy or something. Sort of like the elves Tolkien spoke of in his stories. But that couldn't be right.

She broke the kiss and opened her eyes. Her eyes widened as she saw the man for what he was. His eyes had become slits, like a foxes. In fact, his entire face resembled a fox. He was a cute fox, there was no doubt, but he was a fox nonetheless. His hair was pulled into a topknot and she could see his pointed ears. He flicked his bushy tail as he waited for her to speak.

Wait. She blinked and gazed at the tail. He had a tail. She met his eyes and saw fear. Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. Was he scared of her? He was a demon! He had no reason to be scared of her! Her mind worked through the tidbit of information and she came upon another conclusion. He wasn't scared of her. He was scared of her reaction to him.

She closed her eyes as she tried to build her courage up from the depths of her own fear. She had been walking with a demon. She had kissed a demon. This demon had…

She opened her eyes and tilted her head. "So, it's all true? That story you told tonight… It really happened?" she asked him.

He swallowed and nodded his head. "Y-yes," he stammered. "It really happened."

Realization slowly dawned on her. "So, Koga and Inuyasha? They are demons as well?"

Shippo sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Well, Koga is," he replied. "Inuyasha is just a half demon. Grant it, he's quite the formidable one and I would not underestimate his abilities. But he's still a half demon in the end."

She nodded. "What is a half demon exactly?" she asked.

He answered, "A half demon is someone who has one parent that's a demon and another who is a human. In Inuyasha's case, his mother was a human princess and his father was the Great Dog General of the Western Lands."

Eri thought over all the times she had seen Inuyasha and his behaviors started to make sense. He was, essentially, half dog. Another thought struck her. "What about his brother? Is he a half demon as well?"

Shippo snorted as he laughed. He shook his head. "Be thankful Sesshomaru did not hear you say that," he responded as he continued to laugh. "He is very proud of his heritage and would take it as an insult."

"So? What is he?" she asked.

The fox demon wiped a tear out of his eye. "After their father died, Sesshomaru became the new Lord of the Western Lands. He is a full demon and, actually, quite pure-blooded."

Eri nodded. "And you are a fox, correct?"

In response, Shippo pulled her into a hug. "You are the first person to ever get that right on the first try," he told her. "Or, at the very least, the first human."

She chuckled nervously. "I guess that's a good thing? What about around here? You said I was surrounded by demons. I assume you mean Koga and his family? What are they?"

A lone wolf walked up to the pair and rubbed herself against Shippo's leg. Seeing that she was a regular wolf and not one of Koga's actual family members, the fox answered. "They are wolves," he said as he bent down to scratch the wolf behind the ear.

~8~

A part of Eri wanted to run screaming into the night. As the sun began to rise into the early morning, she was content to lie on the grass next to Shippo. He wasn't at all what she had expected upon hearing the word "demon." He was kind and gentle.

Not to mention hot. Once she got over the idea that his features were very fox-like, she realized that the fox part of him only enhanced his looks. She was even more amazed that he had chosen to spend his time with her.

But then, he had all the time in the world, didn't he? Demons were immortal beings that did not die of old age or disease. If, or when, a demon did die, it was due to some outside cause. It was a fatal wound that they could not heal from or something of that nature.

"Is Kagome a demon?" she asked suddenly.

Shippo turned his head to look at her. "No," he replied. "Kagome is a priestess. She was the one who destroyed the Shikon no Tama and Naraku in the end."

Eri sat up. "But how? Those events happened five hundred years ago. How could she have been there?"

The fox demon sat up as well. "On the grounds of the Higurashi temple, there is a well with a shrine built around it. Through that well, Kagome was able to travel to the past and help us with finding the shards and everything else."

"Through a well?" she questioned. "Can she go there now?"

He shook his head. "I think the well lost its power when the Shikon no Tama was destroyed. I'm not certain that's the case, but I don't know how else to explain it. Kagome has tried to return to the past several times, but hasn't been able to."

She nodded as she settled back on the grass. "I think my math teacher may be a demon," she commented. "Will I be able to see the demons now?"

He shrugged, but did not rejoin her. "Who knows? Now that you believe we are real, maybe. I suppose the real test will come when you see Koga and his pack again."

She quickly stood up and dusted off her skirt. Then, taking his hand into hers, she said, "Well, let's go find out!"

~8~

Kagome pulled a packet of bacon out of the refrigerator. She set it on the counter before taking some eggs and milk out as well. It wasn't very often she had a chance to make breakfast and, so, she was excited for the opportunity.

Koga sat patiently at the table with Inuyasha, who was reading the morning paper. The wolf prince watched as Kagome busied herself around the kitchen. He loved watching her work.

The priestess took out a frying pan and began melting some butter. "Ham, bacon, and cheese omelets," she said, more to herself than anyone in particular. "I am sad that Saki had to leave last night, but I must say, I am glad Sesshomaru is gone."

Inuyasha sniffed as he took a sip of coffee. "I'm actually surprised he came at all," he replied. "I still don't understand why you invited him."

Kagome shrugged. "I thought it'd be a nice gesture," she admitted.

"And she wanted to rub it in his face that we were happy," Koga added with a smirk.

Kagome shook her head in denial, which made Koga laugh. "Deny it all you want, babe. You like ruffling that dog's fur."

The priestess glared at her fiancé before shrugging. She threw him a mischievous smirk and the two men laughed.

Just then, Eri burst into the house dragging Shippo by the hand. "Kagome, you'll never guess what I just learned!" she cried as she entered the kitchen.

Kagome looked at her friends and saw the look of amusement plastered across Shippo's face. That was never a good sign. "What's that?" she asked warily.

"Shippo's a fox demon!" the girl declared.

Kagome's eyes widened as she felt the colour drain from her face. "What?"

Eri looked to Koga and Inuyasha for confirmation and stopped. Her eyes widened and she squeezed Shippo's hand. She bounced in excitement as she said, "Oh my god! I can see them, Shippo! Inuyasha's doggie ears and Koga's pointed ones. And they both have fangs just like you. Do you two have tails as well, like Shippo?"

Koga smiled in amusement as Kagome watched helplessly. "I do," the wolf prince answered. "But Rocky here doesn't."

Eri sat at the table as she stared at the two men. Inuyasha sighed as Eri asked, "Why do you call him 'Rocky'? Is it because of the avalanche?"

"No," Koga chuckled as he watched the exuberant girl. "I call him 'Rocky' because that's the screenname he used when he spoke to Kagome over the internet."

"Yeah, before it was always 'Mutt-face' or 'Dog Breath,'" Shippo explained as he grabbed a cup of coffee and joined them at the table.

"Inuyasha had his share of insulting names," Kagome pointed out as she returned to her cooking. There was no point in trying to stop them from revealing anything and Eri seemed to take the news extremely well.

Eri glanced up at Kagome and quickly stood up and joined her in the kitchen. "I am so sorry," the girl said. "Would you like some help, Kagome? I did not mean to be rude."

"Oh, it's fine," the priestess said. "You can return to the table if you would like."

"I would like to help you in the kitchen," Eri stated. Then, she whispered to the priestess, "Besides, I gotta make a good impression on Shippo. Guys like women who can work in the kitchen, right?"

Koga and Inuyasha burst into laughter as Shippo blushed. Eri looked at the men curiously. Kagome smiled. "They are canines, Eri," she pointed out. "They can hear anything and everything you say."

Eri blushed. "Oh."

The girl quickly hid behind the counter, making Kagome chuckle. "Oh, don't worry," the priestess reassured her friend. "They like to tease, but it's all in good fun."

Eri nodded, but Kagome could tell the girl was embarrassed. Taking pity on her friend, she growled at the men. "Would you two knock it off?" she snapped at Inuyasha and Koga. She looked down at Eri, who was currently on the floor. "I could use your help with the cooking," Kagome said kindly and with a smile.

Eri returned the smile and Kagome helped her up. As the two women made the omelets, Kagome couldn't help but notice that Eri and Shippo would steal glances at one another when they thought no one was looking.

Kagome smiled. She could not think of a more perfect match for Shippo. And this time, he did not have Sesshomaru to ruin it for him.