Ch. 35- Shippo Joins the Team

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha called as he looked to the flames. "SHIPPO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

No answer came.

"No...!" Inuyasha whispered in horror. "It can't be!"

"Oh, no...!" Myoga whispered in shock. "They're...they're...!"

"What a shame," said Hiten with a malicious smirk. "Looks like the girl and the fox boy are dead!" He then looked down at Inuyasha. "Don't worry...you'll be joining them, soon enough."

"...You...!" Inuyasha hissed as he suddenly sprung up, pushing Hiten back. "YOU BASTARD!"

"What?!" Hiten questioned in surprise, but then grunted as he kept trying to push his Thunder Pike into Tetsusaiga's sheath. "Heh...nice try, half-breed...but if you keep pushing, you won't even have your scabbard to protect you!"

"AS IF!" Inuyasha yelled as he slammed his forehead against Hiten's own, causing him to stumble back.

"...Well...talk about using your head," Myoga commented.

"Urgh...that's right, half-breed!" Hiten growled. "Get angry!"

'I don't understand this...I've never even met a full-fledged demon who would stand against me with such tenacity! What manner of creature is this?!'

"You're gonna pay for this," Inuyasha said. "You'll pay for what you did to my friends! You might kill me, but I'll be sure to drag you down with me!"

"Hmph!" Hiten scoffed. "To think, you'd go mad over the loss of your woman..." He then lunged at Inuyasha with his Thunder Pike brandished. "So...I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL TO BE WITH HER!"

KRAKK! Inuyasha blocked the spear's blade with his sheath, but by now, the crack was halfway through!

"Oh, no...!" Myoga whispered. "One more hit, and he's finished!"

"Rrrrgh...!" Inuyasha grunted from exertion while Hiten laughed.

"YOU'RE MINE, NOW, HALF-BREED!" he yelled. "REVENGE FOR MY FALLEN BROTHER!"

...Ba-bump!

"Huh?" Inuyasha muttered as the sheath began to pulsate. "W-what the-?!"

Ba-bump! Ba-bump! The sheath pulsed even more...and then, Inuyasha spotted something flying towards him: the Tetsusaiga!

"My sword!" he exclaimed as he held his hand out and caught it by the hilt, just in the nick of time!

"The...the sheath called the sword back to it!" Myoga exclaimed.

"This should it," said Inuyasha as he poured his demonic energy into the blade, causing it to turn into its Fang Form, again. "TETSUSAIGA!"

SLASH! With one swing...Inuyasha cut through Hiten's Thunder Pike...as well as Hiten, himself!

"I...Impossible...!" Hiten whispered as he dropped to his knees. "The Thunder Brothers...defeated by a mere half-demon...?!"

As he began to disintegrate into dust...he whispered a single name.

"...So...ten...!"

"Soten...?" Inuyasha repeated as Hiten collapsed...leaving only his armor and his Sacred Jewel shards behind.

"You did it, Master Inuyasha!" exclaimed Myoga as he hopped over. "You defeated the Thunder Brothers and got their jewel shards to boot!" He then looked up at Inuyasha...who was sitting on his knees. "Uh...sire?"

"...It doesn't matter," Inuyasha replied. "So what if I got the shards? It doesn't mean anything, now that Kagome and Shippo are...are..." He then bit his lip and looked away. "Dammit...if only I had finished Hiten sooner!"

Myoga gasped in disbelief...because for a moment, it sounded like Inuyasha's voice was breaking...and he had never heard his employer sound like that, before.

"Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha gasped silently before he turned and saw Kagome and Shippo...both them of surrounded in a turquoise flame.

"K-Kagome! Shippo!" Inuyasha cried. "But...but how?!"

"...These must be the spirits of Kagome and Shippo," said Myoga. "They must have come to say their last goodbyes before they head off for the afterlife!"

"What?!" Inuyasha questioned. "Then...then they're really...?!"

"...Thank you, Inuyasha," said Kagome. "You fought well."

"Thank you for all your help," said Shippo. "Thanks to you, I finally avenged my Father...I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you."

Inuyasha gasped in shock...just as the fire began to grow larger.

"NO!" he cried as he ran to them. "KAGOME, NO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" He then threw his arms around them, screwing his eyes shut. "Please...please, don't go! Don't leave me alone!"

"...What are you talking about?"

Inuyasha gasped before he pulled away to see Kagome and Shippo...both of them still alive and well.

"Y...you're alive?!" Inuyasha asked.

"Of course, we're alive!" Kagome answered. "What'd you think?"

"But...but then...but you were...!" Inuyasha stammered...his face growing very red. "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"

"Uh...well...it must have been foxfire," said Myoga.

"...Now you tell me..." Inuyasha glared.

Shippo blinked at the half-demon before he gasped and looked around, only to find his father's pelt.

"Father!" he cried as he ran over to the fur. "Father..." He then hugged the pelt and nuzzled it. "...You must have used your foxfire to protect us...you're still looking out for me, even though you're dead...!" He then sniffled as he hugged it tighter. "Father...!"

"Oh, Shippo..." Kagome whispered, sadly. "The poor thing."

"...Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha spoke up, causing Kagome to look at him. "You know those little sticks that you use to start fires with?"

"Matches?" Kagome replied. "What about them?"

XXX

A while later, the group had left the mountain range and were now standing in the middle of an open field. There, Shippo had laid his father's pelt on the grass while Kagome had placed a bouquet of flowers on top of it. Inuyasha stood next to Kagome's bike, a solemn expression on his face as the girl and kitsune child stood next to him.

"...Are we ready?" Inuyasha asked.

"Mm-hmm," Kagome nodded.

"Yeah..." Shippo muttered, sadly.

Inuyasha reached inside his sleeve and pulled out a box of matches, one of which he struck on the side of the box before he tossed the match onto the pelt...which soon ignited into flames.

"Goodbye, Father," Shippo said as tears fell from his eyes. "I love you."

Inuyasha and Kagome both closed their eyes with the latter folding her arms in silent prayer. As Shippo watched his father's fur burn away, Inuyasha went up to him and gently placed his hand on his back, causing him to glance up at him in slight surprise...but then he gave him a small smile.

Soon, all that remained of Shippo's father's pelt was ashes, which Kagome scooped up and buried underneath an old cedar tree where Shippo said he and his father liked to take naps.

"...That's that, then," said Kagome.

"...Thanks, you guys," said Shippo. "That was very nice of you."

"...Of course," Kagome smiled. "Your father would be so proud of you for what you did, Shippo."

"Thanks, Kagome," said Shippo. "That means a lot."

"...Well," Inuyasha said as he turned to leave, "I guess we won't be finding any more jewel shards in this area. Might as well head back to the village."

"I guess so," said Kagome as she turned to follow Inuyasha while Shippo remained behind, staring at the stone that made up his father's grave marker.

"...Hey, Shippo," said Inuyasha, causing the kit to turn to face him. "You comin' or not?"

"Huh?" Shippo asked in surprise.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, both surprised and confused.

"Look, it's not like I've gone soft or anything," Inuyasha replied. "It's just...well...he is an orphan. He won't last a day on his own...and...since he's got nowhere to go, he might as well come with us."

"...I can go with you guys?" Shippo asked. "Really?"

"Don't get too comfortable!" Inuyasha interjected. "I ain't a babysitter, got it? If you're gonna be going with us, you'll have to learn to look after yourself! Understand?"

"Yeah, I got it!" Shippo nodded.

"Good," said Inuyasha as he walked away. "Now let's get movin'."

"See?" Kagome asked as she put Shippo in her bicycle basket. "I knew that under all that hard exterior, there was a big marshmallow in there."

"Keh! I ain't a marshmallow!" Inuyasha barked.

"Sure you're not," Kagome teased.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes...but despite that, he couldn't hide the small smile that appeared on his face.

The idea of cremating Shippo's father's pelt was given to my be Corpses Playing Poker. Thank you for your suggestion!

Review, please!