Conscience

It didn't matter that crying was for little girls; all that mattered was that his heart was hurting and he couldn't make it stop. He knew Kagome was right but even as he reached for her, Shippou also knew that the hurt was only going to get worse the sicker Keade-chan got. Wailing, he lunged for Kagome's arms again. "I don't want her to go!" he cried, shaking in her arms.

For the first time in ages, her mind was blank. How did you comfort someone, especially a child, about the death of a loved one? How was she supposed to make it all right and stop this precious little one's tears? "Shh…" she managed, holding him gently and rubbing soothing circles across his back. It was as much as comfort to do it as it was to feel it. "It's going to be okay because…because she's not really going to go away."

His heart froze and he leaned back to look at her, eyes wide and filled with hope. "Can you save her?" he whimpered, tiny claws pricking her skin.

"No," she murmured and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "I can't save her; it's her time. But…she'll always be with you." Gently, Kagome set him away from her and began to straighten his clothes as she spoke, anything to keep her own hands from shaking, her own fears from disturbing him. "When someone you love…dies…they always stay with you, in your heart, your memories. They watch over you and in the back of your mind, they guide you between what is right and what is wrong. Sort of like…a conscience."

"Keade's gonna keep me from getting in trouble?" he mumbled, the very idea tickling the back of his mind.

She laughed and tapped the tip of his nose gently. "No silly. That's up to you. But every time you have to make a difficult decision, you can think of her and what she would have said if you asked her. It's like…you'll have an advisor all to yourself and she'll help you learn to make the right decisions."

o.O.o

Word Count - 353