Boundless

Disclaimer: I, wolfYLady, own nothing as I am nothing more than a humble writer whose entertainment comes from manipulating fictional characters. The characters depicted in this story belong to their respective owners and creators. Again I own nothing!

Summary: She loves him but not the way he wants. To ensure that Kagome will forever be his, Shippo does the unthinkable. The group is frantic to find Shippo after he disappears one night, but when they find him will he be the same Shippo. Will she accept him for what he now is?

Pairing: Kagome & Shippo

Enjoy!

The sun rose high into the sky, its heat beating relentlessly upon the weary group. Cicada sang on a hot breeze that did little to elevate the strain being brought on by their brisk pace through the forest, but all carried on as they followed the dirt path through the forest, stopping every so often when they needed refreshments. With the summer months fast approaching, the weather would continue to hinder travel, at least for the humans in the ragtag group. The weather was often temperamental about this time of year, storms being more frequent with muggy, rainy spring leading into dry, hot summer.

Whatever hope that the group had of taking things easy had been rebuked by the hanyou, their self-declared leader. Said hanyou took up the front of their traveling party, silver dog ears twitching in agitation. Several times already, he had complained that the others weren't moving fast enough, and from the tension ebbing from him now, he was about to go into another tangent about "slow humans." They had been traveling since early morning, just before the sun had risen, to be honest, and the hanyou no doubt would want them continuing well into the evening.

Walking several paces behind the hanyou, but close to each other, were the rest of the group. The monk and slayer, with the nekomata riding atop the slayer's shoulder, walked several paces behind the hanyou, whereas the true leader of their group brought up the rear. After the fought Kagome and Inuyasha had this morning, the miko had decided to put as much space between them as possible. And happily resting on her shoulder was the other full-blooded youkai of the group.

Though the kit was more than capable of walking, he found it harder to keep up with the other's longer strides with how short he was. And while it did dampen his pride a bit to have everyone in the group assume he needed to be carried, as long as it was Kagome doing the carrying, he didn't mind.

Shippo smiled happily at the young miko, who had grown far more than others in the group. She had set aside everything just for the sake of restoring the jewel. Instead of making weekly trips through the well, she went once a month, if not every other month, to get medical supplies that could only be found in the future. Hoping to better fulfill the duties placed upon her shoulders, Kagome trained tirelessly in gaining control of her powers, which grew quickly with every passing day. Of course, she still had a lot to learn compared to other mikos of her age, but from knowing nothing to being able to stand her ground against several demons at once was incredible and only spoke of how much stronger she was bound to become.

Nuzzling himself just a bit closer to the miko, Shippo breathed in, taking deep greedy lung-fulls of her scent. She smelled of berries and cream with honeycomb, it was the sweetest he had ever smelled, and yet even with her modern soaps: Shampoo, and Conditioner, they did little to damper the sweetness that was instinctively Kagome. With a content hum at the back of his throat, the young kitsune tyke took the opportunity to openly stare at the attractive woman.

The group had been hunting almost nonstop in search of tracking down shards of the Shikon jewel. Everyone had grown a bit stronger the closer the group came to completing the jewel, which they had just over half of currently, but none of them had changed as much as the young miko. At first, from when he met her at least, Kagome had dressed in what she had called her "school uniform." It had been ungodly short, shorter than any kimono Shippo had ever seen upon a woman. She did several times wear different things, but none of them "appropriate for a woman of her station": he had a vague understanding of what the other miko had meant, but after that incident, Kagome had taken to wearing a blue take on the traditionally red garbs worn by miko. The crisp white of the kosode complimented her pale skin and pale blue stitching several shades lighter than the royal blue hakamas she wore, which helped compliment her sapphire eyes. While he preferred that she wears her hair down, she had taken a liking to wearing it in a somewhat sloppy bun atop her head; her bangs, along with a few wild strands of rave black hair, were the only things left untouched to frame her heart-shaped face. But no matter what she wore, Shippo found her just as lovely as before.

He found himself beaming with pride and played it off as a smile that he offered to the young miko. Kagome smiled back, showing him her bright crystal blue eye and ever breathtaking smile.

Looking ahead once more, the monk and slayer pulled Kagome into their conversation that she happily joined. They were speaking of her world, both of them curious to learn more about where she was from, often joining her at night to look over some of the literature she brought with her.

Shippo frowned at that.

Kagome hadn't told them she had abandoned her studies to complete the jewel. Shippo only knew because he had witnessed a fight between Inuyasha and Kagome after she had been gone for two weeks, where she had screamed tearfully that he should be happy to know she wouldn't be leaving as often for her tests as she had dropped out. Inuyasha had been seemingly pleased, whereas Kagome had been devastated. It wasn't fair to her; then again, nothing about this situation was fair. Nothing good had come since the resurfacing of the Shikon no Tama, well aside from meeting her, that is. Kagome was perfect to him, the only problem -to him anyways- being that she still held feelings for the ever rude Inuyasha.

Shippo didn't like it one bit; whenever he was trying to enjoy his time with Kagome, the dog turned around to ruin it with his foul behavior. He knew the dog to be jealous, envious that he had become her main priority from the moment they met. After all, Kagome loved him; even with that knowledge, it left him bitter because she meant so much more to him than what she saw herself as. She fell into the role of his caretaker, he loved that he got her attention, but he wanted more than the motherly love she bestowed him with. He wanted her to love him like she did the dog, love him the way he did her; they were meant to be together; why couldn't she see the undying love he held for her.

It all had to do with him being a "child." The gods had messed up; if she hadn't been pulled down the cursed well, he would be old enough to fulfill the position of lover and not a child needing to be taken care of like she saw him now. The times were messed up; he knew deep in his bones that they had been meant to meet in his future and her present. He knew that what he felt could only mean she was his soulmate; she would be able to feel that pull too if she wasn't blinded by the fact that he -unfortunately- was a mere tyke.

It infuriated him to no end; what should be a wondrous occasion for any demon was devastating to the young tyke because he had met his mate several centuries too soon.

He was far more mature than many gave him credit for -blinded by the fact that he did, in fact, look the part of a child, he may only have one tail, but he was, after all, nearly a hundred and fifty. Sure he was a young kitsune between tails, but he wasn't the simple child everyone treated him as. The hanyou and he were close in age, but Inuyasha, thanks to his mother's human blood, had reached puberty sooner.

He fought off a growl, anger rising in his chest as his turquoise eyes found Inuyasha's back. Not only had he found his mate several centuries before they were destined, but he was helpless to watch her love and be abused by another. On some level, Shippo knew he was exaggerating the complexities of the two's relationship and even overemphasizing the fights between them. However, he was also dealing with complicated emotions and instincts he still was too young to fully comprehend or even act upon.

Mating was the equivalence of marriage between humans, except in the several cases it wasn't. Many demons often take on several partners, or mates, throughout their lengthy lifetime. For royal clans, there were temporary matings, often which the desired outcome was a child of shared lineage to solidify political or strategic bonds between clans; those were complicated, and he only knew what his tutors had told him. With most canine species of demons, they become completely devoted to their mates; this is where many got the idea that mating was for life, as wolves and even some inu demons rarely ever took more than one mate within their lifetime. Then there were the indefinite matings, in which a demon's baser instincts would surface laying claim to an individual; this is where a demon found "the one." And Shippo had done just that.

Kagome was his destined mate: his soul mate. He felt it deep within his soul, his instincts spoke of a level of possession and desire that he was too young to act upon, and with it, she would long be out of his reach by the time he came of age. This was all a cruel twist of fate. For he knew what he felt was true, meaning if she hadn't been brought into the past, he would have met her in his future, where they would be together. But no, she had to fall in love with the hanyou, no doubt because he was the only one within their group remotely similar in age.

And it wasn't like he had someone to talk to about this!

He closed his eyes, focusing on Kagome, allowing her voice to wash over him and her scent to fill his senses. It took several deep breaths, but he was calm enough that when he looked to the sky, he was able to think more clearly without the jealousy being overwhelming.

It was times like this that he wished he could talk to his father; his father would know what to do.

His heart sank just a little at the thought of his father. Thinking about his father made his small heart tighten. Rokuma had been a virtuous man and kind ruler of the Southern lands, having overthrown the "panthers" -more like stray cats- with the assistance of InuTaisho long before Shippo's birth and back when Rokuma was still considered a young youkai. He looked back at the times in the southern palace with great fondness, before the Thunder Clan attacked. Rokuma had ruled for several centuries before his death at the hands of Raiden: Leader of the Thunder Clan.

Raiden had attacked the Southern palace, surprisingly their army, his prowess had rivaled anyone of his clan, and it had been his father to meet the brute head-on in battle. With five jewel shards, Raiden had almost been an equal match to Rokuma, who'd been seven-tailed kitsune. In the end, the battle had taken both their lives. The Thunder Clan had all but been wiped out, that is, except for the thunder brothers who had skinned his dead father's corpse in revenge and taken the shards from their father.

But thanks to having come across Kagome and Inuyasha, Shippo had been able to put his father to rest. It was cruel to think it had taken his father's death to find his mate and even sadder of the fact that he would lose her as well. On some level, he should be more focused on the fact that if she were happy, he, in turn, should be happy for her. But no, he only felt these foreign instincts clambering to the surface, screaming that she'll only ever truly be happy with him.

His dad would know what to do; he always knew what to say and do, no matter the situation.

Bringing up his father caused Shippo's brain to wonder, going over the precious memories they'd shared.

And then his teal eyes grew wide, realization appearing in their cool depth. He could still ask his father what to do, of course, would have to make it to the palace, but there was a way, if not a bit reckless. "The temple." It left his lips in a rush of air, grabbing the attention of his adoring miko.

"You say something, Shippo?" Her sapphire eyes peering curiously into his own.

He looked at her quickly, not skipping a beat as he replied with a lie. "I'm just hungry. Do you think we'll be stopping anytime soon?" He really hated lying to her; it left the worst taste in his mouth, yet he could not tell her. He had a plan and only hopes she wouldn't be too worried.

And like that, Kagome called the group to a halt -with, of course, some arguing with the dog- the group soon stepped off the road though and made camp for the night.

Hazy blue eyes snap open in fear, followed by the half-asleep girl sitting straight up in her dingy purple-colored sleeping bag. The dying embers of the night's fire burned hot but left very little to be seen while the cold evening breeze seeped through the fabric of her kimono to chill her warm skin. Her eyes darted back and forth in fear as she looked around for her small kitsune companion.

Jumping up to her feet, she nearly tripped over the sleeping bag. The noise woke Kirara, who meowed her confusion at the frantic miko that now began to tear apart the makeshift camp, throwing her yellow bag and sleeping bag as she searched for the fox.

"Shippo!" She called, urging him to appear as if he were simply playing a trick. Kirara took the time to look around, but she could not see or smell the kit; this caused her to jump up and look around the camp with the miko.

"Shippo?" Kagome called again, her voice strained by emotions. Kirara turned as Sango and Miroku began to stir from their rest because of the commotion.

Kagome couldn't find him; she couldn't feel his aura anywhere near the camp. He was gone.

"SHIPPO!"

It took a couple of hours but Kagome cried herself back to sleep with Sango holding her close while Miroku and Kirara circled the camp in search of both Shippo and InuYasha. They were mostly keeping their eyes open for InuYasha for the sack of using his nose to help locate the small kit that had gone missing sometime in the middle of the night.

And just as the sky began to transform, its coloring lightens with the coming of day, did the half-breed decide to show up. He stepped into camp hesitantly with a raised eyebrow when Sango openly glared at him. He simply rolled his eyes, ignoring her as he looked over the camp and then taking note of the heavy scent of salt in the air, which only meant that someone had been crying a lot.

His ears fell to his head, with his eyes falling to the ground. 'Kagome must have woken up when I left.' He loved the futuristic girl, but he still loved the woman from his past; he couldn't just abandon Kikyo after everything they had been through.

"Where were you?" it was Kagome. There was no sweetness to her voice; in fact, it held no warmth at all. Instead, it was hoarse as she repeated the question louder with the same monotone voice. "Where were you, InuYasha?"

He turned, she looked at him with emptiness; he never thought that such a sight would make him feel so broken. Her beautiful sapphire eyes were half-open with dark circles forming that caused the blueness of her eyes to turn dark, making them like storm clouds. The darkness made her look almost ghostly paler, with her hair falling flat against her shoulders and her clothes untidy. Did he do this to her?

"Where were you? Was a quick fuck really so much more important than our safety!?" Her voice grew louder, filling with disdain and hatred as she rose to her feet.

He growled, opening his mouth but stopped when he looked into her eyes. She looked so broken, but at the same time, a new fire burned within her. At that moment, he feared what she would do to him; from the glare she shot his way, it looked as if she were ready to purify him.

"Because of you, Shippo is gone!" She roared as she walked straight up to him, looking up into his gold eyes with a hatred that surprised him. "My Shippo is missing, and it's all your fault!" And like that, she hit him across the face with a glowing hand, sending him straight to the ground.

"He told us that he'd pick us off one by one, that he was done playing games. But you didn't want to listen; you were too prideful to take his threat seriously that you could take on whatever he threw at us. I believed in you; I trusted you to help keep this group safe," Kagome yelled with tears in her eyes as she trembled. She was talking about Naraku and his threat nearly a month ago today when he had last attacked, having used Shippo for bait to lure Kagome to him. Shippo had been hurt pretty bad, and she couldn't get over it.

She fell to her knees in a heap of sobs, her hair falling to hide her face while her drooping shoulders shook with every trembling breath.

Sango hurried over to her friend doing her best to try and comfort the girl.

InuYasha was broken by the sight; he had never seen Kagome like this before. She had always been so strong and positive no matter the situation or danger they faced. And here she was, crying on her knees over their weakest companion. Never before did he ever really think as to how Kagome stayed so strong; he hadn't ever considered that she could ever be anything but strong for the group. He never really thought about her feelings.

"We'll find him for you, Kagome, I promise," he told her, feeling as much the failure as she claimed him to be. He was alpha of this pack, and it was his job to protect them, and he failed miserably at it.

Sango looked up, meeting his gaze with anger and fear. "We better," she whispered.

"I'll go get Miroku and Kirara; you get the camp packed up, we leave immediately, so we don't lose the trail," he told Sango before rushing out of the clearing to find the other members of his small pack. He couldn't lose anyone, their all he had, and if he lost Kagome, he didn't know what he would do.

Shippo winced as he felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest. It quickly faded but left him feeling as if something were wrong. He simply shook his head as he continued heading South, but he'd have to head through the Western lands first. Even at his fastest, it would take him at least a week.

But it would all be worth it when he made it to the temple.

wolfYLady: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my newest addition to my fanfiction gallery. Please review. I would love to see your thoughts on this story and what you think I should do next.