Okay, I'm still sick. I've vomited several times, though, so I'm thinking maybe I'll get better now. That'd be nice, I think. I'm almost positive my fever has broken, so that should be a good sign. Sadly, today is looking like it's going to be really busy and will likely end with me collapsing in my bed and perhaps a resurgence of illness from my intolerant body. I don't think my body understands that it is just going to have to live with the fact that I'm a very busy girl. Oh well, let's get this story going on.
*****
All I Needed Was You
Part 6
*****
When I was alone
You came around
When I was down
You pulled me through
And there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you.
-Michelle Branch You Set Me Free
Shippo stretched and lay out on his side, propping his head up with one hand. If he'd have really thought about it, Shippo would have realized that he'd seen Inuyasha lay like that many times, but he had been much younger then, and everything had changed since then. It had been almost a month since he had last seen Inuyasha or Kagome because they were busy in her world with some school thing that he didn't really pretend to understand. Inuyasha had grumbled about something called "finals" and something else called a "thesis" that would apparently make his wife very busy. He had confided in Shippo that he was almost happy she was spending all this time on school, since after this whole time of studying was over, Kagome would apparently not ever go to school again. No wonder Inuyasha had been excited enough that he hadn't even argued when Kagome told him he would need to watch little Kanjou all by himself, and he should not take the child into the Sengoku Jidai until she had finished with all of her tests and such. Shippo didn't think that really sounded logical, as Kanjou had been coming to this world since he was only a baby. Kagome was just an overprotective mother, perhaps. Or maybe it helped her while she was doing all that work to know that any time she was home, her whole family would be there as well
It wasn't as though Shippo was lonely or anything. Ever since they had defeated Narkaku four years ago, things hadn't been the same for the kitsune. He'd learned to live without the constant presence of Kagome-mama and Inuyasha-papa as the two of them had left to live in her world. They still visited often, first to tell everyone that they would be married, then to tell everyone that Kagome was pregnant. That visit had been entertaining, with Inuyasha standing on guard the whole time, eyes darting at the slightest movements, ears constantly twitching as he listened for any sign of danger to his precious wife and mate. Shippo had been very young at the time still, so he had been leaping around with delight at the prospect of having not just one, but two babies to play with. Sango had been so pregnant at the time that Miroku seemed almost as edgy as Inuyasha. Only a few weeks later they had visited again, knowing that Sango was very near her time. Inuyasha and Miroku hadn't slept at all during that visit. Inuyasha was still convinced that this era was much too dangerous for his mate, especially since she was carrying his child. Miroku was just full of nerves, knowing that any day now Sango would finally give birth. He had spoken with Inuyasha about it, and Shippo had overheard the monk's concerns that it would be a painful process and that something might go wrong. "If I lose Sango, I won't be able to go on." He had confided, his voice cracking with emotion, and Shippo had been surprised to see Inuyasha pat the other man's back in comfort. Inuyasha had truly changed a lot since when Shippo first met him, but he'd never expected the hanyou to become so mature. Shippo supposed that it must have to do with the fact that Inuyasha was a father as well now, and he shared Miroku's fears even if he wouldn't admit it.
The day after that secret discussion, the small house Sango and Miroku had shared since the defeat of Naraku was filled with screams. Early in the morning it had begun, and Kaede had been there before they could even send for her. At first, Miroku had been inside the house with Kagome, Kaede, and his wife, but soon enough he came out to join Inuyasha and Shippo who were a fair distance from the house, trying to ignore the screams. Shippo didn't want to hear Sango in such pain, and Inuyasha was likely imagining how his wife would be screaming just like that soon enough. The hanyou had broken a cold sweat, but that was nothing to the haggard appearance of poor Miroku. He told them that Kaede had kicked him out, saying he was only making things worse with his sudden panic attack. Miroku seemed to think that this much pain could not be normal, which caused a mixed reaction in Inuyasha. The hanyou would have liked to believe that this whole birth process wouldn't hurt his mate as much, but he also didn't want for anything to be wrong with his friend Sango. Unfortunately, all they could do was wait, and hours later their thinly veiled impatience was rewarded with the unmistakable sound of a squalling baby in the hut. Before Kaede could come out with the child, Miroku practically flew to the hut to see for himself that everything was all right. Moments later, he had brought a swaddled bundle back out, his chest pushed out with pride as he showed the little girl to the curious Shippo and Inuyasha. "We're calling her Asako." He had said.
Several months later, Kanjou had been born in Kagome's world. Inuyasha had explained that it had happened at some place called a "hospital" and that there had been many people like Kaede to help Kagome through. Kanjou was technically one-quarter demon, but you couldn't tell by looking at him except for his claw-like fingers and very slightly pointed ears. Apparently, no one in Kagome's world really noticed such small details, so there was no need for her to worry about his future. Inuyasha had grumbled that they wouldn't have had to worry about it at all if she had simply let him turn into a human with the Shikon no Tama. That had been the hanyou's idea the night after they'd finally finished the jewel, but Kagome had immediately shot it down. Shippo could still remember what they'd each said about it as he watched silently from inside a bush.
"Kagome, the reason I wanted to talk to you is…well, I've decided what to do with the Shikon no Tama." He told her, digging nervously at the soft ground with one clawed foot. She blinked, waiting for him to continue quietly. "I…I want to use it to become human so that we can be together forever."
"Inuyasha, that's very sweet." Kagome had struggled with her words, obviously nearing tears, "But I don't think you should do that."
"But why not?" Inuyasha was shocked.
"Why should you change for me?" she asked back.
"Well…I'm a hanyou." He explained as though this were very obvious. "No one wants a half-breed like me."
"Wrong." She'd stepped forward to touch his face, tracing the line of his jaw softly, "I…it's not as though I'm not pleased to know that you'd do this for me, Inuyasha. It really means a lot to me, but the thing of it is…Inuyasha is Inuyasha." She lowered her voice so Shippo had to strain to hear it. It was a good thing he had youkai ears. "Inuyasha, I didn't just fall in love with you because of what you might become, I fell in love with you because of what you are. I don't care that you're a hanyou and that everyone else shuns you for it. It's who you are, and so I love that you are the way you are. I love your furry little ears. I love how you make that adorable purring noise when I scratch them for you." Kagome paused, reaching up to demonstrate and almost immediately, Shippo heard the noise she was talking about. "I love your beautiful silver hair." She lowered her hand to run her fingers through his shining mane. "I love your bright yellow eyes. I love your claws and how they can be so deadly, but they only make me feel safe when I feel your arms around me." She held one of his hands in hers thoughtfully. By this time, Inuyasha was blushing more deeply than Shippo had ever seen. "I love your fangs, how I can feel them when I kiss you so that no one could ever could ever hope to be like you." She leaned up and kissed him softly before nestling against his chest. "You see, Inuyasha? I love the way you are. Every part of you that makes you think no one could ever take you seriously…those are the things I love most. It's not that I don't love you when you become human every new moon, but the fact of the matter is that I could never forgive myself if you changed who you were for me when I love you so much as you are."
"Kagome…" Inuyasha hadn't been able to respond to this. Kagome had pulled away slightly, aiming him a warm smile.
"Besides, those ears are just so cute!" she had teased as she leapt to grab them and Inuyasha jumped away. She had chased him around until they ended up leaving Shippo's field of view before the little kitsune had decided to go to bed.
Inuyasha had shown Shippo the odd hats Kagome had gotten for him to wear when they were in her world. He had admitted that it was a little uncomfortable to have his ears smashed down, but he got used to it after a while, and Shippo knew that Inuyasha would suffer through any amount of discomfort to be with Kagome. Inuyasha had even shown him the odd clothes he had to wear to live in her world, and Shippo had declared that he would never fall in love if it meant he had to look so foolish. He had gotten a sound thump to the head for that comment.
Even though they both lived in Kagome's world now, Inuyasha and her often came to visit the Sengoku Jidai for days and sometimes weeks at a time, especially during summer. Because of this, Shippo had spent quite a bit of time playing with Kanjou and Asako. It was strange that his two best friends were both over six years younger than him, but when you are young and your only friends are adults, playing with toddlers is definitely appealing. True to his youkai roots, Kanjou seemed to age a bit slower than Asako in appearance, but they both were obviously intelligent for their age. It made it even better for Shippo to play with the two of them once they began to reach the stage where they looked at Shippo as their hero and role model. He knew it was selfish to take so much pleasure in Kanjou calling him Shippo-oniisama and he knew that he was spoiling Asako by letting her play with his great fluffy tail as though it was the best toy ever invented, but Shippo loved having someone who looked up to him for once. All his life he had relied on others, and now, with Kanjou and Asako, he felt as though he was finally someone that others could rely on. It was a wonderful feeling.
"Shippo-sama!" a young voice interrupted Shippo's reflections and he turned just in time to see Asako leaping at him with as much force as she could muster, sending them both rolling off the edge of the porch. "You have to hide me." She told him, panic thick in her voice, her dark purple eyes gleaming with worry.
"What'd you do now, Asako-chan?" Shippo asked, already scooping the black-haired four-year old into his arms and leaping away from the house in quick, powerful jumps that resembled the way Inuyasha had once traveled. He had taught Shippo how to do it as well, as promised. Usually it only came in handy for hide and seek or for just impressing Asako and Kanjou, but Shippo was still glad Inuyasha had taught him. He still felt as though the hanyou had been a father of sorts to him, and always would be.
"I was gonna water the flowers for mommy, but I dropped the water jar and it broke and got water everywhere." Asako explained, not even trying hard to hold on to Shippo's chest. She knew he wouldn't drop her. Shippo always watched out for her, even when she was in trouble.
"Don't worry then, I'll explain it to your mom." Shippo shot her a confident grin over his shoulder. "You knew I could get you out of trouble, didn't you?" he asked after a moment.
"Yep." She answered, smiling slightly.
"You know, if you want a ride, you could just ask." Shippo tutted slightly at the little girl before stopping on a tree branch and sitting down, letting Asako jump up and explore her surroundings. "Asako-chan, I don't know what to do with you sometimes."
"I don't know either." She agreed in a tone so serious that Shippo burst into laughter. Shippo looked her over carefully. Asako was standing on the branch, confident that she wouldn't fall. After all, she seemed to think no harm could befall her when Shippo was near.
"You should sit down, Asako-chan." Shippo warned. He wasn't hoping to save her from a near death experience. "You might fall."
"If I fall you can save me." Asako smiled at him in adoration, walking over to where he sat and climbing into his lap. "And if you save me, I'll give you a kiss!" she exclaimed, as though this was a deal that no one could dare refuse.
"I don't need a kiss to save you, Asako-chan." Shippo assured her, laughing slightly at the girl who was able to see the world with such happiness in her eyes that Shippo sometimes envied her. "You're my precious Asako-chan. What would I do if you fell?"
"You could ask mommy and daddy to make a new me." She suggested innocently. Shippo couldn't help but laugh.
"Asako-chan, I don't think your mom and dad could ever make another one like you." He told her affectionately. "You're very special, you know."
"I know." She answered in a voice so matter of fact that Shippo had to smile. There was a moment's pause before Asako tugged at his shirt.
"What is it now, Asako-chan?" he asked.
"Shippo-sama, I got to tell you a secret." She sounded very thoughtful though she was only four years old. "Last time Kanjou visited, he asked me to marry him." She told him.
"Wow, did he?" Shippo smiled fondly at her.
"Yeah, he said that if we got married then he could kiss me and we could have babies when we grew up." Asako explained. "But guess what?"
"What is it?" Shippo was trying not to laugh at the idea of Asako and Kanjou kissing and then wondering where the babies were. He didn't doubt that could happen.
"I told him no." she answered, blushing deeply. "I said that I wanted to marry Shippo-sama so that my babies would all have cute fluffy tails." Shippo laughed at her logic and planted a small kiss on the top of her head so that she wouldn't think he was making fun of her.
"That's a pretty good plan, Asako-chan." He told her as seriously as he could manage. "We'll get married when we grow up then, okay?"
"Really? Oh, I love you Shippo-sama!" Asako clutched him around the neck so tightly that Shippo had a hard time breathing. Finally she broke away and stared at him seriously. "But you have to get me a ring like Inuyasha-san got for Kagome-san."
"I don't think you want to get married, Asako-chan. I think you just want a ring that sparkles." Shippo guessed as he stood up to head back to the house. Asako became silent suddenly, and then Shippo laughed, patting her head warmly. "That's okay, Asako. You're a little bit young to worry about getting married yet."
"I guess." Asako sighed sadly. "It is a pretty ring though, isn't it?"
"Yeah it is." He told her, shaking his head slightly before he leapt through the trees back to their home.
*****
The End (Of Part 6, That Is)