Well, chapter five actually ranks as my longest chapter in this story so far. Thank you for those who have been reviewing, its for you that I've managed to get out a chapter a day. ^_^ I have a pretty good idea where I'm headed in this story, and what I want to see accomplished, but that doesn't mean I'm not completely open to suggestions! So comments/suggestions/questions are quite welcome. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
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Chapter Five
It may require some explanation as for why the thought of a grown kitsune presented such a problem to Inuyasha. Kitsunes were some of the most mischievous beings of all. They enjoyed trickery of any kind and nothing made a kitsune happier than confusing someone thoroughly. It was an all too common story to hear of a kitsune appearing as a beautiful woman and leading men deep in to the woods. Once the man was good and lost, the kitsune would reveal itself and run off laughing. Both male and female kitsunes had been known to do it. In other words, they were Miroku's worst nightmares. They were also capable of doing quite a lot of damage in their quest for amusement and possessed formidable powers of their own.
It's not that kitsunes were spiteful creatures. Not at all. But that really made it worse for Inuyasha. Other youkai were malevolent and he could kill them without compunction. He couldn't do this with a kitsune. Not that he would actually consider killing Shippou. He really wouldn't, despite how much he was amusing himself with the images of doing just that as he chased after the fox youkai.
Looking ahead, Inuyasha could see the dim light of the campfire. He cursed under his breath as he saw the black figure of the kitsune drop down from the trees. Shippou was still a good length before him.
Said kitsune was rather pleased with himself for outdistancing the hanyou. It was the ancient vanity dating back to the time when a fox first outran a dog. He darted towards the campsite, but halted outside of the ring of light the fire cast. Appearance mattered greatly- any kitsune worth anything knew this. Theirs was a life of illusion, and often appearance alone was enough to convince most creatures of average intelligence. He lingered there in the shadows, considering his attire. His features had changed and he was looking to impress his friends. Thus, it stood to reason that he could by no means walk out with Inuyasha's shirt tied around his waist!
Searching his mind, he stumbled across an idea. It could work. He wasn't certain, but it was conceivable. He definitely did not have time to stand here and debate the matter with Inuyasha hot on his heels. Having made his decision, and yet being not entirely sure how to go about it, he concentrated hard. This should have been child's play- pardon the pun- but with so many changes he was beginning to doubt abilities he already knew he possessed. Screwing his face into a scowl that made his mature face look quite immature indeed, he told himself to relax. In a flash, he was clothed in clothes of his choosing and holding Inuyasha's shirt in his hand. An impish grin spread across his features. Nothing to it. Clothes weren't difficult. He had done it before when he shape-shifted into Kouga and Kagome. Why did I doubt myself?
"Shippou!" Inuyasha's voice interrupted the kitsune's thoughts at the same moment Shippou felt something slam into him. Both he and the hanyou went tumbling in a heap into the lit area, much to the other's surprise.
"You lousy runt!" The first epithet was hurled by Inuyasha as he struggled for dominance in the tussle.
"Hah! Dogface!"
"Nuisance!"
"Am not, puppy!"
"Don't you go start using that wimpy wolf's insults!"
Kagome stared, wide eyed, at the two. A startled yelp escaped her as she scrambled backwards in an attempt to avoid having two canine demons fall on her. Unfortunately, the attempt resulted in her backing right into Miroku's lap. Her eyes widened further as she let out a sound close to a growl. Miroku, however, made no sound at the flash of sudden pain, instead handling the red handprint on his cheek with the usual forbearance and attempt at an innocent look.
Had Inuyasha been paying attention, he might have given Miroku quite a bit more pain to handle. He was too busy trying to strangle the kitsune- or at least knock him senseless- to pay attention to anything else. Shippou's objective seemed to be to do the same to Inuyasha. Though the fox was larger now and more capable of defending himself, his powers did not lie in the brute strength required in such a situation. As a result, he was losing.
"Inuyasha.... Where's Shippou?" Sango was doing her best to ignore the lecherous monk, instead keeping her eyes on the fight. Inuyasha had now managed to trap the other youkai under him. He froze at Sango's words, fist poised in the air for a blow that would have landed right on the kitsune's jaw. The hanyou winced, lifting guilty eyes to the demon exterminator.
Since the two fighters were now frozen, Kagome managed to get a good look at both of them. What she saw caused her to gasp out, "Tell me that's not..."
Miroku walked a bit closer, leaning over to examine Shippou, still trapped under Inuyasha as he had yet to move. "Shippou? It would appear so... except he looks..." The monk searched for the most appropriate word, but ended up finishing lamely, "Older."
Inuyasha winced once more as his eyes shifted to Kagome's stunned expression. Hello 'sit'. He slowly lowered his fist and rose to his feet. Shippou followed suit, looking smug as he dusted off his clothes.
"Isn't it great?" It really was a rhetorical question in Shippou's mind. He did not require an answer as he already knew it was wonderful and fully expected Kagome and the others to feel the same way.
From their shocked expressions, they didn't know what to feel. Kagome approached Shippou slowly, her face uncertain. The thing that truly hit the realization home the hardest was having to tilt her head upward to see those familiar green eyes. The extra effort was well worth it, since the eyes were what managed to convince her. It had to be Shippou. "What happened to you?" The question was spoken before Kagome could possibly realize how negative it sounded.
Hurt flickered in those green eyes at Kagome's words. Her approval was important to him, and her seeming lack of it wounded the kitsune. Had he reflected on it, he would have realized that the hurt was proof that he was not truly an adult kitsune at all. He was still a child, just trapped in a body that was much older. "I thought," He began hesitantly, looking a bit lost, "You would be happy."
Hearing such childish words, even though they were said in that deep voice, Kagome was instantly called into the present. This is Shippou! She reminded herself, Not some strange youkai. This was still the child who clung to her in delight when she brought him candy- and her words had hurt him. Impulsively, she stepped forward and embraced the kitsune tightly.
Inuyasha almost protested. It took all his will power not to growl out his displeasure. That is Shippou. This was his chant as he tried to push away the unexplainable discomfort at seeing Kagome in another man's arms. That is Shippou. That is Shippou. Inuyasha, old buddy, that's Shippou. I refuse to be jealous of the runt. I just do. That goes against all my principals. Not that I have reason to be jealous at all. Cuz I don't. I don't care. But I refuse to be jealous of him. That's Shippou...
Shippou stiffened in surprise at Kagome's actions. The kitsune instincts had just grown since his body had changed, and they clamored for him to free himself from the human's arms. Embraces were too much like cages, and kitsune hated cages! He forced his instinct to be quiet, instead returning the hug. It was odd, being hugged this way by her. To realize he was now taller than Kagome and he as able to rest his chin on her hair as he held her. It was really him holding her too, not the other way around as it had always been before.
All right, the hug was officially lasting too long in Inuyasha's opinion. Never mind that it was 'too long' the moment Kagome had touched the kitsune. The hanyou cleared his throat, catching Kagome's attention and causing her to pull away from Shippou to regard him inquisitively. "A youkai did it." She asked the question after all, so he was just supplying the answer. Trying to move things along quickly. Ending the hug had nothing to do with his timing.
Miroku spoke up, "What sort of a youkai is capable of that?"
"Does it matter?" Inuyasha questioned irritably, "We need to find it... and kill it... so that Shippou goes back to normal." It seemed a perfect plan in his head.
"Who says I wanna go back to normal?" Shippou's protest was ignored by all.
With his usual patience, Miroku explained, "We do not know if just killing the creature will return Shippou to his former body. We cannot afford to kill it and be wrong."
Shippou interjected once more, "There is no need to go after the youkai at all!" And yet, once again, he was ignored.
Sango moved to stand next to Miroku, "I agree with Hoshi-sama. We need to be careful."
Inuyasha didn't like being 'careful'. He never had. 'Careful' took time, and despite spending fifty years sealed to a tree, he was not the most patient of creatures. He sought an ally in Kagome, only to see that she, too, was nodding in agreement with the others. Feh. Who needs her. Shippou was oddly silent. Giving up, the hanyou snarled, "Fine. But don't come whining to me if Shippou gets stuck that way." He turned and headed to the tree was sleeping in earlier, thoroughly irritated.
Shippou couldn't help but smile, his crafty mind at work. Waiting means I'll have more time to prove that I'm better this way. I'll show them, I will!
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Please review! The next chapter shall hopefully be out soon, though I'm having a little trouble on it, so we'll see. ^_^*
