"What Could Be"

An Inu Yasha Fanfic by Nozomi

[A/N: SORRY!!!  I hate writer's block.  I was trying to come up with a funny story for this Chapter, since Chapters 1 and 2 are too… serious *sweatdrop*  Naraku's dead after all, I wanted the mood to be light.  Also, I was busy, working and getting ready to move into a new house.  Hence the more than 1 week delay in updating…

* Nozomi ducks as readers throw a couple of Inu Yasha dolls at her*  Pauses for a thought.  * Stands up and grabs one and proceeds to get hit squarely on the face by angry readers *

Okay, OKAY!!!  I'll admit it!  I can't write comedy!  Dang it all, I can write romance, drama, suspense, mysteries… heck, I can even write angst (my most hated genre)!  But for some sick reason, my creative muses decided to exclude comedy from my writing skills.  -_-  *muses giggle* So after trying to inspire myself by watching episodes 91-96 of Inu Yasha, reading a *LOT* of humorous fanfics, and reading and re-reading my reviews, I decided to submit myself to writing the way I usually do.  *sighs*

So yes, this chapter will be kinda serious as well.

Thanks again to all who reviewed!  Some responses:

Silver Dragon: Nozomi's muses to Faux: How DARE you!!!  *tackle*  -silence- *poke* -silence- *sweatdrop*  -silence- *Nozomi grabs her muses by the neck and makes them bow to Silver Dragon in apology… ^_~

Kenta Divina: Honestly, I haven't really thought about what I should get Inu Yasha to do when he wakes up.  I settled for having him play a minor role in this Chapter, and we'll see how he takes this whole Shikon-no-tama-has-been-completed deal in later Chapters.  I have to squeeze Kikyou's appearance in first before he starts muddling his thoughts, hehe.

KellyChan: Thanks!  I'll take note of that, I'll probably refer to them sometimes as Kugutsu, but I'll have to be careful about how I use it.  ^_^ ]

Disclaimer: Inu Yasha and company belong to Rumiko Takahashi.  But for now… *Nozomi grabs Inu Yasha and then runs off with him before the lawyers find out*

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Chapter 3: Interlude: Shippou

- SLAP!! -

Sango's hand came in contact solidly with Miroku's face.  You'd think that he would have learned by now, she thought to herself.  Her left eye was still twitching from annoyance.

"Just checking to see if you're feeling better, Sango," the monk explained cheekily, looking sheepish as he slowly edged his face away from her palm, which was still outstretched to him.

"By groping me again?!" she said dangerously.  Miroku sweatdropped and raised both hands in front of him.  It was a paltry defense, at best.  She threw him an uppercut [A/N: Worthy of Akane Tendo when she slugs Ranma ^_^ ] that sent him flying to the trees.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

She walked over to where Kagome, Inu Yasha and Shippou were eating breakfast.  She didn't even give them a chance to speak.  "Yes, I'm feeling much better," she explained coldly, then grabbed her own bowl of ramen and started eating quickly, ignoring the stupefied expressions on her companions' faces.

Kagome sighed.  Oh well, the mood had to end sooner or later, she thought as she gave her friend curious glances.

- SLAP!! -

Sango didn't look up.  "You had better not be making fun of me, Inu Yasha," she growled.

"Keh, like I care about what you and Miroku do to each other.  Anyway, we have company."

They turned to look at him.  Inu Yasha was sitting down cross-legged on the grass.  He had his bowl in his left hand and his right hand was just dropping down from his cheek.  Shippou, who sat on his right side, watched a little speck float to his knee.

"Myouga-jiji!" Shippou exclaimed.

"Oi, Myouga, see you finally decided to show up!"

Myouga sighed wistfully.  "What are you saying, Inu Yasha-sama?  I've been trying to catch up with you to help you defeat Naraku, but it appears I'm too late.  You've already dealt with him."

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

Tears started welling in the flea's eyes.  "It's true," he pouted.

There was only the sound of slurping as everyone ate their ramen in companionable silence.

"WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME?!?!??!" Myouga wailed loudly.

~*~

Shippou was now slumped against a rock, a small blue foxfire flame dancing in his palm.  He watched as it alternated from burning brighter to dimmer, the changes affected by his concentration.  He had come to realize in the past few weeks that he needed some sort of ability in order to survive their encounter with Naraku, and not be a burden to anyone else as well.

As a child, he only had his simple magic tricks like temporarily transforming his acorns and toys into objects he could use to distract the opponent or run away, which really would not be of much help in an actual battle.  The only real magic he knew for now was his foxfire, which, when he remembered how his father's had burned, was pretty insignificant.  All he could seem to do with it was use it as a light.

But as they approached Naraku's castle, there had been an increase in the level of magic he could use (thanks to a lot of practice), and he was able to help his friends in his own way.

He sighed.  His friends…

He wondered how long they would be together.  Sango joined them because she wanted to avenge her family and comrades who died in their own homes, because Naraku led a horde of demons to the Taijiya village.  Miroku joined them because he had to remove the curse of the air void Naraku had bestowed upon him and his forebears before he got swallowed up by his own curse.  Inu Yasha and Kagome had already been together on this journey before he joined them.

And he joined them because…?

This question caused Shippou to lose his concentration, and the blue foxfire in his flame died abruptly.  He sat up a little, thinking.  He had met up with Inu Yasha and Kagome when he stole the shards from Kagome so that he could avenge his late father, who had been slain by the Thunder Brothers.  And after Hiten and Manten had been dealt with, he just tagged along for the journey.  After all, he had no one else.

But now… now the Shikon no Tama was whole.  This was the reason why Kagome was here in the first place, right?  She had a duty to complete and protect the jewel.  And Inu Yasha stayed with them because he had originally wanted to see the jewel completed so that he can use it on himself, right?  Now that the shards have been gathered and Naraku defeated, what will become of them?  Sango could go home and restore her village and teach some kids to become demon exterminators.  There's sure to be some demons left, though Naraku had already absorbed quite a number of them.  A couple of less demons to worry about in the future, Shippou thought.  Miroku could go back home and build a temple for some village and be the residing monk there, though he suspected that the monk would probably prefer to tag along with Sango.  Inu Yasha would be free to live peacefully in his forest and maybe even keep protecting Kagome, who would probably become the village miko…

His thoughts trailed off at that point.

Kagome was from another time.  She wasn't from this era.  Would she stay?  Would she keep the jewel here or take it with her?  In her time, there were probably hardly any demons left, and her family's shrine could probably find a way to keep the jewel safe.  Heck, she'd probably be safer there too!  Here, with the Shikon no Tama in her hands, demons would come for it and continue to come for it.  The promise of increasing their powers was too much of a temptation to resist.  Kaede-baba was getting along in years, and wouldn't be able to protect it very well.  Kagome, however, had some miko powers and they were getting stronger as time passed.  She would be able to defend the jewel and the village if given proper tutelage.

But the question was… would she stay?

Shippou wearily slouched back down on the rock and absently picked at the dead twigs lying around.  He had come to think of Kagome as a sister figure. 

He pictured Kagome protecting him from Inu Yasha's temper, remembered how she coddled him all the time, and how she was always close by when he was sleeping.  Of course, he was the one who started sleeping in her traveling futon in the first place.  It gave him a sense of comfort to know that she was someone he could turn to, someone who would protect him.

Like his father.

Shippou's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open as it hit him.  Kagome wasn't just a sister figure.

He had come to think of her as… something like… his…

She was like a surrogate mother to him.

Warmth flooded his heart.  That's what Kagome is to him.  A mother.

As with all children, the time will come when he would eventually go out on his own.  But for now…

Would Kagome leave him?  Would Kagome leave them?

There was also Inu Yasha to consider.  He knew that they were both to stubborn to admit it, but everyone could clearly see how much they liked each other!  Heck, he was still a kid, even if you're counting in demon years, and *he* could see that they liked each other!  When they finally got together…

Yuuuuccckkkkkkkkkkck!

That means he would have to start thinking of Inu Yasha as a father more than a bullying older brother.

But there was still the question of whether or not Kagome would stay.

Would she stay?  Would she want to stay?  Can he make her stay?  Can Sango and Miroku make her stay?  Would Inu Yasha demand she stay?  What about the jewel?  What about…

Arrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh!

Kagome had started walking over to Shippou and was surprised to see him sweatdrop, facefault and crash to the ground all at the same time.  She ran the last few steps and found him with swirly circles for eyes.

"Shippou-chan?"

The little kitsune sprang to his feet and shook off the dizzying questions vigorously.  Once he felt that he had gained a little composure, he flashed her the brightest grin.

"I'm alright!"

Kagome smiled at him.  "It's time to make our way back to the village."  She extended her hand out to him.

Shippou glanced at her hand for a moment, then looked up at his surrogate mother's face.  She had such kind eyes, and he knew from the time he had spent with her, that her heart was always in the right place.

He smiled back at her and took her hand, and she reached out to scoop him into her arms.  He lifted himself up on her shoulders as he always did.

"Oi Kagome, Shippou!  We're leaving!"

"Hai!!!"

Shippou heard the laughter in her voice and shook his head.  He was worrying himself too much.  In the end, Kagome would always choose the decision that would have the best and most desirable outcome.  She was that kind of person.  He also knew that when the time comes, it would not be a sorrowful parting, if ever.

For now, he would relish his time with her as they make their way back to Kaede-baba's village.  He felt a little surprised at the thoughts he had nurtured just moments ago, then shook his head, brushing off his worries.  He felt a little more mature than when they started their quest.  Kagome would be proud, he thought.  Her little kitsune was already starting to grow up.

[A/N: Done with Chapter 3!  And just to prove I really wasn't suffering from lack of story plots, the title of Chapter 4 is "When the Winds Howl" (I started writing it when I couldn't figure out a funny plot for Chapter 3).  I'll be posting it sometime tomorrow, I'm in the process of editing it.  And yes, it's going to have Kouga in it (you should've been able to guess from the title).  Toodles! ]