Summary: A group of youkais watch as a young girl struggles with becoming a kitsune youkai and being betrayed. The youkais watch and help lead the girl-turned-kitsune youkai along in finding hope, joining another group, and maybe finding love again.

Disclaimer: Really people, if I owned the story, why would I be making a FAN fiction? ¬.¬;; Really if I owned it I'd be rich and have cool things.

'thinking' "talking" +action sounds+

F.Y.I: Pretty much just young Shippo in this.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome, Shippo, and Raijin made good time, not needing to eat everyday and needing to rest as much like ningens did. In fact, Kagome calculated that they had probably traveled a good 80 more miles than they ever reached with the others.

Kagome had stopped using youkai speed around midnight, and now was walking, with a fully transformed Raijin walking beside her, and a sleeping Shippo on his back. Kagome petted Raijin, since she had quickly become friends with the neko youkai. She looked at her sleeping son. 'Hmm...he's not use to traveling all day and night...poor thing.' Kagome thought, ruffling Shippo's red hair. Kagome ran her claws through her red hair, which she had tied up in a high ponytail to keep out of the way. Kagome looked up at the sky, wondering if Inuyasha was pushing the others to move on because of her.

"I hope they're okay..." Kagome said, sniffling a little, missing her friends. That's when she picked up a scent, like a dull spice and cedar, and the coppery smell of blood. "Raijin, c'mon." Kagome said, following her nose to the source of the blood.

Kagome and Raijin came to a clearing with a few rocks and a small stream. Up against one of the large rocks was a man...no a youkai. He had been injured badly.

Kagome bent down to his side, seeing he was unconscious and went to work. He had a large gaping and bloody hole in the middle of his abdomen, and a nasty bite in his shoulder, not to mention all the other scrapes and claw marks on him. Thankfully, before she even left to go take that bath that day she and Shippo ran away, she had her pack with her. Opening his dark green hoari she pulled out a sponge and cleaned away the blood from his wounds and scratches. After cleaning the wounds she quickly wrapped them up and set him up into a sitting pose on the rock. She then started to cook some ramen, knowing he'd probably be hungry when he came to.

Shippo woke to the sound of bubbling water. He looked over to Kagome and then to her patient. Hopping down, Shippo started to inspect the youkai his mother had helped.

The youkai had long deep reddish brown hair, with a green star on his forehead. On the side of his cheeks he had darker green stripes, two to a cheek. He was wearing a dark green hoari and hamaka. The cuffs and lapels of the hoari were white. A long bushy kitsune-tail laid beside him twitching slightly. He looked much older than Kagome, looking about in his mid or late 30ties. As the youkai's eyes began to open, Shippo hurried over to Kagome to tell her.

Azuma, the youkai that Kagome had saved, opened his weary green eyes. The first thing he saw was a vixen youkai and her pup looking at him with concern in their eyes. "Are you feeling better?" The vixen asked. "Yes...tell me...who are you?" Azuma asked. "I am Kagome," The vixen Kagome answered, "And this is my son Shippo." Azuma sniffed the air. "But you are unmarked, how do you have a son?" He asked. "He is my adopted son, and you shouldn't ask people if they are marked or unmarked." Kagome stated, wagging a finger at him.

"This Azuma is sorry Kagome-sama." Azuma said.

"Just Kagome...or Kagome-chan." Kagome said smiling.

"Tell me did you clean and bandage me?"

"Yes I did." Kagome answered, handing him a bowl of ramen

"Then I am in your debt." Azuma sniffed it for poison and took a bite. He liked the taste so much he began to gobble it down.

Kagome handed Shippo a bowl and sat down with a bowl of ramen herself and ate.

After they had finished Azuma explained to them why he had been so damaged.

"I managed to get the jewel shards from him then defeating the kuma, he was only tough when he had the shards." Azuma said showing them 3 shards.

"May I have those shards Azuma-sama?" Kagome asked politely.

"If I am not to call you Kagome-sama, then you should not have to call me Azuma-sama, san or chan will be fine with me. And why do you want them Kagome?"

"Because, they are my responsibility, I broke the Shikon-no-Tama about a year or so ago, and I have to collect and purify the shards before an evil hanyou named Naraku gets them." Kagome answered truthfully.

"You are the miko that broke the Shikon-no-Tama?! But they never said you were a kitsune youkai!" Azuma cried looking at Kagome with wide eyes.

"Back then I wasn't a kitsune youkai...when I adopted Shippo under youkai law is when I turned into a kitsune youkai." Kagome answered.

"Ahhh I see." Azuma said, and handed the shards to Kagome. "Then use them well Kagome."

:Kagome nodded and looked at the three black shards. Focusing her miko powers she purified them in front of Azuma, just to clear any doubt.

Azuma watched quietly as she purified and fused the shards to her larger piece. "Kagome would you like to come to my castle to stay with my mate and family?" Azuma asked.

"You have a castle?" Kagome asked him back.

"Yes! I am Lord of the Eastern Lands." Azuma said proudly.

"Wow...well then sure! As long as Shippo and Raijin can come."

"Alright, lets go." Azuma said getting up.

Kagome quickly packed up, and put Shippo back on Raijin's back. She nodded when ready, and at youkai speed, all of them hurried to the Eastern Lands' castle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Youkai: Demon

Kitsune: Fox

Neko: Cat

Kuma: Bear