Shippo watched as Kagome walked off alone to the spring. She had been so happy with him when he found that spring. He was happy to make his foster mother happy. Yeah, he thought of the young woman of his new mother. She acted like it, and she cared for him.
He looked over each of the group. Kagome takes the place of my mother, Kilala is like an older sister, Sango and Miroku are great friends, and Inu Yasha is…what is Inu Yasha? A littermate? A…father?
Shippo stared at the half demon, trying to sort out how he saw the young man. Inu Yasha caught him staring, and glared at the small kitsune.
"What are you staring at?" he asked, jumping up and landing right in front of the kitsune.
Shippo didn't even hear the question, since he was concentrating on how he felt about Inu Yasha, and since he didn't hear it, he just turned around and started walking towards the fire to take his normal place next to Kilala. Inu Yasha stopped him though, and bopped him on the head.
"Answer me when I'm asking you a question!" he yelled at the fox cub. Shippo held his head in pain, and was about to yell at him about child abuse, when he just decided it wasn't worth it. Instead of taking his place next to Kilala, he walked over to the edge of the clearing, and started looking out at the dark forest surrounding them.
Inu Yasha was surprised at the kitsune's lack of whiny yelling. Was something wrong with him? The half demon was about to ask him, 'Oy runt, what's the matter with you', but noticed that Shippo's pose and sent clearly said that he wanted to be alone. So, he left him alone.
Shippo sat down, and kept trying to figure out what Inu Yasha was to him. Yes, he acted like a father in the fact that he protected him, and somehow the kit knew that Inu Yasha cared about him, but in other ways, he was not at all like a father. He hit him, he called him annoying names, and never even tried to teach him anything about how to fight or hunt or anything like that.
Inu Yasha was nothing like his real father. His real father had been kind, gentle, and had shown his love openly, saying that love was a strength, not a weakness.
Father had been such a strong kitsune. He had had orange hair like Shippo, but had sparkling green eyes that Shippo didn't inherit. He was always wearing loose pants, and an open shirt that was never closed. Female humans and demons alike had fallen in love with him, because he was so handsome and mysterious. But only mother was able to actually become the kitsunes mate. Shippo's mother had been a gorgeous kitsune, beautiful in ever aspect, body, heart, mind, and soul. She had had auburn hair, sparkling turquoise eyes that he had inherited, and always wore a beautiful pink kimono hat had white apple blossoms on it, and had a lighter pink sash.
His father said he fell in love with Shippo's mother the moment he saw her. And she was the only woman he met that didn't throw herself at his feet. That's one of the things he liked about her his father had always said.
Shippo still remembered her scent. It was like cherry blossoms and soft spring rain.
His father's scent had been much different. The handsome kitsune had smelled of earth, thunder, and the powerful scent that all the old trees around them gave off. Old trees like the ones that surrounded the camp now.
He tried to think of one time that his father had ever hit him, and suddenly a memory leapt into his head.
----------Flashback----------
Shippo, now only about four years old, slowly crawled to his father, which he could barely see in the dark cave. The much older kitsune had his knees pulled up to his chest, and had his head resting on them while his arms rested on his knee caps. By his side was a body, Shippo recognized it as his mother's. She looked so pale.
"Father?" the kitsune cub called softly. He got no reply from his father's still form. The kit crawled a little further. "Father? Why's mother sleeping? It's the middle of the day."
The kitsune made no reply.
"Father?"
"You're mother is dead," his father said in a cold, hard voice. Shippo pulled back, not used to hearing his father like this. Normally when his father talked to him, he had a warm, loving voice.
"She died," he said in that same icy voice. "She was running from some wolf demons, and she didn't look where she was going. She fell off a cliff, and broke her neck."
Shippo took this very hard. Tears sprang to his eyes, and started to fall down his cheeks.
"Mother's…dead?" Shippo asked with a quivering voice. Then the denial came. "Mom can't be dead. She's just playing a game."
Shippo ran up to his mother, and started to shake mom's shoulder.
"Mom, wake up, wake up!" Shippo cried, starting to increase the strength of his shakes.
His father's hand then suddenly came out of nowhere, and slapped Shippo across the face, sending him flying across the cave.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" he yelled. Shippo cowered in his place at the bottom of the wall at the other side of the room.
His father's eyes glowed with raging green fire, and his face was gray and scary. Their eyes locked for a few moments, and his father's eyes softened.
"Shippo," he said, and shuffled closer. Shippo shied away from him, ducking his head, getting ready for another slap. Instead, he felt his father's strong arms envelop him in a warm hug, and he feels warm tears fall onto his head. Shippo then starts to cry too, and cuddled up to his father as much as possible.
----------End Flashback----------
Shippo held back tears. He had loved his mother. He still remembered when she used to sing to him…it hadn't been that long. About two years…then, a year ago, father had died too…
----------Flashback----------
Shippo wandered through the woods, looking for his father.
"Father! Father!" he called, looking around. Where was his father?
The sounds of a battle then hit the young kitsune's ears. He rushed towards the sounds, and found his father locked in combat with two demons.
Shippo's eyes widened. The Thunder Brothers. Oh no.
His father launched at Manten, digging his claws into the big lugs shoulder.
"AH!" Manten cried, and grabbed Shippo's father by the scruff, throwing him into a tree.
"FATHER!" Shippo cried, and rushed over to his fallen father.
"Shippo," his father gasped out, blood pouring from his mouth. "Get away from here."
"No," Shippo said, with tears in his eyes. "Father, I don't want you to die. Please don't die."
His father looked at him with sad green eyes.
"Forgive me," he said sorrowfully. "I'll always be with you. Now go!"
His father grabbed the back of his clothes, and threw him out of the way, just as a large yellow beam hit him.
Shippo got up, and looked to where his father had been. Lying there was a dead fox.
Tears filled Shippo's eyes, as he ran as far away as he could.
I swear I'll get revenge for you father, the small kitsune thought with a burning hatred towards the Thunder Brothers. They would pay for killing his beloved father.
----------End Flashback----------
Tears threatened to spill, but he didn't let them fall. He wouldn't cry. He had to be strong. Strong people don't cry.
That's not true, and you know it, a voice said in the back of his head. Sango cries for her lost family. Kagome cries for Inu Yasha. And they are still great warriors.
I can't cry, cause if I cry…he'll really be dead…Shippo turned back to look at the camp. Kagome as back, and was snuggling into her sleeping bag. Shippo yawned, and found he was tired too. Walking over to the young woman, he snuggled under her chin. Her arms circled his small body, and pulled him closer.
This reminded the small kitsune of what his mother used to do when he couldn't sleep. Within moments, the young kitsune was asleep.
A/N: Sad, I know. I'm in an angsty mood. So sue me.
Mr. P Coat- I know, this story was written basically for angst. It has a pretty happy and fluffy moment at the end though! Promise!