Disclaimer: Hiten and the world of Inuyasha are creations of Rumiko Takahashi.

AN: Special thanks to everyone that reviewed and have been reviewing all along! It really keeps me going.

Chapter Ten: Past to Present

Oppressive darkness. Slowly opening his eyes, Hiten found himself laying flat upon his back. Holding his breathe, he lay completely still, listening. He was somewhere else, somewhere new. 'Am I dead?' Slowly blinking, Hiten continued to stare up at the shadows of a wood ceiling. His gifted vision etching shadows out of the general darkness, he traced the outline massive beams which supported the roof. The over powering reek of char and salve assaulted his nose. The give of tightly bound bandages pressed into tender flesh as he rolled onto his side, his queasy stomach promising greater discomfort if he tried to sit up.

Flexing a hand, which now resembled a fin after bandaging, Hiten affirmed that he was still living. The slimy shift of the cloth suggested that the skin beneath was free of the anchorage granted by the muscles and bone. Letting go of a heavy sigh, he morbidly pondered the extent of the damage. The throbbing ache of open wounds intensified as his attention focused on them. He was growing tired of these debilitating experiences, one would think he would be long dead by now.

The hollow thump of footsteps upon the wooden porch just beyond the wall, alerted him to the approach of several people. As the shoji was slip open, a slat of light banded his cloth covered back, his front falling in shadow as the bar hit the far wall. The illumination granted Hiten the first real look at the room he had woke up in. The walls were lined with assorted boxes, the shelves cluttered with a range of items both with and without boxes; he found himself in a storage room. The mix of parchment paper, cheap cardboard, and substantial wooden chests cast an equally miss matched assortment of shadows around the room. The occasional bottle or jar dotted the clutter, its shine adding a fleck of interest to the mass of containers.

Artificial lights came to life, bursting with their soft glow as it drove painful throbs to redoubled efforts behind Hiten's eyes. Still with his back to whom ever had come to visit him, Hiten lay motionless, waiting for them to make their move. As they stepped into the room the shoji slid shut, sealing the room from the outside. Faint puffs of demonic energy different throughout the room. A light breeze announced the unusual visitor's movement.

Blinking, Hiten wondered if he was hallucinating. A fox the color of sand was sitting in front of him. Its piecing green eyes watching. Its large ears poised forward as though waiting for a greeting. 'Hello, Hiten.' the fox's voice emanating more from with in Hiten's mind than from the harmless looking creature itself. Raising an arched eyebrow, Hiten gave the fox as close an examination as he could without lifting his head from the floor. The little best merely tilted its head to the side, returning his expression. Pushing himself up, Hiten gaged on the acidic fluid which raced up into his mouth. 'It has been I long time I suppose, even though you don't really look any different.' The fox angled its head to it was looking at him from an off center perspective.

"Do I know you?" Hiten did his best to glare at the tiny creature. He had never been too fond of lesser demons. In fact if he wasn't feeling so badly at the moment, he would have considered killing this one already. The human-esk smile which the fox dawned sent a shiver across his skin. 'I know you and I also know that you are supposed to be dead. I watched you die with my own two eyes,' The fox snapped, its small size seemingly more menacing that Hiten would have liked to admit. Its tan fur bristling as its ears pinned back. "Drop the disguise." Hiten reached out to grab the increasingly annoying creature, only to have it back up just out of his reach. 'I doubt you'd recognize me, but as you wish.' A billowing ball of greenish fox fire swallowed the furry creature.

Gazing at the now revealed fox demon, Hiten tried to place who he was. Long red-orange hair was pulled back into a pony tail hung down nearly to his waist, the bangs left to frame his angular face and piercing green eyes. Curiously in full armor, this demon was distinctly someone from Hiten's time. Stiff white gloves covered his hands leading into deep green and silver forearm armor which extended from the wrist to the elbow of each arm. Matching shoulder plates were placed on top of a teal kimono and tied to a grey and black chest plate. A long sash tied at his waist held an additional piece of armor which hung down nearly to his knees. Its silver trim was striking against the teal pants which were tucked into similar bands as the fore arms which started at his ankles and reached approximately half way up his shins. The last bit were white socks covering otherwise bare feet and a long tan tail which swished to and fro.

"I know you?" Hiten's eyes met the fox's. The chuckle that resonated in the fox's chest no more reassuring.

"Last I say you I was only this tall." The fox sat down behold holding his hand a foot or so off the ground. The pieces fell into place. Hiten grew tense. Yes, he know who this fox was.

"You're that little brat!" Hiten pointed an accusing finger. "Did you come here to finally get you revenge?" He pressed his palms against the floor to push himself up. Shippou regarded the thunder demon quietly for a moment before speaking.

"No, although the thought did cross my mind when I had heard you attacked Inuyasha. Although it seems Kagome is still quite capable of both fighting and healing." Shippou paused, studying the other youkai. "Inuyasha is alive and will be back on his feet in a few days; where as it seems those burns will be much more difficult to get rid of." Hiten looked down as his bandaged hands and was now aware of his bandaged neck and sections of his face. "I originally came here to escort you home. Souten would have come her self, but there were unavoidable responsibilities she could not leave, so I was sent in her place." The fox dawned a mischievous grin as he watched the implications sink in. Standing, Shippou slowly walked to the door.

"Is she well?" Hiten avoided the possible implications of what the fox had just said. Hiten tried to imagine his sister fully grown and happy. His eyes dropping back to his injured hands rather than meet the gaze of the other youkai.

"Yes, she is very well." Shippou's voice significantly softened. "We will leave in the morning." The artificially lights went out as the fox exited leaving Hiten in the dark. Laying back down, he closed his eyes to try and sleep. 'My sister chose a fox as a mate?' He tried to fill in the gaps as he drifted to sleep. How strange the thunder demon blood lines must be by now. Fleeting memories of his mother made him smile in the darkness. 'Souten must have inherited father's strange tastes...'

To be continued...

AN: Well, personally I think Shippou/Souten would be a really cute couple! Anyway, took me a while to really think out what Shippou would look like grown up, sorry on the wait! Thanks for reading and please review!