(Fur of the fox)

Trying to calm Sakura down didn't work for Hiten or Manten. If anything had changed, it was the fever that she had gotten the previous night; and it was only getting much worse. Only after what seemed like an eternity, Hiten and Manten finally got Sakura to calm down.

But Hiten couldn't say that he wasn't upset. She still hadn't told him anything other than that the baby died, and he raved to know more of what she wouldn't tell him.

"An-chan, you're quiet today." Manten said nervously with a mumble as he watched his brother flop onto the grey cloud of his. Manten understood that Hiten wanted to have an alone time but still didn't get why he was so upset. It wasn't like Sakura had died, wasn't it?

"The way she was upset…" he muttered to Manten and to the nothingness, "it wasn't like when she would get upset at me for being rude to her, it was more like when…one would lose their precious one and would cry."

How he had expected everything to turn out wasn't turning out as he had hoped it to.

It was as if fate had given him everything he desired and was slowly taking it all away all over again. Slowly, but surely.

Seeing that his brother was dazed out, Manten decided that he shouldn't tell him about Namie's visit still. That would only be like pouring oil into a blazing fire, he thought. But something in his mind kept tugging at him to just say that Namie was probably the culprit.

"Hey…an-chan?" Manten cautiously said, being careful not to tick Hiten off. "I…"

"I what?" Hiten shot back menacingly. Manten shrunk back in intimidation.

"Never mind…"

"If you have something on your mind, you might as well say it, Manten." Hiten huffed impatiently. "You know I'll find out anyway."

Manten knew he was trapped. He knew he couldn't get out of this situation no matter what, as Hiten would just keep scratching at him to say it. Just then, he caught a presence of shikon shards right under them.

"I sense shikon shards, an-chan!" Manten yelled out loud in excitement, forgetting in an instant what he was about to tell Hiten. But thankfully, that was on the least of Hiten's mind also.

It had been so long since he saw this much blood. As Hiten struck his Raigekijin at the fox demon, a cut appeared and blood went flying everywhere. Five shades of red, oozy, warm liquid blood. Spilling out of a body. It shot his mind up into a feeling he couldn't control. It was just like old times, except he showed all his hatred and uncontrollable rage upon an innocent, unsuspecting fellow demon.

The demon took human form, but Hiten could tell that this was a fox demon by its appearance and tail. And the smell….

As Manten shot out a sphere of burning lightening from his mouth, a thunderous sound erupted and the demon fell from exhaustion and pain. It couldn't defend itself off anymore. Hiten slowly walked up to it with Manten in the lead. The fox demon was now cowering; its clothes tattered and soaked with blood. He seemed to be choking on his very blood that seemed to be coming up to his throat.

"My…my…son…" the demon rasped out its last words. Manten went to crush its head and skull altogether to get the shikon shards, but Hiten extended a hand and blocked Manten from doing so.

"Hiten an-chan, he might be forging a trickery!"

"Let him say his final word." Hiten said. "He is close to dying."

"My…son…Shippo…" the demon said, revealing its true form of a huge fox. Manten at once plunged his hand into the carcass of the demon and retrieved five glistening shards of the jewel as soon as he made sure it was dead. He handed three to Hiten, who now was looking upon the fox demon's beady eyeswith a small sign of sympathy.

"An-chan, you aren't feeling sorry for this insignificant demon, are you?" Manten commented as he saw Hiten not taking the shards, but looking dazed once again. Hiten came to with a twitch and grabbed them from Manten's outstretched palm.

'Shikon shards…' he pondered, frowning. 'we have taken it from a helpless fellow demon…'

Looking down, he saw that Manten was in the process of skinning the dead animal's pelt.

"Are you going to keep that?" Hiten scowled. "Ask Sakura to wash off the blood outside by the stream before you bring it anywhere in the house."

"Aye." Manten responded, holding up the fox pelt. There were so many scratches and holes in it due to their violent act. Hiten didn't know why he was returning to the ice cold murderer that he once was…

Before he met Sakura.

Yet he didn't know why he was returning to the person he used to be. While he was pondering, he heard a small rustle in the bushes and saw that a small fox-like figure stepped out, his arms overflowing with tiny little acorns.

"Papa, look at all the acorns that I…" he said, but froze in horror as his eyes fell upon the bloody carcass of its dead father. Manten seemed amused, but Hiten just stared at the small figure who was now walking over to the roughed up carcass.

"Papa?" he squealed in sorrow, tears running down his face. "Papa!!"

"An-chan, I still don't understand why you didn't want to do off the young one." Manten grumbled. "The tyke might have had more shards of the…"

"Save it, Manten." Hiten scowled and shoved the shards of the jewel into his forehead.

"But an-chan," Manten said. "Why are you suddenly changing?"

"Why do you care?!" Hiten yelled at Manten, coming to an angry halt in the midair. He floated angrily with the aid of his fire wheels, his bloodshot eyes burning with anger and annoyance. Manten decided that he shouldn't hold back on his thoughts anymore. In a sudden burst of bottled-up emotions, Manten spilled everything out in words.

"I liked you better before, an-chan!" Manten yelled back as his brother, dumbstruck as if he had just been struck across the face, floated. "I don't understand why you'd let yourself down for the sake of Sakura! How is she different from any other girl than the fact that she cared? I know you can live with or without women, but this is too much! I want you back, an-chan…I just want you back…"

And Manten stopped talking as he felt a weak barrier of tears push themselves to the surface of his eyes. Hiten looked back at Manten and glared. He didn't know why…one part of him wanted to go and comfort Manten as an older brother that he was, but another part of him…didn't really feel like he should, that Manten should learn by himself.

"Let's go hunting a bit more, Manten." Hiten said quietly and flew off first, leaving Manten into a state of blankness.

Sakura sat up to find her cheeks smeared with hot tears. She wiped them away as she stood up wearily, hoping that Hiten and Manten would be back soon. Placing a hand on her now flat stomach, she couldn't do anything to stop the lump in her throat from arising. The scar that was in her side had healed midway, but she knew the scar would stay there for the rest of her life.

"I've been through more pain than you'll ever get in your lifetime, you unfeeling son of a bastard!"

"Why won't you kill me and get it over with?"

"You locked me in here."

"I don't understand you at all, Hiten. Do you hate me?"

'It's okay...'Hiten's okay...he didn't die...he's safe...'

"But the rain, it's so soothing and calm, and..."

"I was wondering why you didn't kill me off, not that I wanted you to...but over the weeks I thought about you and how you were nice to me, but then I'd remember you wanting to rape me, that you kidnapped me only for your pleasure and I'd hate you all over again. But I don't feel that way anymore, I only think about you treating me kindly."

Remembering what she had said to the youthful thunder demon throughout the two months, Sakura smiled, then burst into peals of laughter as if she was out of control. But her false state of content only made the tears push themselves out of her eyes even more, and soon she found herself backed against the wall crying into her hands.

Tears ran down her eyes uncontrollably. Many tears had fallen from her eyes, unlike how much she had cried before she met Hiten. She had never cried this much. It was Hiten who stirred up her emotions so badly, sometimes in a good way. She was aware of everything around her now.

Tears of anger had fallen from her eyes.

Tears of sorrow…

Tears of joy…

Tears of anew found feeling…

Tears of hatred…

She let everything out. She just didn't understand how this was working out. She had lost everything; her home, family, friends, village.

Then she had gained it back twice as much. Hiten and Manten, the lair, kindness, an experience never to forget, and a child.

Now a twisted form of fate was coming back to haunt her for all she knew. She lost her child, and now she feared of losing more important things…

Hiten…

Manten…and their lives as well as hers…

Her sanity...which she desperately wished she would never lose.

How desperately she wished that her twisted fate wouldn't be clashing into the ones that she loved…

I find this fic turning more into the dark side, don't you guys? Well, by the look of how it's going to go this fic seems like it's gonna be...really long. (Anvil lands on Yuni-chan's head) The stress....Building up...NOOOO!!! (Chugs down a bottle of soju) Oh no, I'm an online underage drinker...Not that I really drink.

But it's okay, as long as people are enjoying the story...Plz read and review! It wouldn't hurt to take 10 seconds out of your time to add a suggestion or a comment, LOL!