Hiya people. I got so many reviews that I decided to write another chapter early. Plus I feel I need to make up all that time I did not write. I feel so horrid. Sob

KIKI: I like the dog personality. What do you want for it?

What the fucking hell! I thought I kicked you out for a week for this exact conversation.

KIKI: You did, but I had to have the last say.

Sigh

Disclaimer: Lil' Pup does not own Inu-Yasha and has the bruises to prove it.

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Inu-Yasha woke up around dawn, as usual, but felt something was not quiet right. It was not wrong, hell, he rather liked it, but he just could not put his finger on it. He had not opened his eyes yet, he knew there was no real reason too, but he could smell it. Something about the way things smelled was slightly off.

'It smells like I fell asleep in Kagome's bed. But I fell asleep on the floor. Didn't I? So why is her scent so strong?'

Finally, with a sigh, Inu-Yasha opened his eyes. He looked down and saw he was still on the floor with Kagome's blanket now lying over him. (HA! You thought he was in her bed for a second there huh?) he looked up slightly and saw Kagome curled up on the floor in front of him a few feet, shivering, as she looked rather uncomfortable.

With yet another sigh Inu-Yasha picked her up, set her on her bed, then covered her with her blanket.

'Damn wench. What the hell is she trying to do? Catch hypothermia?'

Despite his thoughts he was smiling. He hated to admit it, but he rather liked her worrying about him. No one had ever done it for him as a child, save his mother, so it was nice to have someone care for him. Especially when that someone was Kagome.

Suddenly he violently shook his head and mentally punched himself. Sure he liked it when Kagome took care of him, but he knew that she needed to take care of herself as well. So often she was worried for another that she would completely disregard her own well being. Sometimes he acted like his wounds were nothing, even when they were killing him, hoping that she would take care of herself. It was a misplaced hope. She would either insist on taking care of him, or she would take care of someone else. Sometimes he could not help but wish she could be a little more selfish, whine a little for herself. Anything to show that she valued her life in the slightest way, if not for others than for herself. But she showed little, if any, of that.

Sighing for the third time sense he woke up (Which was only like five minutes), he got up and headed down stairs. Kagome had shown him how to start a fire in that metal contraption to boil water and make ramen, which is what he intended to do.

When he got downstairs, to his disappointment, Kagome's mom was there drinking coffee. She was looking at the doorway as he approached, almost as if she had expected him. There was even a bowl of ramen right across from her.

"Inu-Yasha. Would you mind sitting down and talking with me for a bit?"

Inu-Yasha gulped but sat down. They way she said that, even though it was a question, held no room for if, ands, or buts. She just stared at him a moment, then looked down at her coffee.

"Inu-Yasha. Why did you say such things to Kagome? I know you choose Kikyo, but you could be a bit nicer couldn't you?"

"I . . . I was just frustrated. I needed time to think, but I didn't have anything. When I was younger I never had anyone to talk to. So I guess I'm just used to holding everything in. Now though, I have so many people to talk to, so many people who want to help. It's not a bad thing I guess. But I'm just so used to dealing with things on my own that when all that changed, I just took the easy way out."

"You were afraid to open up. You were afraid they would turn their backs on you."

"Yeah." Inu-Yasha hated to talk about this, but he got the distinct feeling that if he did not spill, he would never be allowed to have Kagome return to the feudal era.

"Well, in that case, I have a solution for you."

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Back in the feudal era, Shippo had just woken up and was bored stiff. There was nothing to do in the hut he shared with the others, at least not without waking them. He had done that once before, and, until he finished his will, he was not ready to risk that again. Especially after the little incident that had occurred the night before.

Sango and Miroku had gotten into yet another argument last night. Well, more like Miroku groped Sango while she was yelling at him for hitting on the village girls. Needless to say, she was not impressed. Her harikotsu (Spelling anyone?) had meet Mroku's skull and the noise could have frightened the dead of Sango.

It was, by far, the loudest she had given him yet. It had sounded like Miroku's skull was being split. Shippo was scared shitless that this time Miroku was dead.

Now, though Miroku was not dead, Sango still took one side of the hut with Kilala while Miroku was unconscious on the other side still.

Shippo had wanted to curl up next to Sango because she was the best thing to when Kagome was gone, but last night she had been so angry even Kilala had stayed a good four feet from her. Shippo was not willing to give up on life quiet so easily either.

Finally his Kitsune nature won and he went outside. It was just a few hours after dawn, so it was not bright, but it was no where near dark.

He went toward Inu-Yasha's forest and to the Goshinboku. Kagome and Inu-Yasha went there a lot when they needed to think or they had a problem, and lately he had taken to training himself with his Kitsune magic there. He had greatly improved, he had to say that. He was not quiet ready to help with Naraku, but he was almost ready to help with the average youkai they ran into a lot.

He remembered his father once told him that while Kitsune's only really had trickery as a weapon, it was more than enough to deal with powerful youkai once they were full grown. They only really needed protection while they were really young, as was Shippo.

But he had needed to use what little Kitsune magic he had at his age so often before that he knew for a kit his age he was pretty advanced. And sense he had started his training, he knew he was even ahead of quiet a few older Kitsune's as well.

When he reached the tree he stared at the scarred area of the tree. While he would never voice it, he quiet admired Inu-Yasha for being able to handle being pinned to a tree for fifty years and deal with the dramatic changes during that time. Still, Inu-Yasha's ego was large enough as it is. Shippo would wait until he matured a bit before giving such words of encouragement.

He walked to the other side and started. He usually started with his foxfire, sense that took little energy, and learned to focus his aim, make it stronger, and all that good stuff. After that he did a series of exercises, than tried out his sense of smell.

It was then that he realized someone had been there for awhile watching him. It smelled female, young, and he could have sworn that it was a Kitsune.

After the encounter with the old timer posing as a young girl, he had been wearier of appearances, and had trusted his nose more than his eyes.

While he was thinking about appearances . . . . .

"HEY! Who's ever out there better show yourselves right now! I know your there! I may look little but I can fight ya know!"

No reply. Now that was just insulting. He admitted to being a pup, but even he deserved some sort of comment. Even an insult would do.

"Unless you want me to foxfire this entire place come out right now! I'll find you sooner or later!"

At first still nothing moved. Then a soft rustling in front of him called his attention.

'This is it. I'll show everyone I'm not as helpless as I look. I don't care what they look like, I won't fall for looks again. Oh, no, not again. Never in a . . . a . . . Boy . . . she's pretty."

From the shadows of the forest stepped a small female Kitsune.

She looked to be about Shippo's age, maybe a year or two younger, and was about two inches shorter. She had long blood red hair put into two ponytails behind her elfish ears that fell about to her waist with small black splashes here and there, and bright frightened green eyes. she wore a vest like Shippo's, only at the shoulders there were black fox head shapes. She had the same fox feet, her clothes were very similar to Shippo's, except instead of blue with leaves it was violet with stars all over, the sleeves toward the bottom had what looked like black fire, the same with her pants. But instead of a bushy tail like Shippo she had to long elegant Kitsune tails that were about five feet long each. At present they were wrapped loosely around each other over her head.

Like Shippo said, she was pretty.

"M-my names Kenishi (Ken-e-she). Please d-don't hurt me. I-I just saw you here and y-you were so good at y-your Kitsune magic, I-I-I just had to watch." She stammered looking so frightened, it was as though she would pass out any minute.

"My names Shippo. I won't hurt you."

They just stared at each other. Shippo's mouth hung open, and he seemed too stunned to talk. Whether it was puppy love or the real thing was impossible to say at the moment.

"W-what?" she finally asked.

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Well? I always feel bad for Shippo because he never had anyone who he could really talk to, so I gave him a little friend. Or maybe she will be something more. Or maybe not. Well, give me your thoughts.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW

See ya!

Lil' Pup out.