Once again, I don't own InuYasha. I'll let you know when I do.

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Shippo was wandering around, looking for Kirara, and InuYasha. The first place he tried was the well, but he did not find them, and to be honest, he had not really expected to. That was more where Kagome was likely to go when she wanted to be alone, because she could go back to her own time if she felt like it. Unfortunately, Shippo was not certain where to try next. All he knew was that he did not want to go back to Kaede's home as long as Hojo was there to lecture him. Then again, he did want to be with his mother... He shook his head. As much as he loved Kagome, there was no way he was going to listen to another lecture about his candy, especially when it did not apply to him. Besides, he would probably end up blasting Hojo with fox fire, and that would disappoint Kagome. He never wanted to do that. He wanted her to be proud of him, even if he never did get to call her 'Mommy'.

Suddenly, he heard something snap behind him. He whirled, readying his top in case of danger. He was too slow. A tentacle grabbed him, and another knocked his top out of his hand. A low, growling voice rumbled in his ear

"Kitsune kit... mmmm, yes, nice and tender. You will be a good meal." The demon who had grabbed Shippo laughed, and started pulling him closer. To Shippo, it looked like a shapeless blob of goo that sprouted soggy, somewhat solid tentacles as it wished.

Is this... thing going to absorb me? Shippo struggled, trying to break free from his slimy captor. The tentacle wrapped around him more tightly, and the blob laughed again. This time, Shippo saw that it had a mouth with many great, sharp, pointy teeth.

Well, Shippo thought wryly to himself as he struggled harder against the tentacle that had grabbed him, At least if this doesn't work, I'll have been beaten by something with teeth...

"FOX FIRE!" Shippo yelled, and bright blue flame engulfed the tentacle that had grabbed him, making the blob demon drop him with a howl of pain. Shippo did not waste any time. He had no idea where InuYasha and Kirara were, so his best bet was to do what his child instincts were telling him to do: run to his mother. Without a backwards glance, he took off, hoping to be able to reach the safety of Kagome's arms before the demon got him. He heard the sound of something pulling itself along quickly behind him. He ran even faster, blindly tripping over tree roots and rocks as he went. More than once he thought he felt something gooey and slimy hit his leg. He would scream, and then realize that he was still moving, so the demon had not caught him yet, even though he heard the demon laughing as it gained on him. Then, suddenly, a thin, slimy tentacle grabbed his leg, and pulled him back. The demon had caught him.

"Come along, little dinner. You've been an awful lot of trouble, so you'd better taste good. Any last words?" The demon blob chuckled as it dangled Shippo over his open mouth, giving Shippo an excellent view of its big, sharp, pointy teeth. Shippo screamed one word as loud as he could.

"MOMMY!!"

A few minutes after Shippo left Kaede's, Kagome broke off mid conversation with Hojo, and got up from her position on the floor, shaking very slightly as she did so, recovering her balance.

"Kagome?" Sango asked, puzzled. Kagome turned to her friend with a slight frown.

"Something's wrong... I think I'm sensing a demon aura... and I'm worried about Shippo." She said softly. Sango and Miroku stiffened, also sensing the aura, now that Kagome had pointed it out. Hojo just stared at them like they were idiots. Kagome picked up her bow and quiver from their position by the door. Sango gasped.

"No! Kagome, you can't fight the demon! You're too weak from the last batch! Kirara isn't here to help you get to... wherever Shippo is. You have to stay here! Miroku and I will go look for him, and try to get him back safely." Miroku nodded, then both immediately shrank back from the ferocity of Kagome's glare.

"I don't care whether I'm too weak to fight or not. I'll use the Shikon shards if I have to, but I am leaving, and I will find my child, and help him if he needs me. Got it? Good. Now, you can either help me find Shippo and get there, or you can let me go alone, but either way, you will not stop me. Got it? " Sango and Miroku gulped, and nodded.

"Right then... we'll be helping you find Shippo then!" Miroku said hastily, while Sango nodded fervently. Kagome smiled icily.

"Good." She walked out the door, a bit slowly, but on her own strength. Sango and Miroku looked at each other, and sighed.

"We're doomed." Miroku said morosely. "We better get going, and hope that he doesn't find her walking on her own so soon after she collapsed. If we're with her, it might make us slightly less doomed..." Sango sighed, and nodded in agreement. Then she bit her lip.

"I hope Shippo's alright... if he is, Kagome probably won't try to do anything that might tire her out." They left, hurrying to catch up with Kagome, leaving Hojo staring at them, slack jawed from the floor of the hut, slightly amazed that his girlfriend was this determined.
He had had no idea. Sure, he knew that she was insane enough to study for, and try to take, a test when she was sick with a really bad cold, but this point blank insistence on fighting when she could not fight all for the sake of one strange little kid who was addicted to candy that she called her child. He was not really sure whether he approved of this or not; after all, she was risking her health for someone she should not really be worried about, and he did not like that. With a sigh, he stayed where he was, wondering what he should do with all that he had found out today, and wishing he had never followed Kagome into the well house.



Sango and Miroku could tell that Kagome was still really tired, purely from the way she walked. However, she never complained, and made a bee-line for the well. Sango and Miroku were totally confused as to why she chose to go to the well, when they heard the sound of a child pelting away from something terrifying, and the crashing sounds of trees bending and snapping in something's wake. Kagome stiffened, and tried to move faster in the direction of the sound. Then there was a yelp of surprise, and a low rumbling chuckle. They watched as Kagome ran past a few more trees, and then froze, her eyes locked on something they could not yet see from their position.

"Come along, little dinner. You've been an awful lot of trouble, so you'd better taste good. Any last words?" The low rumbling voice asked as Sango and Miroku caught up to Kagome, and saw the huge blob demon dangling Shippo above his gaping mouth.

"MOMMY!!" Shippo screamed. Without a second of hesitation, Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver, and knocked it.

"LET GO OF MY CHILD!" She yelled, and shot her arrow at the tentacle holding Shippo. It blazed brightly and cut easily through the gooey tentacle, making it recoil in pain, and drop Shippo to the ground at its side. Kagome's legs started to shake as she lowered her bow. She had not killed it. She did not think that one arrow would be enough to slay a thing like that, which was why she had aimed for its tentacle, hoping to free Shippo. The little fox demon hit the ground with a thud. Quickly, he got up and ran to Kagome, screaming.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"Shippo!" She called, holding out her arms. He leapt into them, crying and snuggling into her neck. Kagome sank to her knees, holding her kit close.

"Shh, shh, it's ok. I'm here. You're safe." He snuggled closer.

"Mommy..." He whimpered. Kagome's eyes widened.

Did... did he just call me 'Mommy'? Still, she held him close.

"I'm here, my baby, I'm here."

"KAGOME, MOVE!" Sango yelled, as the blob demon roared and shot out a tentacle towards them. Kagome managed to fling herself and Shippo sideways and out of reach. "Miroku, damn you, use your wind tunnel!" Sango yelled at him, throwing her hirakosu at the demon. Miroku shook his head as Kagome rolled with Shippo away from another tentacle. She yelped in pain; She had caught her ankle in a tree root. Sango's hirakosu flew past the pair, aiming for the demon. It cut through the gooey mass, but it just reformed, more irritated than ever.

"I can't! Kagome and Shippo are in the way!" Sango cursed. There was no way Kagome could move now; her foot was still caught. The blob demon roared in fury again, and reached for 

Kagome and Shippo. Not knowing why she did so, Kagome shoved out her left hand, and screamed the name that she now knew was probably her only hope.

"INUYASHA!"