A Distant Promise – Drabble #13
Shippo loved chocolate.
It was difficult to describe to mortals how much he loved it. Humans didn't have the olfactory senses, he surmised, to enjoy the delicious concoction to its fullest extent. He loved its creamy texture, the way it melted in his hands, and the happy memories that a bite of chocolate always brought to mind. He loved its bitter aftertaste, its overtures of darkness, and even the depressing exhaustion that came from eating too many sugary confections at once.
Having eaten sweetened chocolate at a formative stage in his life, the taste was indelibly imprinted upon his brain, along with the flavor of raw meats his father had fed him before Kagome came along. But even a fresh kill couldn't compare to the electrifying goodness that was chocolate. Shippo had made alliances with Dutch traders, Spanish missionaries, feudal lords, underground gangsters, and modern businessmen in order to maintain his addiction.
And as the years went by, the flavor had gradually begun to match his recollection of Kagome's candy treats more and more closely. The day he first ate a stick of Pocky, the kitsune had thought he might die with pleasure. It had been 1965, and he had flown to the shrine, wondering if Kagome had been born yet. After all, the chocolate tasted the same, and Japanese schoolgirls had been wearing seifuku since the turn of the century.
Sadly, he had been forced to wait. Each disappointment had forced him away from the shrine a bit longer. Finally, he had chastised himself to wait out a full 500 years, before growing impatient. And now, his preoccupation struck him as amusing – he should have trusted his instincts and his tongue. Chocolate would never have led him astray.
Seated on a bench in the courtyard of the shrine, he closed his eyes in ecstasy and allowed his latest treat to melt in his mouth. Sitting right beside him, Kagome stared curiously at her companion. Then, she glanced at her own candy, wondering why Shippo seemed to like it so much. It was just strawberry flavored Gummy Choco…
No answers would be forthcoming on this point, however, because before she could ask, the kitsune's eyes opened and he suspiciously sniffed the air. An opponent was trying to sneak up on him, whilst his senses were overwhelmed by the delicacy of a fruity flavor encased in white and milk chocolate! The indecency of it all! A poor five-tailed fox could find no peace, these days.
Growling in mock anger, Shippo addressed the empty air. "You might as well come out."
A surprised looking teenager dropped out of the sky to land in a crouch near Kagome's feet. The shrine maiden jumped in surprise, her Choco bites clattering onto the paving stones below. Shippo eyed them sorrowfully.
"How did you know it was me?" inquired the boy, petulantly crossing his arms over his chest.
The kitsune scoffed. "As if you could disguise yourself from the Master of Disguises."
After exchanging a few more words, the youngster abruptly leapt toward Shippo, only to discover his rival was no longer there. Kagome squeaked, flinching for the second time in as many minutes, as the visitor flashed toward the rooftops, pursuing his target, and her kitsune began the oddest sparring session she had ever seen outside of the feudal era. Both guests were obviously youkai. Human coloring and camouflage made no difference, if one was determined to jump over buildings faster than the human-eye could track. It was a clear giveaway.
Thankful that the shrine had no other guests at the moment, she called out reproachfully, "Boys, boys!"
Immediately, both youkai presented themselves before her, sporting almost identical looks of innocence and artless naiveté. "Naturally," she skeptically raised one brow, disbelief dripping from her tone. "You're both little angels, not intent upon destroying the carefully tiled roof of our shrine. Shippo, introduce us?"
But it was the teenager who stepped forward, his human disguise dissolving into white hair and golden eyes, as he stated his name. "Satoshi, at your service," the youkai said, grinning madly.
The smile did not fit his face, misplaced and wrong, beaming at her from beneath a navy blue crescent moon and beside pale lavender stripes. She stared and stared, but no words came, and the happiness faded from his eyes, uncertainty taking its place. "And your name?"
"This is Kagome," Shippo answered mildly, on her behalf. "You remember. I told you about her."
This time, it was his turn to look amazed.
