InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Windows on the West ❯ Shippo Intervenes ( Chapter 40 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru eyed the small kitsune, a bit nonplussed, if the truth were to be told.  

After Kagome had served breakfast to the group, she had gone down to the village to visit with the slayer and monk, and Shippo, instead of going with her and Rin, had instead stayed behind, politely requesting a bit of his time.

In the three and a half years that Shippo had been with he and Rin, he had never done such a thing, and the daiyoukai couldn't do anything but agree, if for no other reason than curiosity.

“Speak, then, kit – what is it you would ask of this Sesshoumaru?”

Shippo looked up at him solemnly, and then took a deep breath, and asked,  “Why did you want Kagome to come back?”

The big inu staring down at the tiny kitsune blinked, caught off-guard.  “Why do you ask such a thing?”

“It's important.”

“She is pack.  It is not good when pack is separated,”  Sesshoumaru replied after a moment.

“Is that all she is?”

“She is the alpha female of this pack – but you know this.  What is it that you are truly asking?”

With a sigh, Shippo shook his head.  “Maybe I shouldn't say anything, but I hate to see Kagome unhappy.  She deserves to be happy always,”  he said, and Sesshoumaru was well aware that he was speaking to himself.  

But... “She is unhappy?”  he asked sharply, and Shippo looked up at him, startled, but then nodded.  

“Yeah.  She always tries to hide it from everyone, but I always know when she is.”  He shrugged.  “It's because I love her and so I pay attention – so I can try to cheer her up if she gets sad.  But this time... I can't cheer her up.”

Sesshoumaru was almost fascinated by this conversation, though he was also worried – not that he'd ever admit that.  But he didn't like hearing that Kagome was unhappy – it meant that he was failing as her alpha, and he hadn't even realized that she was upset.  Only that she'd seemed preoccupied lately.

“Tell me... do you know why she is unhappy?”  he asked.

Shippo nodded.  “Yeah.  But I'm not sure I should tell you.  She'd probably get angry if I did – and I know she'd be really upset about it.”

Considering the child for a few moments, he could see that Shippo wanted to tell him, and yet, also did not want to tell him, and that he didn't know how to handle such a problem.  

“It is your duty as a pack member to inform your alpha if there is a problem within the pack, or with a part of it.  I can do nothing to fix a problem that no one will tell me of,”  he finally said, watching the kit's expression for clues.

His little face screwed up as Shippo thought about that, and then he nodded.  “That's true... but I'm not sure you'd really want to fix this problem – at least, not the way that would make her happy again.”

That caught Sesshoumaru's attention like nothing else, and he frowned down at the child.  What could he mean by that?  “Explain,”  he said shortly, becoming impatient with his growing need to know what the kit spoke of.

“Well, since you aren't all that fond of humans, and don't pay too much attention to feelings most of the time, I'm not sure that you can do anything for Kagome.”  He looked at Sesshoumaru hard, squinting as he thought about something, and then asked,  “How do you feel about Kagome, Sesshoumaru-sama?  What is she to you, really?”

His eyes widened just a bit as he began to see where the kit was going with this conversation – and why he was going there.  Was it possible that this was his chance to gain information on how the miko saw him?  “So... you believe that the miko has... feelings for this Sesshoumaru, do you, kitsune?”  he asked, knowing he'd hit the nail on the head when Shippo's eyes widened and he looked around frantically.  

“The miko is not near,”  he assured him.  “Why is it that you believe this?”

Shippo still looked a bit panicked, but he was also kind of relieved that the Inu had figured it out.  Now, he could ask the questions, and he, Shippo, could just answer.  

“There's a couple of reasons, but the biggest one is I heard her talking to herself the other day.  Well... not really talking, more like crying,”  he said guiltily, knowing he shouldn't really have been spying, but too concerned to move away, he'd overheard quite a bit.  “She thinks that someday, you're going to take a mate, and then she's going to have to leave, because it would hurt too much to stay and watch you be with someone else.  Plus, I know Kagome.  I can see how much she likes you – it's easy to see it, actually, because she's not really good at hiding her feelings.”

Little did Shippo know that he had just made Sesshoumaru's day, because of course, his expression really didn't change... much.  If Shippo had been taller maybe, and could look the daiyoukai in the eyes, he might have seen the sudden hint of hope in them, but he didn't, and he began to worry that Sesshoumaru was going to do something not very nice.

“Are you going to find someone else to marry her, to get her away from you, now?”  he asked miserably, and Sesshoumaru looked back down at him sharply, both brows in his bangs.

“No.”  He didn't say anything else for several seconds, a thoughtful look on his face, and then he spoke once more.  “Leave this matter in my hands, kitsune, and do not speak of it to anyone.  There is no need for her to ever know of this discussion.”

Shippo sighed in relief, not wanting Kagome to ever find out, either, and nodded.  “Okay.  You really won't try to make her marry some human and leave to go live with him, Sesshoumaru-sama?”  he asked once more, wanting to be sure.

He was immensely reassured when Sesshoumaru scoffed at him.  “The miko is my alpha female, and far above the reach of any other male.  There is no cause for you to be concerned with this matter any longer.  Now, go join her and Rin in the village.  And remember, say nothing.”

With a huge smile, Shippo nodded and bounded off, once more happy and able to turn his mind back to childish things, where it belonged, assured of the successful handling of Kagome's problem by Sesshoumaru's words.

And behind him, a certain Inu Lord let a sense of hope settle inside him, as he allowed the knowledge of the miko's probable feelings towards him to percolate freely through his mind.

With the care she takes of me as evidence, and the kit's words, as well, I can hope that she will be receptive to my advances.  

He considered several things for a time, and then nodded to himself.

Yes, there is now a strong hope that what I want will come to pass.

~oOo~

A/N:  And there we have it – Sesshoumaru gets a bit of confirmation, because of Shippo's nosiness.  Ah... gotta love kids, ne?  They always seem to find the most embarrassing things to nail us adults with...

I had to do it this way because I can't see Sesshoumaru acting on his desires unless he felt they were reciprocated.  That would make him weak in his eyes – openly needing someone who did not want him back.  He's got too much pride for that.  So... Shippo, and a few other clues will give him some much-needed reassurances.  

Amber


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