Conception

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Shippo hadn't been back to the village in many years but he still knew the way. He wish he didn't but the memories of this place held too strong, even for a fully grown youkai.

As the village drew closer, the tips of the homes coming into view and the scents of all the humans wafted, he once again questioned why he spent a fortnight traveling to a place he once vowed to never set foot. In fact the last time he had it was to help bury Sango and that was only because Inuyasha was nowhere to be found at the time.

He told himself that he hated Inuyasha. He should hate him. For what the dog demon did, Shippo felt he should never have to see him again. Yet here he was, back in the village that meant so much to him as a young kit. It was the village that meant so much to them all. No matter how old he got or how angry he was, it was home.

Inuyasha had sent a messenger to find him. The fact that the hanyou couldn't have bothered to find him himself grated on Shippo. The half demon was old, to be sure, but that didn't mean he was incapable. Still, some part of him responded to his elder's request.

The younger villagers stared at him at his approach while the older ones blinked in confused recognition. Shippo ignored them and approached the village leader and currant miko, Setsuna. She had aged horribly since he had last seen her, but he refrained from tell her so.

"Hello, young kitsune." Shippo raised an eyebrow at her greeting. She used to have a crush on him when she was girl. It was still oddly appropriate. She hadn't been a girl in decades while he still had the appearance of a young man. "I take it you are here to see Inuyasha?"

"He called for me, didn't he?" he huffed.

"Hmmm." She nodded he head at some point behind her. He looked and could just make out a hut at the edge of the village and the forest. He huffed again.

He crossed through the village without acknowledging Setsuna or any other villager. The sooner he could leave the sooner he could go home.

The hut was dark. Shippo had no trouble adjusting his eyes but he wondered why Inuyasha chose to live in such dim light. He looked first toward the fire pit where he figured the elder demon would be but the area was empty. Shippo's eyes widened when he caught sight of Inuyasha on his floor mat. He could now see why a messenger was sent instead of Inuyasha seeking him out personally.

His Inu-papa was dying.

The fact that Inuyasha looked so old shouldn't have been a surprise but it was. He was hanyou after all and as such he wouldn't have as long of a life span as a full blooded youkai. Still, seeing him on his deathbed gave Shippo pause.

"Inuyasha."

A tired face turned toward him and blinked. His ears were drooped and he seemed so much smaller than the fox remembered. "Shippo. You came; I didn't think you would."

Shippo knelt beside him. "You asked for me."

Inuyasha's laugh was weak. "You never listened to me before."

"I did when it counted."

"Yeah, you did. It was me that didn't listen. Not when it counted."

Shippo closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about that. Now wasn't the time to dwell on blame. "Why are you…I mean, you are hanyou but it must be still too soon for you to…"

A casual lift of his shoulder. "Feh. I'm sick. I don't know what it is but it's not something that Setsuna can fix. Maybe Kagome could've, but." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"If it doesn't matter then why did you just call for me? Why didn't you call for…"

Inuyasha become agitated; he struggled to sit up. "There's no one else alive. If you think I'd want to see my bastard half-brother, even before my death, after what he's done…"

So they were going to discuss this whether Shippo wanted to or not. He shook his head and pushed Inuyasha back down on the mat. "No, that's not what I meant at all. Anyway, you're right. It doesn't matter. You're dying and there's nothing you can do about it now. That time has passed."

Inuyasha remained still but Shippo could see the fierce age that he remembered. "I tried, dammit. Don't you think I didn't. When I heard watt happened I didn't still idly by."

"Then what happened? Why did you let Sesshomaru live?"

Inuyasha grunted and the light seemed to fade from his eyes. "It wasn't by choice. I was no match for him."

"No match? After Naraku; with Tetsaiga?" The very idea that Inuyasha couldn't anything was too unbelievable. It was what he based everything he felt on the matter. Inuyasha should've taken revenge on his brother and he didn't. "You expect me to believe that?" Shippo shot to his feet. This meeting was over. There was only so far memories would go. "You just didn't care."

He spun on his heel and made it to two steps. "I loved her!" Shippo turned back. Inuyasha was on one elbow, he breaths coming in short gasps. "I was stupid. That day…we weren't even fully healed and Kikyo just showed up. I was stupid, full with a need of pride and honor. Before I could take it back Kagome left. I thought she headed back home through the well to cool off, but when I went through she wasn't there. By then it was too late. She had been wandering a world she knew but wasn't her own when he found her. He killed her because she was mine." Exhausted, he fell back and closed his eyes. Shippo fought for breath. Is that what Inuyasha thought what happened? "At least I can tell her I'm sorry in person."

"Inuyasha!" Shippo searched the inu-hanyou's face, pressing his ear close searching for any breath, any heartbeat. There was none. Inuyasha lived alone and died believing the woman he loved had been killed by his half brother.

Kagome was still alive.