InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Little Bits ❯ Partners ( Chapter 34 )

She loved the rare visits to the village. She loved seeing Sango; loved the tidbits Miroku would feed her, loved the ear scratches the dog-boy would offer when no one was looking. Most of all, she loved the pair of girl kittens who always assaulted her, squealing, as soon as they saw her; who sat on her and pulled her ears and wrestled with her belly fur as she sprawled on her back, black paws aloft, massive jaws agape in a grin.

But, she never tried to stay. When he glanced at her, tense and ready to leave, she joined him immediately, never once considering trying to persuade him to stay even a moment longer.

Not that she wouldn't have minded more time with her former mistress or her offspring. But, she had made her choice, and it had been a simple one. The female kitten, of the pair she had silently adopted as her own after their human mother's death, had grown up. Had found a mate, had become a mother herself.

But he still needed her. Needed her furry neck to cry on. Needed her silent, listening presence. Needed her tiny self to make him laugh with her antics. And needed her knowledge, her skill, to help him grow up to be the best taijiya he meant to be. They were more than mother and kitten, more than silent confidant, and anguished boy. They were partners, slayers of those who would harm the innocent.

And that was good.

Author's Note: This drabble was written for the Inuyasha Issekiwa community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Pair". It was originally posted on September 1, 2009. It won the contest.