So…I'm in Tokyo Japan…and I saw this sign…and well, Bonus chapter for you!

If You Could Only See

Woes of Shippo.

Modern Day Tokyo: Approx. one month before K. Higurashi's birth.

Shippo stared blankly at the screen of his computer, his eyes slightly out of focus at he attempted to read the words of whatever pointless email he had just received, but the message was just incomprehensible squiggles on a bright screen.

Click-Click-Click Tap…Click-Click-Click-Click-Click…Tap-Tap…Click-

His already waning attention was drawn to the tiny noises of his secretary typing up some document at her desk.

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock

The rhythmic noise of the small clock keeping time on his desk.

Plop….Plop…Plop….Plop

The erratic dripping of the leaky sink in the bathroom down the hall.

Click-Click-Tick-Click-Plop-Tock-Tap-Click-Tick-Click-Click-Tock-Tap-Plop-Tick-

"AUGH!" Shippo finally screamed, pushing himself forcefully away from his desk so the back of his chair hit the wall. "SOMEONE PLEASE FIX THAT DAMN SINK!" he cried to no one in particular, although his secretary seemed to have heard, because the sounds of her typing were soon replaced with the much louder sounds of heels clacking as she went towards the bathroom.

"Kamidamn stupid freaking demonic hearing…" Shippo cursed under his breath. He turned to glare at the clock that was still spitting out its sickeningly perfect beat. With a huff of frustration, he snatched it up, shoving deep within the confines of a random drawer in his desk in attempt to at least muffle it's irritating sound.

Shippo stood from his seat, angrily running his blunt nails through his untidy orange hair, and heaved a great breath that would have put the big bad wolf's "huffs" and "puffs" to shame.

He looked longingly out of the window at the warm sunny day that had decided to grace Tokyo with its presence. He saw people walking down the street, some young, some old, and he lamented at the fact that he was cooped up in an office in which the silence was louder and more oppressive than anything did.

He glanced quickly back at his desk, groaning at the sight of all the work he still had to do, and looked back out at the people happily going about their lives, wishing he could join them.

He was still young, for kami's sake! He shouldn't be working inside of an office! The humans who appeared to be the same age as him were currently out, enjoying the late summer day. Sure, in the feudal era, he would have been considered an adult by now, but in this time, in this society, he was still just kid!

Shippo tore his gaze from the window and sighed. He knew he didn't really have a right to complain. It wasn't like he was being forced to work. He knew that Inuyasha would pay for anything he ever needed, and he always had a place to stay, at both Inuyasha's place and Rin and Sesshomaru's. He didn't have to have a job; he didn't need the money. In truth he had begged for the job, any job really, when West Industries was first founded. Because he knew that Inuyasha would be there to help him whenever he needed it, he had been ever since they'd met, but the honest truth was, he needed the job for a distraction.

Boring paperwork, countless meeting, trying to figure out how to keep the peace between the multitude of hot-headed demons trying to live among the ignorant humans, it was all just one big distraction to keep his mind occupied and away from thoughts of…

His mother.

Shippo felt a dull blow to his heart at the thought of her. Over the years, the pain of the loss of the first motherly figure he'd ever known had not faded, rather, he had just grown accustomed to the pain, and learned how to keep it from sneaking up on him in the most inopportune times.

Like right around now…the time of year that signaled what would eventually be, or perhaps had already been, Kagome's birthday.

She'd only mentioned it once…in passing really. Right after she rescued him from the dark path he had been treading. She'd been asking him questions…things that anyone would normally ask a kid. Trying to get to know him, she was learning about him and making him feel special with small, unimportant questions.

"What's your favorite color?"

"And your favorite food?"

"How about things you like to do?"

"When is your birthday?"

Shippo had then thought to ask some questions himself; he wanted to know about her, too.

"When is your birthday, Kagome?" he had asked, and the young fox could practically feel the hanyou in front of them roll his eyes at how sickeningly sweet and innocent he had made his voice sound for the older girl, of course he'd done it on purpose.

"My birthday? Well it actually wasn't too long ago!" she had answered cheerily. "It was just in the last few weeks!"

The conversation had continued from there, still mostly consisting of the kit telling his new caretaker more about himself, and he had long forgotten the rest of that early talk. But her birthday had always stuck in the fox demon's mind. It was always the time of year that was hardest for him.

Images of the face he missed so much and flashes of those few precious memories seemed more frequent during this time of year, and it always sent Shippo on edge, putting him in a mood that was worse for the wear.

Shippo stepped away from the window, and fell of the couch against the wall. His mind was too distracted by depressing thoughts to concentrate. He just wished he could ease the pain. He didn't want to forget his mother…that would be an insult to everything she had sacrificed for them…for him. He just wanted to slip into a state of unawareness, where he could be unbothered by the ghosts of his past.

Dreary eyes began to slowly wander to the cabinets on the walls, and they landed on the door where Shippo had hidden the 'present' that Kouga had given him last time he had harassed Inuyasha.

Something that Inuyasha would kill him for, if he knew that the under aged boy had it.

Inuyasha…who was the reason he'd never see his mother again…

Making a rash decision, Shippo stood up and rushed to the door, wrenching it open and pulling out his forbidden treasure, the one he had sworn he wouldn't touch.

He examined the wine bottle…a special brand, brewed by demons to have ten times the alcohol content of any human drink. Just one glass would be enough for any normal human to die of alcohol poisoning, but Shippo was no human.

Digging a nail into the cork, Shippo wrenched the stopper out of the bottle and raised the glass to his lips before he hesitated.

'What would Kagome think if she knew I was drinking?' Shippo thought ashamedly. But then he remembered the reason he had taken out this temptation in the first place. 'But I guess it doesn't matter…since I'll never see her again!'

And with that, Shippo downed the entire bottle, never once pausing as the burning liquid scorched his throat, swallowing everything in several large gulps.

犬夜叉

Inuyasha banged his head against the back of the headrest of his car. Why he had thought taking the road today was beyond him. He should have known better of course. Tokyo traffic was always bad, but at this time of day, attempting to get anywhere by the roads was simply suicide.

They weren't even moving for kami's sake! He was stock still, his legs bent uncomfortably in the small metal vessel, and he had an itching, burning desire to go all ape-shit crazy, or rather dog-shit crazy in his case, and burst from his car, flinging the honking air pollutants out of his freaking way so he couldjust finally…get…home!

Inuyasha groaned and let his head fall to the steering wheel as car horns blared unhelpfully on all sides. He turned his head to the side lazily, looking up at the tall skyscrapers and buildings that contained him on all sides. His eyes drifted over the many signs and billboards, not really taking in the advertisements. Until one caught his eye…

…what the hell?

Inuyasha's head snapped up, and pressed his nose flat against the glass as he stared, gaping at the unbelievable.

Occupying the largest advertising place in the vicinity, the workers still pasting the very last corner to the frame, sat a white poster, with big red letters that read,

WE LOVE YOU!

WE MISS YOU SO MUCH KAGOME,

PLEASE COME HOME!

CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU SEE THIS!

LOVE SHIPPO

Inuyasha blinked. Hard. Surely…he hadn't…Shippo wasn't that much of an idiot…was he?

Whipping out his phone, Inuyasha typed in the telephone number, scowling when he recognized it as Shippo's office number. The phone rang once…twice…

"KAGOME IS THAT YOU?" Shippo's voice blasted through the phone, so loud that Inuyasha was forced to jerk the phone away from his human looking ear, lest he go deaf.

"Of course it isn't you moron!" Inuyasha snapped into the phone. "What the hell were you thinking? Shippo!"

"INUYASHA YOU BAKA! GET OFF THE…" there was a pause as the boy on the line gave a loud hiccup, "THE LINE! K'GOME IS TRYIN'TA CALL!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he recognized what the tone and slurred words of the young fox indicated. "You're drunk!" Inuyasha accused, unable to believe it himself.

"SO WHA' IF I AM?" Shippo bellowed. "I don' hav'ta listen to YOU! I'm…old enough ta' make OWN decisions!" There was a loud crashing sound, indicating that Shippo had knocked something over, "AND I'M FINDIN' K'GOME!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort, but the line clicked, signaling that the demon he had taken charge of had hung up on him.

The dog youkai growled furiously at the dial tone he was now receiving, and snapped his phone shut as he threw it down on the seat next to him. Quickly he got out of the car, ignoring the renewed honks and yells of the drivers angry with him for leaving his car, and made his way over the workers who were just beginning to pack up their supplies.

"Oi!" Inuyasha yelled, running over to stop them before they left. "Take that sign down!" he demanded fiercely.

The men looked at him, slightly surprised at the silver haired man's demand.

"Sorry sir, but we can't do that. This sign's been paid for in full for the next year. This baby isn't going any where for a while yet," one man said bravely, pointedly looking away from the glare the young man was sending him

"Yeah…by the kid I'm responsible for!" the thoroughly pissed man said. "I don't care how much he paid for it, I'll pay you to take it down!"

"Sorry s-sir, but we don't actually own this…" another man stammered. "We just p-put up the sign. You'll have to call the owner and talk to him about taking it down," he said reaching it into his pocket and pulling out a business card with the number.

Inuyasha took it, grumbling a very less-than-thankful thanks, before getting back into his car, slamming the door shut.

Traffic was now moving slightly, and the demon pushed his car through the throng of vehicles, turning around and heading back to the office while calling the number on the card to get the sign removed. He had a baka fox to take care of back at the office building he had recently left.

It was the first time the young demon had ever had anything alcoholic, and Inuyasha just couldn't imagine where the kit had gotten the drink. Once the was certain though, Shippo would need some extra help the next morning when he experience his very first, and hopefully last, pulsating hangover.

犬夜叉

A few hours later, a young woman stared up at the sign across the street smiling fondly at the endearing message it broadcasted out to the public.

"Dear…Dear look at that!" she said excitedly, pointing to the billboard with enthusiasm lighting up her eyes.

The man by he side paused in his attempts at hailing a taxi to look in the direction his wife was pointing, and when he saw the sign he looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "So? What about it?" he said indifferently.

"I just think that's the sweetest thing I've ever seen!" she gushed. "And look at the name! It's the same as the name of the game those children were playing at your father's shrine the other day! Dear, I think it's a sign!"

"Of course it's a sign!" the dark haired man said amusedly. "It's a billboard!"

"Oh that's not what I meant!" she said, lightly hitting his shoulder. "I meant that I think the kami is trying to tell us something!"

"Koi(1)," the man said, looking down at his wife exasperatedly, "you think everything is a sign from the kami…even the number of seeds in an orange slice has some sort of significance with you!"

"One must have an open mind to achieve spiritual awareness," she sniffed indifferently.

"Ugh, you've been spending too much time around my father…" he muttered grumpily, making the shorter woman laugh lightly at the pout on his face.

"Well, regardless if you believe it or not, I've made up my mind!" she said triumphantly.

"You sure?" he said seriously. "I don't mind it…but this isn't exactly something you can change after you've decided."

"I'm sure!" she said without hesitation. She smiled warmly up at her husband, a twinkle in her eye. She lifted a hand to take hold of his, and brought it to her massive stomach, resting it on the lump that indicated what would soon be a newborn babe. "How bout it?" the soon-to-be mother said sweetly down to her stomach. "Why don't you tell your father how much you like your new name, Kagome?"

Both adults gave a small gasp, and smiled warmly at he each other as they both felt the slight kick the baby gave at the sound of her name.

When I was on a boat tour in Japan the other day, I saw a giant sign with KAGOME written on it, and I just got this little idea…haha idk. As it turns out, it was actually an advertisement for vegetable juice…I haven't tried it though ^-^

Anyways, I REACHED 300 REVIEWS! THAAANNNKKYOOOUUU!

You have no clue how happy that makes me!

I really appreciate it, people! And I hoped you enjoyed this little bonus piece! I may or may not upload another, it all depends on if I like the idea or not! Anyways, as I always say () I'd really really love a little review! Even a little small one! It'd really mean the world to me to hear what you think!

Thanks for reading!

~Lions Heart (ROAR! ^-^)