The Heroic and Super-Duper Trials of a Girl and a Demon by UnknownRandomness

Guilt

A/N: Update 3 of 6. Hope you are enjoying it. (Hint hint)

Prompt: Crime (Week 31)

Word Count: 339

Sesshoumaru turned to the young fox and was alarmed to see tears of rage in his eyes. 

"You left her?" Shippo repeated, anger seeping into his youthful voice. Both inuyoukai watched as his small hands lit with foxfire, impressed and bemused by his actions. Rin turned and laid a hand on her friend's arm.

"Shippo-san, what's the matter? Who left who?"

He shrugged of her comfort and snarled at Sesshoumaru, shouting at the top of his lungs, "You... you bastard! What has she done to you for you to do this?!" His small frame shook with fury. 

"Fight me!"

The Western Lord blinked at the kitsune's choice words (courtesy of the hanyou, no doubt), but he took their meaning seriously. The child meant to fight him, and the youkai prided himself on never backing down from a challenger. He would make this swift but merciful. 

Sesshoumaru moved to strike Shippo on his crown and render him unconscious, but the boy ducked under his hand and threw two illusions at him. The dai's eyes widened in momentary surprise at his little opponent's brave maneouver, but he batted the toys away easily and surged forward, pinning the fox beneath a heavy knee, claws extended at his small throat.

Shippo was panting heavily, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Slowly stepping away from the immobilised child, Sesshoumaru couldn't prevent the grudging admiration he felt for Shippo, despite having defeated him easily.

"You fought well kitsune; there are not many with such fighting spirit."

Eyes hooded, Shippo stood, bowed and ran from the hall, his tears leaving a damp trail after him. Quiet but hurried footsteps alerted him to his ward's presence before she shot past him with a filthy glare. Sesshoumaru's heart clenched. He had never seen such unaldulterated disgust on Rin's face, and it was directed at him.

Glancing back, Sesshoumaru glimpsed an expression akin to disappointment on his mother's face, before she too left. So there stood the Western Lord; alone and heavy with guilt for a crime he didn't understand.