InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Gone to the Dogs ❯ Chapter 4

Chapter four

It had been three weeks since the movies had been watched at Sesshoumaru's house and every week he had called her back and got her to watch more of them. He tried different types of films, all with dogs in them and asked her to note down when her dreams happened. Embarrassingly enough she found that on the days of therapy and the days when he called her she would never have a dream.

“What are we doing today?” she asked glancing up at him as she settled herself onto the sofa in his front room, the room that he had originally introduced her to. This, she deduced, meant that there would be no movies.

“Today I wanted to reflect on what you think you have accomplished so far” he said sitting down next to her

“Okay” she mused “what do you want to know?”

“How would you feel if you had to watch another film with a dog in it?” he asked

“I'm still kinds tense, but I calm down a lot as it progresses” she shrugged “because I know it's not going to hurt me”

“Good” he nodded “that means we are making progress”

“I think I've just gotten used to it” she shrugged again

“That was what I was aiming for” he nodded “if you become accustomed to seeing dogs on television and on posters then hopefully you will eventually be able to cope with seeing them on the streets without having to run away or cross the road”

“Gee, thanks” she muttered

“I wanted to—” the phone rang, cutting off whatever Sesshoumaru was going to say, he resisted the urge to growl and got up to answer it.

He came back into the room awhile later to discover Kagome looking at the photo's of his parents on the fireplace.

“Your mother?” she asked

“Yes” he nodded

“Is she the one you lost?” she asked slowly, the tone of voice he used hinting towards his loss.

“Yes” he sighed “my mother died whilst in child birth with me, the photos I have of her are from when she and my father were courting”

“I am sorry” she said softly

He rested his hand on her shoulder for a brief moment “I know”

She changed the subject “Who called?”

“It was the zoo” he rolled his eyes “Kouga seems incapable of doing anything right and forgot to organise passes for the latest school trip”

“Kouga?” she asked “Sango said he was a handful”

Sesshoumaru snorted “He is a bungling idiot” he proclaimed

She chuckled.

“You met him last time you were there” he murmured in a more subdued tone

Her eyes grew wide “The dog demon?”

Sesshoumaru looked taken aback “He is a wolf demon, not a dog demon”

She shrugged “Same thing”

Sesshoumaru heroically bit down on the urge to growl at her for comparing a dog demon with a wolf demon.

“Do you hold a fear of demons?” he asked

She shook her head “I'm not afraid of you am I? I just don't like anything remotely to do with dogs”

He almost winced at that revelation. He was getting attached to the human, much as he had attempted to lead a life of solitude.

“Would you like to have lunch with me?” he asked, he hadn't meant to say it but he truly wanted to spend more time with the woman when he wasn't fulfilling his promise to help her.

She blinked a few times and her mouth opened to refuse him “Sure”

She blinked again, what happened to refusing him? She'd always refused all propositions made by males since he had died and now here she was accepting one.

He smiled slightly and she smiled in return “Where to?” he asked

She grinned “You suggested it, so you pick”

***

“Where are we?” she asked as he pulled his car up outside a huge apartment complex.

“This is the building my mother owned when she was alive” he said “it belongs to me now and I rent apartments out, it helps the centre out greatly”

“So why are we here?” she asked in confusion

“The garden on top of the building is where we are eating” he said reaching in the back and she was startled to discover two bentos.

“Picnic?” she queried

“Does that bother you?” he asked as he stepped from the car and opened the door for her

“Not really” she said as he helped her out “but I can't really see you making lunches”

He raised a brow “I am an independent Yokai am I not? I am no longer a pup unable to care for myself”

“Sorry” she grinned “it's still hard to picture you in an apron, cooking”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and led her through the lobby of the building to the elevator.

When they came to the top of the building Kagome bit back a gasp of awe. He heard it anyway and smiled a small, satisfied smile.

It was beautiful. A small garden paradise elevated beyond everyone else, giving it a secluded faraway feel.

The roof was covered in thick plant life in varying colours, though in the beginning of March not many of the flowers were in bloom. The flower beds were curved in arcs that formed a circles getting smaller until it surrounded a small elevated decking area affixed with an outdoor kotasu and an arch of ivy.

“Wow” she whispered “is the kotasu always there?”

“No, I had it put up here so that we wouldn't be cold” he said leading her through the circular maze of plants and helping her up onto the platform.

She sat down gracefully at the kotasu and arranged the blanket around herself smiling when she realised it had a built in heater underneath. As he unpacked the bentos she glanced out at the city.

“It's beautiful up here” she mused

“It's better when the sun is setting” he said handing her the food “but I'd agree that it is beautiful”

She smiled and took the chopsticks offered to her and plucked out a fried shrimp and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened and she looked at him in shock. He raised a brow at her.

“This is really good!” she enthused when she had swallowed

“I am glad you think so” he nodded “I followed my mother's recipe”

She glanced around again before quickly snagging another shrimp “why don't you live in this building?” she asked and then blushed slightly “not that I'm insulting your home or anything...”

“It is fine” he waved it off “this building has a no animal policy and I have dogs”

“But isn't it your building, couldn't you change that?” she asked tilting her hair to one side

He shrugged “Many of the patrons who lived here didn't want animals to be allowed and I didn't see it necessary, after all most humans cannot clean up after their animals and their living spaces generally begin to smell” he wrinkled his nose “it is most distasteful”

“So you're telling me demons can get rid of the scents of their animals?” she looked amazed

He gave her a look “I have three dogs living in my home Kagome, do you smell them?”

“Um... no”

“Then your question is answered” he concluded

“How do you do that?” she asked

He pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and spilt soy sauce on to it. “This is in the same principle, my youki purges everything from the area” she watched as the stain slowly disappeared from the edges in.

“How does it work?” she demanded

He shrugged “I do not know the exact science behind it, just that any Yokai can overpower any scent or blemish using their youki. It is the same principle as when monks and Miko's used to purify demons, only the youki is harnessed to erase imperfections” he smiled wryly “not that it was designed for that”

“What was it designed for?” she asked curiously

“Back in the days where Yokai were predators and Yokai would prey on the pups of other Yokai it was necessary to purge scent from a trail so that no one could scent them”

“Oh” she blinked in surprise “Yokai used to eat baby Yokai?”

“Scavenger Yokai will eat anything” he shrugged “back in the old days pups were killed to weaken the chance of the pack's survival and of course there are Yokai who absorb other Yokai and gain their powers”

“Oh” she repeated “sounds a lot different from nowadays”

He smirked “Nowadays it is the strongest intellectuals that triumph and all battles are fought in the business world. Unless, of course, one is a lesser Yokai who prefers to dwell on turf wars” he narrowed his eyes in distaste.

She laughed lightly “I take it you do not view them very highly”

“Yokai who rely to freely on their baser instincts are moronic” he quipped

She nodded “I can understand that, but don't Yokai often state that humans rely too little on their instincts?”

“It is simply a matter of finding the balance” he stated

“But of course” she nodded and grinned “how old are you?” she mused; if he had knowledge of the ancient Yokai how old was he really?

“Too old” he shrugged “after you reach four hundred years you stop counting for the sake of your sanity”

“Did you ever mate?” she found it hard to believe that this Yokai had lived alone for so long,

“The females that tried to entice me were mostly insipid” he said “it was more relaxing to simply be alone”

She looked down at the table top and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear “I wouldn't call it relaxing”

He glanced at her and sighed “No, neither would I”

***

Delivering her home was a quiet affair. Each party unwilling to have the evening come to an end but both unsure of their boundaries.

“Thank you for the meal” she said smiling and rubbing her hand over her elbow. She felt kind of insecure and cursed her hormones as they temporarily turned her back into a teenager.

“It was my pleasure Kagome” he nodded

“Well... um... goodnight I guess” Kagome smiled softly and went to put her key in the lock when a voice spouted from the window directly above the porch

“Kiss her idiot!”

Kagome thunked her head against the door. Great, it seemed Miroku was back from his little trip and had come to help Sango with the babysitting.

“Who was that?” Sesshoumaru raised a brow in question

“Sango's perverted boyfriend Miroku” she gave a quiet laugh “if you will excuse me now Sesshoumaru I have to commit a murder”

He chuckled softly and she marvelled in the sound as he took advantage of her absorption to slowly lean down and kiss her on the edge of her jaw bone. Her eyes widened in shock and fascination as her vision became obscured by a curtain of silvery hair. He inhaled gently from the jaw bone down the ivory column of her throat and she shivered as his warm breath ghosted over her skin.

“Good bye, Kagome” he smirked at her bewildered expression and melted into the darkness.

The purr of the car's engine alerted her to his absence and Kagome sighed and decided to go and play `slap the voyeur' with Miroku.

Sesshoumaru inhaled again in the confines of his car. The vehicle had become saturated with her unique unnameable scent and it was somehow unbearably exciting and yet relaxing at the same time.

An Inu demon, as he was, picked a potential mate based on many factors, but scent was important and her scent was almost deadly to him.

Sighing, he cursed as the cut of his pants became uncomfortable. This was going to get old soon.

A/N: I don't own Inuyasha.