InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Gone to the Dogs ❯ Chapter 5

Chapter five

It smelt of meadows of old, when plants were able to grow freely and untamed by humans. The entire shop was plastered with flowers, in every available nook and cranny the multicoloured blossoms preened and glittered. The sunlight drifted lazily through the embossed glass of the front of the shop that proclaimed Kagome's ownership of the property.

Kagome handed over the small bouquet of tulips to the shy looking teenager who had requested them, and smiled at his blush as he handed over his money.

“Thank you” she smiled at him as he avoided her eyes and bolted from the shop.

She loved it when teenagers came into the shop, they were so funny. Then there were the hopeless romantics, the people who wanted to decorate, the late anniversary buyers, the cheating husbands and the more sombre funeral flower buyers.

“That was cute” Ayame, the other shop attendant, noted

“The teenagers always are” Kagome giggled

“You think he'll give them to her?” Ayame mused

“Hopefully, and who said it was a her?” Kagome raised an eyebrow

Ayame stuck her tongue out at her friend. “So how is your phobia treatment going?” she asked silently hoping she was progressing. Ayame hated to have to hide her identity as a wolf Yokai from her friend and employer. She was hoping that Sesshoumaru wanted it as badly as everyone else seemed to want it for Kagome. She was a good person who had dealt with her fair share of tragedies and everyone wanted her to accomplish this. They wanted her to become less afraid.

“I think it's going good” Kagome shrugged and then blushed at the thought of her latest encounter with her demon friend.

“Did you just blush?” Ayame was intrigued; her boss was not normally one for blushing.

“No” Kagome denied, even though the evidence was still prominent on her cheekbones.

“Right” Ayame stretched the word out in her disbelief.

Kagome rolled her eyes “Drop it” she advised

“No way!” Ayame became animated “Who's the lucky guy?”

“No one” Kagome denied as she carefully arranged a bouquet that had been requested for a birthday present.

“It wouldn't be that demon who's helping you with your phobia by any chance?” Ayame prodded

“You're nearly as bad as Sango” Kagome criticised and Ayame giggled.

“So there is something going on, Sango's noticed it too!” she pounced

Kagome rolled her eyes again “At that moment Ayame, it's all just fantasy”

***

Sesshoumaru followed his brothers scent through the centre until he opened the door of one of the cages that housed a pregnant Akita. Who, judging by the smell, was no longer quite so pregnant.

“How many in the litter?” Sesshoumaru asked

“Six including the runt” Inuyasha said shrugging

“The runt is well?” he asked

“Yeah, sorta, he'll be okay if we keep him watched” the half demon nodded

“Very well, wean the others off the mother as soon as possible and put them up for adoption” Sesshoumaru nodded at his newly formed plan “then I'll take the runt and the bitch home”

“Don't you already have like five dogs?” Inuyasha was incredulous

“Three” Sesshoumaru corrected “and I did not ask for your opinion”

“It's for that girl you're hung up on right?” Inuyasha asked “what's so special about her anyway?”

Unsurprisingly his input went ignored and he was left in the cage on his own.

Bastard.

***

“Are we going to watch more movies?” Rin ambushed Sesshoumaru as soon as he opened his door and he almost chuckled but settled with a small, microscopic smile.

It had been two months of therapy and now Sesshoumaru was enthusiastic with her progress, or at least as enthusiastic as he ever was. He deemed her more able around dogs. She could handle walks in the park without panicking when she gazed upon dogs. She still tensed up but she was able to walk past without hyperventilating.

“We are not going to watch movies but I am confident that you will enjoy yourself Rin” Sesshoumaru said calmly as he led them into the living room with the piano.

“A few months ago I adopted a new bitch and her latest litter runt” he said as they sat down on the sofa “I thought that the best way to allow you to familiarise yourself with dogs would be to meet a barely weaned pup”

“A dog?” Kagome was rigid and her hands gripped her knees so tightly that her knuckles turned staunch white.

“A puppy” he said calmly “a tiny puppy, an Akita. It looks more like a teddy bear” he wondered if he'd ever said the words `teddy bear' before, but decided that was irrelevant.

She almost giggled at his attempt at humour but as she was paralysed due to fear it sounded more like she was choking.

“”We get to meet a puppy?” Rin was obviously excited and bouncing up and down on the sofa.

“Correct” Sesshoumaru directed his attention back to Kagome “would you rather I brought the puppy in here or would you like to walk into the room”

“Here” she replied, mainly because she didn't think she could move but also because she was already facing something she was fearful of; she didn't need to have to face the possibility of the unknown as well.

“Very well” he said sanding to leave, he paused at the doorway “You will be fine, Kagome”

“We get to see a puppy Momma!” Rin enthused

“Yeah” Kagome managed a weak smile in the direction of her daughter.

“Relax yourself” Sesshoumaru ordered from outside the door

“Easy for you to say” Kagome muttered

“The fact that you can be acerbic is encouraging” he muttered “I'm coming in”

He slowly walked into the room, each move calculated and steady. The sleepy pup in his arms lifted its sandy coloured head to sniff at the room but made no move to try and wriggle free. He had made a good choice in pups, this one was obedient to its alpha and generally sedate if insatiably curious.

Kagome's eyes fixed upon the sleepy looking thing in Sesshoumaru's arms. He was right, it did look like a teddy bear and its sedate mannerisms furthered her steadily calming pulse.

“It's a teddy bear!” Rin gushed bounding off the sofa and hopping over to Sesshoumaru.

“Hn” he said his eyes gaining a happy twinkle as she hopped at the puppy “Would you like to hold him?”

“Yeah!” she nodded so enthusiastically she reminded him briefly of a bobble headed dog.

He carefully relinquished his hold on the pup and arranged him in Rin's arms.

“He's heavy” she mumbled and she rubbed her face on his head

“He got larger fast” he nodded “used to be the runt, still a little smaller than his litter brothers and sister but growing quite well considering.”

Kagome watched the small dog snuffle her daughter and give a little yip before settling onto her shoulder.

“I think it likes you” Sesshoumaru nodded to Rin who grinned back. “Kagome?”

“Yeah?” she murmured eyes still fixed on the pup

“Are you okay?” he asked

“I'm not sure” she muttered

“Rin, stay over that side of the room until I tell you otherwise” Sesshoumaru warned the small child

Kagome nodded spasmodically in agreement. She had a feeling that one of the reasons she was so calm was because of the distance between her and the dog.

“Okay” Sesshoumaru said “I want you to calm down, breathe evenly, try and lower your heart rate, also being able to move without running would be good”

“Right” she nodded slowly and focused on remembering that not only was Sesshoumaru there, but her daughter was cuddling it and calling it a `teddy bear'.

“Scale of one to ten?” he enquired

“Five, maybe” she said

“That's good” he nodded “try to rationalise the situation”

She nodded and concentrated on ignoring the part of her that wanted to run for the hills. She looked at the puppy, it was tinny and all it seemed to do was snuffle and occasionally lick at Rin who giggled and petted the pup. It hadn't made a hostile move and that calmed her down some. After ten minutes she nodded to Sesshoumaru.

“I'm fine” she said stretching out her stiff muscles slightly.

He could tell she was still wary of the dog but she was also obviously trying to calm down and was impressed by her progress and determination.

“Rin move closer slightly” he commanded and watched as the girl moved slightly closer. And watched as Kagome tensed up again as the perceived threat moved closer. “Calm yourself”

They repeated the calming and moving closer process for around two hours until Rin was sat on her mother's lap with the dog atop her own.

Kagome had yet to do anything, even breathe but it was a huge step in the right direction.

Sesshoumaru sat beside them on the sofa and gently stroked the dog before engaging the two females in conversation.

Another hour of distracting small talk later and Kagome wasn't as jumpy, sort of. She was breathing again and she wasn't shaking and she had even started to speak coherently.

Three hours later things had progressed far enough that the puppy was asleep on Kagome's lap. Everyone present was exhausted but also triumphant.

“From now on you will be coming here every day for a meal and will meet with the dog” Sesshoumaru ordered. Sure he had an ulterior motive to wanting Kagome to stay and eat with him, but who cared? It would help her with her phobia and give him a chance to bask in her presence. He'd been alone far too long.

The dreams were a testament to that. It had been so long since he had been plagued with wet dreams and yet now they had become a nightly occurrence. And it was all her fault.

It was taking its toll on him too, after all waking up night after night sweating and cursing your erection was no way to live.

A/N: I don't own Inuyasha.