InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Can Only Wander For So Long ❯ Spoiled Rotten ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer - Of course, I don't own the Inuyasha characters.

A/N - PLEASE remember that Inuyasha is still a dog! The illustration, if you saw it, should remind you nicely of what's up with him… If that first line throws you, you haven't read the other chapters. *laughs* I had to re-read that very first line after I typed it, then put this note here, because it could be mistaken for something else. :P Teensy-weensy bit of citrus at the end of the chapter.

Here's the illustration link, remove the spaces before you hit enter.

www .mediaminer. org/ fanart/ view.php/ 156394

`This is thought'

"This is speech"

~* Starts a flashback

*~ Ends a flashback

~~~ Signifies a change in the point of view.

:::: Dream sequence ::::

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One Can Only Wander for So Long

By Alesyira

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Chapter Seven - Spoiled Rotten

Bathing Inuyasha turned out to be one of the most amusing things Kagome had done in a long time. She was soaked in water before she had even starting cleaning him off, and by the time all the dirt and blood was washed from his fur, he was looking like a drowned rat. She giggled at how he looked when the water had drained from the tub. It almost looked like he glared at her laughing before he shook his fur out, the droplets of water adding to the already drenched clothes she wore.

She sighed and smiled down at him. "It's getting kind of late, so would you like me to towel dry your fur, or could you handle the blow dryer?" She laughed at his adorable expression of confusion when she mentioned the blow dryer, so she just grabbed a towel and tossed it over his back, gently rubbing his fur dry.

Her stomach rumbled and she frowned. "I forgot about dinner... let's go find something to eat, ok boy?" She stood and straightened the bathroom quickly, wiping the shed fur from the bottom of the tub and drying the puddles with the used towel. `Now then...' she thought.

"What in the world should I make?" Kagome asked aloud as she looked in dismay around her kitchen. She had planned on going shopping after her camping trip, so she didn't really have much food left. She rummaged in her pantry looking for anything tasty the dog might like to eat. She sighed. She had a few boxes of cereal on the shelf, along with some dried pasta and random canned foods.

`Hmm...' Kagome eyed the ingredients she had on hand and decided spaghetti would suffice for tonight until she could go shopping. She turned to the dog watching her expectantly. "Would you like some spaghetti? I don't know if you'll like that, but I'm short on everything else until I can go to the store…"

She pulled out the few ingredients she would need and started making dinner. In between stirring the noodles and the sauce, she nibbled on some cereal, holding out pieces for her charge to eat. It tickled as he ate the sugary cereal from her hand, and he occasionally licked the fingers on her free hand if she delayed too long with his next bites.

~~~

Inuyasha was being spoiled rotten. Kagome was hand feeding him sweet bits of something really good while she cooked something else on the stove. He inhaled deeply; the smell of everything she was making made his mouth water. It had been a very long time since anyone had prepared food for him, and while he didn't mind eating all his meals raw, he occasionally missed all of the extra things you could do with them - baking, grilling and especially being able to season everything...

The sweet treats Kagome held out to him were very appealing. Especially licking the sugar from her fingers when she wasn't feeding him fast enough. He liked the fact he was a dog - actions like this were completely acceptable, and he was going to take advantage of it to the fullest. `Boy, if only she knew...' he thought mischievously.

Soon, dinner was prepared, and Kagome filled a plate for herself and a thick glass flat-bottomed dish for him. She set his dish on the floor near her seat as she sat down to eat her food. Inuyasha looked longingly at the cereal box left on the countertop. `I can convince her to give me more of that stuff later...' he thought as he tested the temperature of his food. She was very considerate and had cooled the pasta before mixing the sauce into it, making it just warm enough.

He ate his food quickly, trying to avoid splattering the sauce all over himself. After finishing, he laid down on his side, waiting for her to finish her own food, keeping one eye open to watch her. He licked his chops absently, catching the last traces of his dinner as she stood and cleaned up the kitchen.

He smirked to himself. He had a beautiful woman cooking tasty food for him, hand feeding him delectable treats, and bathing him like a baby. Inuyasha was definitely in heaven. His dog-form curse had its good points, it seemed.

~~~

Kagome finished straightening everything after a few minutes and wiped her hands dry on her shorts. She glanced at her watch; it was almost eight thirty. `Where did the day go?' she wondered to herself. She stretched and rolled her shoulders. `Yuck... I'm way too dirty…' Her ponytail had fallen down somewhat, so she pulled the tie free and let her hair hang down her back.

"I'm going to take a bath. It's been a really long day, hasn't it?" She smiled down at the adorable dog. He was still concentrating on cleaning the last bits of spaghetti sauce from the top of his nose. She pulled free a piece of paper towel and wiped off the splatter that he couldn't quite reach.

She looked down at the dog thoughtfully. She had never taken care of a dog before. Buyo, the fat cat her family owned, never followed her around as much as this dog did. She wondered if it would be weird for him to be in the bathroom while she bathed, or if she should find something else to occupy his attention. She looked down at him warily.

"You *are* just a dog..." she muttered quietly. The dog looked up at her and tilted his head to the side, as if to try and figure out what she meant by the statement. She chuckled at how cute he could be, heading upstairs for her bath and dismissing her silly thoughts.

She should have figured he wouldn't be content to lounge around downstairs. He followed her up the stairs and into her fancy bathroom, curling up on the plush rug in front of the Jacuzzi as she turned on the water.

As curious as he seemed to be to watch her do everything, she could tell he was exhausted. He yawned widely, settling his head on the tops of his paws as the room warmed. The Jacuzzi made a pleasant bubbling sound as she soaked leisurely in the softly scented water, and the sounds were lulling him to sleep. His eyes slipped shut as the minutes ticked by.

Her emergence from the water went unnoticed by the sleeping dog, but his ear twitched when she wrapped the towel around her body. She reached down to scratch the ear gently, then slipped quietly into her room to put on her favorite silky pajama shirt.

She smiled at the dog sleeping peacefully on the rug, turning the light off in the bathroom. She turned to check the small box attached to her bedroom wall to be sure the security system was active, then climbed into bed. She snuggled under her blankets, leaving her small bedside light on to read by as she pulled a paperback book off the small bookshelf that served as a nightstand. She read a few pages before exhaustion overcame her and she fell asleep, light still on and the book left open on her lap.

~~~

Inuyasha woke with a start; he had fallen asleep again. His body was almost completely healed, but it had sapped a lot of his energy. He looked around him, noticing Kagome had been out of the bath for a while. The lights were off around the house as he padded around checking windows and doors, finally making it back into Kagome's doorway.

He stepped slowly into the room, breathing in Kagome's scent. He couldn't quite figure out why her scent made him feel so funny. As the day had progressed, he had become accustomed to being around her without falling over, so a night spent in this room would help his adjustment rather well. He walked around the room, looking at trinkets she had placed on her shelves, sticking his nose into her closet to see what was stored there, and looking under her bed to see if she was secretly messy.

He smirked. Everything was pretty clean in her house - organized, neat and tidy. He walked over to her bed and watched her sleep. He sighed softly; she was the most beautiful thing to ever walk the earth. `I'm getting all sappy... I've spent too long alone.' He caught his reflection in her simple bedroom mirror and grumbled. `Man, what I would give to be back to my old self...'

He looked over at her lamp, looking for a way to turn it off without breaking it. He followed the cord back to the wall where it was plugged in, and grasping the plug firmly between his teeth, pulled it out of the socket, sending the room into darkness. His eyes adjusted instantly to the darkness as he padded back over to her bedside. He picked up her book carefully in his jaws, making sure not to drool all over the pages. He set it on her nightstand, then leapt up onto her bed next to her, circling once before settling down into the warm comforter.

He sighed, utterly content, falling asleep quickly by her side, his head resting against her hand on her stomach.

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He stood in the darkness, the wind around him dead still with no sounds coming to his ears. He blinked once, then twice, trying to see anything in the black. He could smell her - she was very close, but he couldn't see her. He reached out with his left hand and his fingertips came into contact with the smooth skin of her shoulder. His touch brushed lightly down her arm, then traced across her collarbone as he wrapped his arm around her front. He pulled her close, the soft skin of her back brushing against his bare chest.

His right hand came up and pushed her hair carefully over her left shoulder. He brought his lips to the skin where her neck met her shoulder, barely controlling his desire to taste her, choosing instead to nuzzle softly against her warm flesh. He felt her shiver slightly and he smirked.

Words came to him, and he spoke softly, his lips brushing her skin. "You..."

He then hesitated for a moment; he didn't quite know what else to say to this woman who had so quickly captivated his heart. He felt the next words fall from his lips, but he heard no sound when he spoke. It was almost as if they weren't yet meant to be said.

`You complete me... you are my savior... my life... my love...'

He felt her head tip slightly to the left, granting him more access to her silky-soft skin as his lips continued their tease of soundless words. He heard the smallest of sighs escape from her and finally gave into the temptation. He slowly ran the tip of his tongue along her heated flesh, tasting her sweet skin and smiling in satisfaction at her gasp. He wrapped his right arm over her abdomen and pulled her closer into his embrace...

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