InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Herbal Shop ❯ HumDrum ( Chapter 1 )

Pretty sure I corrected the mistakes I found. Point them out if I missed something

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She walked up the stairs to her apartment, the heels of her knee high boots clacking as she went. Her hips swayed gently in her army green capris and her hands were dug deeply into her pockets. She came to the end of the hallway and sighed, looking at the door. The `B' on her door had come loose and was slightly crooked. She shook her head and fumbled for her keys in her messenger bag and proceeded to open the door. She walked in and kicked the door shut, tossing her keys on her kitchen counter, before flicking the light on. Her green eyes scanned the room and she quirked her eyebrow.

 

Her roommate was crashed on the couch again, her study books strewn about the coffee table and her heavy blue backpack on the floor next to the couch. She went to the kitchen and began a pot of coffee before going to the couch and gently shaking the girls shoulders. She sat up like a shot and looked hurriedly around, letting out a sigh when she saw the reassuring green eyes of her friend.

 

“Ella! What time is it?” she asked groggily, looking about the room.

 

“It's 8pm, my dear.” She brushed the girls dark black hair down and behind her ears, “You have a big test tomorrow?” she asked, scratching her head, which was concealed by a bright red bandanna.

 

“I do, actually. In my mammalogy class,” she gestured towards the two books that were open, “Canine anatomy and behavior.” She sighed, before lightly sniffing the air.

 

Ella smiled warmly, “Coffee, Kagome?”

 

“Oh, I would love a cup!” she replied happily, straightening her pile of books and putting away the ones she didn't need. She began sorting her notes out and finding where she left off.

 

Ella sauntered into the kitchen and pulled down Kagome's favorite mug. It had calla lilies and cattails in watercolors on it. She set it down before reaching back up for her own and smiled fondly at the writing on it.

 

`Cast-iron Bitch' and a little steel husky lay at the bottom. She recalled how she acquired it as she poured the coffee and mixed the vanilla syrup and sugar into it.

 

She had her arm hooked around her boyfriend's elbow. He was handsome, dirty blond hair and one eye was blue while the other was green. She sighed as they walked past a little stand full of stuffed animals.

 

“Don't be so Childish, Ell.” He said haughtily to her as he kept up his quick pace.

 

She yanked him to a stop in front of the Strength testing punching bag.

 

“Don't call me childish, Rick.” She said sternly. A couple walking by stopped to watch the growing argument.

 

“Please, Ell, you act like such a little girl, sometimes.” He turned to walk away, but she wasn't finished.

 

She yanked him by the arm and took him over to the machine.

 

“If you can beat me, I'll concede and admit I'm a weak little girl.” She said the last part in an overly sarcastic tone. Rick scoffed at her and stood in front of it, the man reset it and told him it worked.

 

He punched a few times, gauging himself, before he pounded it mercilessly. He scored a fairly good rating, but didn't break the record.

 

“Alright, sissy,” Ella started, as she rolled her sleeves up and flipped her box cap backwards, “Let me show you how to do it right.” She took up her stance and stared intently, Rick making snide remarks behind her and he finally called her a little girl and she snapped. She threw her fist into the bag so hard it went crazy, and then threw her other just as hard, almost breaking the machine. She beat the record, needless to say and Rick dumped her then and there.

 

The man called her a cast-iron bitch, with a huge grin on his face and so she picked a personalized mug as her prize.

 

She brought Kagome her coffee and leaned back on the sofa to remove her boots. Kagome sipped the hot drink slowly, savoring the sweetness of it and relishing the strength of it.

 

“Why don't you take your bandanna off?” she asked softly, leaning back and holding the drink to her chest.

 

Ella shrugged and grabbed the T.V. remote; untying her bandanna and shaking her oddly cut hair. She scratched her head and tied the lengthy part of her hair in a high ponytail.

 

“Doesn't that thing hurt your ears?” Kagome asked as she gently stroked a velvety, angular appendage atop the girl's head. She rumbled in her chest and sighed.

 

“I can't wear my box cap at work, so I just have to learn to suffer through it.” She scratched behind one and felt her thigh muscle twitch.

 

“Any luck finding that other Hanyou you smelled?” Kagome asked before taking another sip of coffee.

 

“No, but I could tell clearly, he wasn't a wolf hanyou, smelled more like a dog.” She sat forward and pulled her tail from her waistband. She looked mournfully at the thing; in order to hide it she needed to keep it shaved or else it showed too much.

 

“Do you need me to shave it down again?” her friend asked softly and Ella nodded.

 

She wanted to cry; what would her pack think if they saw her do such a thing? Her once proud, full, black wolf tail was now nothing more than the fleshy naked appendage of a rat.

 

“C'mon, Ella.” Kagome took her hand and led her to the bedroom, grabbing an electric shaver and a 3-blade razor as well as some shaving cream and baby wipes. Ella pulled her capris down; exposing her blue striped g-string and well-rounded hips. As well as her fleshy little tail, which was covered in patchy bits of short black fur. She stood with her back to her friend and sighed, thrusting her butt out a little and lifting her tail. Kagome began shaving it with the electric razor first, then wiped it down with the baby wipes, getting it nice and wet, before lathering it in shaving cream and carefully shaving it with the 3-blade. It was incredibly smooth and Kagome was quite proud of herself. All the while the girls had no idea someone was watching them from their well-lit bedroom window.

 

He rustled around in the bushes a little, his deep blue eyes straining to see just a little more. He had followed the girl home from the store she worked in after having an intense encounter with her.

 

He was looking at various soaps on the rustic wooden shelf. He had been having a hard time finding something he liked that was name brand, when a friend recommended he try this little shop. They sold all kinds of naturally made, organic products, and he found he liked the texture and scents much more than what he normally used. He admitted to himself that he was a little vain when it came to things like this, but after living so long without these amenities made him very fastidious and overly picky with his hygiene and hygiene products. He was looking at a milk and honey blend soap with little bits of lava rock in it when a young woman in a green apron walked up to him.

 

“That's one of my favorites. But if you like that one, you might try this one instead.” She leaned in front of him a little and their shoulders touched, igniting a little electricity between them. She blushed and he noticed. He watched as her lithe fingers wrapped around a milky blue bar of soap.

 

“What's the fragrance?” He asked calmly, even with his keen sense of smell he couldn't tell what the soft scent was.

 

“Evolvulus, or Hawaiian Blue Eyes and honey. There's a little bit of lava rock as well, for exfoliating.” She held the bar of soap for him to take a gentle whiff. He regarded its very round shape and soft blue color. She looked hopeful for the sale, for he would buy the complete set if he picked the soap.

 

“Alright, you sold me.” He grabbed a nearby hand basket and she set the soap in it for him, “Show me the lotions and I'll get out of your hair.” He said with a smirk.

 

She looked at him and took in his high, pitch-black ponytail and god-like bronze skin. His eyes were bluer than the ocean and she found herself drowning in them all too quickly. He quirked a cocky eyebrow at her and she blushed again. He had a toothy grin, his canines were quite long, she noticed as she turned and led him to the lotion counter. She grabbed the hand and body lotion for him and as they were walking to the checkout she grabbed the shampoo as well.

 

“That comes to $56.75,” she paused, looking up at him.

 

“Kouga.” He said huskily, eliciting a little intake of breath and another heavy blush across her cheeks and nose. He pulled out his wallet and handed her cash. Exact change. She smiled and wrapped his things in brown paper before putting them into a reusable cloth bag.

 

“For when you come by again.” She smiled softly at him and he found himself enthralled by her soft round curves and delicate gestures. He quickly took a discreet smell of her and he immediately stilled and straightened. He sniffed again after she had said her goodbye and turned to arrange some perfumes behind her.

 

Hanyou; he nearly growled in frustration. A wolf hanyou, too, how had he gone so long without finding this one? He had contacted nearly all the wolf demons and wolf hanyous he could scent out, searching for his pack mates.

 

He left the store quickly and sniffed out her car in the parking lot. It reeked of care and her soft rosy scent. A simple little Cobalt LS. He sighed and drove back to his empty apartment, before deciding he would follow the girl to her home.

 

That led him to his current predicament. He had just watched, horrified as the wolf-girl had her roommate shave her tail. He desperately wanted to run into the room and throttle her. Kouga walked out of the bushes and leaned against a light post, thinking about how he would approach her. To her and everyone else, he appeared human, even his scent masked by his strong youki. Hanyous couldn't do this, however and so he could tell she masked her scent with the rose scented soap and some subtle pheromones. He didn't even notice till it was too late that she had come rushing out of her apartment, not looking ahead of her, until she barreled into him and knocked him over, onto the moist grass.

 

“Oh my god! I'm so…sorry…” she gasped a little, “Kouga?” she sat back on her feet as he stood and brushed himself off, before reaching down for her.

 

“Hey, sweet cheeks, how's it going?” he asked with that scratchy husky voice that made her knees weak earlier.

 

“Um, ok?” she said shyly as she reached up and took his calloused hand. It was rough and strong and she felt like she had just grabbed a handful of heaven. She suddenly wanted to see how he looked under the heavy jean jacket and black t-shirt he was wearing.

 

`Perfect, no doubt.' She thought to herself.

 

“What on earth are you doing around here?” she gestured widely with her hands.

 

“I was visiting a friend and just heading back home, when you ran into me.” He brushed off her shoulder. He hated lying, but he had become quite good at it over the centuries and so the words simply tumbled from his mouth as easily as the truth might.

 

“I see. Um, would you like to come up for some coffee? I just made some since my roomy has to study.” She babbled on and he smiled gently at her. Kouga took her hand softly and she swooned.

 

“I would love to have coffee with you. I don't even know your name, though.” He chuckled at her as she became flustered.

 

“It's Ella. Ella Donelly.”

 

“That's a lovely name, Ella.” It rolled off his languid tongue like honey and she felt her stomach grow hot.

 

He could smell it; her thick arousal and he relished the way it filled his nostrils and begged his body to claim her. He hadn't been with a woman in at least 200 years and why he was suddenly responding to her when not even the wolf demon females had captured his interest, he could never guess. She led him by the hand to her apartment building, when she remembered why she had gone out there in the first place.

 

“Hang on!” she dashed quickly to her little coupe and pulled out a basket of toiletries and a bag of healthy fruit snacks, “I forgot.”