Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ A Bump in the Road ❯ Manipulative Mutts ( Chapter 8 )

A Bump in the Road: Chapter Eight

 

A/N: Again, great thanks to Aoi, who managed to beta this despite work, school, and personal illness. There was a slight lapse in posting for a while, but there was an excellent reason for it -- on February 2, Niamh became mama to an Australian Shepherd puppy, named Darwin, and was losing precious, precious sleep during the housetraining process. But she is now a proud dog-owner and has loads of practical puppy experience, which she can now draw on. (The things we do to research our fics!)

 

Chapter Eight: Manipulative Mutts

 

Let Hercules himself do what he may; the cat will mew, and the dog will have his day.

~Hamlet, V i

 

Something... wasn't right. Shigure couldn't put his finger -- paw -- on it, but something was definitely off.

 

He hadn't given it much thought at first when hime-chan had slept well into Sunday morning. In fact, it was rather nice -- and far more in line with his normal habits -- to sleep in. Granted, he wasn't entirely surprised when she didn't get up, particularly since she'd skipped going for her run the previous morning. That said, it did annoy him a little, since it meant he wasn't going to get a chance with her cell phone. He hadn't given up on the cell phone just yet -- after a good night's sleep, he decided that, with enough time and patience, he could manage the accursed piece of technology.

 

But when she stumbled groggily out of bed to let him use the facilities, only to stumble into the kitchen to assemble what turned out to be a collection of cold leftovers, Shigure was puzzled. He was growing accustomed to his hostess's routine, and a breakfast of reheated leftovers (to which she added a fresh boiled egg) always followed the hated visit outdoors. It was what made the whole thing bearable: the comforting knowledge that a bowl of steaming food would be waiting for him afterward.

 

But not this morning. This morning, she put the dish on the floor and shuffled back to her bedroom. After he'd eaten, Shigure returned to the cocoon of blankets on the bed and rested as hime-chan slept. It was nearly noon when she rose again to shower and dress. At that point, he followed her to her office for a while, curling up on the floor and listening to the soft tapping against her keyboard.

 

It wasn't long before she got up from her desk and returned to the bedroom. Again, Shigure followed (even if he was increasingly unsure as to why he was following). He lay down and burrowed beneath the covers as she crawled into bed and pulled up the blankets, then slid on her glasses and picked up the novel she'd been reading. Three turns of the page later, she had fallen asleep and was snoring softly.

 

Shigure was trying very hard not to be insulted -- it had seemed as if she was enjoying the book. How on earth could it have bored her that much? Resting his head on his uninjured paw, he watched her sleep, pondering the morning so far. Yes, something was clearly wrong. She hadn't so much as greeted him yet. There hadn't been a single pat on the head, not one solitary rub of the ears. Aside from letting him out to relieve himself and feeding him breakfast (a cold breakfast), hime-chan had barely acknowledged him.

 

This won't do. If I'm overstaying my welcome, she'll be more apt to bring me back to that vet friend of hers -- or worse, the animal shelter. He grimaced at the thought; no warm beds and leftover soba noodles there, to be sure. All right, perhaps it's time to ingratiate myself a bit, hmm? Shifting his body carefully, mindful of the aches and twinges that had by now become his intimate friends, Shigure leaned over and nosed at her cheek.

 

She didn't stir.

 

That's unusual. Frowning, he began to sniff at her neck, up to her ear. It was a trick he'd learned to use with Aya; when all else failed, the light, tickling breaths would wake anyone up. And it worked, for a second or two -- light eyes blinked open, and his benefactress regarded him muzzily before giving him a sleepy little smile, patting him on the head, rolling over, and reclaiming her nap.

 

That's very unusual. But when Shigure leaned over and nuzzled her cheek again, he noticed that she seemed warm. Very warm -- possibly feverish. Well, that casts a little light on things, doesn't it? He sunk back onto his haunches and considered this new development. A fever meant it was unlikely she'd post the flyers she'd mentioned, which would impede his return home. It also meant, if breakfast was anything to go by, that the quality of the cuisine would be suffering in the meantime.

 

It was a problem, definitely. Still, on the other hand -- paw -- staying here was better than being caged in a kennel somewhere. If she was unwell, though, that would certainly delay his return home, and that was something he was uncomfortable postponing.

 

Hime-chan rolled onto her side, and the novel fell to the floor with a light thud. Sighing, Shigure lay down and regarded his caretaker. An ironic term, really, since she was in no shape to be taking care of him. All right, so who cares for the caretakers?

 

Shigure considered Kyou-kun, resolutely donning a mask and goggles to cook for Tohru-kun when she was unwell. Which probably means the illustrious Takashi will be coming by, he thought darkly. How lucky for me. Glowering a little, the Dog resituated himself, resting his head on the pillow. If Taka-kun was going to pay them a visit, he'd better show up soon. It was already past noon and as far as Shigure had seen, hime-chan hadn't eaten a thing.

 

His ears drooped. Why me?

 

Shaking his head a little, Shigure leaned over, keeping one eye on the sleeping hime-chan, and grasped the end of the blanket between his teeth, pulling the covers up slowly. This was very high on the list of un-doglike things he didn't want to be caught doing right now, ranking up there with "smoking" and "reading the morning paper." But she didn't wake, didn't move, save for curling up under the warmth of the blankets.

 

It occurred to Shigure that there was probably never a better time for him to call Ha-san. If he could get in touch with Hatori, the Dragon would come by to collect him and, possibly, take a look at hime-chan as well. Besides, she was sleeping soundly. There wasn't anything short of a bomb going off (or, failing that, Ha-kun going Black) that would rouse her.

 

His mind was made up. Moving slowly and carefully, Shigure crept out of hime-chan's bed and began the search for her cell phone. At that moment, he wasn't thinking about the obvious difficulties the tiny flip-phone posed. He wasn't thinking about the miniscule number pad. He wasn't even thinking about the fact that he knew precisely squat about where he was and who he was with. Because he was calling Ha-san -- the most responsible, the most dependable of the Juunishi. There was very little on this earth that his friend didn't know how to do. Everything would be fine, once he got hold of the Dragon.

 

When Shigure caught sight of the cell phone on hime-chan's nightstand, he was quite certain that his birthday had come early. He took the phone into his mouth and eased onto the floor, trying to position the phone just-so in his paws. If he could get it situated correctly, he could probably pry the phone open.

 

All he had to do was take his time.

 

Slowly, gently, he used his teeth to pull the phone open. After the first try, the phone snapped shut in mid-attempt. After the second try, it fell from his paws and slid to the floor. After the third try, however, the phone was open.

 

Shigure very nearly uttered a prayer of thanks, so great was his relief. Now all I have to do is--

 

"Kuroi! No!"

 

...Oh, shit. Hime-chan was glaring down over the edge of the bed at him. She looked mussed, exhausted, and exceptionally displeased with him at that moment. Her eyes went to the cell phone in his paws and realized that she had assumed, mistakenly, he'd taken it for a chew-toy. Really, there was nothing wrong with the phone -- drool notwithstanding.

 

"That's not yours," she snapped, reaching down and grabbing the phone. As she inspected it for toothmarks, Shigure gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position and watched. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," she muttered, wiping the saliva from the numberpad. "Not yours," she said again, sternly.

 

He wasn't surprised when his look of wounded dignity failed to penetrate her fevered irritation. But her next words were an absolute shock to the Dog:

 

"Bad! Bad boy!"

 

Now, Shigure had been scolded quite a bit in his time -- usually by Ha-san. He was used to it. It happened. The sun shone. Rain fell from the sky. Wind blew. Ha-san scolded Shigure. It was the nature of things.

 

But this... this wasn't anything like Hatori's rebukes (because by this point Shigure expected Hatori to be disappointed in him). It wasn't anything like Mii-chan's tearful explosions (which he ignored), or Akito's outbursts (which he caused knowingly). No, Hime-chan's reaction was... entirely different. And he didn't even have the luxury of trying to talk her out of her anger. Granted, she was working under the assumption that he'd been trying to ingest her cell phone. Given that, okay, maybe she had a right to be upset. And she didn't seem to be feeling well.

 

But was it really necessary for her to yell at him like that? Bad boy? He wasn't bad; he was trying to phone a doctor, for crying out loud!

 

Ears drooping, Shigure slunk around to the other side of the bed, his tail -- to his eternal shame and annoyance -- tucking between his legs. As of that moment, any small bit of control Shigure had over the situation was gone, and it was time to at least attempt to wrangle some of it back.

 

The Dog sighed a little and crawled back on the bed, where hime-chan was lying on her back, eyes closed. Moving carefully, he lay down next to her, once again burying his nose against her neck and nuzzling contritely as he let out a low whine. It wasn't often Shigure made an apologetic move, but somehow it was simpler in this form. Besides, it was a lot easier to ask forgiveness for chewing on a cell phone -- that was something concrete.

 

Several moments passed in this manner when Shigure realized something disconcerting: hime-chan was ignoring him. Either that, or she'd already fallen asleep and was lost in a far deeper slumber than even he could imagine. Frowning slightly, he moved, little by little, until her hand was in front of his nose. He sniffed it a moment before mouthing it gently.

 

Her voice, strained with fatigue, came from somewhere to his right. "Kuroi, no."

 

That answered that; she was still miffed with him for the cell phone. Somewhere inside, Shigure was faintly annoyed with hime-chan for not getting over the incident more quickly. He hadn't done any damage to the phone -- no harm, no foul, right? Besides, it's just a cell phone -- it's not like it's her only... His train of thought stopped. All right, so maybe it is her only means of communication -- and whose fault is that, hmm?

 

Even so, he wanted to wiggle his way back into his temporary caretaker's good graces, and if he couldn't rely on his charm, there weren't very many other avenues available to him. It was time to sacrifice a little bit of his dignity -- granted, Ha-san, Yuki-kun, and Kyou-kun would probably have argued there wasn't much left to sacrifice, but Shigure knew better.

 

Nudging hime-chan's hand with his nose and then licking it to get her attention, Shigure waited until she was watching before he rolled onto his back, whimpering softly -- partially because it wasn't a very comfortable position, given his injuries, but partially because he was trying to appear apologetic.

 

Hopefully she knows even a little bit about dogs, enough to figure out I'm not just looking for a scratch on my--

 

There was a deep sigh. "Fine, fine. You win." A scratch on his stomach followed, and his leg shook slightly as the sensation temporarily overrode the sore stiffness in his body. They stayed like that for a while -- Shigure couldn't say exactly, though it was probably many minutes. Gradually, hime-chan's fingers slowed and eventually stopped, her breathing becoming slow and deep. He rolled onto his side and looked up to see that she'd fallen asleep.

 

Now what? I can't try the phone again; if it woke her up once, it'll probably wake her again. And if she catches me again, she probably won't be quite as forgiving. And he'd depleted his store of canine apologies -- his dignity was still smarting from the earlier belly-scratch (no matter how good it had felt). After a moment or two of considering the situation, Shigure crawled under the covers before settling down and getting comfortable. He wasn't quite sure what to think when he heard hime-chan mutter in her sleep before rolling onto her side and moving closer to him, soaking up his warmth.

 

She was, he realized, shivering. And as Shigure watched his temporary benefactress huddle under the covers, he was reminded somewhat of Tohru-kun the first night she stayed at the house. He'd never known someone who could work herself into a fever so easily. Idly, the Dog wondered whether hime-chan's fever was stress-induced, or if she simply had a cold.

 

And amid all this wondering, Shigure also found himself bemused at Taka-san's absence. It was a Sunday -- surely he wasn't working. Wouldn't a husband-to-be want to be by his beloved fiancée's side when she was ill? Instead, a strange dog was with her, chewing on her cell phone and shedding all over her duvet.

 

It was upwards of two hours later when Shigure's ears pricked at the sound of a brisk knock at the door. Hime-chan was still sleeping soundly, and didn't stir when he pressed his nose against her cheek. He upped the ante, licking a bit at her cheek and letting out a low, groaning whine in the back of his throat. Slowly she blinked awake and stared at Shigure in sleepy confusion, until the knock sounded again. Glancing briefly at the clock, she swore and pushed back the covers before getting out of bed, wobbling briefly, and stumbling out of the room.

 

The Dog considered for a moment that if Taka-san were finally here, he should probably get off the bed. He then considered that it was Taka-san's fault that he was like this in the first place, and decided that he'd stay right where he was. Taka-san could deal with it.

 

But when hime-chan didn't return right away with her betrothed -- who, in Shigure's mind, had arrived bearing a medicine, juice, and a container of hot soup -- he got curious. He could hear voices coming from the next room, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. His burgeoning curiosity got the better of him, and he eased himself off of the bed, still mindful of his sore paw, and -- making sure to look as pathetic and as car-hit as possible -- limped out to the living room.

 

What he saw surprised him. It was not Taka-san who'd arrived, but someone else entirely. Someone who looked vaguely familiar, and who was presently resting his palm against an annoyed hime-chan's forehead.

 

"Sho-kun, I'm fine."

 

Sho-kun? Shigure looked at the man for a moment, when his faintly medicinal scent finally registered: the vet.

 

Wait a minute. The vet? What's he doing here? Aside from... is he checking her temperature?

 

He pulled his hand away and looked at her with a wry smile. "You're supposed to go to a doctor for humans, 'Kemi-chan..."

 

'Kemi-chan...? Shigure thought for a moment, frowning. Akemi -- that's it! He regarded her and tilted his head in consideration. Hmm. You know, I think I like 'hime-chan' better.

"Don't mock me, Sho-kun," she replied tiredly, giving him a weak glare as she tried to suppress her shiver.

"Ah, just a bit. Don't think of it as mocking; think of it as fond teasing." The wry edges smoothed out of his smile, softening it, and he reached up to muss her bangs.

"Like there's a difference." She rubbed at her face as if trying to banish the lingering exhaustion. "Besides, I'm perfectly fine. It's just a little cold. I'll be right as rain in the morning."

"Just a little cold? No, 'Kemi-chan, it's the flu. Fatigue, body aches, fever -- you're burning up. You need to be drinking plenty of fluids and getting some rest."

 

Shigure found a small sliver of satisfaction upon having been able to identify the fact that she did have a fever, but the fact that she was sick bothered him. She was his sole link to the outside world at the moment, and if she wasn't going to be interacting with that world (and thereby helping him rejoin it himself), he really was worse off than he thought.

"I have been resting," Akemi retorted.

 

Sho returned her volley with practiced ease. "At your desk? Very comfortable, I'm certain."

 

"No. But even if I were, it happens to be a very comfortable desk." When nothing but eloquent silence followed, she glared at him again. "Oh, don't give me that look."

"You're being foolish. You know how much longer it'll take you to get over it if you don't take better care of yourself."

"....Foolish?" she echoed, looking wounded. "Now you're just being mean."

Sho sighed and shook his head. "I'm telling you the truth."

 

Shigure watched Akemi-hime motion vaguely towards her room. "Shouldn't you be looking at Kuroi and lecturing him instead of me?"

 

"I'll check out the dog when you get back to bed. Besides, I have a feeling that Kuroi has enough sense to rest when--" He looked up suddenly, finally noticing Shigure sitting in the hallway. He lifted an eyebrow at the Dog and gave a slow shake of his head. "It appears as if I'm mistaken. Looks like he's got about as much sense as you do, 'Kemi."

Shigure blinked. Hey, I have plenty of sense! Enough to stay in bed when I'm... all right, maybe I'm not in bed now, but I definitely wish I were, which isn't the same thing as ignoring the fact that I should be in bed, like some people whose names I could mention.

 

Hime-chan, however, sensed that she was on the wrong end of a losing argument -- even Shigure could see that much. With one more weak glare, she turned around and shuffled down the hallway to her bedroom. Shigure turned and followed, and when she sat on the bed, he crawled up and joined her.

 

Sho pressed his lips together in a small almost-frown. Akemi paused as she was settling herself into bed, rearranging her pillows and straightening her blanket. "What is it?"

 

"See if you can try to keep him a little more settled in one place while he's here. I know it's easier said than done, but it's best if he keeps as much weight off of that leg as possible for the time being."

 

She snorted and looked at the Dog as she lay back against the pillows. "Easier said than done is right. He follows me just about everywhere."

 

Yes, Shigure thought, keeping his expression as bland as possible, and if you stayed in one place, that would make things infinitely easier for me. But you don't seem to catch a hint too quickly, do you?

 

"Well, that works out well for both of you -- if you don't move from that spot, neither will he," Sho replied, giving her a benign smile, which she did not return.

 

"....My god, you're an ass."

"Yes, I know," Sho said cheerfully as he began examining Shigure's canine body.

 

He poked and prodded, efficient and thorough without seeming impatient or handling Shigure too roughly. He wasn't Ha-san, of course, but no one was. Shigure was rather curious himself to find out if he was showing any improvement. There was a fine line between being on the mend after injury and healing to the point where "Who are you and why are you naked in my bed?" became a question requiring immediate attention. Shigure didn't really want to get to the latter point.

 

But as the vet was handling Shigure's paw, something twinged sharply, and it was only through sheer luck that the Dog managed not to swear. Instead, he let out a yelp, which may have sounded more human than canine; if it did, both Akemi and the vet were polite enough not to say anything about it. Instead, hime-chan ran her hand over the top of his head, murmuring soothingly to him. It hurt like hell, and dog-shaped or not, Sohma Shigure wasn't above accepting solace when he was in pain. When her fingers trailed upwards to scratch lightly at the base of his ears, Shigure closed his eyes and rested his head on her stomach with a sigh that sounded doglike enough.

 

"He seems rather attached to you," Sho said, sounding vaguely amused.

Her fingers hesitated briefly. "Do you think so?" She sounded dubious.

The doctor shrugged. "Well, he's obviously looking to you for comfort."

Hime-chan chuckled softly. "Well, he seems to know I'll give it to him."

After a few minutes, the vet rocked back on his heels and regarded Akemi as she continued to pet the Dog. "The worst of the swelling is starting to go down, and he seems to be coming along fine. He won't be jumping through hoops any time soon--"

 

Shigure gave a mental snort. If ever.

 

"--but you really didn't need to worry. Whatever you've been doing, it's working. Really, he just needs to rest and keep his strength up until someone comes to claim him. Have you had a chance to put up any notices?"

Akemi was huddled beneath the blankets. "No. I'd planned on hanging flyers tomor--"

 

"Do you have them?"

 

She blinked, her mouth working silently for a second or two. "...Yes."

 

"Give them to me. I'll put some up around here on my way home, and I'll circulate some at the clinic."

 

"Sho-kun, you don't have to--"

 

"Akemi--"

 

But she shook her head, cutting him off. "I'm perfectly capab--"

 

"Akemi," he said again, his tone firm. Hime-chan's mouth snapped shut and she blinked. "Let me help, all right? You're sick. Please stop trying to deny that -- you are." A long, heavy silence passed before she let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping when Sho said, "Once the notices go up, give it a few days. Someone's going to claim him, and then you can get things back to normal. I imagine they're pretty upside-down at the moment."

 

"It... hasn't been that bad. Honestly."

 

"You're sure you're up to it with the flu you don't have?"

 

"....I'm sure I'm 'up to it,'" she said primly, "because I'm perfectly fine."

Several seconds of silence passed, and it was enough to make Shigure pry open one eye and regard the vet. "You know, Akemi... a space opened up at the clinic."

 

"....A space? Do you mean... a space in the kennel?" Sho nodded, and she frowned. "I don't know..."

 

"We have a kennel run for the larger dogs. Granted, right now he doesn't need much space to move around, but if you're sick, you should rest. Taking care of an injured animal isn't what most would call restful."

Shigure remained very still during this exchange. Hime-chan's hand had never ceased in its soothing ministrations, but a knot of worry was settling in his gut. He glanced up at her face to try and read her expression, but all he saw was fatigue and concern. She gnawed lightly on her lower lip before finally answering him. "No, Sho-kun, I don't think so. He really isn't much trouble, and he's been cleaning up my leftovers."

 

"Are you sure?" he asked. Hime-chan nodded and he tucked his hands in his pockets. "Well, like I said, if he gets to be too much..."

 

"I know, I know -- if he gets to be too much, I'll call you."

Arching an eyebrow at her, he said, "You'd better."

"I will. I promise."

 

"All right." Taking in a breath and blowing it out, the vet looked down at Shigure. "Well, that's about it -- he's on the mend, and whatever you've been doing, keep doing it. You said you'd been giving him leftovers -- what about dog food?"

 

Shifting a little and avoiding the vet's gaze, Akemi replied, "I... didn't think to get any."

 

He sighed deeply. "It's not bad to give him scraps, but... I'll tell you what. I'll drop by tomorrow with some dry food for him. You can add some leftovers to that and he should be fine."

 

Shigure sent the other man a look. Fine? You've got an odd definition of "fine," Sho-kun. Isn't it bad enough that I've got to use the backyard as my lavatory? Now you're trying to ruin my meals, too?

 

"All right -- I should get home before it gets much later." But when Akemi eased Shigure's head off of her stomach and started to push the covers back, Sho pointed at her. "Stay," he said, firmly.

 

Akemi stared at him. Shigure struggled to contain a rich snicker by burying his face in her lap. Hime-chan, one of these days you're going to have to explain to me why you're not with Sho-kun, here. I bet he wouldn't have run over a dog.

 

"Sorry," Sho said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Force of habit, I'm afraid."

 

"Yeah, well if you want me to roll over, that's extra."

He grinned at her. "Somehow, I don't think Hikari would appreciate that."

 

With a sympathetic wince, Akemi asked, "How's she doing these days?"

 

"Morning sickness," he said, shaking his head. "Enough so that she's told me more than once that she's never going through this again."

 

"Oh, just wait 'til the labor pains start." When he winced, she chuckled. "I may have to offer you sanctuary, ne?"

 

"I may have to check myself into the kennel. Anyway..." He reached down and mussed her bangs, then gave Shigure a quick rub across his head. "Why don't you get some sleep? I can let myself out."

 

Reaching out, Akemi tapped fingers against the cover of the novel resting on her nightstand. "I'll probably just read a little."

 

"Read, then."

 

She nodded and shot him an angelic smile. "I will. I will read and rest and drink plenty of fluids and I promise to call if things get to be too much. All right?"

 

"All right. Keep me posted," he said, tapping the cell phone clipped to his belt.

 

"Of course." She was still smiling. In fact, she kept smiling until Sho left the room. And she stayed in bed until she heard him leave the house. Once she was sure she was alone, Shigure was completely unsurprised when she pushed the covers back and got out of bed. "Stay, Kuroi," she said, giving him a quick pat on the head and leaving the room.

 

Oh, I'll stay all right. And so will you, Akemi-hime.

 

 

Rolling her shoulders, Akemi made her way down the corridor to her small office area. She had every intention of resting, and maybe sending out for some food, once her appetite returned, but her last trip out of bed had revealed a slew of panicked emails from a co-worker. She hadn't planned on working on her day off, but it was a small issue with one of her designs, and easy enough to fix. Besides, she thought, taking a seat at her desk, if I do it now, I won't have to worry about it tomorrow.

 

She'd barely opened up her graphics program when Kuroi started up. He let out a long, mournful whine that carried from the bedroom to the office -- indeed, throughout the small house. A brief pause followed, and soon the silence was filled with another whine. Akemi frowned, tapping her finger against the keyboard. He'll settle down in a second.

 

But the stray didn't settle down. If anything, the whining got louder, and was peppered with pathetic whimperings. She waited for a while longer, still expecting Kuroi to calm down, but it didn't seem to happen. Finally, Akemi pushed herself to her feet and went back to the bedroom; by the time she reached the bedside, she'd broken out into a light sweat and was winded.

 

"What's the matter, Kuroi-chan, hmm?" she asked, touching his nose lightly -- it was still a little dry and warm. After a second or two, she sat on the bed, resting her hand on his head, her thumb rubbing his muzzle before sliding up to the sensitive spot between his eyes. The dog shifted clumsily, wriggling over and resting his heavy dark head in Akemi's lap. Sighing, she leaned back, resting against the pillows, running her hand between Kuroi's ears, down to the back of his neck.

 

"Oh, it wasn't that traumatic," she said when Kuroi let out another whine. "He didn't even take your temperature -- he's told me how well that goes." Here, she frowned. "I'm lucky he didn't try to take mine."

 

After a few moments of petting, Kuroi closed his eyes and began to settle down. When his breathing slowed down, she slipped his head off of her thigh and began moving off the bed. Immediately, he lifted his head up and looked at her, letting out another long, pleading whine.

 

Akemi was at a loss. Sighing, she regarded the large black dog laying on top of the mussed blankets. Figures he'd start acting up after Sho-kun left. Hungry? No, he ate not too long ago. Maybe he's just uncomfortable -- it's about time for his meds. Coming to this conclusion, Akemi turned and left the bedroom, the sound of Kuroi's whines and whimpers following her as she walked to the kitchen. She tucked one of the pills into a piece of pork and returned to Kuroi's side, the offering in her palm.

 

"Here you go, sweetheart," she murmured, holding the meat out for the dog to sniff, which he did -- and take, which he also did.

 

But, somehow, as he was chewing the piece of pork, the little white pill fell out, landing on the bedspread, between the dog's dark paws.

 

"...Dammit." With that, she got up again, shuffled back to the kitchen, and returned with the pill hidden inside another piece of meat. Again, Kuroi took it happily.

 

And, again, the pill got spat out.

 

"...Dammit." By this point, she was feeling winded, and it felt as if she'd started to break out into a sweat. When Kuroi whined again, her reply was nearly a snap. "Well if you'd take your pill, you'd stop hurting."

 

The tragic, wounded gaze he gave her made Akemi throw up her hands. "I give up," she muttered, tossing the damp, half-dissolved pill into the wastebasket before fairly collapsing on the bed. Kuroi was soon nuzzling her cheek and panting happily. Lifting her head, she shot him an exhausted glare. "If I didn't know better, mutt, I'd think this was what you were angling for the whole time. Did Sho-kun put you up to this, you little brat?" she asked with a yawn, settling on her side and pulling up the blankets.

 

Kuroi's only reply was his tail thumping against the bed.

 

"Don't be smug."

 

After a few moments under the blankets, Akemi's limbs felt as if they'd been inundated with a deep chill, despite the heat flaring across her skin. With a shiver, she huddled further under the blankets. Stupid flu. Damn Sho anyway, she thought darkly. Isn't he ever wrong?

 

A few minutes passed -- the shivering subsided and returned, then subsided and returned again. Where before she'd felt nominally human, Akemi now felt beaten and worn, her body unable to decide between "too hot" and "too cold." She wasn't hungry enough to eat, and even if she were, she couldn't bring herself to leave her bed. What she wanted was some tea -- something hot and soothing and fragrant that would help clear away the cloudy muck that was filling her head. Taka had been due to get back into town late the previous night; he hadn't called yet, which worried her a little, and her own phone was probably still damp with dog slobber. Honestly, of all the things to chew on, he picks my phone. Animals. At the moment, she barely had the energy to lift her head and find where she'd put her phone, so calling Taka and asking him to come by was certainly out of the question for now. Sleep first. Phone later.

 

Movement on the mattress made her pry open her eyes -- Kuroi was moving around, his head poking under the blankets.

 

"Kuroi?" she asked, running a sleepy hand through her hair. "C'mon, just settle down, inu-chan." The dog didn't stop its odd wriggling until it was completely under the blankets. After nosing his head out from under the covers, Kuroi curled up close to her, rested his head on the pillow, and closed his eyes. The extra warmth under the blankets gradually eased away Akemi's shivers, and she soon plunged into deep, dreamless slumber.

 

 

 

Hours later, Shigure woke. Hime-chan was still sleeping soundly; her exhales puffed out against one of his ears, making it flick reflexively. He still wasn't quite sure why he'd crawled under the covers with her -- a thank-you for not ditching him at the kennel, perhaps -- but it had stopped the shivering. At least now, if nothing else, his benefactress was getting some needed rest.

 

There was, of course, the small matter of the pill he'd refused earlier. At this point, he wasn't sure which would keep him in his canine form longer -- dealing with the discomfort, or allowing himself to be doped into bliss. Illness, physical weakness -- those caused a Juunishi to transform, but the painkillers weren't making him stronger, certainly -- just numbing his aches. Hmm. To be safe, I'll get Akemi-hime to give me one the next time she wakes up, he decided, huddling back against the bedding and letting sleep claim him.

 

In the Dog's dreams, an onigiri fluttered about, wearing an apron of all things, bringing him medicine and bowl after bowl of soba.