InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ And They Call It Puppy Love ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Universe: Inuyasha

Pairing: SessKag (VERY OOC. It's AU though, and I doubt Sesshoumaru would be such a homicidal freak in present-day Japan. I think.)

Genre: AU, Romance, Slice of Life.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters do not belong to me (sadly).

Author Notes: Ange here! I was so surprised by the amount of support I got for this story! I didn't know Inuyasha was still so dearly loved, it truly warms my heart. :heart: Got a lot of requests and sweet comments to continue the story, and although that had been the plan all along, your words of encouragement definitely helped. So here it is; this one is for you. Chapter two starts now!

And They Call It Puppy Love

Chapter Two

888

"Handle every stressful situation like a puppy.
If you can't eat it or play with it,
Just pee on it and walk away."

888

"He's married? That no-good, two-timing prick!"

"Shhh! Not so loud!"

Kagome sent a nervous glance around the faculty room. It was lunchtime, and most of the teachers were eating and chatting with their coworkers. It was the only peaceful moment they had during their hectic day of instilling young and hyperactive minds with knowledge. Even in an elementary School, kids could really put teachers through the ringer, and it was during this sacred time that they exchanged horror stories like war veterans with PTSD. Kagome imagined that teaching kids was like battling demons in the Sengoku Jidai (if such a thing ever even existed back then).

At the outburst, a few teachers sent reproachful looks towards Kagome's table. Kagome smiled weakly, waving politely, and turned back to her table partner.

"Sango, does everybody need to find out?" Kagome hissed to her best friend and fellow teacher, sending anxious peeks at the table behind them. The two elderly secretaries were still looking at them, obviously trying to catch some juicy gossip. Nosy old hags, Kagome thought crossly.

Sango leaned back into her chair, opening her salad bowl with a frown. The angry lines of her face did nothing to mask her beauty, nor did the tracksuit she was sporting. Although baggy and totally unfeminine, Sango wore the gym teacher's uniform with such pride and style she even made Kagome kind of envious. It didn't hurt that Sango was built like an Amazon Princess and nothing she wore could ever disguise it.

They had both started teaching at the school around the same time, and though at first the grumpy gym teacher could not stand sweet little Kagome, they had grown to appreciate and respect each other. Hell, Sango was something like a big sister to her. Despite being total opposites in the personality spectrum, Kagome had come to find a loyal and loving friend in the pretty tomboy, even if she was a bit rough around the edges. But beyond her gruffness, there lied a gentle and understanding woman who made Kagome feel safe and cared for.

Make no mistake though; Sango was as loving as she was frightening, especially when you pissed her off. And right now she was glaring at Kagome, fire burning behind those almond, brown eyes.

"Find out what, Kagome? That you're being played by a cheating husband? I'll scream it from the rooftop of this goddamn building if I have to. Maybe that'll knock some sense into that ditzy little head of yours." Sango snapped, biting a baby carrot with more fierceness than necessary.

"It's not like I knew he was married!" Kagome huffed at her, crossing her arms.

"Ignorace does not excuse you from being an idiot." the older women countered.

"Sangooo! You're not being fair." Kagome whined.

Really, Sango was making it out to be like Kagome had planned this all along. She didn't want to be a home-wrecker. She didn't want to feel attracted to a married man. A married man with a daughter and a wife and two beautiful dogs and - fuck, she was attracted to a goddamn Norman Rockwell poster! "Ok, so let's say he really is married." Kagome started again, trying to regain some of her dignity, "It's not like he ever led me on or anything. Nothing happened between us. He was a complete gentleman, all the time - never even made a move on me. It's really not his fault that his dogs just keep ending up in my house."

Sango snorted at that. "Yeah, right. Listen, Kagome, if those dogs are half as well-trained as you tell me, he could stop them any time he wanted, like this." Sango snapped her fingers for emphasis. The fierce brunette leaned forward, her signature high-ponytail swishing behind her. "Typical guy move, using dogs to get to women. Face it, Higurashi, he wanted to get into your puppy-loving pants."

"Don't be crude!" Kagome gasped, blushing.

"And don't be naïve! Men are pigs." Sango growled.

"Did somebody call me?"

"Go away, Miroku." Both women said in unison.

Holding the back of Sango's chair, Miroku leaned forward, a cherubic smile adorning his devil's face. He was wearing his doctor's coat today for a change, although the sleeves were pulled back, long sinewy muscles flexing as he gripped the chair to keep his balance. He definitely wasn't your typical school doctor. Miroku oozed sex appeal with every wicked smile, and he toed the fine line of appropriate to the limit, disregarding the teacher's staff dress code: long, shoulder-length hair that he sometimes pulled in a ponytail, body-hugging shirt that showed off his washboard abs, and tight skinny jeans that hugged his finely-shaped ass in the most uh-mazing way. That last part was actually an observation made by Sango, but hell if she'd ever say it out-loud to the egotistical man.

Miroku flashed a dimpled smile at Kagome, his soft grey eyes boring into hers. "If Ms. Higurashi needs any advice on men, I'll be happy to assist her in that area. How about you come by the nurse's office after school and -"

"Finish that sentence Miroku, and I swear to God I'll shove this carrot so far up your sensitive bits, you won't ever have a vitamin deficiency." Sango snarled, bestowing the full power of her glare on him.

"Does this mean you're still upset with me about that silly misunderstanding last week?" Miroku pouted, seemingly hurt.

"Misunderstanding? You were spying on me!"

"So?"

"In the showers!" Sango screeched.

"Hello? Romantic crisis over here. Can we focus?" Kagome waved at her friends, smiling weakly.

Sango sent her a peevish look, hunching her shoulders. Whenever Miroku was involved, she always lost her concentration.

"Sorry. Look, Kagome, I don't know what to say. Are you one hundred percent sure that the kid was his? Or that he was really married?"

"Well…I never saw a ring, now that you mention it." Kagome said, finger tapping her lips thoughtfully.

"That doesn't mean anything." Miroku interjected, grabbing a chair from a nearby table and making himself comfortable with the two women (much to Sango's chagrin). "Guys take off their rings all the time to meet pretty girls. It's in our nature." He shrugged.

"Not all men are like you, Miroku." Sango spit back spitefully.

"You only wish, gorgeous." Miroku winked at her, which only aggravated the brunette further.

"Okaaay…well, still no dice on the ring-thing. And as for the little girl…well, she looked nothing like him." Kagome said, a tinge of hope in her voice.

"Perhaps the child looks more like her mother? It tends to happen." Miroku added, stealing a carrot from Sango's plate and popping it into his mouth before the angry brunette could protest.

"Who's side are you on anyway, Miroku?" Sango berated.

"And if that's the case, I'm screwed." Kagome whined again, leaning forwards and resting her forehead on her arms. "She was sooo cute, so her mom must be fricking adorable, and I stand no chance in hell. Not that I want to stand a chance!" Kagome hurriedly added, waving her hands defensively. "Because, you know… he's married. And I don't normally do married men."

"Or any men, presently." Sango chimed in teasingly.

Kagome groaned and let her head fall back in her arms.

"Don't downplay your looks, Kagome. You'd be surprised." Sango chirped up, smacking Miroku's hand as he attempted to steal another baby carrot. "Most handsome men are so content with their own beauty, they settle for really ugly broads on the first try. So that wife of his might look like gorilla ass and you're the first ray of light he's seen in years."

"Sango!" Kagome shouted, sitting up again with a start.

"It's true!" Sango said, laughing at Kagome's aghast expression.

"Well, I wouldn't know anyway…can't very well ask him since we haven't spoken in days." Kagome tried to keep the petulant tone from her voice, and failed miserably.

She hadn't seen hair nor hide of her surly neighbor since their last encounter. Even the lovable Ah and Un were nowhere in sight! Every day after coming from work, she'd expect to find both Doberman waiting for her at her porch as usual, but her front yard had remained doggy-free for the past few days, much to Kagome's dismay. This had foiled her plan of attempting to figure out her neighbor's exact marital situation, crystal clear as it may seem to her coworkers. As such, she remained in the dark, with her hopes and dreams shattering with each depressing scenario that crossed her mind.

"You know what sucks the most? I really liked him, Sango. He was just so…so…"

"Hot?" Sango supplied helpfully.

"Different." Kagome corrected with a wry smile. "It felt nice to be around him, like I could be myself. But yeah, it doesn't hurt that he is totally swoon-worthy."

"Okay, be real, Kagome; on a scale of Woody Allen to Chris Hemsworth, how hot is the dude?"

Kagome giggled at the gym teacher, then sighed deeply. "He's so hot, he'd make Chris Hemsworth look like Rosie O'Donnel."

"Damn". Sango whistled low.

"I know." Kagome smiled, star-struck.

"Entertaining as this hen-house talk may be," Miroku interrupted the girls, sitting up straight in his chair and pinning Kagome with those grey eyes of his. His expression wasn't half as playful as it had been before. "I'm concerned about this quite a bit; especially for your, Kagome."

"Don't be, Miroku. I can take care of myself." Kagome defended herself, pounting.

Miroku smiled kindly. "I wouldn't dream of suggesting otherwise. But Kagome, you're a hopeless romantic." His face turned deadly serious. "I'm not sure what good that trait may be in this situation. If the man is already in a loving relationship, where even a child is involved, then perhaps it's best to just… walk away. That's not to say that I think you're the kind of woman who would put herself in that position." He soothed, placing a platonic hand on her knee. "But temptation does funny things to people."

"You sound like a priest." Kagome breathed softly.

"Call it the voice of experience." Miroku answered gently. "It's not a road you want to go down on."

Kagome bit her lip, looking down at the table.

"We just don't want you to get hurt." Sango added. "You're a great gal, and you deserve a lot better than a married man, Kagome." Sango reached across the table and squeezed Kagome's hand. Kagome squeezed back just as tightly, nodding her head since her throat was too tight to form words.

Yeah. She just had to forget about the entire situation. Kagome Higurashi was a decent, wholesome woman; she didn't do love affairs. She'd just continue on with her routine as it was before a certain white-haired man walked in, and move on with her life. No more Shesshoumaru. No more Rin. No more Ah and Un. Easy.

888

"Hi, Kagome-chan!"

Kagome gaped at the little girl, who was currently sitting on her front porch with two very vigilant Doberman dogs by her side. In turn, the girl flashed that signature gap-toothed smile of hers. "What took ya' so long? Ah and Un were getting bored, you know?"

This had to be some sort of cosmic punishment. Were the gods testing her? What other reason would the universe have for continuously thrusting this into her life when she had sworn to herself never again to court temptation?

Although as far as enticement went, this was a pretty inoffensive package. The girl - Rin, she recalled - was swinging her legs back and forth on the porch steps, oblivious to the turmoil her mere existence was causing Kagome. She was small and cute and effervescent and Kagome really didn't feel well about this at all.

Plastering a smile, she slammed the car door shut and walked towards her.

"Hey, Rin-chan, how are you?"

Rin's eyes sparkled at the jovial greeting. "You remembered me!"

'How could I not?', Kagome thought glumly. Then something sparked into her brain, and she swallowed, an idea forming. Maybe…

"Of course I remembered, silly. You're Sesshoumaru's…?" Kagome trailed off, expecting the little girl to fill in the blanks. It was a bit sneaky, and Kagome already began feeling guilty about trying to manipulate the child in this manner, but it was an innocent enough question, right?

For her part, Rin blinked at her blankly, smiling that wide toothy smile of hers.

Kagome waited for an answer.

Rin smiled even wider.

Ah and Un panted cheerfully.

Ok, so maybe try another question…

"What are you doing here all by yourself, Rin-chan? Wouldn't your Daddy get worried?" Kagome probed, sitting one step down from the girl and scratching Un under his neck.

"Nah, Daddy doesn't care as long as I'm not getting into trouble." The cute girl commented offhandedly, as if being left alone was something that apparently happened often. "Plus, Daddy's taking care of work stuff. So Uncle Jaken is taking care of me." She grinned toothily.

"Uncle Jaken?" Kagome tried to keep the despair from her voice. If her uncle was called Jaken, then there went any hope of Sesshoumaru possibly being the girl's uncle -

"Oops! Don't tell him I called him that! He hates when I call him Uncle, says I should call him Jaken-sama." Rin giggled, very much revealing how little she cared of this Jaken person's opinion. "He's a friend of my Daddy and Uncle, and sometimes he babysits me whenever they have to do important stuff."

Okay, then. Kagome saw the light at the end of the tunnel. "So you have two uncles?" Kagome prodded hopefully.

"Uh-huh! Uncle Jaken is super funny, though! He always acts like he's angry with me!" Rin bulged her eyes out and pressed her hands against her cheeks, pushing her mouth into a beak and forcing her voice into a squawk. " 'Rin-chama, stop that right now! The great Sesshoumaru-sama would not stand for that sort of behavior!'" Rin dissolved into a fit of giggles, her features smoothing back to childish glee. "Just like that! Sometime's his face will even turn green!"

Kagome never thought she would feel pity for someone she didn't even know. She laughed all the same, Rin's lilting laughter infectious. "That does sound funny. So where's Jaken-sama right now?"

Rin signaled for Kagome to come closer, which Kagome did, amused. Her kids did this all the time in class, something which Kagome felt absurdly proud of - secret-sharing was the ultimate show of trust in kids' language. Rin cupped her hands next to Kagome's ears.

"Uncle Jaken fell asleep watching TV, so I sneaked out!" She proclaimed conspiratorially.

"Rin-chan!" Kagome gasped softly.

"Are you angry at Rin?" Rin mumbled, her bottom lip jutting out.

Kagome saw the beginning of tears welling up in those big, brown eyes of hers, and recognizing the symptoms of a massive tear-fest, she quickly amended her initial reaction. "No, sweetie, of course not! But Rin-chan, you know you can't sneak out of your house without telling anyone. Especially all by yourself."

"But I'm not by myself! Ah and Un are with me!" Rin exclaimed, hugging both dogs by the neck for emphasis.

"Rin-chan…"Kagome said reproachfully.

"I left Jaken-sama a note before leaving! I told him I'd be at Kagome-chan's house. And I am! So Rin was a good girl, right?"

Her tearful face looked up at Kagome, pleading for forgiveness. Kagome sighed in defeat, extending her hand and patting Rin's hair affectionately. "Yes, Rin-chan was a good girl. But don't do it again, okay? Always ask an adult for permission before going out." God, Kagome sounded like an after-school PSA commercial. It seemed to work on the little girl though, who was nodding enthusiastically. "I will!" she promised.

"Rin-chan, you still haven't answered my first question. Why are you at my house? Wouldn't you rather hang out with Ah and Un at the park nearby or something?"

"I wanted to play with Kagome-chan! You promised last time, remember?"

Kagome bit her lip; this was the exact opposite of what she wanted to happen. The raven-haired woman had made it clear to herself to steer away from this particular family. It was not good for her constitution, or for her heart. And here she was now, further entangling herself with this girl, and as such, with Sesshoumaru. Her heart sank, desire and reason warring inside her.

Rin was looking up at her expectantly; hope sparkling behind those childish eyes.

Perdition, meet Kagome. Kagome, meet perdition.

The woman sighed, and smiled kindly at the girl. "I would love to play with Rin-chan."

Shooting up from her sitting position with more force than necessary, Rin whooped loudly, skipping on the spot.

Kagome laughed at her energetic outburst. "So, what do you wanna play, kiddo? Tag? Hide-and-seek?"

"Tag means being chased around, right? I was chased by some really big dogs once…I didn't like it." Rin said shyly, looking down at the ground embarrassed. "And there's not a lot of hiding places around here. Your front yard is kinda…small." She admitted apologetically, trying not to hurt Kagome's feeling. "It's really pretty though."

Kagome giggled at her worried expression. "You're right though; it is kind of small for Hide-and-Seek. How about we just chill here and throw a ball for Ah and Un to chase?" Kagome suggested cheerfully.

Rin nodded her head eagerly. "Yeah! That sounds fun!"

"Okay, let me just change into a pair of sneakers and then we can really have some fun!"

Rin flashed that gap-toothed smile of hers, and Kagome felt her heart squeeze. So cute, she squealed mentally, trying to suppress a goofy grin at winning the little girl's friendship.

An hour and a half later, Kagome was asking herself why she had been so worried in the first place. Rin was the sweetest, most polite eight-year-old she had ever met, and they'd had a blast running around Kagome's front yard. She could totally keep a friendship with the little girl without having to worry about becoming romantically involved with anyone. Kagome was in her zone after all; kids were her expertise. What had started as a game of throwing a ball had quickly turned into Keep-Away, where Ah and Un would refuse to give up their prized toy and as such the two girls were forced to run after the devious Doberman. Kagome was the least sweaty of them all, and all that exercise had raised her spirits, putting her in a great mood. Rin on the other hand was a wild mess, grass and leaves sticking out of her hair in all odd directions, face flushed and sweaty. Even Ah and Un had managed to get dirt all over their once-pristine coats.

Sesshoumaru is not going to be happy about this, Kagome thought with panic, remembering how freakishly clean the man always looked. Without a second thought, she rushed inside her home and returned with a small bucket of water and three towels. God knew what Sesshoumaru would do if he arrived to find his entire retinue had not only run away from home, but were absolutely filthy to boot. It wasn't a full-on bath, but a quick wash and rub-down would do the trio some good. Having just found out that Kagome was a teacher, Rin chattered away about her best and worst subjects in school (History being her lowest grade, go figure) while Kagome attempted to wash one dog at a time. Believe her, it was more difficult that it sounded.

As Kagome finished rubbing down both Doberman with a damp towel (much to their obvious delight), Kagome turned towards the remaining and most important member of their group. With a fresh bucket of water in hand, she called the girl forward to sit next to her on the porch steps. "Okay, Rin-chan, your turn."

Rin rushed headfirst, passing by Un as he walked to join his brother. Ah was lying on his side in a patch of grass, enjoying the last rays of the sun as he dried off.

The sun was beginning to sink low in the horizon, casting the world in a pleasant golden light. Kagome tried not to think of other gold-colored things as Rin settled dutifully in front of her.

Shaking such thoughts from her head, Kagome dipped the towel in the warm water. "Let's get you cleaned up, missy." She said, poking Rin's nose playfully. The girl giggled, but otherwise stayed still as the older woman gently wiped her face and neck clean. Okay, halfway there, Higurashi, Kagome thought as she eyed Rin's grass-infested hair critically. "Turn around sweetie, so I can brush this stuff out of your hair."

Kagome marveled at Rin's acquiescent nature, finding such obedience in a child her age both fortuitous and disturbing. But who was she to complain? Comb in hand, Kagome began the oddly soothing process of detangling the girl's shiny, soft hair. It wasn't white, but it was definitely silky smooth. 'Must run in the family', she thought dolefully.

At that mental comment, Kagome remembered her original plan upon finding the girl in her doorstep. This was her chance. Evil as it may sound to her nurturing school-teacher side, now was the best time to find out what Kagome needed to know. Well, here it goes…

Kagome licked her lips. "Rin-chan, you have beautiful hair." She started, trying her best to sound casual.

"Thanks, Kagome-chan, you too!" Rin chirped back. Kagome could almost see that beloved gap-tooth making its appearance.

Kagome smiled. "Thanks, Rin-chan. Not as lovely as yours, though. Or your dad's. He has really long, white hair; it's so lovely." She replied, her tone completely nonchalant. She was anything but, though. If Rin said anything to deny that statement then…

"He does!" Rin gushed, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "Daddy has the prettiest white hair ever!"

Oh. Well, shit…

"And so does uncle!"

Argh.

"Really?" Kagome replied, trying to quell her frustration at the ambiguous answers and her guilt at slyly interrogating an eight-year old girl. "So both your dad and uncle have white hair?"

"Yup! Even Grandma Taisho has white hair!" she prattled happily.

"Does your mommy have white hair as well?"

Rin froze, her chattering ceasing completely. "...No. She doesn't." Rin said slowly, and Kagome didn't miss the quietness of her reply. She furrowed her eyebrows at the back of Rin's head.

"Really? Well, is it a pretty black color like Rin-chan's?" Kagome asked, picking out a particularly stubborn leaf from behind Rin's ear.

"It used to..."

"Oh? Did she dye it?"

"No..."Rin's voice wavered, and Kagome's senses were in high alert then. "Mommy's hair kept falling off... so Daddy shaved it."

Kagome's breath stopped. She would've stopped her motions, but autopilot kept her hands moving across Rin's scalp. Without missing a beat, Kagome grabbed the another hairbrush next to the towels and began brushing the girl's already smooth hair.

"I see…"she said carefully, while inside Kagome floundered over what to reply. What was the gentlest way to probe this subject? Rin saved her the trouble by answering Kagome's internal turmoil.

"Mommy's not feeling well." the little girl clarified, her head drooping slightly, shoulders hunched. "Daddy said that she was doing fine, but I heard the nurses at the hospital say she's really sick." Had Kagome been able to see her, she would've seen Rin's lower lip tremble. "So Rin-chan is the only one with pretty black hair now…"

This conversation was getting real dark, real fast. The motherly side of Kagome wanted to comfort the girl, to keep her from revealing such family secrets that so obviously upset her. Kagome heard a sniffle and felt her heart being tugged.

"If she looks anything like Rin, I'm sure she is still amazingly beautiful. Even without hair." Kagome murmured gently.

Kagome couldn't see Rin's face, but the little girl's ears turned a bright pink.

"She is. Daddy and I tell her so all the time when we visit her at the hospital." Rin nodded, and Kagome could almost see the glowing adoration on the girl's flushed face. The older woman was glad she actually couldn't see it though, because the amount of shame from manipulating such a sweet little girl for her own devices would have sent Kagome over the edge.

Rin began mumbling something, and Kagome leaned down to hear her. "I'm sorry, what did you say, Rin-chan?"

"I said, 'Kagome-chan is also amazingly beautiful'. Just like mommy." Rin bashfully confessed, and Kagome's heart nearly imploded.

Okay, this little mission was officially over. Kagome had hit an all-time low and this entire thing was not good for her soul (whatever the hell was left of it.) She squeezed the tiny girl from behind, earning a watery giggle from her. Her own throat was tight, but Kagome managed a smile.

"You're mistaken Rin-chan. You are the most beautiful here. And the nicest and the sweetest and the smartest." She added for good measure.

Rin swiveled in Kagome's arms, pouting. "Not the smartest." Rin declared despairingly. "I got a C in my last History test."

"Really? Well lucky you, I'm a History teacher. Tell you what, if you ever need any help studying for your exams, then I'll help you out, 'kay?"

Rin's eyes lit up, momentarily forgetting the past conversation. "You promise?"

"I always keep my promises, Rin-chan." Kagome winked, poking Rin's nose affectionately with one finger.

Rin grinned at her comment. "You sound just like-"

Suddenly, Ah and Uhn both stood up, and the noise pulled both girls out of their little world and into the present. Rin was the first to react, her bright smile on full-blast as if 'Glomp a Jaken Day' had come a day early. "It's -"

"Sesshoumaru…"Kagome whispered, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach.

And he did not look pleased.

888

Author's Notes: Cliffhanger! Buahahaha. What do you guys think will happen next? And who would you like to see make an appearance soon?

Stay tuned, more to come! Reviews make me happy, I love hearing from you guys, both negatives and positives :)