and they called it puppy love by Tsuki no Tennyo

Chapter 1

Author's Note: I dunno. I'd started on this like last year or something, and then I'd forgotten how to write. Sorry if this is sloppy, but whatever~

.

It had happened one ordinary Tuesday morning that something unordinary was about to happen to young Kagome as she played around on her grandfather's shrine ground. As she played hopscotch by herself, her young ears picked up a peculiar sound coming from inside the well house. She paused, frowning, knowing very well she was strictly and explicitly forbidden from entering the area by herself.

She started to turn to head to the house to get her mother when she heard a shrill howl.

Kagome was always an obedient child, but in that moment, she had decided to commit her first disobedient act, deciding that whatever was inside the well house needed her instant attention.

She opened the old door, stepping into the musky space. Whatever was inside may have heard her open the door, because in the next instant she heard the frantic yelps and howls coming from inside the well itself. Worried, Kagome instantly approached the well, standing on her tiptoes to peer inside it.

She gasped and before she realized what she had done, she screamed and yelled for her mother and grandfather.

"Kagome!" came her mother's scolding voice, "You know you're not supposed to be in here by yourself!"

"But Mama! There's a puppy inside the well!" Kagome frantically pointed to the creature in question while her mother pried her away.

Her grandfather took a glance inside and gasped as well. "Well, I'll be darned," said the elder, seeing a small white puppy below, "How did that little guy get down there?"

"Grandpa, you gotta save him!" Kagome mustered up her best sad, pleading eyes.

Her grandfather chuckled. "Of course, Kagome, no one would be so cruel as to leave him down there all alone."

Within the next few minutes, her grandfather had climbed down the well to retrieve the little puppy and brough him back up. The puppy growled and yipped, pawing at the elder man holding him. Her grandfather scratched the back of the puppy's ear, mollifying him if only for a moment. "Feisty little guy," he chuckled.

"Can I hold him? Grandpa, I want to hold him, too!" Kagome wiggled away from her mother's side, her little arms stretched out for the white puppy.

Her grandfather laughed. "Well, I don't know, he seems a little…" Before the old man could even finish his sentence, the puppy leapt out of his arms and into the little girl's. The puppy cocked his head to the side before hesitantly giving her a light lick on her cheek.

She giggled. "Mama, can we keep him?"

Her mother smiled and knelt down to her daughter's eye level. "Well, I don't know. It's strange how he ended up inside that well."

Kagome didn't seem to hear what her mother was saying, her attention focused entirely on the little animal in her arms. She cooed and laughed, "You are so cute!"

The puppy froze, seeming upset somehow.

"Look at its pretty markings, Mama!"

The adults peered down, noticing for the first time the purple marking on its forehead. Her mother gasped quietly, being the first to comment, "It looks like a crescent moon."

"How peculiar," her grandfather murmured, stroking his beard.

"So," Kagome turned to the adults, all bright-eyed and smiley, "Can we keep him?"

.

"I think I will name you…" Kagome paced back and forth behind the wellhouse, her every movement was followed closely by her newly adopted white puppy. "Snowy, because you're as white as snow."

The puppy growled, shaking his head furiously.

"Cloud?"

If possible, Kagome could have sworn she saw the puppy rolled his eyes.

"Moon," she said firmly, pleased with herself.

The puppy's growl intensified and suddenly white wisps swirled around his paws, becoming bigger and bigger until he was consumed by it. Kagome was about to cry out when the swirls cleared away to reveal a little boy just a little taller than her but with long silvery-white hair trailing down his back. He wore unusual clothing unlike anything she had ever seen the boys in her class wore.

"Little girl, you will address me as Lord Sesshoumaru!"

She blinked at his outburst. "Wait, what happened to my puppy?"

"Fool, I was the puppy!"

"Wait," she started, grinning, "Is this like The Princess and the Frog?"

"I do not understand," he responded, frowning. He instantly walked by her to observe this strange surrounding he had found himself in.

"W-wait, Sesshoumaru!"

"Lord Sesshoumaru," he corrected firmly, turning around to see Kagome had grabbed ahold of the sleeve of his top.

"You can't go out there! What if Grandpa sees you and thinks you are a demon or something?"

He raised a brow at her. "I am a demon."

"Yeah, right," Kagome snorted, but then paused, frowning again as she recalled she had witnessed firsthand a strange little puppy transforming into a boy roughly her age. "Alright, I'll believe you."

"You had dared to doubt this Sesshoumaru?" He questioned the human girl before him with astonishment. Never once had he encountered anyone that was not his parents who dared to have the audacity to not fear him.

Instead of expressing any fear for upsetting the young demon boy, Sesshoumaru was even more surprised when she giggled. "You talk funny," she said, smiling still, "I like you."

She proceeded to kiss his cheek, unaware that this lone act managed to render the young demon speechless for the first time in his entire life.

Kagome turned away, unaware that Sesshoumaru was still frozen in his spot in shock. He shakily raised one hand to his cheek, still feeling her warm lips on it. His mind raced with numerous thoughts ranging from the sheer shock that a human girl—of all creatures!—had the audacity to freely kiss him like this to finally settling on he wasn't too terribly upset by the gesture.

"Sesshoumaru?"

He blinked, shaken out of his stupor, seeing Kagome had approached him again. Her hand was outstretched with a strange crystal in her palm.

"Do you like kohakutou?"

He reached for it, feeling it in his hand. "What is this thing?"

She smiled. "It's a candy Mama and I made. You eat it, like this!" She proceeded to procure another one of the sweet confections and popped it in her mouth. She squealed in delight at the sweet taste.

Seeing how happy she looked eating it, Sesshoumaru popped the candy into his mouth, grimacing lightly.

"You don't like sweets?"

He looked up again, seeing a frown on the little girl's face. For some reason, a thought popped into his head, telling him that she didn't look right frowning like that. "Give me another one," he commanded with his hand outstretched.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't like it, Sesshoumaru," she responded.

"No! Give me another one," he demanded again in an even firmer voice.

Sensing that she wouldn't be able to sway him otherwise, Kagome gave into the demon's demand, and proceeded to hand him another one of the candy.

Sesshoumaru ate this one quickly. "It's good," he said, though his words sounded a little stiff. "Really."

Kagome giggled, and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but think this sound was one of the prettiest things he had ever heard. His eyes widened when Kagome reached out for his hand, pulling him away from where he was standing.

"Let's go play now, Sesshoumaru!"

.

By the time nightfall had descended, Kagome realized it was almost time for dinner. She turned to look at the boy she had spent her entire day playing with and then quickly looked back at her house. She frowned.

Sesshoumaru felt that familiar feeling earlier again. He really didn't like seeing her frown like that. "What's wrong?"

"It's almost time for dinner, and well," she turned to look at him again.

Sesshoumaru picked up on her thought. "Well, I can be a dog again. That is my real form anyway."

"Really?" Kagome blinked in surprise when Sesshoumaru nodded. Before she could add anything else, Sesshoumaru had disappeared into a puff of smoke again, reappearing only as a small dog as when he was found earlier in the morning.

He barked.

Kagome laughed and bent down to scoop him up in her arms. "Let's go, I'm starving."

He barked again, this time in agreement with the young girl.

.

"So, Kagome, have you picked out a name for the little guy?" Her grandfather patted Sesshoumaru on the head, to which he growled back in annoyance.

"Sesshoumaru," she answered, "His name is Sesshoumaru."

"Oh, my," Her mother looked at her daughter with concern, "That is a rather…gruesome-sounding name, dear. How did you come up with that?"

"That's what he told me. His name is Sesshoumaru," Kagome answered again before gasping. "Souta! No! Don't pull on Sesshoumaru's ear like that!"

She pulled the dog away from her infant brother. "Oh, no," she said quietly when her brother started to cry.

"It's alright, Kagome, I'll take care of Souta," Her mother said, quickly scooping her son up into her arms. She immediately rocked her baby, instantly calming him down again. "There, there, it's alright, you meant no harm to Sesshoumaru, right? There, there, it's alright, Souta."

Kagome continued to look at her brother guiltily, and she unconsciously hugged Sesshoumaru tight. He leaned up, and licked her cheek, surprising her. She smiled again, and Sesshoumaru wagged his tail.

"Mama?"

"What is it, dear?"

"Can Sesshoumaru sleep with me tonight?"

She smiled and bounced Souta in her lap. The little infant gurgled happily, eliciting a smile from everyone. "I don't see why not."

Kagome squealed and hugged Sesshoumaru tighter. "Thank you, Mama!"

.

It was past midnight and everyone in the Higurashi household had fallen asleep. Everyone except for two of the youngest occupants in the household.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Hm?" He had transformed back into his human form earlier in the night. He turned in the strange bed to face the equally strange girl next to him.

"Do you have a family, too?" she whispered her question in the dark.

He nodded. "I have Mother and Father."

"That's good," she said quietly, almost like she was speaking to herself.

"Where's your father?" He realized he did not see any paternal figure during dinnertime with Kagome and her family. Almost instantly, Sesshoumaru regretted his question when he noticed the tears in Kagome's eyes. His mind frantically raced with thoughts, wondering what he did wrong to make her sad like this. For the first time since he had met her, Sesshoumaru realized he had never smelt such sadness on the little girl before.

Kagome sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her pajamas. "He died," she whispered so softly in the dark room, it was barely audible, but thanks to his heightened hearing, Sesshoumaru heard the two words.

"I'm sorry," he said back. He used his thumb to wipe some of her tears away.

"It was before Souta was born," she continued again. "Grandpa said a car hit him."

"What is a 'car'?"

She buried her face into her pillow. "A horrible thing that took my Papa from me."

Sesshoumaru was quiet for a moment. He slowly moved closer to the sad girl, and then he wrapped his arms around her. Surprisingly, she accepted his embrace and leaned in closer.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"What is it?"

"Maybe you should go home."

"What?"

"Your mama and papa are probably missing you right now."

The thought had never crossed his mind. His father was always away fighting demons, and Mother, well, she loved him, but she was oftentimes busy with her own affairs. Sesshoumaru had often found himself alone with servants and tutors, so he was used to the solitude. Today was the first time in his life that he had gotten to enjoy spending time with another child and just be carefree.

He realized in that moment that he really liked Kagome and didn't want to be away from her. He also realized he didn't like saying or doing things that may upset her.

"Do you…want me to leave?" He asked softly.

She shook her head, and Sesshoumaru felt relieved.

"But your Mama must be sad."

He wanted to disagree with her, but then he felt a horrible feeling in the bottom of his stomach. He thought back to earlier in the night when he watched Kagome's mother placing food into her bowl or when she pacified the crying Souta. He could only sense love and warmth coming from that human woman.

His own mother was often absent, but he still remembered when she embraced him and quelled his own fears. He realized in that moment that he missed his own mother and home. He sniffled quietly, trying to hide his own sudden sadness.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"In the morning," he said softly, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady, "I'll go home."

Kagome hugged him and felt him returning the embrace. "I'll still be your friend."

Sesshoumaru smiled quietly, and rested his chin gently atop Kagome's head. He inhaled her sweet fragrance, already ingraining it into his memory.

"I'd like that," he whispered back to her, but shortly, he realized the human girl had fallen asleep, hearing only the sound of her soft snores in the dark room. He sighed, smiling faintly as he allowed his own eyes to shut close and sleep to claim him as well.

.

"So, this is how I found you," Kagome mumbled quietly, as she held onto Sesshoumaru's sleeve as he observed the well in the well house. She felt a little antsy, partly because she knew she was not supposed to be in the well house again, but also because she knew in a few minutes, Sesshoumaru might be leaving and she would lose her friend. Unconsciously, she gripped his sleeve tighter.

Sesshoumaru peered down into the darkness below, his brows furrowing in confusion. It looked just like an ordinary well, so he couldn't possibly fathom why it had taken him out of his time period and brought him to this strange place in the future. He crossed his arms over his chest, seeming to contemplate something. "I remember I was fighting some demons in a forest," he murmured, almost more to himself. His eyes widened suddenly. "A bird demon had me in its talons and I remember being in the sky."

"Did it drop you into the well?" Kagome questioned, her eyes showing deep concern for the demon boy.

He nodded. "I remember hearing Father's voice suddenly." He peered down the well again. "There was a warm light when I fell into the well. I was too tired to stay in this form, so I must've transformed back into my real form."

"And then I found you?"

He nodded. "I woke up and found myself at the bottom of the well." He looked to his side, seeing Kagome was on her tiptoes as she stared down the well. He smiled softly. "And then you found me."

She turned to him and grinned cheekily. Her smile slowly drooped. "So, do you think this is the way to go home again?"

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth, but he closed it almost immediately. His shoulders slumped. "I don't know."

"Sesshoumaru?"

"I don't really want to leave," he admitted quietly, "but I might also…miss Mother…and Father…"

She smiled, seeming to understand his conflicted feelings. She immediately raised her pinkie in front of Sesshoumaru.

He was confused.

Kagome reached for Sesshoumaru's hand and hooked her pinkie around his. She gave it a firm shook.

"This is a promise," she explained to her demon friend, "No matter the time or place, we will always be friends."

He quickly understood the gesture. He gave the pinkies a firm shook again. "When I am older, I will find you again, Kagome."

She grinned back. "You better, or I will be very upset at you, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru started to smile, but then he sensed a familiar feeling. He looked behind him, seeing the well was glowing, similar to when he had fallen into it. He didn't want to admit it aloud, but he felt a little nervous, unsure if this well really would take him home or not.

He gasped quietly when he felt warm arms wrapped around him. He looked down to see dark hair.

"I'm gonna miss you," Kagome mumbled against his back.

He smiled. He turned her to face him and then tilted her head up and then kissed her forehead. "I will find you again when we are older," he promised her.

Kagome smiled as she watched Sesshoumaru turned away and then stood on top of the well. He looked at her once, smiled, and then he leapt into the well, being engulfed in a bright warm light. Kagome shielded her eyes, and when the light dissipated, she found herself alone in the cold, musky wellhouse.

It took her a few seconds to register that he was truly gone.

She cried once, and then she wiped her tears away, remembering his promise.

She stepped out of the wellhouse and into the warm summer light, feeling like she couldn't wait to grow up already.

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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