Hello, all! I realize that I haven't written anything in a while, but I've been working four jobs in preparation for going off to college in the fall. Wish me luck!

This fanfic was inspired by several scenes from the anime and manga, including Mrs. Higurashi's 'introduction' to Inuyasha and Inuyasha's fascination with torturing Buyo. It is also worth noting that somewhere (I can't remember where…sorry!) Kagome says that she has lived at Higurashi Shrine since she was four. I based her age in the story off that.

The Puppy

Mrs. Higurashi sighed, relinquishing her hold on the packing box. It had been a long day, and it was high time for tea. That morning had brought with it Kagome's fourth birthday party at their apartment in downtown Tokyo – only five little girls had been invited, and only three had shown up, but they had still managed to drive her crazy – followed by a special "big girls" lunch at Wacdonald's. Actually, it was prompted by the fact that the Higurashis currently didn't have a working stove, but there was no need to tell her daughter that. After lunch, there was the doctor's appointment. Mrs. Higurashi put a hand protectively over her stomach, as if to comfort the tiny life growing within her. She was only three months along, but she felt more tired than she had at any time during her first pregnancy. It was probably a boy, she thought with an internal chuckle. Her husband was surely smiling from Heaven.

Anyways, after the doctor's appointment came the meeting with the packers. She was lucky to have enough left over from her husband's life insurance to fully fund a move from their apartment to the Higurashi shrine, where her father lived (actually father-in-law, but she had known the quaint old man since she was born, so they were family in more ways than one). After her husband's death in a tragic head-on car collision only a month before, the elder Mr. Higurashi had offered to let the growing family move in with him. It was truly a sweet offer, though Mrs. Higurashi strongly suspected that there were underlying motives behind it. After all, even old men got lonely and bored; it was no wonder that he would welcome two – no, three – guests to his quiet home. She could only hope he didn't get more than he bargained for.

Mrs. Higurashi's preparation of a relaxing pot of tea was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek from her daughter, who was exploring the steep steps leading up to their new home. "Kagome! What's wrong?" She called.

No response came. Fearing the worst, the worried mother rushed out of the house and toward the shrine steps. No bouncing little girls were in sight. Mrs. Higurashi felt a queasy sensation in the pit of her stomach, but fought it back. As quickly as she could without tripping, she hurried down the steps and towards the shrill sound.

Approaching the bottom, her heart nearly skipped a beat in relief. The girl's shriek had not been a cry of terror; it had been an exclamation of delight. There, just to the right of the shrine entrance, was a little Kagome petting an amazingly fluffy white Shiba Inu puppy. "Look, mommy!" The little girl called happily, heedless of her mother's frazzled appearance. "Look what I found! Isn't he cute? I wonder if he has an owner. Can we keep him? Pleeeeese?"

The girl's endless flow of questions was halted by the approach of a young woman balancing a leash and collar in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other. "Aisoku? Aiso…oh, there you are! Good boy!" The woman bent down to pet her wayward puppy before suddenly noticing her audience. "Allow me to introduce myself," the woman said, attempting to straighten the clothing that had become disheveled in her pursuit of the pup. "My name is Isshitsu Maigo. I apologize for Aisoku's behavior; he slipped his collar and ran off on me! He certainly has a stubborn streak."

"And I apologize for my daughter's assistance in your puppy's escape, Miss Isshitsu." Mrs. Higurashi sent a disapproving glance down at her daughter, who had the little dog on his back and was rubbing his tummy and his left ear at the same time. Neither paid any attention to their respective caretakers.

The other woman smiled. "No need to apologize, Mrs…?"

"Higurashi." She held out her hand to the younger woman. "And this is my daughter, Higurashi Kagome."

"…Mrs. Higurashi." The women shook hands. "I'm just glad Kagome was able to keep him occupied until I got here. There's no telling where he might have run off to if he hadn't taken a liking to her! I'm a bit surprised, though; he usually isn't very friendly with strangers. In fact, I've had him for three months and he's just now starting to get used to me."

As if to prove his mistresses' point, Aisoku suddenly seemed to notice Mrs. Higurashi's close proximity. With a warning growl, he backed away from the women to hide further behind Kagome. The little girl giggled. Ah, the joys of childhood innocence.

"Well, we've got to get going." With practiced ease, Maigo attached both collar and leash around the puppy's neck in one fell swoop. "Thanks for catching him for me, Kagome. You were a big help." She sent a small and slightly shaky smile at the little girl, as if speaking to someone under the age of twenty was a challenge. Kagome didn't seem to notice; her return smile was brighter than a sunbeam.

Aisoku fought the leash a bit, but eventually gave up when he realized that his mistress was going to take him home one way or another. At least his pathetic whining earned him another ear rub from Kagome. "Good bye, Aisoku," the little girl said, her smile wavering a little. "Be good!" She threw her arms around the little dog's neck before giving him a kiss on the top of his furry head.

Isshitsu Maigo walked off without another word, pausing only to give a curt nod and another small smile at Mrs. Higurashi. Kagome watched her new friend walk off, waiting until he had turned the corner before turning to her mother. "Mommy? Can we get a puppy?"

Visions of the expenses of food, toys, and training flashed through the weary woman's mind, but she managed a smile for her little girl. "No, sweetie, I don't think we can afford a puppy." At seeing the usually energetic child's disappointment, she decided to offer a compromise. "How about a kitten? Your Jii-chan knows someone who is giving away a litter of them. We…we can go look at them as soon as your boxes are unpacked." After all, there weren't any children her age in the neighborhood; she would need a friend.

The smile slowly returned to Kagome's face. "Okay, Mommy. I'll unpack my boxes right away." An idea lit up her face. "And…and maybe the kitty will be friends with Aisoku! And they can play together, and you and the nice lady can talk together about…about…cooking, and me and my kitty and Aisoku can all play together!" The little girl practically flew up the shrine steps, still babbling about her kitty.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled as she hobbled back up the stairs to the shrine. "Well, I'm not sure about that, Kagome. We don't know where Aisoku lives, and besides, dogs and cats usually don't get along well together."

Kagome paused, considering this unforeseen turn of events. "Well…when I get older, I'm going to find a puppy that likes kitties. Then we can all live together, can't we? Me and my kitty and my puppy and you and grandpa and my new baby brother?"

"Sure, Kagome." With any luck, the little girl would forget all about this conversation as soon as naptime was over. Still, she couldn't help but feel that this seemingly innocent event had been the first step in a very long chain of events that would influence her daughter's life.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed once more and returned to her pot of tea. She found her mind wandering, inexplicably, to Aisoku's cute little Shiba Inu ears. She had never been much of a dog-lover, but those ears…those adorable ears were changing her mind rapidly. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a puppy (once they could afford one, that is), as long as it had cute little ears like those…

JAPANESE DICTIONARY

Shiba Inu – a breed of dog. Try looking them up. They're SOOOO cute!
Aisoku – cute boy
Isshitsu – disadvantage or defect (…I based this character off the early Kikyo, who was driven by hatred for Inuyasha; hence the name)
Maigo – lost

Note: in Japan, family names are used in formal speech in preference to personal names. People also introduce themselves (and others, for that matter) by last name first. That is why Maigo calls herself "Isshitsu Maigo," and Mrs. Higurashi introduces Kagome as "Higurashi Kagome." I hope I didn't confuse too many people.

Also, for those of you who weren't able to determine it from the story, Mrs. Higurashi is pregnant with Souta. The kitten Kagome will be getting soon is Buyo, who will wander into the well house eleven years later as a fat old cat, thereby leading Kagome to her "puppy," Inuyasha…whose ears bear a remarkable resemblance to Shiba Inu ears.