Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.
How to Flirt with a Dog Demon
Step One: Layer Scents
"Enhance your femininity and tantalize his senses. Make him fall in love with you by creating a layer of scent."
Kagome read the article.
Then re-read the article.
The chart with all the different types of scents threw her, however. Maybe she should have paid more attention to math. Or would this be science? Chemistry maybe?
With a sigh she tucked the magazine back into her purse and continued to gaze in awe at the bottles and assorted containers in front of her. Never had she felt so lost... and she had once fell down a well 500 years into the past and landed in Feudal Japan!
She was grateful that her mother did not mind taking her shopping for perfume. Not as grateful for the knowing smile, however.
Floral?
Fruity?
Woodsy?
Citrus?
Musky?
What WAS musk anyhow? It didn't sound very pleasant. Sounded like books that haven't been touched in years. Or old scrolls.
"That's 'musty' dear, not musky."
Kagome cringed. She really should learn to stop speaking all of her thoughts out loud.
"Musk was originally created by including secretion from animals such as the musk deer," her mother read from her smartphone, a gift from Kagome and Souta. "It also..."
"Glandular secretions?"
"Yes dear, but they also used plant..."
"No thank you."
"But, sweetheart, smell to be sure you..." She squirted some of the perfume on Kagome's hand.
"... er... like it?"
"No thanks," Kagome held her hand away from her, then wiped it on her skirt.
Her mother smiled and put back the bottle she had taken from the shelf. "How about the woodsy smell?"
Kagome sighed and shook her head. "I think he probably gets enough of the woodsy smell. Since he lives in the trees most of the time."
"Oh. Yes, right." After looking around a moment, she steered her daughter down a different row. "These are the more floral scents. Try this one."
Kagome held out her wrist and let her mother spritz it with perfume. She smelled it, then wrinkled her nose. "Whoa. That's strong. It hurts my nose."
Her mother smelled it, and wrinkled her nose as well. "Perhaps we should move on to the fruity and citrus scents. Those are lovely smells."
Kagome followed her mother as she tried to wipe the perfume off on her skirt. The whole store was overpowering with all the different scents. Sensory overload!
"Oh! How about this one? It has a baby powder like smell."
Kagome sniffed it and frowned. "It smells a bit too much like baby powder."
Her mother smelled it again and smiled. She spritzed a little on Kagome's arm. "I remember when you were a baby and smelled like this all the time."
"Mom! I want Inuyasha to think of me as a woman, not a baby!"
Her mother sniffed the perfume again and sighed.
Kagome shook her head and grinned. She was having fun. Even if they didn't find the scent she was looking for, she was enjoying the playfulness her mother was showing. She seemed very lost in memories. Kagome watched as her mother stopped and reached for a pretty bottle.
"Your father gave me a bottle of this when we were first married."
She handed the bottle over to Kagome. Tears pricked her eyes as she held the bottle. Her father... She opened the bottle and sniffed.
And coughed.
And sneezed.
Then grabbed her chest and struggled for breath.
"MOTHER!"
Her mother laughed and took it back. "I didn't say it smelled good, just that he gave it to me."
Kagome glared at the offending bottle and put it back, then grabbed her mother by the arm and led her down to where the more fruity scents were waiting. It didn't take her long to find one that she really liked. It smelled like strawberries and cotton candy.
"This says to layer them by using scented deodorants, creams, lotions, oils, AND perfumes."
Her mother looked at the magazine article, then back at her daughter. "Well... if you're sure... But this article I was reading says that layering is about combining scents...," she tried to show her phone to her daughter.
Tried.
Kagome, however, felt like she had found a precious treasure and was busy gathering up bottles and jars and tubes. The scent she loved not only came in perfume and lotion, but also shower gel, body cream, moisturizer, deodorant, misting spray, body powder, and even a hair mister! And since the article says to apply scents to clothes and hair as well as skin, she would need every one of them!
Smiling indulgently, Kagome's mother paid for the purchases. It was not often she got to spend time doing girly things with her little girl. It made her happy to see Kagome so cheerful. Buying perfume was infinitely more enjoyable that scrubbing blood stains out of her school uniform!
Once back in her room, Kagome opened her new packages. After reading the instructions on a couple of the items, she started applying the scents.
All of them.
Before the last droplet settled on her skin, Kagome raced from the house to the well. She had to move quickly before she changed her mind.
Blue light surrounded her as she jumped into the past.
"Kagome!"
"Shippo!"
The kitzune's eyes welled up with tears. Then his hands went over his nose.
Then he grinned.
Kagome climbed up the well, surprised that Inuyasha was not in sight. Where was he? He almost always met her at the well. In fact, she had forgotten just how much work it was to climb out on her own.
"Where's Inuyasha?"
"I'll get him for you," Shippo happily volunteered.
Kagome never saw the kit run so fast.
It was strange that Shippo was the only one at the well. And it seemed like she had caught him by surprise as well. Nervously Kagome sniffed her arm, hoping that the scent was still there. She would hate if it wore off before Inuyasha had a chance to smell her. ...and fall hopelessly in love with her.
Deep breath.
"Be calm, Kagome," she told herself. "And smile."
The smile felt false. Faked.
That is, until she saw a pair of silver ears appear. Then her smile was real. Two seconds later it changed into a nervous smile. By the time she saw the gold of his eyes she had worked herself up into quite the panic.
"Kabobe?" Inuyasha covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.
Worried, Kagome rushed up to the hanyou. She screamed in fear as his eyes went unfocused and swirly right before he collapsed.
"INUYASHA!" Kagome touched his face then turned to Shippo. "GET HELP!"
"Sure thing."
Kagome looked up, furious at the sounds coming from the little demon.
"Are you... are you laughing?"
"No, Kagome. I'm on my way to get help," he snickered as he headed toward the village. "HEY MIROKU! SANGO! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!"
Terrified, Kagome sat on the ground by her beloved cranky dog demon and gently placed his head in her lap. She stroked his hair and spoke gently to him, her fingers trembling. Was he ill? It was nowhere near the new moon. Was he in a fight? Recovering from an injury? Under a spell?
Tears were flowing down the miko's cheeks when her friends finally arrived. Shippo stopped a good distance away then jumped up into a tree. Sango and Miroku rushed towards their fallen comrade... then stopped short, as if running into an invisible shield.
Miroku sneezed then took a step backwards. After he looked towards Sango briefly, he then took one more step backwards.
"I need your secrets," Sango said in wonder. "You found a way to keep Miroku away."
"What?" asked Kagome. "What are you talking... look, Inuyasha needs help. We can talk about secrets later!"
Sango slipped on her filter mask as her eyes teared up. Then she thought better of it and put it over Inuyasha's mouth and nose. Kagome waited nervously.
"What do you think happened to him?" asked Kagome as she brushed his bangs with her fingertips. The last thing she expected was for Sango and Miroku to break out in laughter. What had been going on since she left? Were they ALL under some sort of spell?
Golden eyes popped open.
"InuyashaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Holding the mask to his face with one hand, the grabbed Kagome with his other arm and started flying through the trees.
"Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly, his voice rough and muffled by the filter.
"Hurt?"
"Don't worry," he consoled her before his eyes burned in molten gold, "I will find the monster and make him pay."
"Monster? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Kagome found herself soaring through the air before landing in ice cold water. When she surfaced she was still screaming.
"Have you gone insane?"
"Which way did it go?"
"What in the world are you talking about?"
Inuyasha glared as he crouched low and searched the area. Carefully he inched the mask away from his face, the slammed it back in place. He saw Shippo arrive first, and heard the two humans coming towards them at a much slower (and in far too good of spirits) pace.
"Then stench is still there..."
"Stench?" Kagome's eyes opened wide.
"Water isn't working..."
Shippo was bouncing in excitement, clapping his hands gleefully and waiting.
Stench?
"Are... are you saying I... STINK?"
"Uh..."
"SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
"How was your trip, dear? Did Inuyasha like your new perfume?"
Kagome stomped up the stairs after slamming the door, grumbling and snarling.
"What did you say about sensitive noses, dear?"
I should have just rubbed ramen all over me, sighed Kagome to herself as she flopped onto her bed. Oh well... It was time for a new plan of attack.
Never give up!
"Bonzai!"
Now… where did that magazine go…?
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooooOOooOOoo
ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo
Author's Note:
This piece of advice is one that I remembered from reading magazines. It swore up and down that layering the scents would make you irresistible.
Liars.
Author's Note 2:
Sorry it has been so long since the last time I posted. There were two deaths in my family, then I injured my back and had to recover before I could sit for any length of time. It's been a tough many months. ... and now it rains inside my house. Sigh.
Author's Note 3:
Happy Holidays everyone!
