Chapter Dedication: Deep Blu and Libby, the awesomest beta-fish in the world. May ya'll rest in fishy peace.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co. or Science Diet. Sun-L is a real company but I don't own it. I do own a four-wheeler by them, though, and my little brother has a dirt bike. But I do own Sisters in Fate, Torani and co., and the spells that I use. Plus, Mi-mi's Books. If you want to use something of mine, simply ask and explain. ;D

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Queen of the Kennel

Chapter 3:

Encounters of the Violent Kind

Previously in Queen of the Kennel:

Tor reached down and petted his head absentmindedly. Sesshomaru looked up at her, he could sense she was apprehensive about something, that set him on edge as well. His head whipped around to the front as he heard a low growl coming from around the corner. The white dog had his ears up as the old female rounded the corner, her sights set on him.

&&&

Tor watched as Keiko rounded the corner, her head lowered, her teeth bared and her sights set on Sess. Quickly, she moved in between the two dogs, effectively blocking Sess from the old bitch's view.

However, that didn't stop the Border collie. She was intent on getting rid of this newcomer, whose scent she recognized from Tor's clothing the past few days. She lunged, her jaws open and aiming for the white dog or anything she could grab.

The female tech didn't expect this kind of ferocity from the bitch. She recovered instantly, though, stepping back and shoving Sesshomaru aside then bringing up her booted foot and connecting it with the other dog's stomach. The young woman watched with mixed emotions as her oldest dog went down with a pained yelp.

Tor turned and grabbed a spare leash off the wall, quickly creating a makeshift muzzle on Keiko. She tightened it forcefully, but not enough to really hurt the old dog.

"Now," she said with a bit of a frown. "You will behave or I will lock you up or get the magic shot, one or the other."

'Stupid human,' Keiko growled in anger.

"Tch, no!" Tor corrected with a quick jab. "I am in no mood for your shit today. Stop it or I swear. You have caused me more trouble than you're worth so I would have no qualms putting you down."

Sesshomaru watched the proceedings from the sidelines with growing interest. Why would the old bitch seek to harm the one who takes care of her? He thought curiously. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. He had no intentions of taking the territory away from the female, or harming any pups that may have been about. Yet she had acted like he was a dangerous threat to her well being or that of her pack mates. The white dog gave a mental shrug before turning his attention to the audience of canines that had gathered.

There were four other dogs that sat around in various positions of the living room, watching with mild interest. A medium sized black female stood, slowly making her way towards him.

Her head didn't reach Tor's waist and her paws were wide and flat. Her face had the hints of lab in it while her lean body spoke of a setter or pointer of some breed. The young bitch's ears were perked up at him and her tale was in line with her back and wagging slowly.

'I am Duccette,' she greeted shyly, touching noses with the much larger dog. 'What is your name?'

'Sesshomaru,' he instantly responded. It seemed this little female was merely curious and had no intentions of harming him.

'I apologize, Sess…Sess…," she stumbled a bit over his name.

The white dog gave a mental sigh. 'Call me Sess,' he said simply.

A canine smile formed on the young one's face. 'Sess, I'm sorry about Keiko and I hope you don't think that we're all like that,' she grimaced. 'She's a real bitch, in both senses of the word. She can be pretty mean, even to us. No one is really sure why Tor keeps her around but she's been with her longer than the rest of us. Come on!' Duccette said suddenly, a cheerful note to her voice now. 'I'll show you the rest of the pack.'

Sesshomaru followed quietly behind as the little female led him over to the three remaining dogs. All wagged their tales happily in welcome to the newest addition to their little pack.

'Sess, this is Mac. He's the second oldest.'

The brown and white broke coated Jack Russell male stepped forward, balancing on his hind legs to sniff noses with the great white dog. 'It's a pleasure to meet you. Please excuse Keiko. No one really likes her. We tend to think Tor keeps her around for sentimental reasons. Welcome to our little pack. There isn't much to know and what rules are in place are really easy to learn.

'First of all, no messing up the house. We know Keiko does it, but she does it to spite Tor,' Mac explained.

'Trust me when I say you will have no worries about that as far as I am concerned,' Sesshomaru said in a rather bored tone.

'Good. Second is we are all equal under Tor. She is our alpha and we are all betas. Third, we are fed twice a day. If we get lucky, Tor might give us treats for no reason or for doing tricks. What tricks she teaches us are really simple and rather fun. We'll get to that later, though. The fourth rule is we are allowed on any piece of furniture we chose, as long as we get off when told. Fifth is no barking at the door or strangers unless they are a threat. That last part I added myself,' the Russell added as a side note.

Interesting, so even though they are all 'betas' to Tor's 'alpha' they still look to him, Sesshomaru thought, cataloguing that information away for a later date.

'And the last thing is no jumping on strangers or laying all over them unless invited by them to do so. That's it. Any questions before I introduce the rest of the pack?' Sesshomaru shook his head no and Mac continued.

The other Border collie stepped up. She wasn't the typical black and white of her breed. Instead, she was liver and white. The soft, rich brown covered the majority of her body. It blanketed her back and hind legs, leaving just the tip of her hind paws and tail white. The color stretched up to mask her face like a hood. Her muzzle was white and a thin white stripe ran up the center of her head. The female's entire chest and forelegs were a snowy white. Obviously, she took great cares for her appearance.

'My name is Lily,' she said, dipping her head after sniffing noses with him.

'Lily, you have an accent,' Sesshomaru said before he could catch himself.

A wry smile appeared on the female's face. 'Yes, I do. My former owners were Chinese Americans, although they spoke Chinese better than English. They were not the best of owners. They were very abusive and rarely fed me. When I was fed or given fresh water, it was barely enough to keep me alive.

'Tor was driving down my road one day in search of Mac who'd run off.' Here Mac looked away from their conversation. If he had been human, he would have blushed. 'She found me chained to their front porch. I was nearly dead. She was absolutely enraged at them.' The female chuckled quietly at her first memory of the striking woman. 'She threatened to call the police if they didn't hand me over to her. Of course, my humans weren't legal immigrants and they quickly complied. Tor called the police anyway. I'm not sure whether or not they were deported, but as long as they remained in this country they were not allowed to own animals.'

'I see. So has Tor rescued you all in some form or fashion?' the white dog asked.

'Yes, she has, although not all of our stories are as striking as hers,' Jezebel, the Golden retriever said, stepping forward. 'I'm Jezebel. She found me lying in the streets, covered in muck of all sorts. She brought me home and bathed me, fed me and took care of me. I came after Mac but before Lily. Duccette is the newest addition, aside from you, to our pack.' The golden female was more of a deep, russet red than they typical blonde golden of her breed. She was also the tallest of the group, her head reaching to Tor's hips. Her forelegs were slender yet her paws were large, typical of a water retrieval dog.

'You already know Duccette. Her story is a simple one. She was the runt of her litter and her mother pushed her away. Her mother was Tor's earliest dog. She came even before Keiko. Tor tried several times to reintroduce her back to the litter but each time, Leila pushed her away. So Tor finally gave up and Duccette became her first bottle baby,' Jezebel explained.

'I notice there are no others, though. What happened to Leila?' Sesshomaru asked. It would not due to have a dog sneak up on him in the middle of the night and try to attack him like Keiko had. If he was to survive in this life, and he had every intention of doing so, he needed to be aware of each and every aspect of his environment.

All the dogs looked sad for a moment. Mac was the first to speak. 'Tor had to put her to sleep. She was bitten by a rabid wolf and came down with the disease despite having her rabies shot.' A quiet and somber mood pervaded over the small group. That is, until Keiko's furious snarling was once more heard.

'Let me go you idiot!' the black and white bitch cried. She was pawing desperately at her snout, trying in vain to remove the make-shift muzzle. Tor, however, had a firm hold on the leash and was not about to let go. She calmly held on until the dog finally gave in, slumping to the floor with exhaustion. After a moment, the tech picked the dog up in her strong arms, carrying her down the hall and depositing her in the spare bedroom.

She looked on with sad eyes at the weary dog. "I really wish you would just behave, Keik. You used to be so sweet. What happened to you, girl? Huh?" Slowly, Tor removed the muzzle, turning and leaving the dog on the bitch's bed. Closing the door, she sighed and slumped to the floor, her head in her hands.

The pack, which had followed her down the hall, swarmed the young woman, sniffing, licking and throwing themselves in her lap. She laughed as she was "attacked" by her beloved pets, throwing her hands up in surrender. She gave each dog a couple of minutes of individual attention before standing and making her way to the bathroom. Sesshomaru stood back and watched the proceedings with interest. They really love her, he thought. They care for her deeply and it hurts them to see her hurt by Keiko's behavior. Why? Why do they feel so strongly about this simple, human woman? He pondered all these things as he observed their little ritual.

Tor stood with one hand on the bathroom door, watching her white dog and wondering. What will his reaction to George be? she thought hesitantly. Steeling herself, she opened the door. Out shot the fat black feline, winding its way around her ankles before it noticed the new dog. It took a step forward, arching its back and hissing at the newcomer.

'Stranger!' he hissed. 'What do you want in this house? This is my territory!'

"George!" Tor scolded, booting her cat softly in the bottom. "Be nice! He's new and he's staying." She stood there, her arms akimbo and her face stern. "You will be nice." The young woman looked up at her newest dog. He simply sat there, panting lightly and watching the cat with mild interest. "See," she continued. "He's not going to hurt you. Now go say hi." The tech reached out with her foot, gently scooting the animal forward to the dog.

'George, huh?' Sesshomaru smirked. 'What a...fitting name. It has a heavy sound to it.'

'Mangy cur!' the black feline hissed angrily.

The white dog lowered his head and growled. 'Let me assure you, cat, this form may be nothing more than a mangy cur but there is much more than meets the eye. I would suggest you hold your tongue, lest you find it being shoved down your throat.'

"Stop it you two! I've had enough crap for one night and don't need anymore," Tor's angry voice cut through the tension that had been building.

'Sess!' Mac called. 'I'm sorry but I forgot one last rule. Don't mess with the cat.'

Sesshomaru sniffed indignantly. 'As if I would waste my time on an overweight feline.' The group of dogs snickered at his haughty reply and George's angry hiss. 'He's not even worth biting.'

That did it. George lunged for the dog, only to be caught in Tor's arms. "Alright you two. Enough is enough. George, you're going back to the bathroom since you started it. I'll feed you in a moment." She promptly dumped the cat back in the bathroom, chuckling the whole time. "Well, that went well! Alright, guys, it's dinnertime!"

All the dogs, save Sesshomaru, shot off to the kitchen. Each one sat at their bowls, staring intently at the empty piece of dishware.

"Come on, Sess," the brunette said, unhooking the dog's leash and beckoning him to follow her. "It's time to eat. Poor thing, you're practically skin and bones."

The enormous dog followed the woman into her small kitchen obligingly. He merely sniffed at the food that was offered to him, though. She expects me to eat this? I can smell the chemicals and the products used to give this food its flavor. This Sesshomaru will not eat such filth.

Tor watched with growing concern as the skinny dog refused to eat. "Come on, baby. Eat," she begged him, getting down on his level and trying to hand feed him. "Please, do it for me."

Still, he refused to eat. After several fruitless attempts at getting him to eat, she stood with a depressed sigh. "What am I going to feed you? Well, you ate at the clinic. I'll check tomorrow and see what they fed you there."

&&&&

Kagome frantically ran about her small apartment, making sure everything was set for her little trip to Ayumi's. She had talked with her landlord and made the arrangements for the summer. All her mail would be forwarded to Ayumi's address and she wouldn't be billed anything except the minimal rent. Meaning that her total payment for the summer would only be forty dollars. She wasn't going to be charged for electricity or utilities since she wasn't going to be using them. This left her with plenty of money for spending in Midtown.

"Finally," she sighed as she loaded the last of her luggage in her Prius. Closing the lid of the trunk, she leaned against her car and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "It certainly is hot today. I can't believe they said its going to be over one hundred degrees by ten!" Groaning, she stood and went back inside her home, double checking to make sure she had everything. Satisfied, she closed and locked her front door before sliding into the driver's seat and turning the AC all the way up. On her way out of the complex, she stopped at the main office and paid what little bill for the month there was.

Three days later, she pulled into the driveway of Ayumi's little flat in the suburbs of Midtown. It was a nice place, not too big not too small. It had two bedrooms, a living/dining area, a small kitchen and two bathrooms. There was an attached garage and a mentionable backyard. All in all, it was a cute little bachelorette flat with a decidedly country air to it.

So cute! Kagome thought with a mental squeal when she first saw the place. The priestess shut off the engine of her little car and got out, walking up to her high school friend's front door. She raised her hand to knock on the door when it was suddenly thrown wide open and there in the door way was Ayumi.

"Kagome!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you could make it. It's been so long since we've seen each other; it'll be good to get reacquainted. Well don't just stand there. Come in, come in!"

The raven haired woman smiled brightly. "Thanks, Ayumi. I've got to get my stuff out of my car real quick."

"Here, I'll help." The two friends walked back to the driveway and dragged all three of Kagome's bags to Ayumi's flat. She showed Kagome where her bedroom was going to be located and where everything was. Once they had gotten the older woman settled, both girls decided an outing was in order. So Kagome gathered her purse and keys once more, moving her car out of the way for Ayumi to pull out of the one car garage.

"So, where are we going?" Kagome asked as she sat down, buckling her seatbelt and rolling down the window. "It feels so much better here than it does in California." She fanned herself lightly as Ayumi pulled out of the drive.

"Ya, I imagine so. They say it gets in the hundreds every day. Here, it gets in the upper nineties. If you don't like the weather, though, just wait around a few minutes and it'll change!" Ayumi chirped merrily.

"What?!" the priestess laughed. "What on earth does that mean?"

"Well, the weather changes so much around here it seems logical. A perfect example is last year around Easter. The day before Easter it was snowing. Imagine that, snowing in East Texas! Anyway, the day before it was snowing and the next day it was in the eighties."

"Are you serious?" the older woman asked incredulously. "That is absolutely unreal! I never would have imagined something like that." Even the weather in the Sengoku Jidai wasn't that volatile.

"Absolutely. I guess it comes from being so near to the coast and all," the younger girl shrugged. "Anyway, what kind of music do you listen to?"

"Anything and everything," Kagome said with a grin, settling back in the seat.

"Alright, you asked for it!" Ayumi grinned before turning her radio all the way up and rolling down her windows. She sang and bounced along with the music, keeping one eye on the road at all times. Both women's hair blew in the wind, fluttering about their faces and annoying them to no end.

"What on earth is this?!" she yelped, covering her ears. Her blue eyes looked at the digital readout. "KIKX 105? What station is that?"

"Country!" her friend yelled over the radio. "The best genre of music in the world. You know what country music does? It tells a story!" The girl continued her bouncing and singing with gleeful abandon. "She thinks my tractor's sexy. It really turns her on..."

"Sexy tractors? What kind of story is that?"

"A lot of Kenney Chesney's music is like that. It's saying that the girl likes his tractor. She thinks it's sexy when he's on it. And, obviously, 'it really turns her on'," Ayumi tittered good-naturedly. "Anyway, we're gonna go and visit the humane society. Because frankly, girl, you need a dog or a cat or some sort of pet. You can't live alone."

"You don't have one," Kagome pointed out. She was a little annoyed that Ayumi had brought up the sensitive subject of pets. The priestess was still getting over the death of Buyou. The sweet, over-weight cat had been hit by a car and Kagome had to have him euthanized due to his injuries.

"I'm sorry, Kagome, I forgot about Buyou. But, honestly, it's been nearly a year since he died."

"You still didn't answer my question," the passenger huffed, turning her gaze to focus on the scenery outside her window. The trees flashed by and she had to turn her attention to something else to prevent car-sickness. The sky overhead was a nice substitute. The clear, crystal blue filled her vision. Its beauty was only compounded when an occasional fluffy white cloud flitted across her line of site. Oh, she thought absently, that one looks like a dog. The young woman laughed a little giddily in her head when she recognized the shape of the dog. It almost looks like Sesshomaru's true form. He wouldn't be anywhere around here, though. I bet he's still somewhere in Japan, lording over some book or another for some huge multi-million dollar company. Still, I wonder how he's doing. No one has seen him since he dumped Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un with us. All he said was he 'had a lead' and couldn't pass up the opportunity. I'll have to get him back for dumping Jaken too. The least he could've done was take that slimy little toad with him. She shuddered when she remembered all the nasty glares the green youkai had sent her way over the years they had stayed with her group.

Ayumi's silence finally drew Kagome out of her thoughts. Turning to look at her friend, she noticed the younger woman's features were drawn together in an almost pinched manner. If the priestess didn't know any better, she would have sworn that the other girl seemed...regretful.

"Ayumi?" she asked softly.

The driver sighed heavily, finally coming out of her own reverie. "I did have a pet," she began quietly. Kagome kept her mouth shut. She had an instinctual knowledge that if she interrupted now, she might never hear the rest of this story. "I had a beautiful female dog. Her name was Crystal. She wasn't any particular breed but she was sweet all the same. Anyway, Crystal accidentally got pregnant, I'm still not sure how, and I debated on aborting the litter and having her spayed. I decided on keeping the pups. Crystal gave birth to five pups. One, though, was very curious. It was a little male. His coat was pure white and the one time I saw his eyes, they were a striking gold."

Kagome sucked in her breath at the description. Could something have happened to Sesshomaru? Nah... she dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come. When Ayumi didn't continue, Kagome thought over what her friend had said. Something struck her as odd about the last statement. When it finally came to her what was wrong, the priestess immediately questioned her friend. "What do you mean 'the one time I saw his eyes'? Surely you saw them more than once!"

Ayumi shook her head as tears came to her eyes. "No, like I said, I only saw them once. One afternoon, right before I went to work, I let Crystal and the pups out in the yard. I left them there, feeling secure in the knowledge that they would be fine for a few hours. After all, this was a safe neighborhood." She gave a mirthless chuckle.

"Oh, Ayumi," Kagome sighed, already knowing something bad was going to happen. "What happened to them?"

The woman shook her head, her lips compressed into a thin line. "I think somebody stole them. When I got home, the back gate had been broken down and they were all missing. I put posters all over the place looking for them. Hoping against hope that I would at least find one of the pups. I never did. No one ever called. It's been three years now and I still haven't gotten over their loss. I know I'm a hypocrite for telling you to get over your cat when I'm still not over my dogs. She was my first dog in America, though, and that meant a lot to me." She sniffed and wiped her eyes, smudging her mascara a little in the process.

"Ayumi, I don't think of you as a hypocrite. Every body handles grief in a different way. Buyou kept me company through all my...illnesses in high school and he was sort of my rock when I moved to California. He was the only thing I knew," Kagome explained. The two women sat for a while, content to remain quiet. After a few minutes, though, Kagome decided to do a little questioning. She knew her friend well enough to know that Ayumi was not the type to go and buy a pet on a whim. "How did you get Crystal?"

Ayumi's smile brightened some. "Tor gave her to me. She rescues dogs and adopts them out. Crystal was one of her more special cases. The poor baby had been severely abused by her former owners. When Tor first got her, she was extremely timid and rather aggressive. It took her nearly a year, I'm told, to break her of all her bad habits. When we first met, she was having her 'adoption day' in the Wal-Mart parking lot. She had Crystal as well as several other dogs in the back of her pickup. I guess you could say it was love at first sight. After that, we kept in pretty close contact until she moved. I'll have to ask her parents when she's coming back for a visit," she said thoughtfully.

Kagome was grateful that her friend had made friends in the time she had spent in this country. The young woman knew friends made all the difference when you're stranded in a strange place. Or time, in her case. "I'd like to meet this Tor. She sounds like a nice person, Yu-yu," the priestess quipped with a smile.

The two women laughed at the nickname. They chattered aimlessly as they continued on to the animal shelter. A couple of hours later, they were once more on the road, this time, they were headed to Ayumi's shop.

"I can't believe you didn't like a single animal in there!" Ayumi cried incredulously as she changed lanes.

"Well," Kagome said slowly. "It wasn't so much that I didn't like the animals there. It was that I didn't feel any connection with them. I mean, when I first saw Buyou as a skinny kitten," both girls snickered at the thought of a skinny Buyou, "he looked at me with his yellow eyes and I looked at him and we just...connected. We were nearly inseparable from that day forward."

"I know what you mean. I felt something like that when I first met Crystal. Oh! I know! That's what I'll do!"

"Do what? What are you going to do? I think I missed something..." the priestess lamented, slumping back into her seat. She knew that look in her friend's eye. It was the same look when she was about to be informed of one of her "dates" with Hojo. Not that any of those turned out like they had been planned... Leave the inane musings for another time, Kagome, she mentally reprimanded herself. Right now, focus on Ayumi's plan and getting out of it if necessary.

"I'll get Tor's number from her parents and call her! I'm sure she'll have a dog that you would love. She has always been able to find a good match for her animals and clients," the woman explained. She just knew her plan would work. Nothing could go wrong when one had the best of intentions in mind. Right?

&&&&

"I can't believe all you will eat is Science Diet coat formula with Mix-it!" Tor lamented, throwing her hands in the air as she watched Sess scarf down the serving she had given him. "I mean come on! That stuff is like ten dollars a bag, if not more! And that's not including the wet food." She groaned and sank back into her couch, covering her face with her hands.

What is she upset about? Sesshomaru mildly wondered. This is the only food where I can't smell the chemicals. Plus it tastes good with the wet food in it. He gave a dog like shrug and returned to his meal.

"The things I do for my animals," the woman groaned again. "Well, there's no time like the present to test your temperament." This said, the young woman shooed her other dogs from the room, locking them in the guest bedroom before returning. She watched the large white dog eat for a moment, moving to stand by his side. She reached down and placed a hand on his back, gently moving it up and down after he relaxed and continued to eat.

Squatting, the young woman ran her hands down the back legs of the large dog. She began to talk gently to him when he stiffened. "Easy, boy. I'm not going to do anything." Tor continued her perusal of the dog's body when he began to eat again. Slowly but surely, she made her way to his head. She corrected him at his growl of warning and continued when he began to eat again. Gently, the tech reached up and fondled his ears, speaking softly the entire time. Satisfied with his reactions, she stood and stretched before making her way to her hall closet. Digging around in the mess for a moment, she came up again with a fake human hand and arm. The young woman used the appendage to pet Sess's face and muzzle as he finished his meal. Steeling her nerve, she moved the arm down to the bowl itself, gently pulling it with her.

Sesshomaru stepped back from the exercise and gave the woman a quizzical look. What on earth are you doing? he thought. He couldn't figure this woman out. First she talked sweet to him, then she started to rub her hands all over him as he ate his food before finally messing with his face. She didn't like it when he growled at her to get her to back off and seemed proud when he didn't attack the fake hand. As if that thing could hurt me. She doesn't let her animals get skinny. From the look of the cat, she has a tendency to over feed if nothing else. There is no reason for me to be upset with her but I can't figure her out.

"Good, boy," Tor praised her dog effusively. "That's a good boy. You are a very good dog. Now, one last test and we'll be through for the evening." She sat cross-legged on the floor of her living room apartment with the food bowl right in front of her. "Let's see how well you do if I mess with what little food is left while you are eating it. Come here," she beckoned to the dog.

The white dog slowly walked forward, keeping his eyes on the smiling woman at all times. Tentatively he lowered his head and began to eat again. He froze, though, when she put her hands in the food bowl with him. After a moment of inactivity from her, he began to eat again. He finished the last of his meal except for what was on her fingers. He was sorely tempted to lick the food off her hands, it was just that good to him. After all, he hadn't been treated so kindly in all the years he was a dog, not that he could remember anyway.

"I know you want to lick 'em," the tech laughed. "It's written all over your face. Go on, go ahead and lick. I don't care." Her offer was certainly tempting and Sesshomaru found himself taking a step towards her. Tor's face lit up with a smile as he continued towards her, stopping right before her hands.

Sesshomaru gave the digits a wistful sniff. That was his undoing. Giving into temptation, he leaned forward and slowly licked the fingers clean of all traces of the food. His ears perked up at the woman as he heard her peals of laughter. He didn't understand what was so funny about him licking her fingers clear of his food.

When he was through, he gave a huffing sigh and sat back on his haunches, eyeing the woman before him. Tor hadn't quit smiling since he stepped forward and licked her hands. Somehow, she knew there was something inside of him that would connect them forever more. It gave her a niggling feeling in the back of her mind. Promptly shrugging it off, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the dog's neck. She leaned into him, cheek to cheek, as she hugged him fiercely.

"You're just a big sweaty who doesn't want anyone to know," she whispered playfully into his ear. It twitched and flicked as her breath blew over its outer shell and into the sensitive inner organs. Laughing lightly, she scooted closer to him and moved her head to his shoulder. Sighing deeply, she inhaled his musky scent. She chuckled again when she heard him sigh. Tor pulled back and watched him for a moment.

Sesshomaru watched as the young woman inspected him again before her eyes grew distant and thoughtful.

I wonder when the next meeting is. she thought absentmindedly. It should be any day now. I need to get that day off. Standing and stretching, Tor walked over to her calendar and studied its dates closely. Her soft green eyes perused the marked squares until it came to one day that had two stars on it. "Oh crap!" she exclaimed. "It's day after tomorrow! Well, I guess I'll talk to Jenny tomorrow and get the day off. I can't miss another one. They'd probably come and drag my butt to it." She snorted derisively. "I wouldn't put it past Cane. That woman is going to push me too far one of these days."

Her shoulders slumped with a weariness the dog found disconcerting. "I'm so tired," she mumbled under her breath. "So very tired. Yet, I can't get any rest." A harsh, barking laugh ripped its way from her throat. The white dog nearly tucked his tail and backed away from the look in her now stony eyes. It put his old mask of indifference to shame. "No rest for the weary. Not even for those whose lives had been filled with more pain than a single human should ever have to bear."

Sesshomaru wondered if this woman had gone insane. There was a presence about her that reminded him of something...he just couldn't figure out what it was. A low growl rumbled in his chest as she turned to him.

"What?" Tor asked as she turned her softened gaze to him. Sadness now reflected in her emerald orbs. Sesshomaru had never seen sadness in her eyes. Happiness, anger, frustration, every emotion except sadness. He wondered what could have caused the absolute depth of sadness he saw. "Are you going to turn on me too? Hopefully not. I really like you." She sighed again. It was a hollow, resigned sound. "Come on, boy. Bedtime."

Motioning for her dog to follow, she led him down the hall towards the bedrooms. Sesshomaru did as bid, walking past her to the guest room where the dogs normally stayed.

"No no," she said gently. "I can tell it's going to be one of those nights and I'm going to need something solid. Come on with me." The young woman motioned to him to come to her bedroom.

Sesshomaru was greatly confused. He had practically free roam of the house. But when bedtime came, he, along with all the other dogs, were put into the guest room. Apparently Tor had a thing about dogs in her bed. Giving a mental shrug, he gave up on that line of thinking and walked into her room.

It was a decent sized room but sparsely populated in the ways of furniture. There was a dresser and vanity along one wall with a mirror hanging above the vanity. Next to the dresser was a basket that Sesshomaru suspected held her dirty clothes. Right beneath a high window on the opposite wall of the door was a king sized bed. A night-stand was situated on either side of the bed. There was a small lamp perched on the right hand table. Several pillows filled the bed along with a messy comforter and sheet that looked like someone had fought their way out of it.

Tor shut the door behind her dog and walked over to the dresser, peeling off her clothes and dumping them in the basket before yanking on a pair of lounge pants and an extra-large t-shirt. The young woman flopped wearily down onto the bed, curling up in a ball beneath the covers. She sat up, though, when she didn't see Sess at the side of her bed.

"Sess," she called. "Come here, boy."

The dog sighed, getting up from his position on the floor in front of her door and walking to the side of her bed. He gave her a look that clearly stated his annoyance at the disruption of his routine.

Tor, however, took no notice of his displeasure. Instead, she patted the bed beside her. "Up up," she commanded. "Get up here. I want you up here tonight. I'm probably going to need something solid."

Sesshomaru eyed her warily before jumping onto the bed beside her. He settled down beside her, facing away from her, and listened as she lay down behind him. He felt her bare arms snake around his chest, pulling him closer to her. The scent of salt tickled his nose as she buried her face in his fur.

"Good night," she whispered hoarsely. "If I pull your fur or kick you or something during the night, forgive me. I don't mean it." With that, she promptly drifted off to sleep, her white dog wrapped in her arms.

&&&

A/N: Okay, third chapter. I'm feeling a bit depressed 'cuz my fish died and my older brother got me another one the very same day and it died too. Something is up with my tank and I'm not real happy. That's why this last part was rather...bleak. Plus, there was some very important materials in this. I wonder how many will catch certain wording and hints about the future...feel free to leave your guess in a review. ;D