Author Note: I thought it was time to do a cute and fluffy chapter 😊 Even though Kuon is still a husky puppy I hope that you enjoy this chapter and of course, thank you for reading.
Chapter Nine – Breakfast Time
Kyoko paced the kitchen early on the next morning. She had asked whether Kuon wanted to sleep with her in the bed. Her husband had tried to persuade her that it might not be the best idea. It was strange that he was trying to watch out for her health and happiness when he was the one who was now a talking husky puppy.
She looked at the food in front of her. She had read somewhere that it was best to stay with the dog food found at pet shops, but now that her husband was talking to her as if he were still human it would come off as a bit demeaning. She didn't want to cause him health problems if he remained canine, but she didn't want to just dump food in a bowl and treat him like a puppy.
She had decided to give him water in his bowl and then to cook some meat, if she stripped the fat off of the bacon and then cut the sausages up in small chunks that might be less insulting. With the water being liquid, she had no other choice than to put it into a bowl, but maybe a large plate would be better than a dog bowl for his food.
She glanced across at where he was on his little dog bed. She didn't want to tell him how cute he looked and how adorable he was as a puppy, but she couldn't help thinking about it when he was asleep. Hopefully he wouldn't find out what she was thinking or at least he wouldn't get annoyed by it. She started cooking the food and laughed softly at how his little nose detected the aroma and his tail wagged.
"Morning," she said as she saw him stretch out his front paws and yawn. He looked up at her and gave the best smile that a puppy could give.
"Morning, princess? How are you today?" he asked as he got onto his four paws and looked around the room. It was so different being a tiny little puppy that was less than half a foot compared to being twelve times the height as a person. His perspective of everything from the sofa to small balls had changed dramatically. He just hoped that there was a way of getting him human again. He would feel guilty forcing Kyoko to spend the rest of her life with a talking dog.
"They say that the cure has reached about ninety-percent of those affected by the cookies," Kyoko said as she made sure to keep the food at an even fry. "That's all because of you, Kuon," she said as she turned down the heat a little. "All because of your bravery in recovering the antidote."
"You give me too much credit," Kuon said as he came towards her. He pawed at the chair leg before managing to jump onto the seat. He was glad that he had a puppy's equivalent of his abilities as a man. He looked over to her as he stood on his hind legs, his paws on the table. "You know that I only went in there because of you, because I was hurt by seeing you hurting."
Kyoko finished cooking and put the food on a plate and the water in a bowl, "Are you sure you're not hurting?" she asked. "As much as I love being able to talk to you, you are still a little puppy. Obviously you're going to feel as if there is some difficulty doing things that seemed so easy for you to do before."
Kuon frowned and glanced down at the table where the food was. "As long as I'm with you, Kyoko, I can be happy no matter what. Are you…are you okay with me being an animal until we find the cure?" he asked as he looked up at her with those huge puppy dog eyes.
Kyoko pet his head and scratched him behind the ear. "You know, when I was young and was forced to spend some time with Shoutaro, who is now an idiotic person again in case that eases your worries, he watched American cartoons. There was one cartoon segment in particular, Mr. Peabody and Sherman. I feel like I'm living an episode of that."
"I know that cartoon," Kuon said as he tried to steady himself enough to eat the food from the plate. "So, are you saying that I need to have huge glasses and the ability to travel through time?" he joked.
Kyoko laughed as she reached over and pet him. "It wouldn't hurt," she teased as she saw him finish his food.
She felt guilty that she was worried that she would never get a real life. She knew it was selfish, after all Kuon was probably facing so much more pain and anxiety than she was, but she wanted kids, she wanted to have a life with him. She wanted to be held in her husband's arms as he rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head to make sure that she was as alright as she was trying to prove she was.
This form of Kuon was a puppy.
Kyoko now understood love and more than anything she understood that the love she had for Kuon was a love that would never be able to be found again. Her biggest fear was losing that love, of him turning her away and them not being together anymore. She knew that even if he was a puppy who grew to be a talking adult dog, she would love him and stay committed to their relationship. There were just going to be so many things that they would miss out on as a couple.
Kyoko smiled as she saw Kuon drink some of his water. "You know, I want to tie a cloth around your neck," she said, "Use it like a napkin, that would be pretty cute."
"Nothing too feminine though, I do have to protect my reputation as the top male actor," he teased her as she smiled.
"Even if the worst happens and we can't get you changed back," Kyoko said as she let her thumb run against the top of his head. "I'm sure you'll still get roles, the new Lassie for example. You'd be great at any of those talking animal roles, you know since you are a talking dog." She heard a knock at the door and gave a small smile to the puppy. "That's most likely Kuu or Julie," she said. "You stay here and I'll sort it out. I love you, Kuon."
"I love you too," he said as he looked up at her with those emerald eyes that always made her heart melt whether he was a puppy or a human.
Kyoko walked over to the front door with a smile on her face, she was ready to tell Kuu and Julie about the news about Kuon's new human skills but her stomach sunk in and her happy expression faded as she stood facing a guy that she had never seen before. She looked at him before putting a strong hand on the door frame that she wasn't leaning on. She was not going to let him force himself inside this house and hurt her husband when he was defenseless.
"Can I help you?" she asked channeling her inner Natsu and raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, but I don't want unexpected visitors this early in the morning."
"Well," the man smiled in a way that looked sweet but Kyoko was no fool to the malice behind that grin. "I was hoping that you could help me. I'm looking for my puppy, he's lost and I just want to make sure he's at home with me safe and secure."
Kyoko tensed. She had a very bad feeling about this guy. She channeled her own strength, awakening the darkness in her once again. "Oh, that's so sad for you. Wish I could help," she said with a roll of her eyes which showed that she obviously didn't care. "Not a big fan of dogs so don't know if I would remember. You have a description for this dog?"
"It's a white husky puppy with emerald eyes," the man said. "He's rare and I wanted to enter him into a pet show this coming weekend. It's important that I find him."
Kyoko smirked. "I have no idea what that nonsense coming out of your mouth is, as for that mutt, haven't seen one of that description. I would let you know if I do in the coming days, but I really don't give a damn about what you think is a major problem. Now, would you please allow me to get back on with my life."
The man watched her as if trying to detect some part of her which was lying. Kyoko easily deceived him because of her acting skills. She looked him in the eyes, she needed to know if there was anything that he was suspicious of. She could easily play against anyone, having experience with her husband had taught her that much, so this man was a joke.
"Is there anything else?" Kyoko asked acting as if she didn't care about any of the words that were coming out of his mouth. Inside she felt scared for Kuon. This person obviously wasn't someone who wanted the best for him. She didn't want for him to get hurt.
"I'm a huge fan of your husband," the man said as Kyoko managed to convey a feeling of hurt when he had said that. "Is there any chance of meeting him?"
"My husband left me," Kyoko said as she placed the hand not blocking the doorway to her heart. "Only a few days ago he didn't come home. We'd fought before that, he said that he wanted a woman with more experience in doing the things that he liked doing. I was scared because I'm what he called an innocent woman. I know that that is what drove him away."
"Wow," the man blinked. "Hizuri-san likes to get kinky in the bedroom? He sounds like a much more wild guy than I expected."
Kyoko sniffed, "He didn't want to have a safety word and I was scared," she said. "I'm afraid that I'm the only one here and your presence is upsetting me, if you don't leave now I will have to call the authorities to have you escorted from my doorway."
With the shaky nod that the man gave her, Kyoko rolled her eyes and shut the door on him. She looked back to the table to find that Kuon wasn't there. "Corn?" she whispered softly as he crept out from under a chair and came up to her.
"Please don't get mad at me, I didn't want him to take you away from me," she said with tears in her eyes. "Please understand that I don't want to lose you. Did you recognize that man?" she asked.
"You mean that man who now thinks I'm some kind of sex pervert?" Kuon sighed before nodding. "Yes, he's one of the guys that were there in the hotel." He laughed softly, "I'm not mad at you, but I'm surprised you came up with that kind of excuse. I mean, when I'm human again are you really going to get upset at my kinkiness in the bedroom."
Kyoko laughed and shook her head as she swept the puppy up in her arms and kissed his head gently. "How do you know that I'm not going to want to experiment myself, let's just wait until your back with your long legs," she smiled as Kuon watched her. Part of him was confused she had gone that route but mostly he was proud to see her acting talent at work.
