AN: Okay, someone asked if everyone lived in the same dimension. The answer: Yes. They all live in Ningenkai.
For Love of a "Pet"
Chapter Two
Kaline awoke to the ringing of the telephone. Groping around with her eyes still closed, she picked the bedside phone up off of its receiver. Holding it up to her ear, she forced herself to wake up a little bit more.
"Hello?" she said groggily, silently cursing whoever had decided to call her. She was not a fan of being woken up out of a dead sleep. It usually made her grumpy.
~Hey, did I wake you?~ a familiar voice asked from the other end. ~I'm sorry if I did.~
"Don't worry about it, Cassie," Kaline responded, literally rolling out of bed and onto the floor. "What time is it?"
~Eight p.m.~ Cassie responded after a few seconds.
"Yippee. Two hours of sleep." The taller girl sighed, forcing herself to sit up, leaning her back against the side of the bed.
~Hey, I said I was sorry. I just wanted to tell you that I conned Anthony into checking on the hawk so you don't have to worry about it. Besides, he's more into birds than either of us are.~
"Yeah, I understand. I just do mammals." Kaline yawned, her eyes beginning to flutter shut before she forced them open.
~I still don't understand why you're not a vet,~ Cassie commented. ~You'd be great at it.~
"I find the unusual animals a little more interesting than the pets," Kaline informed her friend. "Besides, people tend to pay more for paintings of wild animals than they do for ones of pets. They seem to think that the wild animals are cooler."
In addition to taking care of animals, she painted pictures. Most of the time the paintings were of her charges, but some times they were not. She loved art, but she painted mainly for the extra bit of money she received for it. No one in MARS was paid a whole lot, so many of them had side jobs. Kaline just had a side job that allowed her to stay home all day with the injured animals.
~Okay... Well, how's your little charge doing?~ she asked.
The blue-gray eyed girl crawled closer to the box and looked down in it. "Youko's still asleep, thank goodness. He needs his rest."
~Youko? Is that what you named him?~ Cassie's tone was curious.
"Yep. He seems to like it, too." Kaline smiled at the little fox, pleased with how well things had gone so far. Youko had been the ideal patient; he hadn't bitten her, he hadn't caused any problems, and he hadn't died on her. That last bit was the most important part in her point of view.
~Go figure.~ She paused. ~Well, I'll let you get back to sleep so I can get some rest too. Tomorrow, I get to tour a little zoo that's four hours away.~
"Have fun." The blue-gray eyed girl chuckled softly, knowing exactly how her friend would respond.
~Oh, you know I will,~ was the sarcastic and expected reply.
"Good night," Kaline said with a yawn.
~Night.~ The phone line went dead. Cassie had hung up.
Kaline put the phone back up on the receiver, glancing once more at her charge as she did so. The little fox, for some reason or another, had begun to whimper in his sleep.
Worry on her face, she gently picked up the fox and placed him on the spare pillow on her queen-sized bed. Then, she crawled under the covers, putting one of her hands on the fox's tail, the only place she felt comfortable with resting the full weight of her hand on. Finally, she took a deep, calming breath and once again allowed sleep to overcome her.
Kurama winced in his dream. He had returned to his human form, dressed in his Youko outfit; and the demon that had nearly killed him was currently torturing him. The evil creature wanted to know how to break into Reikai's vault. Of course, the redhead refused to say anything, even though he was strapped down on a table with a knife at his throat.
"Tell me, kitsune. I may not be able to read your mind in your dreams, but I can damage your spirit." The threat was a good one, but Kurama ignored it. "Start talking," the demon ordered, slowly pressing down on the knife so that a thin line of blood sprung forth.
"No," the kitsune replied simply, pushing the pain out of his mind with a practiced ease.
"Damn you!" the demon bellowed, jumping away from him, a scowl on his face. "You won't break." He began to pace, his frown slowing being replaced with a vindictive smile. "Well, perhaps I just need to try a different approach. You can't die in this realm so..."
Kurama closed his eyes and braced himself for whatever was to come. He expected some kind of horrid torture designed to destroy his mind and spirit. What he expected did not happen.
He was thoroughly surprised when a sense of peace and warmth washed over him, flowing through his body like a comforting wave. Opening his eyes, he noticed Kaline standing there, enveloped in a bright blue light. Her golden-brown hair hung loosely around her, and she was dressed in dark denim flared jeans and a light blue baby-tee that exposed about an inch of her flat stomach.
"Who are you?" she demanded to know of the demon, expression dark. For some reason, her gut instincts were telling her that the creature in front of her was evil and needed to be destroyed.
"Loki," the evil monster answered, surprised by the appearance of the young woman. She was not supposed to be there; no one except for himself and the kitsune was supposed to be present.
"Well, beat it!" She made shooing motions with her hands. "Be gone, demon."
A piece of bright blue light erupted out of the girl's hands, crashing into the demon. Loki screamed, and then he vanished, leaving behind a very shocked Kaline. 'I don't think I meant to do that.'
"That was interesting." She shrugged. "It's a dream, so I guess that it's possible." The girl with golden- brown hair turned around, looking for the exit; she saw Kurama instead. "Dear Kami! Are you okay?" She rushed over to him and immediately began to undo his restraints. "Did Loki do this to you?"
Kurama could only nod his head, and when he was free, he collapsed into the girl's arms. He had been tied down so tightly that he had lost all feeling in his arms and legs.
"You poor man," she whispered sympathetically, helping him sit down on the ground. With gentle fingers, she traced his neck wound, watching it heal under her touch. The other wounds on his body healed at the same time. "That's better, now isn't it?"
The redhead blinked. "Yes. Thank you, Kaline."
"You know my name?" she inquired, but then she laughed and answered her own question. "Of course you know who I am. After all, we're in my dream."
"Actually, we're in my dream realm," the kitsune corrected her. "Although how you entered it, I don't know."
Kaline stared at him for a moment. "Riiiight. If you say so... um... whoever you are."
"Kurama," he answered simply. 'I probably should have told her that my name is Suuichi, but... oh well. No harm done.'
"Oh, that's your name?" She moved around until she was sitting Indian-style, facing him.
"That's what my friends call me." His tone was neutral, giving away no extra information.
"Okay," she responded, shrugging. That was obviously his nickname. No big deal. "So, what was the deal between you and Loki? Why'd he tie you up and everything?"
Kurama sighed. She had hit a subject he had no desire to discuss. "I have information that he wants."
"What kind of information?" the girl inquired, very curious.
"Important information," he told her evasively. "I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you much else."
"I suppose that's the smart thing to do." Kaline stood up, stretching. "You wanna go somewhere else to talk? This place isn't exactly pleasing to the eye."
The kitsune glanced around at his surroundings, completely in agreement with the girl. He couldn't argue with her on that point. The only thing in the plain gray room was the table he had been strapped down on. The place was most definitely not attractive.
"Sure." He nodded his head.
"Can you walk yet?" Kaline asked, worry in her voice. She didn't want him to hurt himself, even if it was only a dream.
Kurama slowly stood up, using the table to help him. His legs easily supported his weight. "Yes, I can." He smiled when he said it.
"Good," she commented, almost melting when she noticed his bright expression. "Then, let's go. And next time we're here, I'll tell Loki that he needs a new interior decorator. This shade of gray is soooo last year." She laughed, letting the male know that she was joking.
"You can make jokes after dealing with a demon?" the redhead asked in surprise, stopping right by the door to glance back at the girl.
She shrugged. "Why shouldn't I be able to? None of this is real, so I see no reason not to joke around."
"You think that all of this is fake? That even I don't exist?" He frowned slightly at that, disliking the idea of the girl not believing in him.
"Yep. Pretty much. You're just an image that my sub-conscious created," Kaline answered. "Plus, you're just too damn fine to actually exist. No real life person could ever possibly look as good you do."
Kurama laughed softly, highly amused by her words. "That's your reasoning?"
"Um... yeah." She acted as if it was the obvious answer.
"It's faulty," he pointed out simply, tone neutral.
"Whatever." The brunette opened the door and walked outside, sunlight blinding her for a brief moment. Kurama came up beside her, watching the building behind him quickly disappear as the door closed once again.
"Interesting," he commented, gesturing in the direction that the structure had just been in.
Her blue-gray eyes instantly became rather wide. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'holy cow', but okay... I guess that 'interesting' can work too."
The kitsune chuckled, green eyes sparkling as he followed the girl's path to the ground.
Kaline laid down in the grass, golden-brown hair automatically spreading out around her in an alluring way. She stared up at the sky with blue-gray eyes, taking deep, even breaths. "It's beautiful out here."
"Yes, it is," he agreed, sitting down beside her. He was tempted to reach out and see if her hair really was as soft as it looked, and he actually resisted the urge for a full two second before giving in. Her hair was silky, and it slid through his fingers like water.
"I wonder if any place on earth looks as pretty as this." She gave a small happy sigh, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. 'Why don't I mind him playing with my hair?' she silently mused. 'Hmmm... Oh yeah. This is a dream and he isn't real, so I really have no reason to tell him to stop. Besides, I like him playing with my hair. It's soothing.'
"Your mind doesn't stay on one subject for very long, does it?" Kurama inquired. 'This girl is intriguing.'
"Nope. I don't know why it should." She paused for a brief moment. "So, now... why is my reasoning faulty?"
He smiled, shaking his head in amusement. The girl had most definitely answered honestly; her mind didn't stay on one subject for any length of time. "Because in the real world, I do exist."
Kaline looked at him skeptically. "I'll believe it when I see it. If you want me to believe you, then come visit me. My address is 119 Sunset Drive."
"I already know where you live," the kitsune admitted a little shyly. He didn't want her to ask how he knew that fact, because he really didn't want to answer. "I just can't go see you at this moment. Circumstances are against me."
The girl giggled. "Riiiight, but... oh well. Whenever you get a chance, c'mon over for tea or something. I would offer you coffee, but I hate the stuff. It smells nice but tastes awful. Cappuccino is more my style."
"You are one of the most unusual people I have ever met," Kurama commented, lifting up a long lock of her hair to his nose. He breathed in the scent --roses, vanilla, and sunshine. 'She even smells the same in my dreams.'
"Do you like the scent of my vanilla shampoo?" Kaline inquired, turning her head to look at him. "I saw you sniff my hair, so I just had to ask."
The kitsune almost blushed. "It is a pleasing fragrance," he admitted honestly, removing his hands from her hair. 'The feeling that she is my soul-mate is even stronger now that I am in my human form.'
"Thanks. It's my favorite," she responded, smiling. "I'm glad you like it too." Rolling over on her stomach, she propped her head up on her hands. "So, Kurama, you claim that you're real, right?"
"Yes," he answered warily. He had a feeling that the girl was up to something.
"Good, then you can tell me a little bit about yourself." Kaline grinned triumphantly. "Do you have parents? Siblings? How old are you? What do you like to do? Where do you live? Do you have a job?"
Kurama held his hands up to stop the never-ending flow of questions. "Slow down, please. One at a time."
She sighed, forcing herself to do what the redhead asked. "Parents?"
"They're divorced. My mom's name is Shiori," he answered neutrally.
"Siblings?" Her face was just as neutral as his, much to the kistune's amazement.
"One. I have a younger brother named Suuichi," Kurama replied.
Kaline giggled. "Funny name," she commented, but she quickly went back to the interrogation. "Age?"
"Twenty-three." He looked the girl over and tried to guess her age. 'Seventeen, maybe eighteen. She can't be much older than that.'
"Oooooh, a year older than me." She paused, thinking of her next question.
'Well, I was most certainly wrong about her age.' "How about I ask you a few questions?" Kurama inquired. "After all, it's only fair that you tell me a little about yourself." 'Not that you won't tell Youko a whole bunch of stuff over the next few days...' he added mentally.
She shrugged. "Okay. Sure. Ask away."
"Parents?" He had decided to ask her the same questions that she had asked him.
"I don't have any. I have a guardian, and her name's Salova."
He mentally winced. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
Kaline raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Your parents are divorced, so shouldn't I be sorry as well?" She shook her head, deciding to answer the question for him. "Listen, Kurama, you have nothing to apologize for. We're both asking innocent questions, and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Okay." Brilliant green eyes blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected a response like that. "No siblings then?"
"Bing-bing-bing-bing-bing. We have a winner!" she said in an incredibly bright tone, humor in her blue- gray eyes. When the redhead gave her a strange look, she smiled sheepishly. "I worked at a carnival one summer a few years ago," she stated as an explanation.
"Where and when was the carnival?" Kurama inquired, curious.
The girl slightly cocked her head to the side, thinking. "Um... it was one of the local carnivals in the town that I live in now. I think that it was... four years ago."
"Four years?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow at her. "And you're still saying stuff like that?"
Kaline nodded. "Yep. I worked at the same booth for a week straight. I can STILL remember the prices."
The kitsune closed his eyes and chuckled softly. The girl was most definitely entertaining. He had never met anyone like her before.
"I'm glad someone finds it funny," she grumbled, rolling her eyes skyward. "I sure don't."
"The way you said it was comical," Kurama explained, reigning in his laughter. Despite his best efforts, his eyes still sparkled, revealing how humorous he found her attitude.
"Kami help me," Kaline pleaded softly, giving a small sigh. She shook her head and then smiled. "Do you have any more questions for me?"
"Actually, yes, I do." He paused as she stared at him expectantly.
"Well, c'mon... just ask me and get it over with," she urged, poking him lightly in the side.
The kitsune grabbed her hand to keep her from repeating the action. He didn't release the delicate appendage, even when it relaxed in his grip. "Are you human?"
Kaline blinked, and then she broke down laughing. "Of course I am, silly," the girl replied, still giggling. She had found the question highly amusing, especially since it had been such an unusual one. "I'm human, just like you."
Kurama wasn't about to point out that he wasn't human, so he let the subject drop. "Okay, what's your favorite food?"
"Chocolate!" she answered immediately. "It is, without a doubt, chocolate. I love the stuff." She paused. "Yours?"
"Stir-fry," he responded. "Favorite color?"
"Hmmm... blue or silver. I'm not sure which." Kaline thought about it for a moment. "Right now, I'm leaning towards blue. What about you?"
"Red, green, white, blue." He shrugged. "I like most colors equally."
"Okay... so no favorite color." She frowned thoughtfully. "What do you do most of the day? School? Work?"
"I attend a local college," Kurama answered.
Kaline looked at him with interest. "What are you studying?"
He began examining the small hand wrapped in his. It was so small and frail compared to his, but the hand's bone structure did not match its owner's spirit. 'She's amazing. She can enter a person's dreams, heal them, and fight off demons... all without actually knowing how to do it. She does not seem to fear anything either.'
"I'm working on my master's degree in botany."
"Wow... I've only got my bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine." She looked dutifully impressed. "I would give a little whistle of amazement, but I don't know how. I can't whistle."
Kurama raised an eyebrow at her. "You can't whistle?"
"Nope. Never been able to for the life of me." She shook her head, looking a little sad.
He almost chuckled, mentally shaking his head just like Kaline had done. 'So there is something that this girl can't do. I was beginning to become worried.' "It's not that hard, you just-"
She held up her free hand, effectively shutting him up. "I've heard it all already. Almost every single one of my friends has tried to teach me. I've had at least ten people explain to me how to do it, and I still can't whistle."
A devious idea formed in Kurama's mind right then; and since he was in his dream world and the girl thought that he didn't exist, he saw no reason not to go through with it.
"Perhaps you don't need someone to tell you," he began, smiling in anticipation. "Maybe you need someone to show you."
"Huh?"
Kurama leaned down to take advantage of her slightly open mouth when she suddenly dissolved like water washing away a painting... right along with the rest of his dream world.
CotA: This is a warning for everyone. The "R" rating is for *begins to tick off points on fingers* violence, language, limes (NOT LEMONS), and other... stuff. I can't tell you what it is b/c that would give away some of the story!
Sess-chan: That, and she doesn't quite know exactly what happens in future chapters. That is my domain.
CotA: Yes, it's yours. Although how you came up for the idea for this fic, I don't know. I kinda figured that you would have come up with a way to torture Inuyasha.
Sess-chan: *shakes his head* No. You did a good enough job of that in Tourniquet. By the way, the review responses are below.
CotA: That was so just my line.
Sess-chan: Big deal. You'll get over it. And anyone who wants to know when CotA updates, say so in a review and she'll send you an email.
Purple Witchy Angel: Nope. No lemon. Lime, yes, but no lemon.
Rei Akita: Thank you.
iloveinuyasha1029: Wow. Ummm... I'm not sure if that's true. Striking Falcon's and moonsilver's stories are much better than mine.
Chronicles Bailey: Yes, Kurama can be funny at times.
Val: I do have the vast majority of it planned out, and I have about... 36,000 words written already.
Sam: *giggles* yes, they put in a new font. and I need the "soul-mate-thingy" as you put it, to make my story work.
Yanou: everyone lives in ningenkai.
