Puppy Love
One Shot
(A/N if you have ever read any of my stories call Radio Station I.N.U. 93.6 FM or Immortal you have come across the character Millie (Mirii) Price AKA Higanbana. This takes place when Sesshoumaru is still young. Let's say in his early demon teens or so.)
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It was cold winter morning at the demon lord's castle. A thick carpet of snow covered everything outside. The koi pond was frozen over and sparked under the small arched bridge in the middle of the Zen garden. The air was still and heavy carrying the sounds of birds waking up for a new day.
Inside however one red headed girl sat inside her small room by the fire pit with his covers wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Higanbana hated the cold air that hung in the castle. She was a southern girl and had mostly mild winters where she used to live before she ended up here in ancient Japan. She was tempted to go down to the kitchens to thaw out her fingers. Do to the fires in the kitchens they were warmest part the castle.
Just next to her room was the son to the demon lord. He too was not too fond of this weather. Sesshoumaru huddled around his own fire pit with a blanket and boa wrapped firmly around his shivering frame. His hair had grown a little thicker for the colder months but that did not do anything to drive out the chill in his bones.
To make things worse they were to spend time together today, outside. It was bad enough they had to spend time together but outside in the cold was little too much. They had had a fight the day before over some petty thing, which only ended with a lot yelling, pulling of hair, hitting, kicking, and finally parent intervention as the fight broke into meeting hall where Lord Inutaishou was in a meeting with some other lords in neighboring territories.
As punishment he said that as soon as the sun rose over the trees they would have to spend some together outside in the garden. The sun was now well over the trees and the two still refused to leave their rooms. They would be damned if they spend ANY time TOGETHER. But it was an order and they knew it had to be carried out. Sesshoumaru was the one to get up first and walk over the Mirii's room. He never bothered to knock on her door before sliding it open.
"Oi, onna," He grunted out putting on a thick cloak around his shoulders. "Get dressed in some warm clothes we have to go outside today, remember?"
"I already am," she huffed, standing up dressed in her jeans, socks, and sneakers, with a long thick haori on her shoulder as picked up own fur cloak. "I just don't want to go outside in the cold with you!"
"Like we really have a choice," he snapped walking down the corridor with her lagging a ways behind. "I figured the Zen garden is good enough."
"Whatever," she sighed, tucking her cold hands in her pockets.
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Now they were outside they had to do something together. Snowball fight crossing Millie's mind but the fact that it was a fight and she had no gloves only made toss out the idea. Sesshoumaru did not even want to come up with any ideas. So they were stuck standing outside in the ankle deep snow. She could show him how to make snowmen but the no gloves came back to her mind. She seriously doubted that he wanted to make snow angels.
Out of boredom Sesshoumaru kicked a small piece of ice across the yard and landed on the rock hard koi pond. Ah-ha, ice skating. Sure there were now skates but shoes aught to do it.
"Ever ice skated," she asked, walking towards the koi pond.
"Ever what," he snorted, watching her carefully get on the thick ice. "Why are you one the ice?"
"Well, back home we would go ice skating," She said, trying to get balance. "Although we had special shoes to go skating in this will still work."
"No way am I getting on the ice," he said coldly, crossing his arms.
"Then you think of something," she snapped back.
"Why?"
"Because I'm out of ideas!"
"Oh, well," he moaned, sitting out a large bolder.
She huffed a bit before continuing out farther out on the small pond. He may not be interested but if she was going to be out in the cold she might as well stay warm be moving. She started off a little slow as she went around one half of the small pond. She began to pick up her speed a little. If she had real skates she could go a lot fast but she used what she had which were sneakers.
After 30 minutes or so she quit and started to just wander around the garden without the demon brat. What did she care if he did not doing any thing with her. She traced the edge of the wall trying to keep warm. However she never noticed a small hole by the wall and step right in. She felt with a thump. She could hear a couple guards above on the wall laugh at her stupidity. She quickly picked herself and pulled her foot out the hole. That was when she noticed a set of small tracks leading away from the hole, going under some thick bushes covered in snow.
She started towards the bushes and looking underneath them to find a small black puppy curled in small ball shivering. She pushed away the bare branches and picked the small pup. She quickly tucked the young puppy under her cloak and headed back over to Sesshoumaru. Who was not he least bit curious to what she cradling under her cloak. She never said anything as she walked onto the veranda and back inside.
After a few minutes of freezing solitude Sesshoumaru too finally went back inside the castle. He went back to his room but noticed that Millie was not in her room. He brushed it off and went in his room and got back under his blankets by the fire.
A little while later he heard the woman walk back to her room with one of the maids. He got up to see where she had been all that time. Once he entered her room she saw her and a maid set a shivering puppy into a large bowl of warm water. He just stared at the whimpering pup. It had a long curly tail with long hair and white tip on the end. The pup's chest had long white line of fur running down from the top of her chest to the top just at the stomach. It also had a small white dot on its chin, big brown eyes, and medium sized floppy ears.
"That's a good girl," Higanbana said, holding the puppy in the shallow water as the maid rub a warm rag over the puppy's paws. "I wonder how long she was out there."
"You said she dug her way under the wall," the maid asked, continuing to rub the cold paws of the pup.
"Yeah, I did," she nodded, taking the puppy out of the water and wiped her down with a warm towel. "She was huddled under a bush trying to keep warm."
"Let's see if we can get her to eat any thing," the maid said, scooting over a warm plate of food over to the pup with her tail.
"I doubt Otosan will let you keep her," Sesshoumaru said, finally making his presents known as he walked into the room. "And beside that pup as been out in the cold too long. She won't live."
"Do you always have to be so belligerent towards me," Mirii snapped, cradling the puppy trying to make it eat a small piece of meat. "C'mon now. Try to eat just a bit okay."
"I told you she's not going to live," he said, signaling the maid to leave. "So, why not just let it die in peace."
"Get out," she bit out, pointing towards the door. "Just leave me alone!"
"I'm just telling you the truth," he growled out. "She's not going to live. She was out in the snow too long. The cold has gotten to her."
"I said: get out," she practically yelled, getting up to her feet as she once again pointed at the door.
"Huh, ridiculous," he huffed, turning around and walked the door sliding it close behind him.
"Don't listen to him," Higanbana said, scratching the dog behind the ear before pick up another piece of meat. "You're not going to die, are you, little girl? No, you're not. Now c'mon let's try just a little bit of food. Open your mouth. Please…. Just a little bit of food."
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Hours passed by and the puppy never once tried to open her mouth to take in the small pieces of meat that were now cold and hard. Every now and then Mirii would get up and walk around the room with the pup still snuggly tucked in her warm embrace. She was trying not to think about it but maybe Sesshoumaru was right. Perhaps she had come too late for the poor puppy that was cuddled in her arms.
The sun was down now and she would have to go to dinner soon. She could not bring the puppy to the dinner table with her. Especially with Lord Inutaishou's court members still at the castle and she could not just leave the puppy by herself in the room. Maybe the lord would let have dinner in her room just for one night. She wanted to watch this little puppy.
A knock soon came from the door. It was the maid from earlier to tell her dinner was prepared. Higanbana only looked down at the small pup as her red and gold hair fell over her emerald eyes. She had noticed the small black and white puppy had finally stopped breathing. A small tear traced down her cheek and dripped off the bottom of her chin. The maid only bowed to her before leaving, closing the door part way.
She quickly sat back down on her bed as more tears started to fall down from her eyes and slide off her jawbone. No matter how much she tried to save the poor puppy it was far too late. As much as she hated to admit it, Sesshoumaru was right about the puppy. Hypothermia had set in too far to save her. She knew she would have to bury the puppy or give to one of the servants or even a guard to do it.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, placing the puppy in a small blanket and wrapped her up gently in it.
No sooner had she finished folding the blanket around the puppy had a knock sounded from her door. It slid open the rest of the way before closing fully. She heard someone walk towards her before sitting down beside her. She did not even look at the person beside her.
"Let me see her," the voice was that of Lord Inutaishou.
Millie picked up the bundle and handed it to the demon lord. He set the heavy bundle down in his lap before unwrapping the puppy from the green and pink fabric. He ran a hand down her black fur a couple of times before turning to the redhead beside him
"If I use Tenseiga will you promise to take care of her," he asked, watching her head raise up a bit. "She will be your responsibility only and no once else's."
"Hai," she choked out, nodding her head. "I'll watch over her."
"Very well," he set the puppy down still in her blanket on the floor.
He then stood up from his place on the floor and withdrew Tenseiga from its sheath and held it over the young puppy in the blanket. He focused the blade's power to allow him to see the messengers from the underworld. Once he saw them clearly he swung the Tenseiga down upon them, cutting them to nothing. He then placed the sword back in the sheath, before picking up the puppy in her blanket and handed back to Mirii.
"Domo Arigato," she said, holding the dopy puppy in arms. "Thank you so much for saving her."
"It should be Sesshoumaru you should be thanking," he said, walking to the door. "He told about the puppy you had found out in the Zen garden and that it did not survive the cold weather. He did not say directly about using Tenseiga but the fact that he kept staring at that blade alone gave me the inkling that he wanted to save the puppy too."
She never got another word out her mouth before the demon lord walked out of the room and closed the door again. She felt the wriggle in arms and started to whimper before jumping out her arms and headed towards a bowl of warm milk on the floor. She gently petted the puppy as it lapped away at the milk the small bowl.
"Sesshoumaru, huh," She said, looking to her right at the stone wall that separated their rooms.
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By dawn Sesshoumaru was just waking and started to rub the sleep from his eyes, when he heard a knock on his door. He grumbled a bit as he stumbled out of bed, walked the door, and opened it to find Millie and her new puppy in arms wagging her tail.
"What do you want," he grumbled, crossing his arms not in the best of moods.
"This," she said, bending over a little and kissed the young teen on his forehead. "Thanks, Sesshoumaru-sama. C'mon, Tippy! Let's go get breakfast."
The puppy barked a little bit as Higanbana walked down the hall towards the dinning room. Sesshoumaru still stood in his doorway staring off into the space with big golden orbs and a slightly dropped jaw. What the hell just happened? Did she just kiss him and thank him? He stood there for more moment before closing his door.
"Ridiculous!"
THE END
In memory of my dog Tippy. February 1990—May 16, 2006.