Chapter Four…
No dog will get the best of me! Sango thought as she finally held tightly onto the truly squirming mass of fur in her hands. Take this!
She moved to toss Kagome's poodle into the water of the hot springs when Kagome let out a loud, "NO!"
Sango narrowed her eyes, feeling her victory being stolen out from under her, and looked from the poodle to her friend. "Why? He needs to bathe," she bit out, irritated that her skills had seemed to be so lacking when it came to capturing poodle. Not even demons seemed to have its agility and speed…or she needed more training.
"Poodles have sensitive ears," Kagome tried to explain. All of Sango's slaying instincts were in full roar and Ichigo was very close to being dunked into the water and held under until he stopped fighting. "They can get infections and we don't have any medicine for him here."
She took a step closer and held out her hands. "I'll take it from here, Sango. Thanks for your help."
Once Kagome had the poodle securely in her grasp, Sango let go. The slayer huffed, brushing bits of leaves and dirt from her body and hair, before wading ahead of Kagome into the water. Maternal instincts be damned… Cats are better than dogs, she thought, looking to where Kirara was lounging in kitten form far from the water.
She turned to watch, amusement in her mind at the thought of the poodle finally getting what it deserved, as Kagome waded carefully into the waters. Her friend tested them with her own body before gently—much too gently for Sango's tastes at the moment—lowering the shivering, whining poodle down into the water.
And then the dog's fight was gone.
He became as docile as usual, his tail drooping in defeat and his sad, sad eyes staring at Sango, looking for pity and rescue. It wasn't long before Sango waded back over to where her friend and the dog were. "There, there, Ichigo," she cooed. "We will be quick."
"What a wimp!" chimed in Shippou, who had stayed well clear of them during their poodle round-up.
"Shippou, you're starting to sound like Inuyasha," Kagome reprimanded as she cupped water in her hands and poured it over the part of the poodle she couldn't sink into the water. She cast a well-meaning look over her shoulder at the little kitsune, who gulped and then scampered back towards camp with some excuse about checking on the whereabouts of Miroku.
"Men," giggled Sango, as she began helping Kagome wet Ichigo down. "Wow. His fur holds a lot of water."
"Oh yes. Can you get my shampoo? It does not smell manly, but it's the only soap I have."
Kagome kept the dejected poodle afloat while Sango fetched the bottle of shampoo she'd brought with her from their campsite.
*PA*
Sesshoumaru found the best vantage point—knowing it was the best because he'd found it—and settled in just as the two human females entered the clearing with the beast in hand. The small pup was all a-go with his wagging tail, sickening Sesshoumaru actually, and then the tail fell as the miko set him down upon the ground and began preparing to enter the water…
This made Sesshoumaru smile.
He waited with bated breath as the miko finally emerged from behind the shrub that was supposedly used to hide her naked body from his sight and eyed the monstrosity with determination. He'd seen this look in the miko's eyes before. Something the thing was not going to like was about to happen and Sesshoumaru had an inkling that it was going to be a bath.
He was an intelligent youkai, after all.
And then the slayer emerged from behind that same shrub, her body visibly jumping with energy and excitement. She turned those energized eyes towards the mutt in their midst and Sesshoumaru felt his grin widen as they began to circle the now suspicious beast.
Let the fun begin…
Holy hell! How incompetent are they? Sesshoumaru thought to himself sometime later as he watched both the miko and slayer hit the ground AGAIN. Perhaps human females reach an age where their brains malfunctions and everything else goes with it? He'd have to keep an eye on Rin now—to make sure she would be safe and well as time passed. No adopted pet of his would ever act this diminished in capabilites!
The situation was so intense Sesshoumaru actually had to extract his claws from the bark of the tree he stood by and…maybe…he used too much force as did. The sound of his claws rendering themselves free caused the miniature escape artist to stop mid-flight and the slayer finally was able to lay hands upon his body, scooping him up into her arms with an evil and maniacal light in her eyes.
Sesshoumaru was then MOST disappointed when the miko rescued the mutt from the slayer's claws…but the after show was quite entertaining!
It looked so pathetically weak as the miko lowered its shivering body into the water. His delight was full blown, watching it be humiliated and shamed, and then the women began their damn cooing; coddling it as if it were truly in pain and hurting from a most needed washing!
Ridiculous.
Sesshoumaru turned away then, studying the length and sharpness of his claws, as the miko and the slayer finished bathing the wretched waste of flesh. He did not look over towards them again until the two females were done with their "torture" and the miko set her guardian down on dry ground…staying in the water herself.
Hn. Perhaps if this Sesshoumaru were to face the beast without its bitch in tow…
Golden eyes watching the dog's movements, he grunted with disgust as he observed the thing run around like a human with its head popped off before rolling excitedly upon the ground—more than likely glad to be free once more to soil itself. The miko watched with a careful eye for a while—never scolding where harsh words should have been said—and then, little by little, she turned back to her own bodily care and left it to its own devices.
His feet itched to move forward, but Sesshoumaru held his ground. This was the best vantage point and he shouldn't give it up merely because of over-eagerness. He wasn't a pup any more, after all! Resisting temptation should be easy…
The small dog was now sniffing his mistress's clothing, nosing around in her garments as if there were hidden treats there. Sesshoumaru watched as he began licking something and his head cocked to the side as he tried to figure out what exactly the thing was after now. He checked back on the miko and slayer. Both females seemed to be oblivious to what was going on around them as they sunk into feminine laughter and gossip.
And then his golden moment came!
The miko's little monster snatched something from amongst the pile of human clothing and scurried off into the underbrush to escape notice with his pilfered prize. Sesshoumaru snorted when he realized this. The thing was no better than a kitsune!
He moved forward then, gliding around the females to where the beast was happily sitting and licking his stolen treat. The thing was so into what he was doing it didn't even realize Sesshoumaru was on it until it was too late!
His claws were raised, his ire was strong, his need to end this thing's life was there!
And then…
Something struck his nose that completely and totally altered his goals!
His nose twitching as if he were a feline, Sesshoumaru found himself actually getting down on all fours…searching. And the delightful smell—he soon realized—was being tainted by it!
Moving with youkai speed, Sesshoumaru snatched the small scrap of fabric from between the small dog's paws before it could contaminate that wonderful smell with another swipe of its little pink tongue. He held the fabric up to his nose then and breathed deep.
Ah, was all he could think as the small dog suddenly realized he was there, turned tail, and ran back towards its mistress without even a yip. Fuck killing it…for now.
*PA*
"It looks like a drowned fucking rat with a cotton ball head," Inuyasha laughed, turning to look at Miroku.
Wisely the monk, feeling the glaring look of the miko in his midst and having seen firsthand her temper, kept his mouth closed, merely nodding as slightly as he could his agreement with the hanyou's viewpoint. Thankfully the miko was too engrossed into the care of her dog to much bother with irritations at the moment.
Kagome growled to herself, listening to Inuyasha once more bad-mouth her little savior. She put herself between the half-breed and her pup, loosely toweling across the poodle's sopping wet fur. While Inuyasha may be correct and the dog did now resemble a drowned rat, there was no need to be so cruel.
As done as she could be with the poodle—Kagome knew there would be hell to pay at the groomer's after this mess—she turned her attentions to other matters and continued to ignore her hanyou friend's crassness. Folding up her uniform and putting it away until tomorrow, Kagome reached for her shoes where she normally shoved her socks and underwear while bathing. It was as she removed those items that Kagome realized something was amiss…
Where were her underwear?
to be continued…