Once again, Atsuki hurried through the palace walls and once again, the girl was cradled closely to his chest. Only this time she wriggled and squirmed and licked and whined and though she was no larger than the palm of his hand in this form, he had trouble keeping hold of her.
He was both amazed and bothered by her transformation and concerned over the reaction of his Lord and Lady. When he came into the private gardens once again, nodding to the obscure, quiet guards, it was to see his Lord cleaning the boy with his tongue while the Lady seemed lost in thought. Clearing his throat, he bowed and waited to be noticed.
It was not the slight cough that caught his Lord and Lady however, but the unfortunate escape of Atsuki's passenger. She finally wiggled free and dropped gracelessly to the ground, sprawling on four legs. Whining, she pushed herself up on shaking, new-born legs and stumbled further into the peaceful garden.
Fuiasu raised a single brow at the black pup and turned to Atsuki. "She was not a dog when I gave her to you," she said mildly, taking a delicate sniff of the puppy to confirm her identity.
Toga could not help himself. He pulled Sesshoumaru into his lap and uttered a single, low bark to the pup. He watched as she twitched, as her clumsy paws stumbled over each other and she dropped to her belly in the thick grass, her tail between her legs as she whined.
As a leader, he was cold. As a politician, he was devious. As a mate, he was seductive. As a father…he was lavish. He loved pups, of all kinds. His nose told him the female was harmless, to both he and his son and his instincts told him to care. Ultimately, because of Sesshoumaru, it was his mate's choice but he looked at her with playful, delighted eyes. When she gave a single, discreet nod, he swiped the girl up, ignored her yipping, whining protest and began to clean her fur as he had Sesshoumaru's.
o.O.o
Word Count: 349