Sesshoumaru: The Big, White Dog
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Higurashi Kagome, and she loved dogs. She knew this ever since she grabbed her first doggy tail as a toddler. Soon after this, posters of them would line the pink walls of her bedroom and paw prints would stamp her bedding. In school, she would scrawl them out in the margins of her schoolwork, and when she went to the swimming pool, she refused to do anything but the dogpaddle. She absolutely, positively, above all else in the universe loved them, and in her heart, she knew they loved her too.
So, when Kagome turned eight years old, her mother decided that she was mature enough to have a puppy of her own. That and her mother was tired of the daily begging, not to mention the young girl’s tendency to melt into a puddle on the floor in protest over the unfairness of the world. But mostly because she was mature enough. Maybe. Hopefully.
Unable to contain herself on their way to the pound, Kagome spent the whole train ride everywhere but sitting peacefully in the seat beside her mother. She wandered to and fro, fidgeting as she recalled out loud every scrap of dog knowledge from memory. Complete strangers were suddenly her closest friends as she regaled them in detail. Usually, she elicited polite nods from the crowd, but at times, they struck up loud renditions of jpop chart toppers while they jammed their fingers into their ears.
When they finally came to their stop, Mama ushered her loquacious child off the train, sparing the hassled passengers of any more chatter. As they walked down the sidewalk, Kagome skipped along. She held out her hands like she had an imaginary leash, taking her future puppy out for a walk.
It wasn’t long before they came across a cream-colored, concrete building surrounded by a cinderblock wall. Cartoonish pictures of dogs and cats decorated the wall, and they walked through the gate and up to the glass door. Mama pulled it open, letting Kagome be the first one to enter the pound.
The waiting room was a dull and anxious time. Once her mother finished filling out the paperwork, they had to do exactly what the room was named for. But as Kagome was about to reach her melting point on the glossy, linoleum floor, a shelter worker opened the hall door and peeked in.
“Ms. Higurashi?” she asked.
“YES!” Kagome proclaimed. “I’m here! I’ve been waiting forever!”
The shelter worker smiled. “Well, you don’t have to wait any longer. Are you ready to see the puppies?”
There was no reply, but a mad scramble for the door instead. The shelter worker took a step back and let Kagome go by.
“I’m sorry,” Mama told the shelter worker, “She’s been wanting a dog for a long time.”
“Don’t worry. I understand.”
“I found the puppies, Mama! Hurry up!” Kagome yelled from down the hall before she disappeared down a new corridor.
Unhurried, the two women strolled down the hallways, following the signs leading to the puppy room. When they finally arrived, they found Kagome crouching in front of a small kennel in the back.
“I found him,” the little girl stated with satisfaction, her eyes never looking up. “This is my puppy.”
“That’s wonderful, Kagome,” her mother said with a smile and she glanced at the shelter worker beside her. But the shelter worker wasn’t smiling.
Instead, she asked, “Are you sure you want that one?”
“Yep!”
“I don’t know why he’s in here, but that one’s not up for adoption.”
Kagome turned around, her eyes already beginning to water. “But he’s in here! All these puppies are up for adoption. It says so on the sign!”
“I know. I know. But… he’s different.”
“That’s why I want him!” Kagome stared longingly into its fierce, blood red eyes. Nothing more than a ball of white fur, the puppy glared back at her. Then it grinned with a set of teeth that would make a man-eating shark blanch. Little droplets of drool began to drip from its cute muzzle, melting holes in the bottom of its kennel with a sizzle. From his tiny tail to his floppy ears, an oppressive aura of agony and dread radiated from every bit of fluff. There was no mistaking it. He was evil puppified. Adorable too, but mostly just evil.
“I’m sure you can work something out,” Mama said hopefully. “After all, it’s just a puppy and every puppy needs a good home, right?”
“He’s more than a puppy,” the shelter worker went on, her skin crawling, “Even though he was the runt, he terrorized all of his littermates until he had crushed their very souls with arrogance and fuzzy paws. His mother weaned him early, because…” She looked around uncomfortably and leaned in toward Mama. “She has burns on every one of them, you know what I mean?”
“He’s a runt?!” Kagome blurted out, hearing none of the rest. “We have to get him, mama!”
“I understand, Kagome,” her mother replied and turned to the shelter worker, “I think we can handle different.”
“This is more than just different.”
“I know, but I think we can handle the challenge.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“If you take him, we’ll disavow any knowledge of the hell-beast. You won’t be able to bring him back.”
At the mercy of her daughter’s big, hopeful eyes, Mama sighed. “He’ll be ours forever.”
“Swear?”
“Yes.”
“In blood?”
“What?!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mama sucked on her sore thumb, her tongue soothing the cut. Really, how much blood had they needed? There must have been twenty more forms to sign. They should get their bureaucracy under control. And no band-aids on top of it all. Ridiculous.
Mama looked down at her daughter. Cuddled in her arms, Kagome cradled her new pet, her cheek nuzzling the top of its head. With one brow furrowed, he peered up at her, perturbed by this affection thing she was showering him with. Glowering and snarling didn’t seem to affect her. Instead it just incited her to press her lips against his forehead with gentle kisses. He was a vicious demon. His was a destiny that inspired fear, not kissing.
“Do you know what you’re going to name him?” Mama asked.
To get a good look at him, Kagome turned his world turned upside down as she laid him onto his back and up against the crook of her arm.
“He acts so tough,” Kagome remarked while she examined his astonished face.
“In that case, you should give him a name that matches.”
“Sesshoumaru. I think I’ll call him Sesshoumaru,” she decided, and then lightly bopped his cold nose with her fingertip.
With this fresh indignity, a new echelon of wrath consumed him. She would pay for these insults! He was not her toy! Her thing to name. And the bopping of his nose was not something freely accepted, but a privilege to earn! But as quickly as his rage swelled, it was even more quickly squelched when her impudent fingers found his belly. After only a few scritches, he melted into a puddle of absolute bliss. His ragged tongue lolled from his maw. His ego looked down on him with utter abhorrence, but he found it harder and harder to care with each delightful scratch.
“Kagome,” Mama said.
“Yes, mama?”
“Do you remember what the lady said?”
Kagome nodded, and shifted her puppy so that his face hung out over the sidewalk. “Always point his head away.”
“That’s right.”
With a hiss, a droplet of drool from his tongue hit the pavement.
“I wonder if Sesshoumaru’s going to melt holes in the train floor.”
“We’ll find out,” Mama replied with her standard, cheerful smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those who have raised dogs know they grow fast. Inside of two years, many breeds reach their adult size. And while demon dogs aren’t any different, there is a matter of perspective. A very big perspective.
Kagome sat down on her cushion beside the living room table. Set before her was a bowl of rice porridge, steam wafting from it as it cooled. Next to it was a saucer with part of a rolled omelet and on the other side, a cup of tea. After saying a quick and exuberant thanks, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
Hearing her daughter from the kitchen, Mama stepped through the doorway. She wore a long robe and held a hot cup of tea in her hand.
“So you finally woke up?” she said, and took a sip.
“I’m sorry!” Kagome blurted out, her mouth stuffed full. “I stayed up too late working on my project.”
“That’s what happens when you put…”
“When you put off your homework until the last minute,” she finished her mother’s chiding in a monotonous tone. “You had three weeks to work on it, and you didn’t start on it until yesterday after dinner. I hope you’ve learned something from this.”
“Somehow I don’t think you learned anything from this.”
“Probably not.”
“You are my incorrigible child.”
Kagome grinned with bits of porridge glued to her lips.
“And now you’re late,” her mother continued.
“Late?!”
“It’s after seven-thirty.”
“I’m gonna miss the train!” Kagome exclaimed as she shoveled the rest of her food into her mouth and washed it down with what was left of the tea.
“Not if you hurry,” Mama said, and handed her a napkin to wipe her face.
The now dirty napkin fluttered to the floor as Kagome raced out of the room and down the hallway. Her backpack was waiting for her by the entryway with her boxed lunch already tucked inside. Barely slowing down, she flung the bag onto her back as she kicked off her house slippers and pulled on her loafers. She slid the front door open, and tore across the shrine courtyard and down the stairs. Below her, a man climbed up the cement steps. Oblivious or uncaring, Kagome bumped into him as she rocketed by, nearly knocking him over.
“Sorry!” she yelled without a shred of remorse.
“These damn Higurashis were nothing but rude,” the man grumbled under his breath, and started back up the stairs. Soon he reached the courtyard and headed toward the house. Leaning against the frame of the still open doorway was Mama and her cup of tea.
“Good morning… Hasekura-san?” Mama called out, trying to remember her new neighbor’s name. “This is an unexpected visit.”
“Eh, good morning, Higurashi,” he replied begrudgingly.
“I don’t mean to be unpleasant or discourteous,” she said, “But I have to leave for work shortly. If you and perhaps your wife would like to come over this evening, I would be only too happy to entertain you both…”
“It won’t take long,” he interrupted.
Mama sighed, and took a sip from her lukewarm tea.
“Where I come from, we treat our neighbors with a certain degree of propriety. After all, to be Japanese is to be respectful. Now we may be new to this neighborhood, but we like anyone else here deserve that respect.”
“How have I been disrespectful, Hasekura-san?” she asked.
“You haven’t, but your dog has.”
“Sesshoumaru is a noble dog.”
“He crapped on our yard!”
“In your yard.”
“No, ON it. There’s no yard left but where his giant leavings are!”
“Oh,” she said, and took another sip.
“And it’s melting through the ground!”
“That’s not so bad,” she soothed. “Give it a few days and it’ll be deep enough for you to cover up with dirt.”
“Dirt?”
“Believe me; you’ll have such beautiful flowers in the spring.”
“I’m not covering anything up with dirt!” he yelled in exasperation. “You are the one who needs to rectify this! Your dog is a menace! You have no control over it, and I’m going to call animal services. Your other neighbors may be willing to put up with this, but I won’t!”
“Would you like the number?”
“What?”
“I’ve got it printed out,” she said. “You can call them now if you’d like. But I can guarantee you that they won’t show up.”
“Then I’ll call the police!”
“You can try, but…”
“The army!”
Mama chuckled. “Sesshoumaru thinks missiles are sticks to play with. He can be quite adorable sometimes.”
“My lawyer!”
“Ooh, you should have seen the last lawyer who tried to serve Sesshoumaru a summons. It was like the scene from that dinosaur movie when…”
The seismic thumping of paws vibrated the ground.
“Ah,” Mama smiled, “He’s back from his morning walk. I’ll deal with him now, and then we’ll be on good terms, right?”
Hasekura made no acknowledgment as a giant white head appeared above the treetops. In an agreeable mood, Sesshoumaru padded into the courtyard, but that changed when he spotted the intruder.
“Oh, you found another cow,” Mama called out when she noticed the brown, mooing animal in his mouth. She turned to Hasekura, “I don’t know where he finds them. My best guess is that he gets them from Kobe.”
Tossing his head back, Sesshoumaru wolfed down his beef-flavored doggy treat.
Hasekura winced.
“Sesshoumaru,” she called out again, “Were you over at the Hasekura house this morning?”
The demon looked away.
“Hasekura-san says you were and that you left a special present behind. We’ve talked about where it’s okay to do your business.”
His lip curled in annoyance, revealing his sharp teeth.
“You need to apologize to Hasekura-san.”
The dog leveled his red glare on the diminutive man.
“Really, I don’t think that’s necessary,” Hasekura said with a gulp.
“No, he needs to learn his lesson. That’s what you wanted, right? A degree of propriety and respect that’s indicative of all things Japanese.”
“Yes, yes, but I have since changed my mind. Let us have a more informal and forgiving friendship, Higurashi-san.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” he answered, his eyes never wavering from the giant demon as he backed away. “I must go now. As you said, you have work, and I must order a rather large quantity of dirt.”
“I have a number for that too.”
Hasekura didn’t hear her, because he was in fact already halfway across the courtyard in a determined dash for the stairs. Every few strides, he glanced over his shoulder, making sure that the demon was exactly where he last saw him. Not that it would make much of a difference if it was suddenly hungry for more than cow.
Mama finished off her tea, and cast a shrewd look at Sesshoumaru. “Sometimes I think you just like to hassle the new neighbors.”
The dog stared at her blankly as if to absolve himself of any culpability.
Mama snorted and walked back into the house. After a quick shower, she dressed in her business attire and put on just enough makeup. With her head crooked, she was putting on her earrings when she headed back toward the entryway. Then she stopped. A big piece of folded, white cardboard in the hallway caught her eye. She picked it up and opened its leaves. In its white glue, glitter and construction paper glory, it was her daughter’s project on the unmatched glory of her big white dog, Sesshoumaru.
“Oh, Kagome,” Mama said softly. She looked up at the clock. It was almost eight-thirty.
There was no time for her to drop it off. If only Hasekura hadn’t come by this morning.
Mama carried it over to the entryway and set it down. She slipped on her sensible heels and slung her purse over her shoulder. Taking a step out into the courtyard, she shut the sliding door behind her. There wasn’t any need to lock it. Thieves knew better than to come here.
Absorbing every ray of morning sun, Sesshoumaru was laying down next to the house. With a look of boredom, his eyes scanned the cityscape just beyond the trees.
“Your little girl forgot her homework assignment on you this morning, and I don’t have any time to take it to her,” Mama vented to him in passing on her way toward the steps. “Now, she’ll have to take it in tomorrow and hope the teacher will accept it.” She sighed. “Sometimes, I don’t know what I’m going to do with the both of you.”
In a moment, Mama disappeared down the steps, and headed for the closest train station. Sesshoumaru looked back at the house. His young ward was in need and her attendant was unavailable, which was expected given the day and time. With a shake of his head, he thrust out his chest indignantly. He, the terrifying lord of the west was not a delivery service. And he most definitely didn’t play fetch.
His determined surveillance of the horizon however proved to be a more difficult battle than he anticipated. As if it were an invisible leash, his conscience tugged at his head. It pulled his eyes from the cityscape and before he could realize it, he was looking at the front door again. ‘It was a project about his magnificence, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t be in his best interests to deprive her teacher and fellow students of this important information. What a loss. This Sesshoumaru could not abide by that,’ he convinced himself.
Writing off how easily he had persuaded himself as the expert reasoning of a perfect being, Sesshoumaru reached out toward the door. Using his nose, he nudged it open. As he inhaled lightly, papers started to flutter and the framed pictures on the wall rocked. Being so close to him, the folded piece of cardboard took flight and flapped its way to his mouth. He caught it with his lips, taking great care to not let his saliva touch. He didn’t need to melt the testament to his awesomeness.
The essence of pride and determination, Sesshoumaru stood up. The breeze blew, rustling the tops of the trees and ruffling his fur in the most dramatic way possible. And as the moment reached its pitch, he took off.
In a single bound, he leapt down the shrine’s steps. Landing heavily on the street below, he shook the nearby buildings to their foundations. But the patrons at the corner cafes and noodle shops couldn’t be bothered by his passing, unconsciously picking up their cups and bowls without lifting their eyes from their laptops.
With his nose in the air, he trotted down the street. Swerving around his paws, cars screeched and honked. Unfortunately for them, he paid little mind to their scurrying and occasional crumpling. Kagome had to be somewhere. Again, he sniffed in the city and searched for her scent. When he did however, a strange and rather infuriating odor caught his attention instead and distracted him from his objective.
Stopping just in time to miss hitting a careening bus filled with screaming passengers, Sesshoumaru looked down and spotted a small dog. With its leg lifted, the dog stared back at him. On the concrete wall beside it was a wet stain.
‘This is not your territory,’ the demon growled.
“Woof!” the dog barked.
‘Why you insolent runt, do you dare to challenge my authority over this domain?’
“Woof!”
‘I can assure you that you will not win,’ he warned and circled around the afflicted skyscraper several times before sidling up next to it. With the ease of experience, the great youkai raised its leg. A boiling spray of yellow-green struck the building, shattering through windows as it gushed in. The concrete and steel beams began to bubble and pop. Below, people shrieking in horror fled out of the slowly melting building.
Raising a brow, Sesshoumaru looked haughtily at his challenger. With its tail tucked between its legs, the terrified dog wet the sidewalk a bit before taking off. Snorting in triumph, the demon trotted off, indifferent to the fire engine sirens wailing in the distance.
Again he sniffed the air. Where was that infernally adorable ward of his? Then his floppy ears perked up. Faint in the breeze, he finally caught her scent. It was mixed with dozens of other similar ones, leaving him no doubt that she was at this school place of hers. He headed through a maze of streets and squeezed down a few alleys. He tested the air and his padding steps quickened. She was close!
Kaboom!
The ground shook and for once, it wasn’t his doing. Sesshoumaru turned around, searching for the source. Then coming as another shock, masses of people were fleeing toward him instead of away. Surely, this was an ill omen.
Kaboom!
A sky shattering roar echoed through the city.
“Gojira!” the crowd shouted as they ran past his paws. Oddly enough though, the rhythm of their lips didn’t quite match. “Gojira! Gojira!”
‘Gojira?’ he thought, and his eyes narrowed as he saw a reptilian shadow fall past the buildings ahead. The demon set down his homework project on a ledge and growled.
Swamp green and covered in gnarled scales, Godzilla stepped out into the intersection. As it did, it swung its tail, knocking down a row of buildings with one swipe. Carrying his head low and raising the ridge of fur on his back high, Sesshoumaru moved out to face the giant lizard.
Sesshoumaru vs. Godzilla… FIGHT!
The demon charged. Quicker than it looked, Godzilla twisted around, and as Sesshoumaru leapt for it, it hit him hard with its tail. Sesshoumaru flew back and into a building. Crumbling chunks of concrete fell from the gaping, giant dog-sized hole. In a flash, the demon jumped out. He shook the dust and bits of shattered office furniture from his fur. Then without wasting a moment, he lunged again. As he expected, Godzilla swung its tail up. Twisting out of the way, Sesshoumaru dove under as it passed, and then sprang up, his jaws locking onto the lizard’s throat.
Clamped on tightly, he allowed himself a snarl of satisfaction as he bit down. Godzilla roared with rage, and Sesshoumaru’s moment of success vaporized when he saw a bright orange glow building in the lizard’s throat.
‘Son of a…’ he thought as he let go in time to dodge the beam of liquid fire that erupted from Godzilla’s jaws. After disintegrating every building in its path, the fire sunk through the ground like lava.
Justifiably pleased that he didn’t get hit by that, Sesshoumaru eyed his adversary. It had been a long time since he had found an opponent this worthy, and what he liked even more was this move. So much so, he thought it might be fun to give it a try. Focusing on his gut, he concentrated his poison into his throat. Ahead, Godzilla was readying another burst of fire, but as a green glow emanated from the demon’s jaws; its efforts came too late.
A blast of scorching, green acid shot from Sesshoumaru’s mouth, hitting the lizard square in the chest. It screeched in agony as it began to dissolve.
FINISH HIM!
Sesshoumaru ran up to the flailing lizard and grabbed it by the back of the neck. With the hard shake only a dog can give, the demon whipped its neck back and forth until he heard a pleasant snap. Godzilla was dead.
Dropping his doggy toy, Sesshoumaru trotted off to find his delivery and picked it up off of its ledge. Now, where was Kagome? Weaving his way around the chaos of emergency vehicles and military tanks, he looked for the school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a row on a long counter, a colorful collection of school projects sat on display. With his hands clasped behind his back, Nishi-sensei walked past each one, surveying their glitter content and crayon composition. Create a tribute to your favorite thing was the theme of the assignment, and as he checked the last one off, he noticed that one was missing.
“Higurashi Kagome,” he called out dryly.
Her face buried in her hands, she peeked up at the sound of her name.
“Higurashi Kagome!”
She didn’t stir.
“Higurashi Kagome!”
“I’m sorry, sensei!” she yelled. “I didn’t mean to forget it! It’s all finished, I promise you! I just have to bring it! Please forgive me and accept it tomorrow!”
“Higurashi Kagome, your dog is here!”
“What?”
He pointed to the window.
She stood up and looked out to see the large, slightly evil face of her dog demon. Wedged in his lips, she spotted her homework assignment. She ran up to the window and unlatched it. Sliding it open, she called out to him, “Sesshoumaru! You brought me my homework! You’re such a good dog! I love you so much!”
Basking in her admiration, the demon opened his jaws, and in a rare moment of forgetfulness, he inhaled deep as he sighed. The battered piece of folded cardboard flapped its way to the back of his mouth and disappeared down his throat.
“Sesshoumaru!”
He whined. ‘Whoops.’
“Higurashi Kagome, where is your homework?” Nishi-sensei asked when his most troublesome pupil didn’t turn around after a while.
“My dog… ate it.”
A/N: This was a Christmas exchange present for Velvet Sometimes. I hope everyone else who reads it, enjoys it too. It was fun, so I might do more in the future.