The Best Kind of Friend by Katie33h

one

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and co. not I.

AN This is my first AU so go easy on me will you kids. Constructive criticism is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1

Kagome's eyes looked around her and locked into the man sitting next to her on the couch in her family's home. He looked so regal, so proud, so stoic, and so out of place. No matter where he was, on the bus, in her mom's hooptie, sitting on the grass, he always looked like he should be sitting on a golden throne. It was how he held himself, and it never faltered.

They had met nearly 11 years ago. She was just a kid then, almost 6 years old. Her father had just left, or they left him, either way he was gone. Her mother, younger brother, just a baby at the time, and herself moved into the shrine that her grandfather ran.

At the time she didn't understand what had happened to her family. One day they were happy and complete, a mom, dad, 2 kids, and a fat cat; then they had to leave. Her mom and dad yelled at one another a lot, or at least her dad yelled at her mom a lot. Her mom wasn't the type of person to yell; rather she would smile and exude nothing but love and kindness. Her innocent mind didn't understand at the time what was happening to her mom; why she had to leave. She thought her mom was being mean trying to keep them away from her father. Kagome never saw the bruises on her mom; she didn't understand the cruelty in the words he spoke.

Her first night at the shrine she couldn't sleep. The house on the shrine was fine, but the shrine grounds were big, and spooky, and there was something in the air; some power that she could feel but didn't understand. In the middle of the night she found herself staring out of her second story window down unto the shrine grounds. There was movement near the God Tree, the guardian of the shrine, she squinted and strained her eyes, but she couldn't see anything. Just as she turned to go back to bed the clouds that had been covering the moon shifted and an eerie light filled the courtyard.

Next to the God Tree there was a white dog. His fur was so bright it almost looked silver. He glowed like the moon itself. At first she thought he was a ghost, but he looked so real there was no way he was a spirit of some kind. But, there was something wrong with him. He looked well fed, his fur was clean, but, that wasn't it. He looked sad, lonely, lost.

She watched him for awhile. She didn't know when she fell asleep; she woke up the next morning still at her window. She hoped her dog would be outside still. She cried when she looked out the window and he wasn't there.

That day, on her way home from school, she stopped and used the money she had scrounged up around the house and saved from her lunch money and bought a small bag of dog food. She figured from the size of that dog that the bag would maybe make one meal, but that was ok; as long as he was fed.

Before she went to bed she dumped the little bag of dog food in front of the God Tree. She tried to stay up long enough to see him again, to see if he would eat the food, but her little body just didn't have the stamina and she feel asleep. First thing in the morning she ran out to see if he ate the food, but he didn't.

For months she would go without lunch so she could save her money and buy her dog food and treats. He would never eat them, but on the nights that she was able to stay up and see him, she thought she could see his gratitude in his body language.

The thought finally occurred to her that maybe he didn't like dog food! He looked well fed, so maybe he was being fed elsewhere, although the thought that he was some else's dog killed her. That was when she decided that maybe he just wanted real food and not dog food; so she started leaving real food, steak, chicken, hot dogs, bacon, whatever she could get her hands on. The only thing he would ever eat was hot dogs, and only if they where warm. So, every night she would leave him warm hot dogs under the God Tree.

Eventually her family noticed that the hot dog supply was mysteriously depleting. They were sitting down at their evening meal when her mother brought it up.

"Kagome, you wouldn't happen to know where the hot dogs have been disappearing to would you?"

Kagome choked a little on her food and blushed; a sure sign on her guilt.

"If you have been eating all those hot dogs its ok honey, maybe we should be feeding you more at breakfast, or packing your lunch for school so that you will have more..."

Her grandfather looked up from his news paper and cleared his throat, interrupting her mom's concerned speech. "Kagome hasn't been eating the hot dogs."

Kagome shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked from her grandfather to her mother.

"Dad, what has she been doing with them then? You have to admit it is quite peculiar, we are going through a pack every other day." Her mother scratched her head as she thought.

"She is giving them to Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru?" Her other and her mother said in unison.

"Does no one in this house listen to my stories? I have told you about the great and horrible Dog General a thousand times. Especially you young lady, I've been telling you of him since you were just a babe!" He waved an accusing finger at his daughter.

Kagome's mom cocked her head to the side for a moment then held up a single finger as the light in her head clicked on. "Yes, Father, I remember the stories. Is this Sesshomaru the Great Dog General?"

"No, no, no! Fine! I will tell you again, but this will be the last time, so you had better listen! Both of you!"

As Kagome's mother cleared the table of their dinner plates her grandfather filled a glass with some sake and began his tale.

"The great and horrible Dog Demon was a demon of unimaginable power. He was thousands of years old and literally shaped the history of Japan. He was in many great battles. It was because of him that demons and humans are now able to co-exist.

"Things were not always as they were now. When I was a just a boy the world was in turmoil. Demons and humans did not live together. Humans feared them and for centuries had tried to kill them off, many wars have been fought over our places in this world.

"The Dog General was unlike most demons who looked down on humans, he respected us and embraced our weaknesses. Most demons think that our emotions and mortality are weak, but he felt that knowing one was going to die meant that they lived out every day to its fullest. He was truly a great man."

"You knew him?" Kagome was completely absorbed in the story. Every word her grandfather said she committed to memory.

"Of course I knew him. He came here often and we would talk."

"Oh, grandpa, you and your stories." Kagome's mom shook her head as she put another cup on the rack to dry.

"This is a true story child!" He sputtered.

"I didn't say it wasn't." Her mother laughed gently at the old man.

"So who is Sesshomaru then?" Kagome said, excited to hear where he came into the story.

"Sesshomaru is his son."

"Oh." It was all Kagome could say. Her dog was really a demon. Who would have guessed?!

"The great General died a little over a year ago. I don't know how he died, but he was taken from this world all too early. We all should mourn his passing. Since he died Sesshomaru has been coming around here almost every night. I don't know why, maybe because he can still smell his father here, maybe because he knew this place was special to his father, but he didn't know why."

"That's why he looks so lost." Kagome slumped down in her chair.

"Yes child, I suppose so."

"Do you think he would talk to me? Is there anything I can do to make him feel better?" Tears ran down her face as she spoke. Her mother hugged her and picked her up to sit on her lap and gently rock her.

"Maybe; that's up to Sesshomaru."

Almost a year after they had come to live at the shrine Kagome came home from school to find her mother crying and holding onto her grandfather like she was a child herself.

"Mamma..." Kagome's mother scooped her up and held her as she continued to cry. Kagome patted her mother's back and did everything she could think of to comfort her mother. She didn't know what was wrong. Her mother was her parent. She was supposed to be strong. Why was she crying?

"Kagome... It's your father... he's ... dead..."

Dead? What did that mean? Her young mind couldn't grasp the concept. How could he be dead? He was her father; he couldn't die. She didn't believe her mom. She didn't want to because it couldn't be true; it just couldn't.

Kagome didn't cry. She helped to take care of her brother for that night and the next day. She helped cook dinner and clean up. She hugged her mom every chance she could get. She held her mom while she mourned.

The next night she snuck out well after midnight. She sat under the God Tree and begged the gods to let her father not be dead. Didn't they understand that even though she had not seen him in a year she still loved him and therefore he couldn't be gone forever? Didn't they have the power to bring him back?

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she dug her nails into the ground and begged.

She didn't now how long she had been out there when she felt a warm gust of wind blow across her face. She turned her head to the side, coming face to face with her dog, Sesshomaru.

He was bigger in person than he looked from her second story window. Her whole head could easily fit in his mouth. Despite being nose to nose with a giant demonic dog, she was not afraid.

His bright red eyes searched her own for a moment. She felt as if he could see into her somehow. She looked right back into him. Searching him for all she was worth. Who knew if she would ever have this chance again?

He moved his warm wet nose over her face and then down her body as if he were looking for something there as well. She sat perfectly still and allowed him to sniff her.

Finally, once all examining was over, he sat down next to her and faced the God Tree as well. Kagome looked from him back to the tree then down to her lap and began to fiddle with her sleeping gown.

"My Dad died." She finally said; tears began to stream down her cheeks once more. Suddenly a very warm, very wet tongue ran up her cheek; licking away her tears.

She tried to contain herself, she really did. But, there was no stopping it, she threw her arms around his massive neck and hugged him. She buried her face in his soft fur and cried her heart out.

They stayed that way for awhile under the God Tree, Kagome finding comfort in her dog and in some way he in her. Once her tears stopped falling she found the strength in her self to leave the warmth and comfort of his fur. As she pulled away from him she left a gentle kiss on his large nose and whispered her gratitude to him.

"Thank you Sesshomaru."

Upon hearing his name the dog instantly stiffened and began to back away from her, baring his fangs and growling. Kagome gasped and scooted away from him on her butt, trying to get as much distance as possible. What was wrong with him? Why was he angry all of a sudden?

"Sesshomaru..." she whispered, reaching her hand out to him, palm up.

She watched, transfixed, as he disappeared in a bright flash of light and in his place stood a young boy. He was older than her by maybe 5 or 6 years, in his early teens. His long silver hair whipped around him, propelled by some kind of unnatural wind. He was dressed like some kind of little warrior in white silk clothing covered by black armor made of bone and leather and on his shoulder rested a some kind of thick fur boa-thing. On his cheeks were magenta stripes that stood out in contrast against his pale skin. The only thing that gave away his identity as her dog was the little blue crescent moon proudly displayed on his brow.

Kagome was in complete awe, he was beautiful, like an angel. Her dog was an angel! She couldn't have been happier.

Her happiness was short lived and died as he narrowed his golden eyes at her and opened his mouth to speak.

"Stop gawking you pathetic human girl. How do you know the identity of this Sesshomaru?"

Kagome was dumbstruck. Just a minute ago he was a sweet dog who was letting her cry on his shoulder and now he was some haughty, arrogant, little man, talking down to her and looking at her as if she were nothing.

"My grandfather knew your dad." She clenched her teeth as she spoke in an attempt to keep her temper in check.

"I see." He crossed his hands behind his back and turned away from her to stare at the God Tree.

"You ... you... you turned into a human!" She gawked at him, once she got her wits about her and the realization set in, pointing her finger.

"Ridiculous. I am a demon. Are your human eyes that weak or are you lacking mentally?" He turned his icy gaze back to her. She definitely liked him better as a dog.

"You look like a normal boy to me." Now it was her turn to dismiss him and gaze at the tree.

"Can a normal boy do this." He picked up a rock his hand began to glow green around the stone. Then he opened his hand the stone was being eaten away by the green acid he doused it with. Her smirked at the look of shock on her face.

"Wow, that was really neat. Can you do other stuff too..."

After that day Sesshomaru began visiting the shrine more and more often in his human form. Later Kagome learned that when his father died Sesshomaru had become depressed and chose to stay in his true form, wandering the city, to avoid his mother and others who tried to comfort him. At the time he didn't know how his father died so he followed his father's scent trying to find him. One of the many places it lead him was to the Sunset Shrine. He told her that there was something about the shrine that drew him back and he felt comforted by it some how.

Naturally, getting this information out of Sesshomaru had been like pulling teeth, but in the end she got it.

Kagome was pulled out of her musings when she realized Sesshomaru was saying something to her.

"Huh?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop THAT."

Kagome looked down where he was indicating to see that while she was remising she had been braiding the ends of his hair. She blushed and dropped the hair. "Sorry" she muttered.

Kagome leaned back on the couch and returned her attention to the movie they were watching. The move progressed and Kagome cried when the heroin died. Sesshomaru looked at her like she was stupid for crying and she threw her tissue at him.

It had always been a kind of tradition for her to spend her birthday with him. This was the first year she had a party with her girlfriends over. She was 17 and way over due for a birthday party. Sesshomaru came but spent most of the time talking to her grandfather until the girls left. She could understand if he, a grown man, didn't want to spend time with a bunch of 17 year old girls. As soon as the girls left Kagome and Sesshomaru made themselves comfortable on the couch to watch a movie and spend a little more time together.

Kagome sighed as the couple on the screen shared a romantic kiss under a cherry tree. "Hey Sesshomaru, will you marry me?" She said out of seemingly nowhere.

The hand that had been idly rubbing her legs that were resting across his lap stilled instantly.

"What?"

"Not now! I mean someday. How about this; if we turn 30 and are still single we will get married?"

Sesshomaru regarded her out of the corner of his eyes. What was she on about? "Kagome, I'm going to turn 30 before you." He tried to reason with her.

"Ok, well then when I turn 30."

"I am in no hurry to find a mate."

"Well I don't have forever you know." She huffed.

"I'll think about it." He said finally

Kagome huffed and looked back at the TV ignoring her companion. Something hard hit her in the chest and landed in her lap. Kagome looked at the offending object to see a bright pink cell phone sitting in her lap. It was the one that she had wanted, but her mother couldn't afford.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Happy Birthday Kagome."

"Oh THANK YOU THANK YOU thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she squealed throwing her arms around his neck and planting wet kisses on his cheek.

Sesshomaru simply shrugged her off. "The bill is coming to me so don't get too carried away." When she moved to jump him again he held his hand out to stop her. "Watch the movie."

Kagome sat back and sighed happy, ignoring the movie in favor of playing with her new phone.