Queen of the Kennel by Fluffy's Lady

A Sister in Fate Shall Be Found

Hey all, what's up? Me? I'm bored, in pain; don't feel like writing unless it's on this story that's been bugging me for nearly three months now. So, here you go, another sess/kag story straight from the twisted mind of FL. lol. Enjoy!!

Title: Queen of the Kennel

Summary: Sesshomaru was placed under a curse, he was to remain a normal dog until he could find someone to love him. How long will it take to return him to normal? Let's just say, over 500 years.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co. or Netflix. Sun-L is a real company but I don't own it. I do own a four-wheeler by them, though, and my little brother has a dirt bike. But I do own Sisters in Fate, Torani and co., and the spells that I use. Plus, Mi-mi's Books. If you want to use something of mine, simply ask and explain. ;D

"Speech"

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'mind speech'

thoughts

Sesshomaru raised his sensitive nose and gave a light sniff. There were so many new smells in this strange, foreign land. He internally grumbled that he was bored enough to chase Naraku all the way to the North American continent. The scenery was beautiful, he had to admit. Rolling hills filled with lush blue flowers, yellow daisies and what he heard a native call "Indian Paintbrush". Whatever, he wasn't here for the scenery.

His quarry stood before him, a devious smirk on his face. A young woman stood beside him, a fierce look on her face. The Taiyoukai could sense the magic rolling off of her in waves. He would have to be careful if he wished to leave this fight the victor.

"Naraku, it appears as if you need help, yet again, defeating This Sesshomaru," he taunted.

The evil hanyou's face twisted in rage. "That may be, but this time I will make sure you stay down. Or rather, my Sister will," he said with a gracious wave of his hand in acknowledgement of the young woman beside him.

"Sister." Sesshomaru said in a flat tone. "And here I was under the impression that you were an only bastard child."

"Oh, believe me, she is not my sister by birth. But, rather, a part of a local organization called Sisters in Fate. Apparently, they are the monitors of all things magical on this continent. The best of the best, I'm told. And, to top it all off, they are able to be hired out." He grinned sadistically at this. "I just happen to have enough funds to convince this beautiful spell caster to aid me in my cause. Crain, if you will."

The woman, Crain, stepped forward, her eyes boldly scanning Sesshomaru's form. She watched in wicked glee as his hands clenched on Bakusaiga's hilt. "Please, release your weapon, it will do you no good," she said with a musical lilt to her voice. One tanned hand came to flick a lock of her golden hair over her shoulder.

She was human, that was about all Sesshomaru could sense of her. But, she wasn't a normal human. Normal humans didn't have this much magical power rolling off them in torrential waves. Even his half-brother's miko would be hard pressed to beat this woman, such was the level of her power. He drew his sword, keeping both eyes trained on the woman who had once more raised her hands.

"Ready? I told you to relax, there's no need to use that silly toy. It will do you no good." The spell caster smirked again when he merely narrowed his eyes. "Fine, but if you don't put it away it's only going to magnify the spell's effect on you," she warned, still smirking.

"Just get on with it, woman!" Naraku hissed, fear rolling off him in waves. He wasn't one to dally this long when he had the upper hand and this woman's playful taunting was making him on edge.

"Oh poo, it looks like our playtime has come to an end," Crain pouted. "Alright, here you go." Her voice dropped an octave yet stayed the same as she spoke, coming out in an alto and tenor at the same time.

"A sister in fate shall be found,

Before from this spell you can be unbound.

Her touch will warm, her voice will soothe

Until all things shall be made new.

Time hath no hand in this play,

But will await the day.

Powers you have not,

But they are not lost."

As she finished, Sesshomaru, who had been frozen at the onset of the spell, felt his form growing smaller and longer. His clothes, armor and weapons all turned into fur. The Taiyoukai's face elongated into a muzzle but his markings had vanished. He dropped onto his hands and knees as his arms turned into front legs and his legs turned into a dog's back legs. Now, where the most powerful taiyoukai in Japan once stood, there was a large white dog.

His ears were folded over, not long and floppy like in his true form. His eyes were the pure gold of his humanoid state and his fur remained the smooth white it once was. He no longer had the band of his mokomoko-sama running across his back, instead he looked...normal.

Naraku smirked as he looked down at the dog. This was going just the way he wanted. He stepped forward to deliver a punishing kick to the animal's ribs, only to be stopped by the Sister.

"Alright, I turned that handsome demon into a dog, just like you wanted. Now, where is the rest of my payment?" she demanded, her hand outstretched.

"Consider your life the rest of your payment," Naraku hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed on the woman before him.

"We made a deal," Crain said, suddenly sounding very serious. "Either pay up or face the consequences."

Naraku barked out a harsh laugh. "Since when do you think you can order me around? I hired you, I am your boss, you are bound by the rules of your organization!" he crowed.

A slow, evil smile spread across the spell caster's face. "Tell me, half-demon, do you know what the rules of my 'organization' are?" This was too easy, ignorance was never bliss, at least, not in her life. Her life consisted of constantly being on her toes. As one of the ruling triad of Sisters, she had to be aware of every movement of every Sister in the group. "There are no 'rules'," she hissed. "The only requirements are you must be no younger than fourteen years of age to join, there are only ten sisters serving at a time, and we are ruled by a triad of sisters. One of the triad is the ultimate Sister, the final word in everything. Regrettably, that is not me; rather, it belongs to my blood sister, Ani, An for short." The smile instantly left her face. "And the final rule is, 'If a Sister is refused payment by her employer, she is entitled to take it out in pounds of flesh.' So, half-demon, prepare for the worst beating of your life. What little money you gave me before was not my commission. Actually it went into An's coffers, as does a percentage of all monies earned by a sister."

Naraku was scared now, more scared than he had been in his entire life. If this woman was powerful enough to take down Sesshomaru, there was no telling what she would do to him. The worse part about it was, though, that she had no emotional ties to threaten. The hanyou gulped audibly before gathering himself in his miasma and fleeing the woman, not hearing the spell she cast on him.

"Where you land is where you stay,

Where you will await your fate.

You shall die a pitiless death

With no one who has remorse left.

My payment shall come

In the number of one.

A woman of power, a woman of strength,

She shall be the end your length."

The magical energy that had gathered in her hands shot after the fleeing hanyou, streaking like blue lightning across the sky. She smiled an evil smile when she heard the screech of pain as her magic connected with its target. "So be it," she whispered.

Crain turned to leave, noticing for the first time the dog that still stared at her, his lips raised in a silent snarl. "Now, now, pup," she cooed. "Don't take your anger out on me. I have nothing personal against you, I was simply in need of money. And since I didn't get the rest of my payment, I'll play nice. I'll give you a hint on how to lift your spell, but nothing more," she said waving her index finger in a chastising manner at the now furiously snarling dog. "Stay here, in this country. One of the lesser sisters is a Seer, meaning she can see the future. She told me this would happen but I ignored her. Foolish of me, no? Anyway, I requested information on you and, as it turns out, your best bet for lifting the spell is to remain in this country. Eventually, this place will turn into a state of the most powerful country the world will ever see. Your spell shall end here, in Texas as it will come to be known. That is all I can tell you for that is all I know. Ta ta!" She waved at the dog, turning to leave before she heard a voice echo in her head.

'What will I eat, woman? This Sesshomaru does not eat human food.' his voice sounded in her head, vicious, snarling and full of anger.

Crain turned back to Sesshomaru, assessing him critically. "Well, now that you're a dog, I suggest you do what your ancestors did, eat whatever you can to survive. Just don't go after humans, you'll be killed for that. Oh! That reminds me; if you are killed, don't worry. You'll be reincarnated and whelped from a normal bitch, just like every other dog out there." She winked one grey-green eye at his shocked look. "Like I said 'Time hath no hand in this play,' meaning that you will live forever until you are killed then brought back. Between each death, though, you'll be granted a reprieve. You will be granted twenty years of peace in the afterlife in between each life here. But, here's the catch, you'll be a dog and no one who knows you will recognize you." She waved, turning to leave once more. "Ta ta!"

Sesshomaru sat on his hindquarters, utterly stupefied. How on earth did I let this happen to me? he thought despondently. His sighed before standing and making his way across the rolling hills of what would eventually be called "Texas." He had been turned into a dog and that meant he had to eat, at least, that was what his growling stomach told him.

&&&&

Three years have passed since that fateful day, Kagome thought lazily as she lay on a floaty raft in her pool. We were walking along the beach one afternoon when Naraku suddenly appeared. Everyone was stunned at his appearance; no one knew quite what to think. I was the first to regain my thoughts... She drifted peacefully, soaking up the late afternoon sun. After we completed the jewel, Inuyasha made his wish and I left. Once I got back home, I finished high school and went on to college here in California. Today is the third anniversary of his defeat. She sighed heavily. Her landlord was calling her, which could only mean one of two things. One, her rent was overdue and he'd come to collect, or, two, he wanted to flirt again. This time, it turned out to be the latter.

"Miss Higurashi," the bald, portly man smiled broadly. "How are you today? I was just walking by and couldn't help but notice you were soaking up the afternoon sun. What a beautiful sight you make, in your 'its-bitsy, teensy-weensy, yellow polka-dot bikini'."

Kagome frowned, turned over off her raft and swam to the side of her pool. "Hello, Mr. Lark. I am just fine and I was just getting out of the pool." She placed on hand on the metal rail, walking up the steps and over to the lawn chair that held her towel. "How can I help you?" she asked as she wrapped herself in the giant piece of terry-cloth.

"I was just delivering your mail," he said hurriedly, reaching to open the latch to the gate.

He stopped when his young tenant called out. "Thank you, sir. Please just leave it in the mail box and I'll pick it up when I walk that way."

The old man nodded, a bit upset that he wouldn't get more of a sight that the young woman provided in her bathing suit. He opened the black box labeled "mail", slipping the letters and package in and closing it. Turning, he walked on to the next condo, delivering the same greeting to the woman who lay stretched out by her own pool.

Dirty letch, Kagome thought. I'll bet my entire college scholarship that he's somehow related to Miroku. She walked to her gate, opening it up and swinging it inside the small, concrete yard. She opened the mail box, surprised at the amount of things she had received. Closing the gate, she sorted through the mail as she walked back inside. Junk mail. Junk. Publisher's Clearing House...not interested. Package from Ayumi. Oh! Look at that, she moved to Texas. Huh, wonder why. Um...latest movies from Netflix. Letter from Mom. She moved too...I'll have to read this one first.

The priestess opened the sliding door with her foot, still reviewing the mail she received. She walked to the small kitchen island, setting all the mail except the letter from her mother and the package from Ayumi down. Kagome walked to her small living room, reading the letter she had opened from her mother.

Kagome,

Darling, how are you? As you can tell from the address on this letter, your brother, grandfather and I have moved from the shrine. With your grandfather being the age he is, the stairs turned out to be too much for his old body. One day, he slipped and fell, breaking his hip. I was glad we had finally convinced him to get one of those medical alert pendants, otherwise we wouldn't have discovered him until later that evening when Souta and I returned home from the doctor's.

Nothing is wrong with us, don't worry. It was just yearly check-ups that your grandfather refused to attend. Anyway, we moved to a small apartment in town that is close to my new job as a secretary and a short walking distance from Souta's school. Your grandfather was lucky, the break was clean and didn't need any surgery. He simply needed rest, the doctor said.

So he's now in a physical therapy program three times a week. He's doing much better. Although he loudly protests each session, I can see the way he is improving. It's cute to watch him flirt with some of the women there. Apparently they're used to it and either ignore him or his flirting, depending on who they are.

I would have called you, but I lost your number in the move and our new one is enclosed below. I hope you are doing well and look forward to speaking with you soon.

Love,

Mom.

Kagome smiled to herself. "Same old Mom. Same old grandpa." She set the letter aside before eagerly tearing into the package from her old high school friend.

Out onto her lap fell two books and a letter. The priestess carefully looked over the books, coming to the conclusion they were historical fiction. Just like Ayumi, test lover and history lover. She sighed good naturedly before setting the books down and opening the letter.

Hey Kagome,

Remember me? It's Ayumi. I certainly remember you. I was ecstatic to find out you had moved to the United States as well. I moved here about three years ago. I was tired of all the noise and bustling cities of Tokyo and all the crowds of Japan in general. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love my home country but Texas is absolutely beautiful.

I am now living in Midtown, somewhere in Deep East Texas along the Louisiana border. Not too close, though. Cajuns really aren't my type of people. Loud, noisy, nosey and not to mention drunk off their feet every time I happen to pass one by. Oh well, there really aren't that many here in Midtown.

Anyway, once I got out here and got settled, I opened up a small bookstore in the downtown area. The people here are really nice and my business is thriving. I thought of you when I received these historical fiction books. I remember in high school the only subject you really seemed to enjoy was history. So I thought you would like these. This is a very popular author around here.

I made many new friends since I moved. One young woman who really made an impression on me is Torani. She makes everybody call her Tor, though. She really likes nicknames. She calls me Yu-yu or Mi-mi. I don't mind, it's really funny. She was my best customer until she took a job offer in West Texas, somewhere around El Paso I believe. Apparently, she's a very qualified Kennel Technician and that's in high demand out there. We keep in touch through letters and such. I send her the occasional book and she sends me things from El Paso.

My favorite things she sends me are the pictures. It's absolutely beautiful out there. Some people might call the landscape barren, but it's beautiful to me. She's even managed to capture some pictures of wildlife out there.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you are welcome anytime out here. Just give me a call before you head out and I'll have the spare room in my apartment ready for you.

Oh! And happy belated twenty-third birthday. I'm sorry I missed it but I lost your e-mail and you had moved so I was unable to contact you. These books are a late birthday present. Remember, anytime you want to visit, you are most certainly welcome to come. My number is listed below.

Love,

Ayumi.

"Well that's sweet of her," Kagome smiled. "Summer vacation just started and I'm more than willing to visit an old friend with a bookstore! It'll get my mind off of them. Let me just give her a call." The young woman picked up her cordless phone, dialing as she gathered the letters and books in her hands and dropping them on the coffee table.

"Hello. Thank you for calling Mi-mi's Books, this is Ayumi speaking, how may I help you?" a polite voice on the other end of the phone answered.

"Ayumi? This is Kagome. I just got your letter and--" Kagome started but was cut off by a sudden squeal.

"Kagome! How are you? I didn't expect to hear from you so soon! How are you?" a very excited Ayumi asked.

"I'm fine. I got a full ride to a university out here in business management. How about you?" Kagome asked, dropping her towel in the small bathroom and stripping out of her bakini.

"Oh, I'm attending an online college in the evenings. I'm in for financial management. I've got another year to go before I get my diploma," she giggled excitedly.

"Really? Me too. So what are your plans afterwards?"

"Just to continue with my book store. I really enjoy it. You?"

"I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it. Got any room for a partner in your business?" Kagome asked jokingly.

"Sure!" Ayumi said excitedly.

"Really?" the priestess asked, a bit of doubt in her voice. "Honestly, Ayumi, I was only kidding."

"Well I wasn't! With my degree in financial management and your degree in business management, we could make quite the pair! What do you think?"

Kagome stood there for a moment, stunned. Well, it would give me something to do with my life. I know Ayumi and she's a kind person with a good heart, she wouldn't lie or cheat in a business with me. It couldn't hurt, right? "Sure, Ayumi, I'd love to. When are you available for me to visit? I'm on summer vacation right now so I have two months before my final year."

"Um, can you come down next week? That's usually one of the busiest times of the summer. For some reason the week after summer vacation, all the high school students flock to my bookstore. I think that their teachers assign them summer reading. Boy, am I glad I'm out of that now." She giggled lightheartedly, making Kagome giggle as well.

"Next week sounds fine. That gives me plenty of time to let my landlord know I'll be gone. How long do you want me to stay?" she asked as she turned on the shower.

"Can you stay the rest of the summer?" Ayumi asked. "It would give you a feel for Midtown and allow you to make living arrangements for when you come to stay permanently. Midtown isn't really that big. It's a nice size town, not too big, not too small. It's got a decent sized mall and lots of quaint little shops to visit. I know you'll enjoy living here." There was a smile in her voice as she talked.

"Sounds like fun," Kagome said as she tested the water. "And sounds like a plan. I'll be there next week. How does Thursday sound? Today is Tuesday so that gives me a couple of days to finish things off here and drive down. Can you believe how expensive gas is now? I mean come on! Nearly four bucks a gallon. Well, at least I got a Prius. Those things really are worth it."

"Ya, I know. It's unreal. You know that little car those guys drive in the Wii commercial?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, those are real cars. Actually, they are considered go-carts but can be made street legal very easily. They are made by a Chinese company called Sun-L. Anyway, there was a dealer around here and I snatched one up. They have great gas mileage and it was really easy to make it street legal. So, although it is really small, it's got great mileage and it's all I need," Ayumi explained.

"That sounds great. I'll see you in a week then?"

"Sure. See ya."

"Bye," Kagome responded, hanging up after Ayumi's echoing goodbye. She set the phone down and stepped into the hot water, allowing it to flow over her. After a few minutes of relaxation, she washed her hair and body and got out. Shutting off the water, she dried herself off and wrapped up once more in the towel. She made her way to her bedroom. The young woman flopped down on the bed, her eyes slowly drifting shut as she fell asleep thinking about the week ahead of her.

&&&

Sesshomaru crouched down in the grass, slowly stalking his prey. The tan rabbit sat just a few yards ahead of him, munching on some grass, completely unaware of its impending doom. The enormous white dog slowly stalked forward, carefully placing each foot where it should go. Just a little bit more, he thought, drooling heavily at the thought of a well deserved dinner. It had been over 500 year since that infernal woman had cursed him. He had lost count of how many times he had been killed only to be whelped again after a short twenty year break. He forgot how many methods had been used to kill him. Poison, a bullet, traps, tainted meat, there were just too many to clearly remember.

Apparently people thought him to be a wolf because of his sheer size. He snorted at this thought. I am no mangy wolf he thought with disgust. I am...was...the Taiyoukai of Western Japan. I am a dog, not some flea-bitten wolf. Just because my head reaches above an average man's waist doesn't mean I'm a wolf. Bloody idiots. His ears perked up as the rabbit sat up, twitching his own ears as a noise reached it. The white dog took his chance at the distracted animal, shooting forward from the brush.

The small creature took off like a rocket, running in zigzags from the determined predator. Its hair fell out as it ran, an attempt at distracting and confusing its predator. The stupid animal didn't think as it ran, simply sprinting towards the main highway that ran outside of El Paso.

Sesshomaru put on a burst of speed, lunging and finally catching the rabbit in his jaws. With a quick snap, its neck was broken and it was hanging limply in the jaws of the white canine. The dog stood there, thinking. He didn't notice the sound of a car approaching, blowing its horn like mad. He didn't notice it until it was too late.

The old truck hit the dog straight on, going fifty miles an hour. Sesshomaru yelped in pain as he was knocked to the ground and felt the tires roll over him. He was thrown up to hit the undercarriage, bouncing back down again on the concrete. The back tires ran over his limp form, continuing on, not even bothering to stop.

The rain came just as quickly as the vehicle had. It suddenly began to pour; lightning cracked through the air as its partner, thunder, rumbled along behind. The water poured from the sky in torrential sheets, matching the mood the day had suddenly taken.

A man a few car lengths back saw the whole thing happen from through the windshield of his Ford.

"Damn!" he muttered, looking on in amazement as the driver of the truck kept on going. "That is not right. You don't have to swerve or slam on the brakes but you can try to avoid to poor creatures." Jake put on his brakes, slowly coming to a stop in front of the poor dog. He hopped out of his truck, kneeling down in the road before the animal. "Poor fella. Look at you, all banged up like this." The man placed his hand on the dog's chest, feeling for the gentle, unsteady rise and fall that signaled the dog still lived.

"Alright man, let's get you into town. The West Side Animal Hospital is still open this late. Come on, buddy." Slowly, and as gently as possible, the man slipped his arms underneath the dog. He lifted him with a slight grunt. "Man, you're heavy." Carefully, he walked back to his truck. He opened the back door, laying the dog on the back seat and closing it softly behind himself.

Jumping back into the front seat, he cranked up the engine of the truck, peeling off into the growing night. "Hold on there, man. We're almost there. Just hang on and keep breathing." He floored it when he heard a shaky breath from the animal. Amazingly, he passed the old truck that had run the dog over. A Chevy, figures, he thought with disdain. He got the driver's attention as he flew by him, throwing a rude gesture towards the teenager in the front seat.

Ten minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of West Side Animal Clinic. He threw the truck into park, shutting it off and jumping out. The Good Samaritan opened the back door of the truck, horrified by the amount of blood the dog was losing. Heedless of his clothing, the man once again picked the dog up in his arms, slamming the door shut with his foot.

He practically ran to the door of the clinic, sighing in relief when the automatic sliding doors opened. "Help, someone please! This dog was run over a few minutes ago! He's bleeding badly!" Jake called out frantically.

Immediately two women came out the treatment door, a stretcher on wheels being pushed in between them. "Here!" one of the women called. "Place him on the stretcher and we'll take care of him. What's his name?"

"I don't know," the man sighed, placing the injured animal on the proffered stretcher. "I just saw him get hit and the driver didn't stop. I couldn't help myself so I picked him up and brought him here. Will he be okay?"

"We'll find out soon enough, sir. You have a good heart," the other woman said as both women pushed the animal into the treatment door.

"Doctor Mack!" the petite blonde called out as she pushed the stretcher into the hallway. "We have an emergency here! Canine HBC about ten minutes ago the man says. He's bleeding badly and is labored of breath."

"Pulse is steady but faint. Heart is beating but you can barely hear it through the stethoscope," the red head said. She huffed as she pulled the stretcher along behind her. She was getting too old for this kind of stuff.

"BP?" Doctor Mack, an older man with thinning white hair circling his head, asked.

"Not sure. He was just brought in. What room do we put him in?" the blonde asked.

"Stick him in room one. Where's Tor?" he asked.

"Back in the kennel. You want her to get the information from the man?" the redhead grunted as she lifted the dog onto the examining table.

"Yes, in the mean time, one of you shave his chest and prep him for x-ray. It looks like this fella is going to need surgery." He placed the stethoscope on the dog's massive chest, listening to his breath as the redhead, Rebbecca, left to find Tor. "Poor fella, some people, I swear." The doctor shook his head slowly, sadly at the thought of the animal's death. If no one stepped forward to claim him, he would be put down. The clinic just didn't have the funds for a charity case.

&&&

Torani, Tor for short, was bringing in the last of the dogs from outside when Rebbecca, her kennel partner and sometimes Vet Tech, came bustling in the door.

"Tor!" the woman called. "Tor! You're needed up front!"

"Hang on a sec," the brunette called as she ushered the husky-wolf mix into his run. She sighed as she closed the gate, smiling when the dog jumped up, placing his front paws on the gate and barked at her. "Ya, you're a cutey. Whatcha need, Bec?" she asked, pushing her hair out of her emerald eyes and walking to the front of the kennel. "What's up?"

"A dog was brought in a moment ago, badly injured. Apparently he was hit by a car and, pardon my french, the jackass who hit him didn't stop," the older woman huffed as she wiped the sweat off her face with a paper towel she pulled from her pocket. "A good Samaritan saw the whole thing happen and you need to get the info from him. The chart is up front with Dora. Hurry now, Doctor Mack thinks he might not make it. If no one claims him, he'll have to put him down. The clinic can't afford a charity right now."

Tor nodded as she walked with Rebbecca. "Okay, are you helping Doc out or are you finishing up in the kennel?"

"I'm helping with Doc. What do you have left to do?"

"Just clean up the outside and bleach it down. After that, I've got to pick up the trash, sweep the floors and spot mop. Everything else is done," Tor said, pulling her shoulder length hair into a low ponytail. "Alright, then. It shouldn't take me too long to get the info, and we were pretty slow today so there' not much trash in the cans.

The outside is the biggest thing, even that shouldn't take too long, though."

Rebbecca nodded. "Okay, then. Hurry and get that information. We're in room one when you've got it."

"Okay, see you in a few," Tor said as they exited the kennel door and went their separate ways. She walked down the narrow hallway leading to the waiting room, peaking into room one as she went. The young woman gave a low whistle of appreciation at the size of the animal on the table. He's big, and pretty too. I betcha he's the one who's in here for HBC. Poor baby.

"Tor!" a plump woman with short black hair called. "Here's the chart for the CHBC. Get as much info as possible and hurry to Doctor Mack. He needs the stuff a.s.a.p to help the poor thing out."

"Right, Dora. That's what I'm here for. Let me guess, the Good Samaritan is the man whose shirt is covered in blood?" Tor asked, a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Yea, that's him. He seems a bit upset. Be careful with him, Tor. He looks fragile," another woman called out from behind the desk.

"I know, I know," the brunette sighed. She took the chart from Dora, making her way out the door and into the waiting room. Carefully, the young woman shut the door behind her and made her way to the man. "Mr...Jake?" she asked softly.

The man looked up from where he was sitting, a heavy look on his face. "Yes? That's me. Can I help you?"

Tor sat down on the bench next to the man. "My name is Torani, you can call me Tor. I need to get some information on the dog you brought in. Are you his owner?"

"No," Jake sighed. "I'm not. I'm just the guy who picked him up off the road." He chuckled mirthlessly. "The idiot teenager who ran him over just kept going. All he did was blow his horn. He didn't try to avoid the dog, or even slow down."

Tor nodded. "Okay, do you have any idea how old he is?" she asked.

The man looked thoughtful for a moment. "He looks to be about three years old, but he's so big I'm just not sure."

"Where was he hit at?"

"On the main highway outside of town. I saw the jackass hit him. It was horrible." He shuddered and the kennel tech placed a hand on his arm comfortingly. "He hit him going around fifty miles an hour. The poor dog was rolled up under the truck, it looked like he hit the undercarriage before coming back down and being run over by the back tires."

"Right." She scribbled as the man talked. "Can you tell me anything else? Do you know who he belongs to? Did he have a collar or anything?"

"No, not that I saw." He shook his head. "What's going to happen to him?"

"Well, right now, we're not sure. If no owner steps up to claim him we'll have to put him down. The clinic doesn't have the money for a charity case right now," Tor explained slowly. "He's a very beautiful dog. It would be a shame if that had to happen."

Jake nodded. "I know. I would offer to adopt him, but my wife is allergic to dogs." He sighed heavily. "I just wish there was something more I could do."

Tor patted the man's arm sympathetically. "I know. I wish there was something I could do as well. Well, I've got to get this information to the doctor. I'll be back out in a little bit. Ok?" The man nodded wearily as she stood and walked out the door and into the treatment hallway. She sighed as she walked into room one. There was blood all over the table, the doctor and the two techs. "How's he doin'?" she asked softly.

Doctor Mack shook his head. "Not so good. He's stable now but his pulse is still low and his breathing is still labored. I've got the bleeding stopped but," he sighed wearily. "If he doesn't get into surgery soon, he might not make it through the night. From what I can tell, it looks like he's got a couple of broken ribs and his left hip is dislocated. The hip is easy enough to fix but the ribs are what will need surgery. His right front leg is badly broken, it will need surgery too. Is the man the owner?"

The kennel tech shook her head. "No, sir, he's not. He's just the Good Samaritan who picked him up after he saw what happened. He said he would have been willing to adopt him but his wife is allergic, so that's a no go," she sighed, running her hand through her tied-back hair. Her emerald eyes were troubled as she watched the poor animal. "I just wish there was something more that I could do."

The doctor and techs looked up at her as she said this. "No! You guys know I can't bring another dog home! Keiko barely tolerates those that I've got right now. I'm no Caesar Milan," Tor protested, her hands raised in defense. "Besides, even with my discount here and at Petsmart, I still wouldn't have enough funds to take care of him."

Still, they watched her. "Why don't you talk to the good samaritan," Rebbecca suggested. "Maybe you and he could work out a deal." The stout redheaded woman looked to her co-worker and boss for support. "Perhaps we could take up a collection as well?"

Milly, the petite blonde, shrugged. "Jack and I would be willing to help out."

Tor scowled ferociously. She was outnumbered and she knew it. "Fine," she grumbled. "I'll go talk to him. The man thinks he's about three years old, but he's not sure because of his size. There was no collar."

"No microchip either," Milly said, putting away the chip scanner.

"From what he saw, the man who hit him was going fifty miles an hour. The grill hit him and the front tires spun him up under the undercarriage. Apparently he hit it before being thrown back down onto the pavement when the back tires rolled over him." Tor shook her head, a disgusted look on her face. "The jack--" she stopped when she saw the look on her co-workers' faces. "--butt didn't stop. He just kept going."

The doctor nodded. "His injuries are consistent with the report. I really don't want to put this guy down, it'd be such a waste. All he needs is surgery to fix his leg and ribs and he'd be good to go. A little fluids wouldn't hurt either. Well? Are you going to talk to him?"

"Fine," Tor said with a defeated sigh. "I know when I'm outnumbered. Here's the chart. I'll go talk to him." The kennel tech set the chart down on the seat, turning and leaving out the door. She shook her head as she walked down the hall. How do I get myself into these messes? she thought with a shake of her head. I already have five dogs at the house, I don't need another one. But, me and my big heart can't refuse a dog in need.

Opening the door, the young woman stepped out into the waiting room. Her eyes scanned the small lobby until they landed on the man who was reading informational packets on cats. The brunette cleared her throat as she walked up to him. Startled, the man looked up, his grey eyes meeting with her green ones. "Yes?" he asked wearily. "How is he?"

"Well, they've got him stable for now. He's lost a lot of blood, but the worst of it is his ribs and his right front leg. The doctor thinks he's got a few broken ribs and his leg is badly broken. His left hip is dislocated but that's easily fixable." She waved off the man's concerned look. "I wanted to talk to you about adoption. I know you can't adopt him, but I am willing to. The only thing is my finances. While I do have a discount here, the surgery and post-op care would still be a little much for my budget right now." She took a deep breath before she continued. "If you are willing to pay for half of the surgery and post-op care, I would pay for the other half and adoption fees. If you are willing to agree, he would live and I wouldn't bother you with him again unless you wanted to see him afterwards. What do you think?" Tor stood there for a moment, waiting on the man's decision.

"I am willing to help," Jake said slowly. "But I would have to consult with my wife. I don't think she would mind, she does like dogs. But still, I would have to talk with her."

"I understand," the young woman nodded. "Please consider, though, my offer. He is a beautiful animal and it would be a shame to put him down."

The Good Samaritan nodded, running his hand through his short brown hair. "Can you give me a few minutes?" he asked quietly. "I need to talk to my wife."

"I understand, sir. When you have reached your decision, let Dora know and she'll call me up here to talk to you," Tor complied. She turned to leave, hoping against hope this dog could be saved.

Five minutes later, Tor was in the middle of picking up trash when Dora buzzed her. She set the bag down and hurried to the front lobby where the man still stood. "So," she asked quietly. "How did it go?"

A brief smile lit up the man's face. "She has agreed to it. My wife is a lovely woman, she cares very much for animals and I know it hurts her to be allergic to dogs. We are willing to help out."

The female tech reached out to shake the man's hand. "I'm sure he's really going to appreciate this. Now, if you'll just fill out some forms for us, we can get the finances straightened out as to who owes what." She smiled brilliantly at him. "I'm sure he's going to appreciate this, just like I do."

Jake nodded, walking up to the counter to receive the papers from the checkout clerk.

Tor still smiling, slipped out of the lobby and into the hall. She tapped gently on the treatment room door, sticking her head inside. "Go ahead and start treating him. I'm taking him home with me as soon as he's well," she explained.

The doctor and techs looked visibly relieved. They quickly moved the dog back onto the stretcher and ushered him into the surgery suite. Three hours later, Sesshomaru came out of surgery, knocked out cold, but much better off. His hip had been relocated and his ribs and leg fixed. His wounds were stitched, and, all in all, he looked like a Frankenstein mutt.

"Poor baby," Tor cooed, gently petting the fur of the slowly coming around dog. "What to name you?"

A young man, around six foot in height, walked up to the girl and her dog, smiling. "He's yours?" he asked.

"Ya," Tor nodded. "I just adopted him. Some jackass hit him and kept going. The man in the lobby stopped and brought him in. Good thing, too, otherwise he would've died. What do you think, Jack? What should I name him?"

The man, Jack, crouched down before the two, a grin lighting his eyes and his face. "Well..." he said slowly. "How about 'Seth'?" However, the man had such a thick lisp that the name "Seth" came out sounding more like "Sess."

Tor smirked. "'Sess' eh?" she grinned at Jack offended look. "I like it. Sess it is. Hello, Sess. How do you like your new name?"

&&&

A/N: So what do you think? This is my newest Sess/Kag. Tell me what you think!! Wheh! Long first chapter! 13 pages, but this sets up a lot that needs to be done. The following chapters won't be quite this long, at least until we get to the real sess/kag goodness. ;D