Author Note: So years and years back, let's say around 2010 or 2011, I wrote a story (on my old account) that people loved. In that story, Kuon turned into a golden Labrador puppy that Kyoko was assigned to keep and take care of as part of a Love Me assignment. I ended it by killing off Kuon, which people did not love so much. Well, I am going to do two things. First, I am going to rewrite that story but with Kyoko and two I am not going to kill off or break up Kuon or Kyoko.

Also, if you've seen my profile page you'll see I've also turned Blaine Anderson from Glee into a dog a few times. What can I say, it started with me writing about Shigure Sohma turning into a dog and back again 😉. At least I'm not writing about Ren being in a dating game and then diving off a cliff.

The Lady and Kuon

Chapter One – Your Voice is Barks to my Ear

Everyone in Japan had been swept up in the terrifying and bewildering series of events that were happening all over the country. Businessmen, lawyers, tech developers, people of power, these were the people who seemed to be targeted in whatever crazy experiment had been taking over the lives of the Japanese citizens. Somehow there was a group who were turning these key people into animals and nobody knew how. There had been rumors when a few politicians had suddenly become young penguins, then there had been video proof of a singer turning into a piglet, then a reporter on the news turned into a baby owl right before everyone's eyes.

Nobody knew what was happening or how.

Some people had suspected magic, others had suspected it was the work of the devil, and Kuon Hizuri knew that his twenty-one year old wife of two years believed it to be fairy magic. When the singer had turned into the piglet, Kyoko had become worried for her husband. Kuon had worked overseas a couple of times now and was always in talks with movie producers who wanted to shoot in Japan. In fact he was doing so well in his career that people were now worried about what kind of animal Kuon Hizuri would become.

Kyoko had once spent an evening going through all of the animals she could think of and wondering whether she could love her husband if he turned into a baby lion or a calf or even a tiny spider egg. Truth was that she knew she would love her husband regardless, but she wanted to have a life together with him. She didn't want to be laying down newspapers or relocating to a farm or sending him away to a zoo.

She could imagine herself in two years with a lion around the house that she knew was her precious Kuon. She didn't even know if the apartment would be able to have a lion moving around in it. She sighed as she curled up on the sofa and pulled her blanket towards her. She watched the TV and smiled as her husband came and sat beside her. She offered him a share of the blanket.

"What are we watching?" Kuon grinned to her before kissing her cheek. He looked to the TV and rolled his eyes, "Again? You know this is just a movie," he gestured to the TV

"It might be what inspired them though," Kyoko said, "Kuon, The Island of Doctor Moreau is a classic. It's also about animals that show some human characteristics," she tried to argue.

Kuon smiled to himself before looking more serious. "Kyoko, I have to admit that the idea that any day now I might turn into some other animal is scaring me, but nobody knows why it's happening. I think we just need to clear our heads and be thankful that it isn't happening to us."

"It isn't happening to us yet," Kyoko told him as she curled into his body. "Kuon, I don't want you to turn into an animal anywhere other than this house. I don't want to be told that one of a handful of baby koala bears is my husband but not able to tell which one," she said as her eyes showed her fear.

"Koala bears tonight, huh?" he sighed before holding her. "Will watching the movie help you feel better, princess?" he asked her as she nodded. He ran his hand through her auburn hair and sighed, "Okay, let's watch it together."

….

….

Since the movie had played until pretty late, they had gone to bed afterwards. Kuon had to admit that he was terrified with his status as Japan's top spot actor, but he wasn't going to let his wife worry herself to the point of her getting sick. If he turned into a baby walrus, because most of those infected had been baby animals, he was just going to live with that. He had finally fallen asleep after seeing Kyoko resting peacefully.

In the early morning, Kuon reached across to squeeze his wife's hand but he couldn't feel it. All he could feel was the ring that he had placed on her finger when they had first gotten married. He frowned, she sometimes had to take this off for acting or if she was cleaning or washing up, but she never took it off other than that.

He frowned and slowly opened his eyes to see a small puppy facing him.

Oh god. Was that, he saw the auburn fur and the very cute appearance of the puppy and he felt ill. Was that his wife? Had his wife really turned into a cocker spaniel puppy?

Kuon stared at the small dog who was resting peacefully on the pillow and his heart broke. There had to be a cure for this, somehow Kyoko was going to become human again. He slowly reached out for her and petted the warm fur. He tried to smile weakly as he felt her heartbeat and her soft inhale and exhale.

"Kyoko," he said to her very softly as he pet her behind the ear with one finger. He saw the small puppy stretch and give a yawn and he attempted to brave himself to smile. She needed him to be calm right now. "Hey, princess. Can you be calm for me?" he asked her as she opened her eyes.

Kuon could tell the shock that was pulsing through her tiny body as she stared up at him. He was so much bigger than she was, but he was human. What was happening? She looked at her paw and her eyes grew bigger, her body shaking as she took in the second paw. She looked up to him and gave a nervous whimper.

"Hey," Kuon said as he gently slid his hand under her belly and held her up so they could look into each other's eyes. He saw her fear as she reached out and touched his nose. "Kyoko, princess, I love you. Please remember that I love you," he said to her as he felt her body shake with fear.

"Princess," he said as she whimpered again, "I'm here, okay? I'm not going to leave you, I love you," he repeated so that she could understand. His heart paused. He was talking to a puppy version of Kyoko who was still scared. Did she even understand what he was trying to say to her? "Kyoko," he said as he sat up and set her on his lap, he stroked her behind the ear again as he saw her panic.

"Hey, princess," he said sadly trying hard to be as strong as possible for her, "Can you…can you understand me?" he asked as she looked at him confused. Were those eyes saying that she didn't know what he was saying? Had language become a barrier between them?

Kuon ran his fingers through her fur again trying to calm them both down. He reached out for a notebook he kept in the bedside table drawer as well as something to write with. Nervously he drew a picture of his head and then a heart and then a picture of her as a dog. He put it down on the bed as she looked at it. "Hey, you know I'm not a spectacular artist," he tried to say with a soft laugh. He mentally kicked himself for confusing her.

He just wanted to get through to her how much he loved her and how, puppy or not, he wasn't going anywhere without her. He watched her grab the top of the paper in her mouth and worried about how much of her human side was left. Even if she was completely vanished as a person, he loved her and he wouldn't leave her. There had to be a cure for this.

He smiled gently, his heart breaking as she got up on his lap again and then stood on her hind legs and pressed the picture of the heart to the left side of his chest. He grinned through the pain, so she was trying to tell him that she loved him too. "Come here," he said as he put his hands under her back side, being extra careful because of her tail. "I love you," he said as he held her close, one hand under her butt and the other keeping her head close to his chest. "I love you so much, princess."

He heard her whimper again as she rubbed her head against his chest and he felt tears in his eyes.

All he wanted to do now was keep her safe and protect her, he was still in love with her and even though he couldn't act on his love the same way as when they were both human, he would do anything he could think of to prove he still loved her even if he did look like a furry to everyone else.

"I just wish you could understand me," he said as she nodded slowly, "You…are starting to understand?" he asked as she nodded again. He smiled happily, at least that was a start. "You know that I love you, right?" he asked as she curled in closer to him and barked.

"I should find a bag to put you in so I can take you around with me," he said as he gently stroked her. "You have a preference?" he asked as she jumped down and tried to go to the closet but fell over her paws. "Here," Kuon said as he picked her up and held her securely, "Let's go together," he smiled to her before seeing her tail wag.

At least he knew that she was happy, at least even a tiny bit.

This was going to be incredibly hard until he found that cure.