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Strangled Time

Chapter 34

"May I have this dance, little bird?"

Kagome wiped chubby tears from her eyes with the heel of her palm before staring up at the hand outstretched before her. It was large and calloused—familiar in a way that pricked a needle in her chest, though she couldn't quite place it. She shook her head, her cheeks still blotchy from the red hot anger of jealousy.

Why had she been so angry?

"I won't step on your toes." The deep voice prompted again. "Please?"

It was so tempting to reach out to him. She wanted to touch him—to hug him and never let go—but she stopped herself. New tears welled up in her eyes and her gaze dropped down to her shiny black shoes.

"You already danced with her." She accused. The sound of her voice was unfamiliar to her own ears. It quivered, small and meek as a tiny brown finch.

His laugh spilled over her like warm water.

"Is that why you're upset? I'm so sorry, Kagome." He leaned forward to wipe away the moisture that was marking a little trail down her cheek. "I'll ask you first next time."

She sniffed and then brought her gaze up to meet his blue eyes. They were a blue that was almost black; dark, rich, thunderstorm blue.

"You promise?"

"Pinky swear."

Kagome looked at the finger he was holding out for her as a token of his sincerity. That was a mighty big commitment he was offering, but it was one that she trusted with every fiber of her being to be upheld. Nodding her head she accepted his promise, wrapped her own small pinky around his, and squeezed tight.

"Pinky swear." The priestess repeated.

Suddenly pulling her hand fully to his, the man spun her around. Caught off guard, Kagome squealed; the happy noise filling the kitchen. His laughter echoed hers when he caught her in a dip.

He was so warm and comforting when he drew her closer and into a loving embrace. That huge hand of his was safety itself, soothing her back. Nose pressed to his shirt, Kagome breathed in his workday scent of coffee and old books.

When he looked up it was to gaze adoringly into the eyes of a heavily pregnant woman across the room.

That smile of his brought them life.

"Next time, little bird, Mama is just going to have to wait her turn."

…

"Okay… next time." Kagome murmured beneath her breath as she roused from that purgatory which existed somewhere between sleep and waking. The night's dream slipped away from her quickly, details disintegrating pixel by pixel with each step closer to consciousness she took until nothing remained but those words on her tongue and the remembered smell of stale coffee.

That was fine. She didn't need those details—didn't want them. She already knew what came next in the story.

She was well aware that there was never going to be a next time.

That was simply where the dream stopped.

Grumbling, Kagome rolled onto her back. Everything felt stiff and all over just plain awful. Her spine was screaming at her, but not nearly as loudly as her throbbing head. It wasn't until the warm pillow beneath her shifted that she realized exactly where she'd slept that night.

The sun, high in the noonday sky, nearly blinded her when she tried to open her eyes. Squinting, she drew her sights to the dog demon just long enough to confirm her suspicions before retreating back to the darkness.

Well, it wasn't the first time that she'd used him as a living heating pad.

It wasn't even that embarrassing anymore.

"I'm sorry Toga." She offered him in place of an afternoon greeting, rubbing at her eyelids with the heels of her hands. Dry throat made her words hoarse. "You should have woke me up. I would have moved."

She felt rather than saw him shake his head. Hair tickled her nose and she wondered if he had taken his ponytail out in the night or if it was just sort of everywhere again. Silky as it was, Togashimaru's pretty hair was not immune to static electricity.

"Not for lack of trying." His honey rich voice began, tone holding a mild amusement. "However, if you had left to rest elsewhere before you were coherent, then I would not have been able to watch over you properly." Something hovered close enough to her face for her to sense, even without her powers, and Kagome thought he was going to touch her, to move away the hair. He didn't. Oh man, was that tickle starting to get annoying.. "I have seen humans under the heavy influence of alcohol before and I wanted to ensure that you did not wander off. There are many dangers out there for inebriated woman and I was not about to wake up to find your body in the hot spring. As it was you were able to enjoy yourself while remaining safe."

Shocked to silence, Kagome's brow went slack. Her lips parted. The birds in the garden twittered merrily.

Awe, appreciation, respect—there wasn't a good enough word to describe how comforted she felt to hear that. You know, aside from the whole finding her body somewhere part. Toga was so straightforward about things. He was mostly naïve to human matters, but when it came to random little details like that, he was strangely observant.

Protective without being overbearing. Sensitive without perverse intent pulling the strings behind his back. Mindful yet passive.

Togashimaru was just wholesome and cool and why couldn't that have been genetic!?

It would have saved her from a ton of awkward conversations and fights with Inuyasha.

The irritation at her nose intensified.

"A—achoo!" The priestess sneezed.

She swatted her hand to push away the pestering stray hairs, but ended up smacking something solid. Bracing against the burning glare of the sunlight, Kagome cracked her eyes open again to scowl up at it.

There above her loomed Mr. Wholesome himself, late Lord of all westward things and supposed guardian of women, dangling the tip of his own freaking ponytail like a cat toy. A shit-eating grin was plastered to his face.

So much for him being the ideal image of masculine maturity.

"What are you doing?" Kagome halfheartedly shoved his arm away before curling to burrow under his sleeve where she could hide from both him and her hangover.

"I am ensuring that you remain awake."

"I am awake."

"So you said twice before."

"Oh, lay off, would you? We were up until like five."

"Did you not intend to leave this village before noon today?"

"Plans changed. Your fault. Bad dog."

Toga's laugh at that was very smooth. He didn't deny it, even if all he did was offer the first drink. "Were you aware that you are able to hold conversations in your sleep?"

Taken off guard by the accusation, Kagome shot up. Regret was instantaneous. Grabbing her throbbing head, the priestess threaded fingers through the roots of her wild locks. "No way. I do not." She replied in horror.

"You do." He insisted

"I don't believe you." Unsure of herself she snuck him a sideways look from behind her tangle of hair. "…What did I say?"

Instead of answering her question, Togashimaru stared maddeningly off into the distance of their little courtyard, looking all aloof and sneaky. Right before she was about to demand again he turned back his head and completely changed the subject.

Whether it was relevant or not to her sleep talking, who could say?

"Tell me more about Rin."

Kagome blinked. "Rin?"

"That is the name of the human child that accompanies my eldest, yes?"

"Yeah, that's Rin." She frowned. "I already told you about her, didn't I?"

Very slightly, Toga nodded. "You have mentioned her."

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to hit the restart button on her morning, Kagome gave in to his insistence of holding a conversation in order to keep her awake. But not before first flopping back into his lap so that she could pretend to be at least somewhat comfortable. "Alright." She signed once she was ready with her arms over her face to shield from the day. Her muscles felt like beat up spongy tofu. "What do you want to know about Rin?"

"I have been trying to reason the relationship that ties her and my son." He said. Kagome could hear in the slow tempo of his words that he'd been marinating on that ever since she first told him about the odd pair.

"You and me both." The corners of her lips tugged upwards.

"I was hoping that you would share with me your own thoughts on the matter. What is it that you consider her to be to the boy? Seeing as neither one of them are here to justify their choices, your input is my most valuable resource to better understanding his... interpersonal growth."

Her smile only grew. Next thing she knew she was grinning, teeth and all. "You just want me to tell you what I think Rin is to Sesshoumaru? Okay, sure. That's an easy one." Kagome stifled a chuckle, knowing that the movement would probably not help her headache. "I think Rin is pretty much a daughter to him at this point; he just hasn't figured it out yet."

"Oh?"

"You see, Rin is like a little duckling. When Sesshoumaru first picked her up, she imprinted on him for whatever reason. She followed at his heels everywhere he went and when Sesshoumaru didn't chase her off, she adopted him."

There was a snort.

"You believe she was the one to adopt him?"

"Yep." The more she thought about it the funnier it became. Kagome imagined Sesshoumaru standing in a lineup of potential guardian figures, with him being the most obviously dangerous one in the room, and tiny little Rin joyously picking him out, much to the shock and horror of the adoption event coordinators. Then away they would go, a girl and her dearest doggie daddy, off to conquer the world. "Darn kids, right? Showing up when you least expect them and sneaking their way into your heart. Actually, you know... that's basically how we got Shippo."

Shippo hadn't been looking to replace the family he lost, but he'd built a new one with her, Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku all the same. It just sort of happened.

If Rin needed to find someone to fill that void in her life and she was able to see something withing the Western Lord that she could connect with, then why not Sesshoumaru?

There were certainly worse people out there in the world to have as a father.

And continuing on, so young, without having someone at all...

Kagome had been six when her Papa died.

Cursing the dream that stirred up memories like a coyote dragging something rotten from the cemetery, the young woman shoved those thoughts away. In their place she focused on the humor that could be found in a powerful demon Lord being appointed as parent of the year by a human child.

"You know what that means, don't you? If Rin is Sesshoumaru's daughter?" She snickered.

"It could mean any number of things." Toga responded, not realizing what was coming. "Many of which pertaining to political repercussions that the boy may not yet be prepared to encounter."

"It means that you really are an old man. Since you're an actual grandfather and all."

There was a pause where he chuffed out a breath of air. The noise was literal indignation given sound. "That is preposterous." He clipped. "The child does not yet exist in this world."

"Nope. But she exists sometime and you know about her. You're a grandpa by extension."

"I am not old."

"No?" Moving her arms from her face, Kagome took hold of the ponytail draped next to her and laid it over her lip like a long, long silver mustache. "You've got white hair, a grandbaby, you're walking with a cane. Pretty sure that means you're old."

Togashimaru snatched his hair away from her.

"Hey!" She squinted up to where he was holding it above her head and well out of reach. He looked more amused than annoyed by the comments, so Kagome didn't feel at all bad when she took one more little poke at his age complex. "Careful Grandpa, move too fast and you'll throw out your back!"

Without warning, Toga leaned forward and let the long length of his hair drop onto her face.

Kagome squealed.

"It's got me!" Sputtering, trying to spit strands out of her mouth, she tried to push it all away. Alas it was a fight in vain, as the mighty hair monster was simply too powerful for her noodly arms to overcome. "I give up! Uncle! Uncle!"

"Further name calling will not save you, priestess."

"Noo!" She laughed out.

Buried beneath over three liters of locks, Kagome temporarily forgot about both the pains of her hangover and the old scabbed wound in her heart, left over by the loss of her own father so long ago.

Chapter End

[Tsarashi – Bonus chapter this week! For everyone reading this—to those spending the day with their dad, biological or otherwise, to those who were not able to spend the day with their dad for whatever reason, and to those who do not have a meaningful relationship with a dad—I wish you all a wonderful Father's Day. From Togashimaru to you; you are all loved and deserving of love, even if it comes from the most unexpected of places.]