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Strangled Time
Chapter 35
Well that just figures, Kagome thought to herself as she stretched down to touch the floor between her feet. The movement made her back crack in the most satisfying way. She moaned and held the pose, blood rushing to her head.
Leave it to her to get a really nice room at an inn to avoid sleeping outside for a few days, only to sleep under the stars on the deck. Drunk as a skunk, no less!
Thankfully it hadn't been too-too chilly and demons made for great heaters, what with their naturally higher body temperatures. She'd just gotten over one cold and it would have been pretty stupid to catch another in the same place where they'd stopped to recuperate.
As it was, the only things that her tipsy little romp about had left behind were sore muscles—stiff from sleeping on the hard wood and being propped up in an awkward way—which would go away in a couple of hours, and a dull, throbbing headache.
A rattling noise drew the priestess' attention from her stretches. It was a bit of a grating sound and wasn't doing her head any favors, but it offered a promise of sweet, sweetrelief with each shake. Upside-down world greeted her when she opened her blue eyes and pushed away the curtain of her yukata hem to find the barer of the bottle.
"Toga, you're awesome." Still folded in half, Kagome nearly whimpered. She stretched an arm forward to stick out from between her legs, palm up.
"Would you like to have one or two?" The dog demon questioned as if he were asking about lumps of sugar for her tea.
"Two please."
Togashimaru popped off the container's cap and took three more steps to meet her before dropping two little white pills in the center of the girl's outstretched hand.
Her fingers wrapped tightly around them and dropped back to the tatami floor so that she could walk out of the stretch without making herself dizzy. When the world was right side up again she picked up the cup of water she'd been nursing and threw the painkillers back with a gulp.
Her sigh was appreciative.
"My good drug lord is too kind."
…
The knock that rapped at the door from the hallway was both slight and familiar. Kagome perked at the sound.
"Food's here." She announced before getting up to collect it.
The Innkeeper was gone by the time Kagome slid the door open to find their tray of delicious smelling entrees and sides, having disappeared back to the kitchen to prepare another set for the next guest. Stomach rumbling from her lack of breakfast, the priestess licked her lips and bent to claim their spoils, eagerly anticipating their last full meal before they hit the open road.
Beneath the tray lay a hidden package.
Curious, Kagome put the wooden stand back down beside her and picked up the bundle to get a better look. It was fat parcel, heavy but soft, wrapped in a white and green dyed cloth that had a pattern of ferns and oak leaves. Gently she untucked a corner to peek inside at the contents. Her eyes widened in recognition when she saw the colors of the neatly folded fabric within. Then she smiled, even more excited than before.
"What are we eatin' today, Miss Kagome?" Saburo called from the other side of the screen.
Tucking the package under her arm, the young woman picked up the tray once more and rose to nudge the door shut with her foot.
"It's all the good stuff!" She tossed back over her shoulder. "She's really spoiled us this time."
Yeah, no kidding. Rice cake soup and a special new outfit for her travels?
Kagome didn't know what she ever did to deserve such a wonderful hostess.
…
Curiosity tinged with chagrin pulled Togashimaru's golden gaze from Kagome's dirty and abandoned breakfast bowl to the blacksmith sitting directly across the table from him. Eyes roaming up slowly, his attention shifted from the black lacquer chopsticks that the other man was holding wrong to the wrinkles in the sleeves of his green inn garment to finally the necklace draped around the Saburo's neck that hadn't been there the day before. The human man ignored him and piled the last of the candied sweet potatoes into his own bowl without offering any to the demon.
Saburo had disappeared the night before for several hours before returning to sleep late past noon in the farthest corner of the room. Kagome seemed to have forgotten the fact that he had ever left, so she did not ask any questions. Normally Togashimaru wouldn't have cared where the human man dragged himself about, but there was a nagging in the back of his mind that could not be disregarded.
A curved green hook of a stone hung on the cord wrapped around the smith's neck, flanked by two fat white orbs.
A jade magatama and pearls.
Far too rich of an item for a simple blacksmith to possess and wear so casually.
"Is that new?" The dog gestured with a claw on the hand that was holding his dish.
Saburo put a potato cube in his mouth and bit down, not looking at Togashimaru. "Yep," Was his clipped response.
"I see." Annoyance crept into the demon's tone.
Stealing a quick glance up at him, Saburo swallowed before shifting in his seat. He had a twisted look on his face, something between resentment, resignation, and regret that made him look very tired. Then, sighing, the blacksmith rested his hands down on the table.
"Toga," He began. "About yer wounds…"
A growl cut the space between them, effectively extinguishing what Saburo was about to say next. The human had the nerve to look startled by the sound coming from Togashimaru's throat. But the man was slime; he knew exactly what he had been doing.
A guise of reconciliation did not disguise the belittlement.
"You do not," The once feared and powerful General began, enunciating each word with a slow burning fire that could have enveloped an entire battlefield, "Have my permission to use that name."
Chopsticks clicked to the table when they were set down. Saburo crossed his arms, already dark eyes turning nearly black by the shadow of his long wispy bangs.
"Oh no?" The smith asked snidely. "What're we not there yet? Here I thought we were gettin' ta know each other so well."
Togashimaru lost his chance to bite back when the door between their and Kagome's rooms slid open. Both of the men turned to look at the young woman posing in the door frame.
"Ta da!" She said with her usual chipper before walking a dramatically straight line towards them. Pausing only once to spin in a slow circle, the priestess ended her catwalk with a flourish of sleeves and hands on hips. "What do you think?"
The smell of her new outfit registered before the garments themselves and one more piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
Ah, so that was why the innkeeper had been so eager to assist them.
He'd been familiar with her family, once upon a time not too long ago. But why was it that had she disguised herself as one so old and returned to the East?
The answer was in Kagome's new clothes and the absence of their original owner.
Guilt sank long canines into his heart.
If he had not been defeated by both Ryukotsusei and that fiend of a human Takemaru of Setsuna in battle, Maki's village would never have fallen. Her people would have never been forced to flee.
Her daughter would never have been killed.
"Well?" Kagome prodded, hand wringing a hem.
Crushing the more vulnerable emotions deep to the darkest pit of his soul and stitching them secure with a mental fishing line wrought of four thousand years' training, the fallen Lord offered the girl a small, neutral smile before waving her over. There was a skip in her step when she closed the distance, however her expression did not hold the blinding innocence that should have accompanied it; her eyes were warm but also terse with insecurity.
Mournful. Anxious.
Was that approval she sought?
How much of the history did she know?
Togashimaru looked away from her face and rolled back his sleeves before he got to work fixing the black guards around her calves so that the evergreen hakama were not as bunched. He tugged each pant leg up gently until they had a pleasant plume at the knees then motioned for her to turn around so that he could loosen the obi at her waist to its intended bagginess. Out of the corned of his eye he could see Saburo watching his movements intently. The heavy weave of the pale orange cloth beneath his fingers, embroidered by thin patterns of white, brought back memories he hadn't expected to find in that village.
Twelve robes crafted to protect twelve special children.
He'd only been able to find and distribute three in the short time he sought them.
The third of which might have even contributed to his demise.
When the dog demon stopped his ministrations, the priestess twisted back to face him. Her hair spilled over her shoulder, bleeding invisibly into the darkness of the haori's top and trying to hide the peeking green of its inner collar. Around her neck she had tied a scarf decorated by ferns—the wrap he recognized from her package turned bandana.
"Does it look stupid?" She asked quietly with concern when he didn't speak up right away.
Togashimaru shook his head and hummed his assent.
"No Kagome." He answered. "You wear the robe of the Earthen Phoenix very well."
"It has a name?" Shock tickled her cheeks pink and Kagome looked back down at her new demon clothes. She brushed her hand to smooth a black sleeve. "So I was right. It really is like Inuyasha's robe of the Fire Rat."
"They are very similar, yes. They were part of the same set."
"A set?"
He nodded. "A legendary collection of twelve garments designed with the intent to grant a small advantage to those most vulnerable to animosity."
"You mean, to people like Inuyasha."
Again, the demon nodded.
"So that means that the innkeeper's daughter was…" Kagome's hands reached up to cover her slowly parting lips. Her eyes widened, their blue depths sparkling like the ocean under a starry sky with her building tears. When she pulled away she was smiling, although the emotion behind it did not match. Her arms wrapped around herself to hug the black and green wools of her phoenix spun haori closer to her skin.
The extra shifting of fabric lit the air once again with the old and faded scent of half demon.
"Is it really okay for me to have this? I'm not…"
"No, you are not. However, your acceptance and desire to protect them—to protect all walks of life—more than demonstrates your merit. If its holder deemed it to be yours, then it is yours without contest." Hoping to lighten the mood, Togashimaru added, "It would be an insult to reject such a gift, especially now that you have accepted the title of Demon Kindred."
Flushing red hot, Kagome rounded on him. "Woah, no, no! That was just a joke! I'm not taking on anymore titles; my identity is already screwed up as it is. I'll stick with just the Shikon priestess, thank you very much."
"You will be returning the robes?"
"Well, I never said that…"
Togashimaru smiled with far too much innocence. "So, you have become 'Shikon priestess Kagome the Demon Kindred, bearer of the robe of the Earthen Phoenix.'"
"Toga, no." The priestess groaned.
"It could very well continue. Recount to me your feats so that I may incorporate them. Slayer of centipedes? Ally to wolves? Kin to foxes?"
"Toga, stoop!" She protested. Laughter turned the tears welling in her eyes to those of amusement and she wiped them away with the palm of her hand.
"Defender of justice? Purest of heart? Guardian of wells?"
"Toga!"
"Child of time?"
"Okay fine!" Throwing up her arms the young woman let out a sound of annoyance that didn't sound at all annoyed. "I'll take the Demon Kindred tag if it'll make you shut up! You go ahead and use it all you want, I don't care! Just don't expect me to take it back home with me." She spun away and crossed the room, using that as her cue to leave. Before stepping through the open doorway to where she could continue packing her travel bag, Kagome paused to peer at him from over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. "And I'm keeping the outfit. I like it and it fits."
Then she crossed the threshold.
Well, of course it would fit. It was specially tailored for her by Ma Kilin, after all.
Togashimaru chuckled silently to himself before sobering and looking up to meet the spiteful glare of the blacksmith.
Hostility loomed like a cloud, incited by the demon's flaunting of Kagome's various exploits. The young woman had been more than willing to divulge to him her story but was not, it seemed, as forthcoming with Saburo.
Confusion laced with jealousy.
A smirk pulled his lips and at that Saburo jerked to push himself up from the table. The human left the room without uttering a single word.
Togashimaru took that as a battle won.
…
Stuffed full and nearly bursting at the seams, Kagome's trusty yellow backpack could not have fit a single tank top more. Yeah, she could probably afford to get rid of some clothes, but she just didn't want to be wasteful. She'd paid for those kimonos and she was darn right going to get her money's worth out of them. The ones that were a little bit too rich for her personal tastes would still make perfectly great gifts for Sango or maybe even Rin when the little girl got big enough to fit into them.
That wasn't far off, actually. Kagome needed to remind herself that Sesshoumaru's little partner in crime was nearly eleven and already up to her shoulders. Kids grew really quickly when you didn't see them every day.
Heck, Souta was almost thirteen. It was a shock when she returned home the month before after a particularly long run in the past only to find her baby brother staring at eye level. He'd had a growth spurt in the three weeks she'd been gone, and she completely missed it.
And now she'd been gone for what? A month?
Shaking the thoughts from her head, Kagome fished a new hair elastic out of a pocket and pushed the huge bag back against the wall before returning to Toga. She fixed the demon's gorgeous silver locks up in his signature high ponytail, being careful not to hit the scar on the back of his neck. Then, instead of stepping back when she was finished, she ran her fingers through the water fountain of spider-silk a few more times to ensure that it was free of tangles.
She knew there weren't any—she'd already brushed it thoroughly—but it still made for a good excuse to keep touching it.
Soft.
"Think you're up for the trip, Toga?" Kagome asked. "Did you get enough rest?"
When he didn't respond she leaned around to get a look at his face. His eyes were closed, expression serene. The creases of pain that had been haunting his features since they met were nearly smooth and for a moment hope swelled within her.
Maybe he really was healing.
"Toga?" She tried again.
Brow raising ever so slightly, Toga's lips curved up in a small but very gentle smile.
"Is the use of pet names common within human culture?" He asked. "The only other being to ever affectionately assume my name to be 'Toga' has been Izayoi."
Kagome dropped his ponytail.
"Oh my god, I am so stupid. I should have asked first before giving you a nickname. It's just that Togashimaru is so long. I didn't even think!" Kagome kneeled down beside him, resting hands on the floor between her thighs. "You should have told me sooner if that was bothering you. I've been calling you that for weeks." Embarrassment tinged her nose and she looked away, eyes wandering to where she knew his stitches to be. "I can stop. I don't mind, I'll call you by your full name, Togashimaru. But I draw the line at titles. I think we're a little bit beyond titles at this point…"
The demon Lord chuckled when her voice drifted. "That was not my intent, Kagome. You may continue to use the name of your preference."
She peeked up at him, suddenly feeling awkward. "Are you sure? I mean, if it was Izayoi's nickname…"
"It is not unwelcome." He assured her. The smooth rumble of his voice brought comfort. "The name Togashimaru had been granted to me for the sake of instilling fear in my enemies. It describes a sword, honed to perfection for no reason other than to impose death. As Toga I remain the blade, yet with a purpose left undefined. It allows for me to choose my own path; a path of protection as opposed to mindless violence. And it serves as a reminder of her—of why we are here. "
After saying that, he reached into the depths of his burgundy sleeve and pulled out something that glinted with gold.
"My pin!" Gasped Kagome before taking a quick look at her backpack. When had he even taken that?! She shook her head and corrected herself. "I mean, Izayoi's pin. You've had that this whole time?"
With a hummed sigh Togashimaru held out the delicate gold hair charm with its embossed herons and missing dangles. "It was wrong of me to take this. It belongs to you, Kagome."
The priestess bit her lip. "Yeah, but it also belongs to Izayoi. You're the one who gave it to her."
"And it likely remains within her possession. The two should exist separate from one another: hers within its original present, while yours a mirror from a distant future in which Izayoi no longer claims ownership."
Kagome smiled and said, "You've been really getting into that textbook." Then she took the pin from the wide expanse of his open palm and spun it slowly in her fingers. The few hanging metal tassels that remained tinkled like a tiny wind chime. "Thank you, Toga."
"Do not thank me for a gift that had already been rightfully yours."
"Thank you, Toga." Kagome pressed. "For letting me be here for you."
The dog demon smirked as if the two of them were in on some private joke.
"You say that as though either of us had a choice in the matter."
Chapter End
[Tsarashi – For anybody curious about Toga's name, here are the kanji I chose: 研死丸. Since I picked the meaning and kanji well after picking his name, I sort of needed to force it to fit. The character [研] means to sharpen, to hone, to bring to a point, or to research (honing your mind! Eyyyy), which is usually read as "ken" or "to." I pulled the 'ga' from the passive conjugation of the verb 'togareru.' Standard name kanji readings don't usually work like this, but there weren't nearly as many (or any, for demons I guess) restrictions to the Chinese characters in this time period and how they were used, so technically there's no reason why it couldn't work that way. Even today there are names that use odd readings of their kanji—or even readings that have no association to their kanji whatsoever! I like to think that this was a little bit more justifiable than most of the 'kira kira' names out there in the market these days, but yeah. I fudged it a smidge and that is my heartbreaking confession.
[死] or 'shi' is the word for death and is the reason why the number 4 (often pronounced 'shi') is considered to be unlucky. And [丸] or 'maru' is the common masculine name ending meaning circle, perfection, or completion which we should already be familiar with thanks to Mr. Killing Perfection himself, Sesshoumaru. Was 'maru' as common of a name ending 4,700 years ago… Well, considering that it was middle age Jomon culture and we don't even know for sure what language they spoke, proooooobably not. But hey, every generation needs a trend setter, right?
This concludes my totally unnecessary mini lesson of the week. Until next time!]