Disclaimer: I do not own any of the

main characters within this

fabrication. Their rightful owner

is Rumiko Takahashi. Please support

the official work.

Strangled Time

Chapter 37

Saburo lumbered, slowly falling behind on the path. Kagome had been furious at Togashimaru for spilling the beans before she had a chance to come clean and break it gently, and then she apologized profusely for not mentioning it sooner. She'd given him an uncomfortable rally of excuses before finally admitting that it had in fact been a village populated by mostly demons.

At first he thought it was a joke—the demon Lord was surely messing with him like the scoundrel he was—but after Kagome's confirmation…

Everyone he'd seen had looked and acted plenty normal and human to his deceived eyes. Kagome's brief explanation of kitsune glamours left more of a sour twist in his gut than the comfort she had intended to give him.

She had just gotten to telling him about the demonic origin of her new outfit when he finally found a breath to interrupt.

"The lady innkeeper had a demon fer a… uh," For a what, exactly? For a husband? A lover? "Er, for a partner?"

"Um…" Kagome touched the back of her hair but didn't turn to look at him when she corrected. "No… But she did have a human partner."

Saburo gave a start.

No.

No, no, no, no.

Of them all, their Innkeeper had been the most normal. The most human. Even if she did speak in riddles on occasion. Even if she had known… Had told him… Had given him…

Oh, shit.

He reached up to his necklace but fear held him back from touching it.

The innkeeper was a demon.

"She's a kitsune?"

It was obvious now, in hindsight.

"Uh-huh."

The demon walking next to Kagome gave a sidelong glance to the warrior priestess. "Why is it you assume the woman to be a fox?"

"Uh. " Kagome stumbled before whipping back, "Because she's in a kitsune village, duh. What else would she be? Unless—" Giving a little gasp, she turned to walk sideways. "You know something! Spill."

Saburo couldn't see the look on Togashimaru's face, but the noise he made sounded positive.

"That woman… she goes by Maki. However, her truest name is Ma Kilin." The demon explained, affording their long nameless innkeeper a formal title. "She is of an ancient race, considered by some to be more a primeval deity than demon. It is even said that it was her own grandmother who gifted kitsune the power over fire and illusion. It will have been about fifty years now, since we last spoke. I had granted her sanctuary when no one else would take her, her human lover, and their child. It was she who taught me the true power of a love forged by both an open mind and an open heart."

"Woah, woah, woah." Kagome stopped walking, but when Togashimaru didn't she skipped to catch back up to him. "You two were friends!?" Her voice lifted with indignation. "And you just left her there without a real goodbye!? Toga, she was crying!"

"Her human mate had been a very powerful man—a soothsayer with precognitive abilities. It is likely that she already knew what to expect of our visit."

"That is not an excuse!" The young woman crossed her arms over her chest. "The next time you see her I want you to swallow your pride and talk to her without all of, well, whatever that was. All of your stuffy, vague bullcrap. I think you owe her an apology. And maybe even a hug."

That last part was mumbled under her breath and Saburo barely even heard it. He was too far away. His feet had stopped walking. Damn it all to hell, when had he stopped walking?

The innkeeper was a kilin?

Composure close to shattering, Saburo blinked unseeing at the ground in front of him. Dealing with one or two demons for Kagome's sake? Fine. He could play that cool. But an entire village?

"Hey, are you okay?" The blacksmith jumped back into his sheet white skin when Kagome touched his shoulder. Her concern was radiant. "You don't look so good. Do you need to sit down? I know this is a lot to take in."

Shaking his head, Saburo asked, "You knew she was a demon?"

"Not right away, but I probably should have assumed." She replied softly. "What with Yuugo and all…"

"Yuugo? The smith? He was…?"

"Kitsune. Yeah. Definitely kistune."

Kagome's face came into focus. The human blacksmith searched the oceans of her blue eyes for stability. What he found was sympathy, but also confidence. "And yer okay with that? All of what yer wearin,' that bow you've got, them bein' so familiar with ya. They… that doesn't bother you?"

Sadness infiltrated her beautiful tide pools.

"No. It doesn't." Her voice was firmer. "They were nice, that's all that matters."

"They coulda hurt you, Kagome." He stressed.

"They were nice. And they didn't." Kagome must have seen that he was reeling, because her next words were much gentler. "We've talked about this, remember? Not all demons are bad. There's a lot of misunderstandings and distrust there, but that doesn't automatically make someone evil. Just look at Toga. You trust him, right? He's not trying to hurt you."

Begrudgingly Saburo shot Togashimaru a glance before looking away just as quickly.

"Yeah." He replied, voice gruff. "I know that."

"I'm glad." The smile she responded with was so kind and grateful; it hurt Saburo to look at it. "And since we were fine the first time through, you should know that there'll be nothing to worry about when we stop through on our way back."

The human man's body froze as Kagome slipped away and started towards her demon companion. "We're goin' back?"

Exasperated she doubled back to loop an arm through his and pull him forward. His head was so full to bursting that he didn't even have enough blood left over to blush as he flapped his lips and was dragged along.

"You're fine, Saburo. Really, you're doing great. It's only your first time out of Edo, right? You've got this." She assured him.

Unsure and finally realizing just how far he was in over his head, Saburo asked, "I got this?"

With a little grin Kagome nodded.

"Yeah. Right. Okay." Saburo tried to convince himself. Bravado was failing him. He took a breath and forced his feet forward on his own volition. "I got this."

"Good." Kagome sounded pleased. Then she turned back to that demon of hers. "So Toga… What's a kilin?"

…

Kagome had seen pictures and statues of Kilin before in her grandfather's store house, but she always just assumed they were silly looking giraffes and foo dogs. She never figured that they might be an actual creature, let along that they might be among the top three most powerful demons alongside phoenixes and dragons. Turns out they were, and they were very, very uncommon.

Kilin were chimeric beasts with scaled, deer-like bodies, long flowing manes, canine maws, and either one or two antlers. They had the ability to walk on grass without disturbing a single blade and normally only presented their true selves in times of peace and harmony, such as during the Heian period when Maki had met her husband. Although they were generally benevolent beings who vowed to do no harm—total pushovers according to Toga—they had the power to level entire countrysides to ash if you happened to piss them too far off the edge.

It was better to make allies than enemies, Togashimaru had told her, and he admitted that his initial show of good faith towards Maki had originally been a ploy of political strategy. Her very presence made his experimental inter-species village safer in the time that Togas vow of protection still held—an experiment that, like Horai island, went well for a time.

And then Sesshoumaru took over, and that vow shattered like glass.

Still, if what Toga told her was right and the kilin did know important bits of the future from her husband, why hadn't she fought back? Was that simply in her nature to remain impartial on the sidelines? Or was it an expression to the futility of trying to knock destiny off balance?

But more than that, Kagome wondered about what the woman meant for her own timeline.

If Maki knew the future and she kept stressing for Kagome to help 'her father' carry out his wishes, no matter how difficult…

That didn't sound like just finding Izayoi.

What exactly was Toga going to ask her to do?

"Careful Miss Kagome!"

Kagome had been so distracted that she nearly missed the root jutting out in the path in front of her. From behind, Saburo reached out to grab her before her toe could catch the burl, but the priestess found her footing and leapt over it just in time. The blacksmith was not as fortunate. Arm stretching out to nothing, he threw himself off balance and stumbled forward where his own foot snagged the root and sent him tumbling to the ground.

Poor guy just couldn't catch a break.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked, trying hard not to laugh at his misfortune.

Saburo's flush reached his ears. The sight was normal and familiar, less tainted by fear, and Kagome was happy to note that he seemed to be getting over his initial shock of the demon village. He would come around, she knew. It took time to shake cultural prejudices. If Sango could do it, so could Saburo.

Untangling his feet, the large man took her hand without taking a hit to his pride and let her help him up. She then inspected for physical damages, which included a few rosy scrapes on his forearm and a long tear in his bell sleeves.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Saburo tried to take a step away from her. "It's nothin' Miss Kagome. Really, it's fine."

"It's not nothing." She pulled his sleeve closer. "I can fit my hand through this hole. Look. It'll be getting dark soon. When we stop I'll fix it for you. It'll only get worse if I don't."

His blush grew deeper when she looked up; the cloud of her breath was close and mingled with his as it rose.

She didn't notice.

"Uh y-yeah." He bent easily. "Sure."

Accepting that, Kagome released the captive fabric and continued down the road, trying to stay more conscious of what was on the ground in front of her.

Easier said than done, what with her thoughts in her head running more rampant than an invasive species.

…

As Kagome was flittering around the camp, setting it up just the way she liked it, Saburo nestled himself close to the fire. Last puffs of cold air left his lungs, replaced by tendrils of woody smoke and a bone soothing heat. Across the way and within his sights—always within his sights—was Togashimaru.

At the tree line he sat there, eyes following the fluttering movements of the priestess. Only when she dove head first to the waist within her bag was the demon was able to tear away. The dog turned to himself. With a scowl he touched his side. Clawed hand reached within the folds of his haori before coming back away, the tips of his fingers dark. His scowl deepened and he wiped away the evidence of his blood before Kagome came back up for air.

Saburo frowned and turned away just as Togashimaru glared up, catching him staring.

Heavy upon the smith's lap was his own bundle of traveling supplies. His hands felt inside of it, quickly brushing up against something soft and cylindrical—a spare roll of bandages that he'd picked up in the fox village. One of many. Hesitant long fingers gripped the material.

When Saburo peered back across the campsite he found that the demon Lord was still eyeing him. Evaluating him.

The roll turned into a stinging jellyfish. Saburo yanked his hand from the sack before tying it back closed, tight and secure. Then he moved the bundle to set uncomfortably next to him.

Togashimaru narrowed his eyes with skepticism.

"Have either of you seen my sewing kit?" Kagome's voice cut through the building thickness of the air. "I could have sworn it was in here!"

Relief was a goddess when the demon tore his attention away from the blacksmith.

Saburo offered a slight shake of the head. "Nah, I haven't seen it, Miss Kagome." He told her, and he was grateful when she continued to fill the silence by talking to her disorderly and disobedient backpack.

Once more Togashimaru's eyes were trained on the girl, Saburo a forgotten mosquito left to the background. And with that the human was able to breathe again.

…

Togashimaru picked at his dinner, unimpressed and disheartened.

"Was this all that they had?"

Kagome stuffed a bite in her cheek and bit down on it. Her nose stuck high in the air. "No, but it's the one thing that'll go bad the fastest."

"I see. It is rather…"

"No complaining! I bet you're still satisfied from lunch."

That was not a lie.

Still, Togashimaru prodded.

"You are once more equipped to hunt. Could you not have caught us something more satisfying?"

"Oh, wow." The priestess scoffed and waved her chopsticks at him. "Good food for a few days and you're already spoiled. You're worse than a little kid, you know that? Just eat it."

Scowling—because he most certainly wasn't going to pout after that assessment—the dog demon looked down at his bowl of rice topped with its pickled lotus roots. They were an acceptable side dish when paired with a savory protein, but alone the taste of the vinegar left an astringent aftertaste on his sensitive tongue.

She had the nerve to nip his ear for having a delicate and refined palate, did she?

Well… Togashimaru supposed that there was nothing he could do about it.

It was best to not bite the hand that feeds.

Reluctantly bending under the intensity of her glare—she held a stubbornness capable of felling soldiers and was not to be trifled with—the mighty demon general placed a pickle in his mouth.

Beside him the human blacksmith chuckled at the dog's expense.

Karma was instantaneous and sweet.

Kagome rounded on him next.

"You too, Mr. Big Guy! I see you pushing your bowl around and I know that you're just holding out for the sweet buns. I'm not dumb. Eat, or I won't hunt for you tomorrow, either."

The tone of her voice said that the priestess was quite serious about the matter.

Under threat of starvation, both men diligently ate their entire meal.

Pathetic though as it was.

…

There it was.

Kagome sighed and pulled her little kit of needles and thread from the front pocket of her backpack. She could have sworn that was the first place she'd looked for the darn thing. But really there was so much junk stuffed in that bag that it could have just as easily been lost within the mess.

"Hey, Saburo!" She called across the campsite. "Come over here and take your shirt off, would you?"

A short stream of silence met her request.

Then, "I…. uh. I'm sorry, Miss Kagome?"

"Take your top off." She repeated, settling down on a stump beside Togashimaru. The demon snorted, causing Kagome to glance up at the blacksmith, wondering what the deal was. Annoyed, her temper was on a hair pin trigger.

Saburo fumbled the triangular wood splitting wedge in his hands when she made eye contact. "I—I don't… That's not a very… We shouldn't—Here?" His attention flicked to Toga, eyes a panic and unsure what to settle on.

Realizing exactly where in the gutter his mind had fallen, the teen blushed. She was nearly florescent in the fading evening light. Instantly she grabbed his jacket that lay beside her and threw it in his direction. It barely made it half way before fluttering to the ground with, threatless.

"Take your shirt off and put that on!" She amended, averting her eyes something furious. "I can't stitch your sleeve while you're wearing it!"

"There is no need for you to seek excuses, Kagome." The dog demon beside her purred. "I can assure you that you are not missing out on very much. His physique is mediocre at best. Defined for a human, perhaps, but soft in comparison to the flesh you are accustomed to mending. The sight would not be enticing."

Anger flared within her, fighting control with humiliation. She wanted to yell at Saburo for being so pitiful. She wanted to screech at Toga for making an awkward situation even more awkward. She wanted to throw a tantrum around the fire before digging into her emergency stash of chocolate at the bottom of her first aid kit, and she would sure as hell not offer any to the men. She was a volcano one the verge of explosion.

Then, as quickly as the emotions surged to life within her, her cord of tension inexplicably snapped and fell limp.

Why was she getting all worked up over something so stupid?

Oh god, she knew why.

Her jaw clicked shut, but other than that her demeanor went calm.

Frighteningly calm.

She stood. The sewing kit was tossed into Toga's lap and she gave him a dry look.

"You do it." Kagome said. "I'm going to take a walk. If you have the energy to make jokes, then you have the energy to help lay some stitches. You do know how to sew, right?"

He nodded, eyeing her mood swing with caution. "It is within my skill set, yes."

Accepting that, the priestess started walking away from their camp. Physically she felt fine, but mentally? Kagome was exhausted. There was too much weighing on her mind. And for some reason at that moment, as they inched closer to their final destination, she just could not deal with Toga's humor.

She could not deal with his light hearted, funny, embarrassing self, knowing that she was probably going to watch him die.

Their time at the inn had been great, but really it was just a little distraction from the bigger picture—a bandaid on the inevitable. Returning to the woods tore that right off and helped to put things back into perspective. Toga's carefree mannerisms only nailed down the last pins in the coffin.

The Sword of Damocles hung over his head like a grim reaper's scythe and there was nothing she could do about it.

"But—Miss Kagome?" Saburo's quiet voice called after her in concern.

As if knowing that he needed to divert the blacksmith's attention away from her, Toga gave an amused rumble before saying, "Well? Come closer and strip for me, human. You would do best not to disappoint the young lady."

Saburo ignored Toga and called out again. "Miss Kagome?"

Kagome didn't turn back to them. She pushed everything else out of her mind as she disappeared into the dark shadow-touched reaches of the forest.

She didn't want to care so much.

She was hormonal.

She was tired.

All she needed was a little time alone to clear her head.

…

"Yer stitches are awful." Saburo said, inspecting the Togashimaru's handiwork on his clothes.

Too caught up in his thoughts and distracted by Kagome's lingering absence, the dog demon did not come up with a very witty retort. "No, it is you who is awful."

Sighing, the blacksmith pulled on his poorly repaired top and slumped against a different side of Togashimaru's large tree. "Damn." He cursed. He didn't refute the demon's claim. Instead, he compromised. "We're both awful."

Togashimaru touched his chest to where his poison had risen. The poison Kagome was still unaware of.

"Yes." He agreed. "It seems we are."

Chapter End