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Strangled Time

Chapter 45

Bright and early in the morning, Saburo worked on packing Kagome's yellow bag and clearing the campsite. It was chilly, but not as bad as it had been the past few days and the skies were clear. Snow wasn't likely. Yet. He folded all of the kimonos he'd been forced to borrow for warmth and tucked them neatly away, hoping that his flamboyant peacock getup would never be mentioned again. And only then, as he was placing them inside the backpack, did Saburo remember that Kagome had one of his own jackets, stuffed at the very bottom.

Without a word to draw attention, the blacksmith dug the thick, grey overcoat out and draped it on, his expression blank and cheeks red.

At least he found it before they made it to the village.

Once everything was in place and settled, Saburo looked over to where Kagome was tending to Togashimaru. She was kneeling behind him, fingers running through silver hair as she affixed a braid. The dog demon's eyes were closed and blissful.

"Are we almost ready ta get goin'?" The human craftsman asked, interrupting the two and more than a little eager to see civilization again—human civilization.

"Hold your horses." Kagome replied, but her words came out muffled with the hair tie held between her lips. "The village isn't going anywhere. We've got time."

Saburo sighed and settled down to wait for the demon's pampering to be completed. He thought nothing of it, because he figured that she was right. Togashimaru, while in more pain than Kagome realized, was currently stable, and Chichibu wasn't about to disappear from reality. They did have time. He had no right or reason to be antsy, either. After all, he was still the stowaway on their journey. He was not an executive decision maker for their party.

So Saburo sat in silence.

Had he known that time was the very last thing they had, perhaps Saburo would have spoken up more urgently to hurry them along.

…

"What's this for?" Kagome asked when she took the carefully wrapped bundle that Toga extended to her before they left. It was a small parcel—much smaller than robes from the innkeeper had been—and it was tied loosely in a swath of cloth from one of her old ruined yukatas.

"You should be keeping your hands warm in this weather." The dog demon explained as she uncovered her gift. "An archer's fingers are their most precious asset, and the cold will only grow more troublesome."

The square of cloth flew away in the wind. The priestess was too busy staring at the pair of mittens in her hands to notice. "Is this what you've been working on all this time?" She mused beneath her breath. They were made out of the tanned hides of the rabbit skins he'd collected. The fur that lined the inside was folded back at the wrist to form simple, fluffy cuffs. Meticulously they'd been stitched together using Kagome's shimmering red pearl thread. Her voice choked from both awe and amusement when she realized that he'd been the one who kept swiping her sewing kit. "Toga, these are really nice."

When the priestess flipped them over they became so much nicer.

Kagome gasped.

There on the topside, above the cuff and towards the thumb on each mitten, was a rudimentary patch of embroidery. Rough scratches of red made up three circles, each one topped with two tall ears and dotted with a round little tail; three bunnies sitting side by side.

Little rabbit.

That was the nickname that Yuugo had given her.

Kagome felt a prickling at the corner of her eyes.

"I do apologize for the shoddy craftsmanship." The dog demon standing over her said before reaching out to brush away the single tear that broke free to run down her cheek. "Do not feel as if you are obligated to wear them."

With a grand smile, Kagome shook her head and rubbed at her eyes with her forearm. "What are you talking about?" She asked. Then she put them on, one mitten and then the other. They were a tad roomy, but not so big that they'd fall off. More than that they were warm, fuzzy, and stuffed full of tender thoughts and memories.

"They're absolutely perfect." She told him.

And they were.

…

"So this is it?"

"I gotta say, that there's th' biggest village I've ever seen. It's massive."

"That isn't a village, Saburo. That's a full blown city. And Izayoi is in there somewhere." Kagome scowled and leaned against the tree she was peeking out from behind. "She could be literally anywhere."

There was a rustle and Saburo poked around from his own pine. The edge of the forest, leading towards the downward sloping path to the city, was abrupt but dense. It allowed ample cover to spy from. "Where are ya thinkin' we should start in first, Miss Kagome?"

She shook her head. "We aren't starting in anywhere. I am. Remember the game plan. I'll go in first to get a good look around and see if I can dig up any strong leads. You two are going to stay hidden. That'll give us some better ideas of what we're up against, where we might be able to find her, and how we can best disguise Toga to fit in."

Saburo made a gruff noise. "Have ya at least got any clue who yer gonna try talkin' to?"

"I'll look for a village leader or elder of some kind—someone familiar with the who's who. She's a princess, so I doubt she'll be too hard to find."

"I'm not likin' the idea of you goin' in there alone like this."

"It's just a city, Saburo, a normal, human city. Just one with too many people. It's not a good idea for all three of us to go rushing in guns blazing. Last time Toga did that it didn't exactly work out so well for him, and we didn't exactly fit in like perfect little chameleons in the kitsune village, either. Toga's staying behind, and there's no way I'm leaving him out here alone. Sorry if you don't like it, but this is the best we've got." When Saburo didn't respond, Kagome looked over to where Togashimaru was propped up against his own tree of hiding. "Hey, Toga, you're pretty quiet over there. You okay? You trust me with this, right?"

The dog demon didn't hesitate. The severe glint of his molten gold eyes met her gaze and he nodded.

"I do trust you, Kagome. With my life."

"Thank you." Kagome nodded back, returning his severity even as her heart swelled. "Alright. So we're doing this."

…

Saburo paced back and forth near the stream where they'd pitched their latest settlement. It was downstream from the wider parts of the waterway where the fishermen would visit and far enough away from the main paths to go unnoticed by casual foragers. The distance and isolation of the site should have been a comfort, and perhaps to Togashimaru and Kagome it was. However to the blacksmith it only seemed to make him more anxious.

It wasn't that he was worried about Kagome—no, he definitely knew better than to worry about that. She was more than capable of looking out for herself in her able bodied state and determined mindset. It was the demon besidehim that proved to be the least predictable.

The demon that he was now the formal retainer of.

In his life before he'd gone on that journey, Saburo thought he'd had the world at least somewhat figured out. He thought he'd known the basic fundamentals of right and wrong, of good and evil, of truths and lies.

But now, thanks to the priestess and her dog, he no longer knew which way was up.

As he was stepping his long strides, back and forth past the General on his stump, and refusing to look the cur's way, Togashimaru began to pull something from a pocket of Kagome's backpack. The small wooden box he set beside the curl of his silver braid was something Saburo recognized from the Inn, but didn't question. Togashimaru then leaned forward to the ground where he started to draw a grid in the dirt with a claw.

Eventually growing too curious for his own hide, Saburo stopped patrolling the campfire to watch him.

The human man's question arose suddenly and without permission from his own lips.

"Yer actually in love with her, aren'tcha? This princess we're lookin' fer."

Togashimaru didn't look up as he worked. He was serene and methodical as he formed perfectly straight lines with the mastery of a Zen monk.

"I am a demon, Saburo." He said quietly once the majority of his lines were laid, as if it needed to be reiterated. "Not a barbarian. I am able to experience a full range of emotions. Love among them. Yes, I am in love with Izayoi. Whether or not you wish to believe this fact, is up to you. However, I am capable of such a thing as love."

Then Togashimaru plucked a little black stone from his pilfered box and tossed it to the lumbering human. When he looked up to meet Saburo's dark eyes for the first time since Kagome left, there was a disquieting dourness to the demon's expression.

"I am also capable of trust, if you would be so kind as to grant me the smallest fraction."

…

It took Kagome less than fifteen minutes to find the major road, and from there less than ten to make her way into the city outskirts. It was large, so much larger than both Edo and the kitsune village, and it was bustling far more than she expected it to be. As soon as she crossed the first small river, the traveling crowds grew dense, like a swarm of bees congregating to their hive. With that sheer number of people out and about and buzzing around, Kagome knew that she'd made the right decision to leave Toga behind for their first reconnaissance. It simply wasn't safe for him in there.

They could have used the illusion leaves, if only Kagome knew just how long the magic would hold. God forbid Toga poofed back to his normal, spectacular self while they were right in the thick of it.

Understatement of the year: that would be bad.

Save for the migrating people, the city itself was enamoring. It lay in a wide valley between mountains capped white with snow and was threaded through with river terraces and cobblestone walls overlooking manmade drainage canals that babbled with runoff. Gardens grew beyond fences, shading the walk with branches that were sure to be pink in the spring and green in the summer. Homes sprang from simple huts to finer structures the further into the city center she drew. Lanterns of wood and paper, both large and small, were hung throughout the streets, pointed out by the enthusiastic tourists milling about around her and chattering gleefully.

Come nightfall the place was sure to be a glowing wonderland.

Complementing the crowds, vendors were beginning to set up their stands along the spider-webbing roads. Merchants flaunting wares of silks and souvenirs danced around potential customers and the rich, warm scents of street foods were just starting to bloom in the noonday air.

It seemed Chichibu was preparing for something big.

"Excuse me." Kagome asked a plump older woman who was painstakingly folding the stock of dyed furoshiki wrapping cloths along the thin, wheeled cart that made up her table. "I just got into town. Could you tell me what's going on? What's everybody getting ready for?"

The lady looked utterly delighted. "Oh, you don't know? How wonderful for you to be passing through at this time, then. Tonight is the first night of the Yomatsuri! If you are able, you simply must stay a few days to truly experience the winter night's festival. Finding a room may be difficult now, but it will be well worth it. It is on these nights that we thank the deities that grant us prosperity, the spirits of our ancestors that watch over our lives, and the Lady Tomboki who protects us from the sky."

"Tomboki? Is she a goddess?"

She smiled. "Yes, I very much like to think that she is. Now tell me, from which direction did you come? Have you yet to find the main road? That is where most of the festivities will be held."

"We traveled in from the… north east? I think."

"The north east?" Suddenly the merchant looked perturbed. It was that same look that villagers often got when they feared some sort of baloney superstition. Sure enough, she followed that with, "That is surely no good. The north east tides bad luck! You should visit the shrine before traveling anywhere else, to cleanse."

"Well, I was actually hoping to find—"

"No, no! That can wait! The shrine is not far now. Go off, before the crowds grow too thick to traverse." She shooed the priestess away with a cloth, and Kagome puffed with offense—why should it matter what direction she'd come in from? That was dumb! But before snapping Kagome realized that the merchant was just totally messing with her. The large woman's entire act was contrived. Thick hand hiding back a smile, her dark eyes were pinched with amusement when she added, "Now is a wonderful time to visit, you will not regret the stop. You simply must go; everybody visits at least once before nightfall!"

Now, Kagome would have been lying if she didn't admit that the merchant's giddy anticipation was infectious. It was all around them, passing through the travelers and vendors alike into the air like excited sparks of positive energy. It was nearly enough to get drunk on.

….A quick little stop wouldn't hurt, right?

Why not? They had time, after all. They'd made it to the end game, why not take a moment to relax and enjoy the festivities?

Besides, Kagome justified as she found herself taking down the directions and heading on to the Shinto shrine, the priest might just know something about Izayoi. Local priests and priestesses were usually the types to know most everyone. She could use the detour as info stop number one!

Before she knew it, Kagome had joined a cluster of strangers heading down the road. Everyone was journeying to the same place, it seemed. Like schools of fish all swimming along the same current, they congregated together from major roadways and smaller side streets until they caught up to the mass queuing up outside the shrine grounds.

There were dozens, maybe even hundreds of people there, which by ancient standards was an absolute metric boat load. Looking around in awe, the young teen watched as people walked by, all wearing their festival finest and waiting for a chance to make their wishes and see the city's beautiful testament to their faith. People looming tall around her, she was just barely able to get a glimpse of the apple red lacquer of the entry arch. So naturally, to get a better look, Kagome jumped. She grinned and jumped again to scope over the vibrant and colorful masses, but this time when she came down she bumped into a little kid who was also way too small to see over the heads of the adults.

"Sorry!" Kagome spun around to apologize, but when she looked back they were already disappearing through the forest of legs. Huh. That wasn't a bad idea, actually. Kagome was almost small enough to be able to sneak between people without much notice from below… Almost, but not quite. Shaking her head, the young woman abstained from acting even more like a child and chose to wait patiently in line like the good girl she was.

Hah!

Yeah right.

She had time, but she wasn't about to waste hours standing in a stupid line.

Pulling the bow off her back, Kagome held it up like a scepter to part the waves and announced to the people around her, "Excuse me, please! Official business, priestess coming through!"

That's right. They were at the end zone of their journey, and to help Toga find Izayoi, Kagome was going to use every single resource at her disposal to see his wish made true. And if that meant embracing who she was and all of the crazy that might come with it, then so be it!

It was game time.

…

Kagome nearly shook with delight as she was led down the winding corridors of the manner house where the late of the day had found her.

She'd done it.

She was there, in Lady Izayoi's home about to meet Inuyasha's mother and the woman that Togashimaru ranted and raved about as if she were literally the most precious gemstone in the world.

They'd done it!

The shrine had been an absolute goldmine. Not only had it been rich in beauty and history, but it also provided her with exactly what she needed to know.

Unlike most of the holy men of high renown and political standing that Kagome and her friends came across in their travels, the head priest of Chichibu shrine hadn't been a total hack. He'd taken one look at her from the crowd and sensed the purity that hummed through her aura like lightning barely contained in a summer heat storm. He summoned her to the back to question her purpose for being there, and when she mentioned that the she was in town following a rumor she'd heard about the Lady Izayoi, that was it. He gave her Izayoi's address, right then and there. As easy as that.

If Kagome knew that flaunting her abilities was going to streamline things so nicely, she would have done it much sooner.

So there she was.

When Kagome arrived at the manor—which was huge, by the way—a young servant girl beckoned her into a large receiving room where she met a kindly old man in black. He, he being the village elder who had taken in Izayoi and Inuyasha upon her father's request, looked very tired, but was genuinely pleased to welcome the priestess. Kagome's heart nearly pounded out of her chest the entire time as elation and anxiety fought a battle throughout her veins. She almost didn't even hear a word he said; the rushing of blood a cacophony in her ears. Then, without further ado, he welcomed her back to the Lady's wing.

The elder was thinly statured and reminded Kagome of her grandfather as he led her forward, his hands clasped tight behind his back. He moved silently, almost morosely through the halls, but the life and beauty around them more than made up for his demeanor. Servants and residents bustled about, carrying laundry and attending to small tasks. Vibrantly decked walls peeked from behind cracked doors. Open walkways gave her a spectacular view of the gardens, with its chirping winter birds and snow spotted topiaries. Across a languidly stretching bridge and man-made pond stood a small cluster of women in elegant refinery. They spoke among themselves and watched with curiosity as she passed.

Then the elder brought her to a stop.

Before Kagome was totally ready for it, they had arrived and were standing just outside the doors to Izayoi's private chambers. She had to take in a deep breath to calm her exited jitters, or else she was going to embarrass herself by not being able to talk at all.

Oh gods, what was she even going to say!?

She hadn't thought that much through. She hadn't expected to find the princess so soon; not for a couple days, at least. But there she was, standing at the edge of the climax to Togashimaru's tale and floundering like a fish out of water trying to think of the best way to introduce herself!

Hi! I'm friends with your son in the future!

Nope. That wasn't going to do it.

Hey there, I've come bearing your lover you thought was dead!

Oh boy...

Externally, Kagome swallowed and straightened her posture as the old man placed his hand on the wood.

And then, without giving the fireflies in her belly time to settle, and without a knock or word to make his presence known, the village elder slid open the massive panel doors to the refugee princess' bed chamber.

In that moment, like a pocket watch suddenly crushed beneath the weight of fate, time froze still.

The first thing that caught Kagome's eye was not the beautiful hand-dyed silken draperies or the carvings along the room's thick molding. It was not the pink and gold kimono hung up to the side, ready to wear, embroidered in lavish peonies and entwining knots of ribbon work. Nor was it the linens of the bed, still disheveled from it's last night's use.

The priestess' breath left her in a sharp crescendo.

No, the first thing that stole Kagome's rapt attention and violently tore the soul from her still living form was the gorgeous screen on the opposite side of the room.

The screen was painted with the golds and silvers of an enormous dog demon, the greens and blues of a mountainside vista, and the black red crust of an impossible amount of dried blood.

Chapter End