Higurashi Naoko was both excited and nervous. Ever since she had become pregnant with her sweet, precious little Kagome, her father-in-law Daisuke had forbidden Isamu and her from coming to the shrine; stating only that there was "something bad" that needed to be taken care of, and that he wouldn't be inviting them back until he was absolutely positive that it had been neutralised.
Isamu had been a little sceptical, but Naoko had seen the bright, beautiful pink light that surrounded and sank into her daughter the first time she held her, and decided that all those things she had thought to be silly superstitions and the like were never to be outright dismissed in her mind again.
It didn't hurt her new point of view that she had, at times before her pregnancy, seen something she couldn't explain away easily, walking around the shrine grounds; or the conversations she had heard Daisuke-san having with seemingly nobody. At first she had just thought him talking aloud to himself – everybody did that once in a while after all – but now, after seeing that supernatural light surrounding her daughter and thinking about her father-in-law's words... Well, she had convinced Isamu that maybe it was best for Kagome to grow up in one place for her first few years – to give her a good grounding and sense of self without being transported between the home Isamu had grown up in and the home they lived in now.
And really, it had been a wonderful thing – Kagome was sweet, gentle, kind, open-hearted, beyond intelligent… And ever so slightly… Uh… Weird.
Higurashi Naoko might have a feline for a pet now – and Buyo was wonderful – but growing up, she had been surrounded by dogs…
There was no escaping the fact that Higurashi Kagome was a dog in human form. Gestures, looks, body language, noises – that little girl was, somehow, growing up to be completely canine in nature… And, shockingly enough, Naoko and Isamu would have it no other way. Their daughter was loyal, protective, determined, outspoken—without being brash, instinctively understood things well beyond her age, loving, and so utterly affectionate that it blew them away. Usually by the time a child reached three years of age they began pulling away a little from affection, wanting to be seen as a "big kid" for a couple years before they returned to being affectionate for a few more years.
Not their Kagome. If anything, as time passed she was becoming even more affectionate and attached to them. Granted, she wasn't quite three yet, but she was close enough.
Naoko had asked once, a few months after Kagome turned two and was already speaking well beyond what she should have been at her age, where she had learned to act like she did, and she had simply responded, "This Kagome is learning to be what she is meant to be from her bestest friend ever, her alpha, Toga-san. He promised me that you would meet him someday soon, and he never breaks his promises. Oh right, I'm learning in my dreams!"
That had actually been a comfort – someone powerful enough to be alpha of a pack was educating her daughter in something that undoubtedly had to do with that light that had surrounded her; and was doing it in such a manner that she could be taught from a very young age without having to spend time away from her physical family. Although, the answer hadn't cleared everything up yet, so Naoko had asked her daughter another question – the answer to which completely tilted her world on its axis; and made her very glad that she had already begun to accept that "supernatural" things existed as fact, not fiction. "What are you meant to be, Kagome-chan?"
Her sweet, precious daughter bounced happily at that, her pigtails twining around her ears as she answered, "Inu yōkai, of course! Oh, and a miko-sama, but that comes later. Learning to be inu is most important because it will make this Kagome strong and confident so that she can fulfil her destiny."
The last part of that was said in a manner that meant it had been memorised just for an occasion such as this one, and Naoko silently thanked her daughter's sensei and protector – whoever he was, since only a first name wasn't much to go on in the knowledge department. The irony of her daughter's pigtails mimicking floppy puppy ears was not lost on her either – and she suspected that this was the reason that Kagome always wore pigtails when she was allowed, whether Kagome herself realised that or not.
Somehow, she got the feeling that there was a lot more to this than she could see right now, but she trusted her instincts and her instincts told her this person would protect her daughter with his life, and loved her deeply.
However, Naoko said nothing of this to Isamu – he was entirely sceptical of anything spiritual or supernatural, and would refuse to believe of her daughter's dreams as anything but some strange flight of fancy until he had proof. It wasn't as if Isamu was a bad person; he was wonderful, loving, and big-hearted, as well as protective and kind. He just wasn't as open-minded as Naoko had become. Which was, admittedly, slightly mixed up; considering that he was the son of a Shinto priest and had grown up on a shrine, whereas Naoko herself had been raised half in America, land of sceptics, and half in Japan – well, Nihon, as it was truly called. Kagome got those absolutely stunning eyes of hers – eyes that shifted from a misty, almost silvery blue, to an almost midnight blue, depending on her mood—but that mostly stayed a cerulean shade—from Naoko's father.
The brunette sighed and stared into her own brown eyes, steeling herself for the excitement to come. She just knew that something truly important was going to happen today, and she needed fortitude to weather it out.
Finally ready, she picked up her daughter – who, at her request, was in an adorable peridot green yukata with plum blossoms decorating it, a soft bronze obi that truly complimented her eyes, and even going so far as to wear tabi and komageta. That in and of itself could have been attributed to Kagome wanting to enter the shrine properly as the granddaughter of the priest who owned it… But instead of wearing her hair down, in a ponytail, or in a low bun, she was wearing those pigtails that she adored.
Which meant that they would be meeting her daughter's mysterious (and not human) educator and protector today. However, Naoko doubted that Kagome realised it, or the excitement she had would be far less subdued – it was clear that Kagome adored her "sensei", whoever he was, probably as much as she did Naoko and Isamu; not that Naoko minded at all. Even if it had been a parental sort of love, she still wouldn't have minded, but it was obviously a different sort of love – a kind of love that didn't really have a parallel in human culture, but that Naoko identified to be pack-love. Sort of familial, but also not really familial.
The really surprising thing had been that Kagome managed to walk around in her traditional wear incredibly well for a girl who had only ever worn yukata for festivals – and had never worn geta, instead wearing the flat-bottomed setta or waraji; depending on the time of year and what was most appropriate for her outfit. When she softly asked her little girl about it, Kagome happily chirped that she had been taught in her dreams.
Yes, Naoko just knew that this person was going to surprise the hell out of her and Isamu – her slightly less, but even so. In fact, this person had probably been a large part of why they had been banned from the shrine since Naoko became pregnant – not even since she knew she was pregnant; that was the first really, obviously, and most inescapably weird thing that had happened to Naoko in her whole life. Her father-in-law had blanched, informed her that she was pregnant, and then said that none of his family was allowed on the shrine grounds until a problem with something bad that he was dealing with had been completely neutralised.
She hadn't believed him at first, about the pregnancy, and had mostly forgotten the incident when, two months later, she started getting morning sickness, realised she hadn't had her period, bought a test, and tested positive. And then she was so wrapped up in becoming a mother that she'd entirely forgotten about that odd little encounter.
Considering that her Kagome was being taught inu yōkai culture… Well; her pregnancy had probably been scented, and since whoever was living there was very attached to her daughter, they didn't want her or her family anywhere near whatever malevolent thing they were taking care of, which made Naoko incredibly happy that she had been safe from exposure to whatever it was.
"Naoko! Kagome-chan! Are you ready?"
She smiled and let Kagome down, then pulled her forward, with a "Yes, dear," that was simultaneously joined with a "Yes, Daddy!"
Isamu smiled proudly at his daughter and knelt down to her, "Grandpa will be very pleased with how you look today, Kagome-chan. You look stunning, dear. Now, let's go!"
They all clambered into the car and drove the hour-long drive to the shrine that was on the edge of the city – and bordering a nature reserve and mountain that made it an enormous piece of property with a proper forest behind it.
Kagome didn't stumble even once when they walked up the slightly absurd amount of stairs – nor did she tire, which was rather surprising – but everyone of the threesome got an enormous shock when they spotted a man in Feudal Era clothing, armour off to the side of him, unmistakeably real and there… but also see-through.
Naoko was shocked to see him, but not worried, especially when his eyes locked onto her daughter with completely helpless, utter adoration and a love so deep that Naoko just knew that no human would ever be able to match it. Isamu, however – well, worry crept into his features when his daughter cried out happily and ran to the strange yōkai. "Toga-san!"
Her eyes were shining with adoration just as deep as the yōkai held for her, and she stopped a respectful distance away – obviously waiting for some signal from her alpha that she was allowed to approach. Naoko would be discreetly looking out the kitchen window when they went inside – she had a suspicion that her husband would strongly disapprove of a strange male holding his daughter like Naoko suspected would happen; but she wanted to watch the interaction. She knew that something important – but absolutely chaste and appropriate – was happening right now.
Sure enough, it only took a second for Grandpa to grumble out in a surprisingly commanding tone, "That, my children, is Toga-sama. He is a very respected guest who has been living here for a decade now – he's just very good at staying hidden when others are around because it wasn't time for you to know about him yet."
Naoko snuck a look at the yōkai and he sent her a wink – okay, so he had let her see him those times; which, in the end, was a good thing, so she wouldn't complain.
"Higurashi Kagome is the only reason that Toga-sama is even on this plane of existence, much less in this era, and we are now going to go inside and talk about exactly what the Kami have planned for my dear friend and dearest granddaughter – I give you my word that Toga-sama is incredibly honourable and would never hurt your daughter in any way whatsoever. Besides, she deserves to finally spend time in person with her beloved alpha now that she has the chance for the first time."
Strange, how the daughter-in-law had more faith than the son did. But still, Isamu followed her, and she offered to get the tea, Grandpa winking at her and agreeing – and what she saw out the kitchen window completely melted her heart. The yōkai male had sat down cross-legged, held his arms out, and Kagome ran to him, collapsing into his lap with tears running down her cheeks after nuzzling her head under his chin, obviously overwhelmed with happiness. Confirmation that this Toga-sama was indeed her daughter's teacher came when, in a completely canine gesture, he began licking the tears from her cheeks, probably even going so far as to growl lowly, although Kagome could likely feel that better than she could hear it.
She turned away then, not wanting to intrude on such an obviously intimate and private moment, and continued fixing the tea; hearing, just before she left, that Toga-sama called Kagome "little bird" – that was both utterly adorable, and completely fitting… But somehow she suspected that iteration of the nickname would only last through childhood, and that as her daughter became an adult it would be "little one" instead. Unless he was teasing her, of course. Men were, deep down, all alike in some ways.
Naoko, surprisingly, was not upset with this – especially because it was obvious that his attentions were nothing less than entirely appropriate and chaste right now at this time.
When she brought the tea to the table and served it, completely unknowing of the presence that had replaced her when she left, Grandpa began talking slowly, considering his words as he spoke them, and seemingly waiting for something.
"As I said, Toga-sama's been living here for ten years... and before you know anything else about him you should know who he is. Toga-sama is none other than the Inu no Taishō – the great Dog General of the West."
Oh, Kami. Isamu had the sense to blanch, and look discreetly towards the window he couldn't see out of. "The greatest daiyōkai to ever live? You mean he actually existed? Does that mean the rest of them – those stories you told us all growing up… They're actual history?"
Grandpa wasn't gloating, or smirking, or even smiling. His face was completely serious as he nodded. "There are some friendly beast yōkai – greater ones, but ones that can't take human forms – that live in the forest behind the shrine. In addition to those individuals, an entire family of greater tanuki and a decent sized pack of lesser kitsune both live there, though they reside in opposite areas, and much further back. The shrine protections are against malevolent yōkai – not friendly ones. The reason that you were so – and I do apologise again for this – rudely ejected from the property is that, quite obviously, Toga-sama is attached to Kagome… and just two months before you visited, the Sword of Hell, Sō'unga, was discovered in the shrine's store-room, mislabelled. In case you don't know, that thing possesses whoever grabs hold of it – and can raise the dead and control them.
"It was wrapped up pretty well, but Toga-sama helped me form an even stronger cloth seal for it—be glad you weren't around to hear that hell-spawn screaming the entire time we were wrapping the new seal around it—and then we set about making a chest with seals burned into every surface of it. We had only finished one of the two smallest sides of the chest when you arrived, and Toga-sama was adamant that his Kagome would not be anywhere near that vile sword, even unborn, and that until we could be absolutely positive that the sword was thoroughly trapped in the chest we made for it, you couldn't have her near here – I only banned the whole family so as not to single you out."
Before Isamu could catch onto the "his Kagome" part of the speech, Naoko reached across the table and said, utterly gratefully, "Thank you so very much, honoured father. I have heard of Sō'unga, and the idea of my daughter being anywhere near that sword with only a single meagre seal on it…"
Isamu nodded at that as well, his hand joining his wife's. "I thank you, Father, for listening to your friend and sparing my daughter... but what, pray tell, was that about "his" Kagome?"
Hooooo boy. Naoko just knew that Isamu probably wasn't going to like this. He was a father, after all, and Kagome was his baby girl. Talk about Awkward. Yes, that capital "A" was absolutely necessary.
Translations:
Yukata – "summer" kimono; basically an everyday kimono made of a lighter fabric and usually used for less formal occasions than regular kimono are. Their sleeves are shorter than kimono sleeves, ending above the wrist, which is the easiest way to tell them apart in the modern era where yukata are often just as intricately patterned as kimono are. Yukata never have trailing sleeves, and traditionally they are usually either patternless or very simply patterned. They are also used with fewer, if any, under-layers.
Obi – a sash used to tie various traditional garments closed.
Tabi – split-toed socks designed for use with Japanese sandals – so the big toe rests in its area and the rest of the toes are encased similar to how regular socks are.
Komageta – female geta, which are more of an oval shape, compared to male geta which are square and have no special name, just called geta.
Geta – Japanese sandals, wooden rectangles or ovals with elevated wooden supports, notably somewhat to very difficult to learn to walk on, depending on the person. They have sandal straps that are essentially like flip-flop straps.
Setta – Japanese sandals that are flat and thick-bottomed that are traditionally made with bamboo bark and straw, having leather soles. The straps are the same as geta straps. Yes, it is unrealistic for Kagome to be wearing them so young. That is kind of the point - Toga is making her yōkai and they develop much more rapidly and gracefully than ningen do.
Waraji – a "traveller's sandal" traditionally made of bamboo bark and straw, designed with straps that wrap up the wearer's foot and secure around the ankle tightly. Depending on the makers they sometimes have leather soles like setta do. Again, the essential straps start like geta straps, but there are loops on the sides that the straps run through to hold the sandal close to the foot.