Kagome's ears burned with embarrassment, the heat gradually spreading to her cheeks. She tried to form words, her lips moving silently, but no sound emerged. Inuyasha watched her struggle, his patience waning as he observed her futile attempts to articulate her thoughts. Eventually, he resettled himself and resumed eating, though his appetite seemed diminished by the tense conversation.
After a moment, he ventured a guess to help her out. "I reckon Toga is the reason you were kept at Kimiko's, right?" He spoke between bites. "Your... connection with my brother must be why Kimiko bothered bringing a mortal into our realm."
Kagome could only blink slowly in response, taken aback by Inuyasha's astuteness in piecing together the fragments of her story. How could she explain her relationship with Toga without tainting his reputation, knowing the disdain for human-demon affairs? Admitting her romantic involvement with his future reincarnation only compounded her dilemma, painting her in an unflattering light. Conflicted by her own feelings and actions, she remained silent, weighed down by a sense of shame.
Inuyasha, chewing thoughtfully, seemed to sense her unrest. "Listen, we don't need to delve into the details," he said after a moment, his voice softer. "If you're not ready to talk about it, we can drop the subject. I'm hardly one to judge anyone's choices." He spat out a stubborn piece of tendon and pushed aside the remaining meat. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up," he offered, standing up and extending a hand to help her.
Kagome followed Inuyasha to a secluded hot spring, more of a modest puddle really, but a welcome luxury compared to the prospect of an icy bath.
Grateful to avoid further probing questions, she waited for Inuyasha to leave for some privacy. However, he leaned against a nearby tree, arms crossed, showing no intention of moving.
"Um, a bit of privacy, please?" Kagome hinted, hoping he'd take the cue.
Inuyasha chuckled, flashing his characteristic toothy grin. "You're joking, right? This area is crawling with bakenekos. I can handle a fight, but leaving you alone here? One of them could easily catch you off-guard. Can't take that risk."
Kagome felt a twinge of anxiety at his words. Her priestess powers were formidable, but not enough against a surprise attack.
Reluctantly, she agreed. "Fine," she grumbled, kicking off her shoes and peeling off her socks. She reached for her shirt, only to pause as she noticed Inuyasha's unwavering gaze.
"Could you turn around, at least?" she demanded, her tone leaving no room for debate.
With an amused smile in his eyes, Inuyasha theatrically turned his back to her. "Don't people bathe together in your village?" he called out over his shoulder.
Kagome hastily undressed, keeping her eyes fixed on Inuyasha's back. "No, we respect personal boundaries," she retorted.
Submerging herself in the warm, translucent water, she sighed in relief. The familiar comfort of the hot spring was a balm to her weary body. She dunked her head under, scrubbing away the grime and stress.
Suddenly, a splash startled her. Wiping the water from her eyes, she turned to see Inuyasha's muscular form taking up a considerable part of the small pool.
"I'm not a gentleman like my brother," he declared nonchalantly.
Kagome grimaced inwardly. The lack of respect for her privacy from both Inuyasha and Toga didn't exactly put either in a chivalrous light in her eyes.
Toga was in a state of euphoria, his heart and mind soaring with blissful elation since his last encounter with Kagome. He felt as if he were floating, each step lighter than air, his spirit buoyed by an overwhelming sense of joy. The thought of restraining his urge to sing aloud was almost too much to bear.
"—ga?"
Lost in his reverie, every moment away from Kagome stretched into an endless ache, soothed only by the blissful anticipation of their future together. Plans for marriage swirled in his head, but his immediate thoughts were fixated on tonight. After returning her to the mortal realm, he imagined spending days, no, a week, in loving worship of her. The idea of leaving Japan, starting anew somewhere far away, even crossing oceans, seemed trivial compared to the challenge of traversing realms for her.
"Toga!" The sharp, commanding voice of a high-ranking Taisho clan commander snapped Toga back to reality. He found himself seated in the midst of a crucial clan meeting, surrounded by lords strategizing against the bakenekos.
Toga met the commander's stern gaze with a distant, dreamy look, uncharacteristic of his usual focused demeanor. The commander, puzzled by this apparent lapse in concentration, speculated if Toga had sought solace in drink – an unlikely behavior for the stalwart demon.
"We'll move to the mortal realm tomorrow. Ensure a battalion of 1000 is ready in three days," the commander reiterated, his voice laden with expectation. Toga nodded, but his response lacked the firm conviction typically expected from him. To the commander's disbelief, Toga almost seemed to be suppressing a smile.
As the discussion shifted to the eastern and northern factions, Toga's attention drifted. He found himself lost in fantasies of Kagome, imagining the feel of her raven hair slipping through his fingers.
Let his father keep the title of Inu no Taisho, Toga mused. Let it be passed to Inuyasha, the rightful heir. For Toga, the dreams of sun-kissed beaches and the laughter of the one he loved were enough. He surrendered to the joyful smile that crept across his face, envisioning a future where he chased Kagome along sandy shores, their happiness unfettered by duty or title.
Impatiently, Toga waited until sundown before sneaking into the Sesshoumaru mansion. He made his way to the room where he had last seen Kagome, only to find, with a sinking heart, that she hadn't yet arrived. Admittedly, he was early, anticipation getting the better of him.
In the room, a familiar blend of scents - candle wax, rice straw, honey, and the lingering traces of shared passion - stirred a warmth in the pit of his stomach, twisting into an impatient coil. His resolve to wait until they reached the human realm was wavering.
"Konbanwa, my future husband," came a calm voice, sending a shiver down Toga's spine. He turned to see Kimiko standing in the doorway, her face a mask of tranquility. Toga was acutely aware of her ability to mask her presence and had hoped to avoid her.
"You're looking for the priestess?" Kimiko asked rhetorically before continuing, "She has already returned to the mortal realm."
Disbelief narrowed Toga's eyes. "What have you done to her?" he demanded.
Kimiko closed the door behind her and stepped into the room, her gaze meeting Toga's fiery one. "She is safe," she assured softly, a hint of concern in her voice. "She is where she belongs, as are you. Let it be."
Toga's demand was more forceful this time. "Where is she?"
Kimiko hesitated, taken aback by the depth of his growling tone. "She chose to leave. I did not stop her," she explained, pausing before delivering the next piece of information. "Your brother took her."
To her surprise, Toga chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Do you think lies will deter me?" he asked, his demeanor shifting from amusement to seriousness. "Nothing will sway me from her. I will be with Kagome," he declared passionately. "Keep your titles and societal expectations. I reject them all. My only desire is to be with her."
Tear shimmered in the corners of Kimiko's eyes at his words.
"You seem almost eager for pain," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Facing the man she was promised to, she saw only his unwavering resolve. "Come. Follow me."
Before the ancient tree in Kimiko's garden, a witness to centuries of history, Toga and Kimiko stood. The tree had seen children play on its branches, maids steal moments of respite, and lovers exchange first kisses under its sheltering leaves.
"It's a hard truth, but your brother did take Kagome back to the mortal realm. They've been meeting here every night after the clan dinners," Kimiko revealed, her voice steady.
Skepticism clouded Toga's thoughts, but before he could voice his doubt, the mingled scents of damp bark and grass filled his nostrils, interwoven with the unmistakable aroma of Kagome – the salty tang of her skin and the floral scent of her hair. And there was another scent – a man's.
Compelled by a sudden urge, Toga lunged at the tree, his claws digging into the rugged bark as he inhaled deeply. The undeniable presence of his brother's scent mixed with Kagome's hit him like a physical blow.
Memories from the recent days cascaded through his mind – fragments of conversations and excuses his brother had made.
"No, Toga, I didn't see a human at the party."
"It was a kitsune, pretty fine looking one, I'll admit."
"Don't wait up for me!"
"Cover for me. I need to bail."
The realization struck Toga like a thunderbolt. His brother, a master of deceit, had lied about seeing Kagome. Inuyasha had spent his nights with her, then concealed it under the guise of outdoor excursions. He had been the one to dissuade Toga from pursuing Kagome, only to claim her for himself. A surge of rage coursed through Toga, his hands trembling with the need to confront Inuyasha, to exact justice for this betrayal.
The night air was shattered by a loud crack as Toga's claws sunk deep into the tree bark, the ancient wood splintering under the immense pressure of his grip. A chilling coldness, the likes of which he had never felt before, coursed through his veins, freezing him to the core.
Kimiko watched, her heart heavy, as Toga grappled with the shocking revelations. The tree's bark cracked and broke, scattering fragments around them. With a hesitant step, she reached out to touch his back, her voice tinged with nervous concern. "I have never lied to you, Toga, and I never will," she said, her hands gently caressing his tense shoulders, moving toward his clenched jaw. "Please, forget her. Spare yourself from further pain—"
Her words were cut short as Toga, in a fit of rage, violently brushed her hands away, his movements sending splinters flying through the air. Kimiko stumbled backwards, landing on the damp grass, her eyes wide with shock and fear. She gazed up at Toga, whose face had contorted into a mask of hatred and fury, unrecognizable from the man she knew.
With a single, monstrous sweep, Toga obliterated the ancient tree, erasing centuries of memories in a desperate attempt to purge the pain of one. Without a word, he left Kimiko amidst the remnants of the shattered tree.
Elsewhere, a vassal hurried through the dimly lit halls to his lord's chamber. Announcing himself, he entered to find Toga sitting by the hearth, his gaze lost in the flames, eyes appearing black in the subdued light.
"Milord, Kitage-sama has readied our men. We can depart at dawn," he reported.
Toga stood, his movements deliberate and heavy. He strode to a small tosogu on the northern wall, picking up a habaki engraved with the seal of a master swordsmith. The sheath rattled ominously in his grasp.
The vassal flinched under Toga's intense gaze, now a pair of opaque black orbs.
"Good," Toga growled, his voice a deep, unsettling rumble.
A/N: After starting to revise this story 6 months ago, this is finally the FIRST new chapter since 2020. I have to admit my lameness. I'm childishly giddy at mad!Toga. When we first met him in the initial chapters, he was tough as nails, but being around Kagome definitely brought out his goofiness and his lovey-dovey inner furballness. He's now reverted back to ver1.0 and we will be seeing precisely why he is considered the most formidable fighter of all of demons and the very valid reason why he's next in line to the Taisho line. *squeals like a degenerate fangirl*