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Of Butterfly Wings

Chapter Fifty-Two: Scolding

Touya watched as Ohagi puffed himself out into a massive ball, hissing and spitting as the little creature backed into a corner.

He'd taken the cat back to the estate as Kagome needed to talk to Sesshoumaru first before she brought Ohagi to his manor. Even if it was only for a short time, she wanted to abide by her guardian's rules while she lived under his roof. Plus there was also the concern that Ohagi might not take well to Rin. Already he'd scratched Natsuo and took a swipe at Shouto. Touya had managed to grab his youngest brother and yank him out of the way before the kitten could get its claws into him.

Strangely, it didn't mind Fuyumi as much. It wouldn't attack her, but it wouldn't crawl all over her like it did Kagome. It simply meowed at her in irritation and pointedly ignored her very presence. Clearly the feline had already picked its favorite person.

Touya took a picture of the kitten and sent it to his fiancée. He followed it up with a quick message.

Our son has a temper problem.

He fought the urge to laugh as Ohagi scuttled across the floor and hid beneath his dresser. A pair of emerald eyes glowered at him from the darkness.

Touya turned his back to the kitten.

It was like Kagome said. Trying to pressure Ohagi before he was ready would just stress him out and make him more aggressive. So it'd just be easier to let him get acclimated at his own pace. The cat would demand attention when he wanted it. They would schedule his neutering when they were settled in their new house. There'd be no point in putting him under the knife and stressing him before a move. So once Ohagi was comfortable at their house after their wedding, they would get it done.

Officially, they'd snuck their rescue kitten into his dad's estate. They'd made a quick pit stop at the vet when they'd arrived in Tokyo. They had Ohagi checked for any sort of tags or microchip and when it came back clear, they had him set up with his first round of vaccines. Ohagi had been in a less than stellar mood since they'd made it back to his dad's place. After being moved, poked and prodded he couldn't bring himself to blame the feline for feeling irritated.

Kagome responded back with a teary-eyed emoji.

Touya found himself laughing even more.

It was clear that she missed her cat already and Ohagi wasn't too fond of being without her either.

He sent her another text.

What'd Sesshoumaru say about bringing Ohagi over there?

He was curious to know how her guardian would take to a cat. Like his father and half brother, Sesshoumaru also had a dog quirk. He could transform into a massive silver dog the size of his own mansion. He'd heard the staff gossiping that his foyer was designed so that he could relax in his true form undisturbed but he hadn't bothered to ask the man directly if that was true. Certainly having a feline in the house might trigger some of his hidden instincts, or perhaps he'd just dislike the very smell of them. There was only one way to be sure.

Kagome's response came in quicker than he expected.

All he said was that so long as I take care of him and take him with me when I leave, then Ohagi can stay.

Touya smiled.

Ah, so that was it.

It looked like even Sesshoumaru had a soft spot that he couldn't hide. He could vaguely recall the man stating that he hated the very sight of cats. He often snorted when he saw the text threads between them full of cat GIFs. So it was evident that he had no love at all for the creatures. He seemed to be only permitting Ohagi into his home because Kagome had asked—and it would be short term.

She sent him another text.

We switch next week.

Touya laughed.

She would say that.

The days passed without much change in the cat's behavior. Ohagi spent the majority of his time under his dresser and only emerging when he was given food that was deemed 'good enough'. In Ohagi's case, he would only eat a perfect mixture of wet and dry food. The first time he'd given him kibble only, the kitten had sniffed it then made eye contact with him as he flipped the bowl upside down. It'd taken several tries to figure out Ohagi's specific preference.

He had yet to touch his toys but Touya was sure that he'd be driving Kagome up the wall as soon as he got settled in Sesshoumaru's manor. The cat would yowl incessantly any time he heard Kagome's voice on the phone.

Touya watched as the kitten emerged from his hiding place without any fuss the second his fiancée strolled into the room, a cat carrier in hand.

It gave a happy mewl as it stretched its legs out, demanding to be picked up.

"Aw, aren't you just the cutest?" Kagome cooed, scooping the tiny critter into her arms. Ohagi nestled itself against her as it cried out in happiness.

Honestly what was she, the cat whisperer?

Touya laughed, collecting some of the kitten's belongings to transfer to the manor.

"Is your first fitting today?" He questioned.

They strolled out of the Estate and climbed into Jaken's car. Kagome got situated in her seat as she tried to coax Ohagi into his carrier without much luck. It cried, clinging onto her with a fierce desperation.

"Yes, the dress was finished a few days ago so I need to head in this afternoon to make sure all the measurements are correct. But first we need to get this get settled in at home." She settled for simply tucking the kitten behind her hair again when it'd clamored onto her shoulders once more. Kagome then shifted towards him, "Will your dad be coming again this time? Fuyumi said that she had plans today so she couldn't make it."

Touya froze.

What?

His fiancée blinked, "Last time when we went shopping your father ended up tagging along. He said that it wasn't a good idea for us to go into town on our own. So he was there during the appointment." She cocked her head to the side curiously, "I thought you knew."

He thought he heard Jaken give a loud snort that could've either been a laugh or a sound of utter disappointment. He couldn't tell.

Touya bit the inside of his cheek.

No, he had not known about that little fact. The mere idea of his old man sitting through the dress shopping made him bristle. If he was there then he would've seen the dress Kagome had chosen. Which meant that his father had seen it before him.

His brows furrowed at the thought.

How utterly obtuse could his old man be?

Wordlessly he pulled out his phone and began dialing his father's number.

"Touya?" Kagome shot him a concerned look.

He simply wrapped his arm around the back of her seat, pointedly ignoring Ohagi's hiss of indignation. Personally, he felt like doing the exact same thing.

The phone rang once then twice before his father picked up.

"Hey old man," Touya began with a deceptively calm tone. "Did you crash Kagome's dress shopping?"

There was a brief silence before Endeavor spoke, "I wasn't comfortable with her and Fuyumi going by themselves."

The man reiterated his prior excuse.

Touya bristled, "What part of the word 'tact' are you missing? Did you fry your brain from all that overtime you've been pulling?"

He felt Kagome wrap her arms around his neck in an effort to calm him. He knew she didn't want him arguing with his father over their wedding so he would keep this short.

Endeavor sputtered excuses on the other end of the line, all of which were just as flimsy as the first.

"Next time ask before you go tagging along. Don't go making things awkward for everyone else around you. I won't have you crashing the ceremony if mom is there." Touya growled one last time before he hung up on him.

There were many things he wanted to say to him but he wouldn't do it while Kagome was listening. She was already stressed enough.

Touya blinked as he felt tiny claws latch onto his arm. It would seem that Ohagi had run out of patience as well.

Silently he plucked the cat from Kagome's shoulder and placed him back on her lap. It hissed and curled into a tiny ball, glowering at him as if he'd offended its entire bloodline.

Kagome didn't speak. She simply held his hand as he tried to wrestle with his flood of emotions.

"I wasn't trying to hide it. I honestly thought you knew." She reassured him.

Touya breathed a sigh through his nose, "I know." He threw her a wry smile, "You aren't the type to hide something like that."

Which is part of the reason he loved her so much. She didn't try to force him to get along with his dad or sneak behind his back to mend their relationship. She was honest to a fault and made sure that he knew that he was free to choose what sort of relationship he wanted with his family.

"Well since he saw your dress, am I still banned from going to the fitting today?" He decided to change the topic.

Kagome smiled, "You're not seeing that dress until we say 'I do'."

Touya laughed as they pulled up to Sesshoumaru's manor.

At least he could say that he gave it his best shot.