"Who are you again?" Totosai asks, scratching his head that somehow still has a sliver of hair on top of it. His big bug-like eyes narrow as he tilts his head to the left and then to the right. He circles around Kagome, pausing to scratch at his head again. "The Kagome, I know, should be dead." He circles back around and crouches down, mumbling to himself about imposters and his memory loss.

"Totosai, it's me," Kagome stresses for what feels like the 100th time since she's walked into this cave. How the man has stayed hidden up here is a mystery to her. Eh, how Sesshomaru can keep an entire estate in the clouds hidden is even more impressive. "Sesshomaru, can you just tell him?" she asks, exasperated with how much time they are wasting. It took for freaking ever to get here even with Sesshomaru's speed and it'll probably take twice as long to get back home.

And she planned on cooking dinner tonight. Take out it is, or maybe Satoru and she could just sneak out somewhere. He doesn't seem to care one way or the other if the food is ready when he gets home or if they go out to eat.

"This is the priestess. Stop wasting our time." Sesshomaru sits down on the floor, one arm propped up on his leg as he scrolls through his tablet. A sight that she still cannot get over. Sesshomaru just makes everything look so regal, it isn't fair.

"But-but that priestess was human," Totosai splutters, rearing back from her.

"And so is this one."

"Aw c'mon, it's me. You really think Sesshomaru would vouch for a fake?" Kagome crosses her arms. If he won't believe her, then at least he can believe in Sesshomaru. That seems to do the trick, as Totosai sucks his teeth and nods to himself like a maniac. His head bobs up and down as he rocks on his heels.

"Well, I'll be." Totosai leans in. "Blink twice if Sesshomaru is holding you hostage." Totosai's eyes widen, and they are far too big for such a narrow face. Sesshomaru throws a pebble at his head. A trickle of blood flows from the wound and Totosai runs to the back of the cave, crying, "Awful, mean-spirited, demon."

"I see he hasn't changed over the years," Kagome quips, following the sounds of Totosai's wailing. The inside of the cave is a weird mix of modernism and feudalism. It's as though Totosai couldn't decide which era he liked more and meshed the two together.

"Unfortunately," Sesshomaru says from behind her. Kagome glances back over her shoulder and Sesshomaru is still scrolling and clicking away on his tablet.

"If you're ever too busy, Shippo can always come hang out with me," she offers.

"That fox is always with your mate. He's been slacking off from his duties."

Huh... interesting. Satoru hasn't really mentioned Shippo.

"Go away!" Totosai wails. "Take that damn dog with you."

Sesshomaru steps forward and gets blocked by Kagome's arm. She shakes her head. "It's okay, Sesshomaru isn't going to throw any more rocks. He'll be busy working on whatever it is he does on his tablet. You know, I still don't know what you do for a living."

"Crush the meager souls of humans with my financial superiority," he says, deadpan. His lips don't even twitch.

O-okay then... he could have just said he ran a corporation, but to each their own.

"Right. Anywho. Sesshomaru will keep his hands to himself." Kagome makes herself comfortable across from Totosai. The back of the cave has a couch, which is super nice because she did not want to sit on the hard floor if she didn't have to.

"Hmph. What do you want, then?" Totosai tilts his body away from Sesshomaru as though he is expecting a response at any moment.

"I want to make a locket for my fiancé. Can you do that?"

"I prefer to make swords..."

"He doesn't need a sword. Satoru doesn't use swords." At least she's never seen him use a sword. The few times she has seen him in action, Satoru always uses his fists or shoots some kind of beam from his hands.

"Satoru?" Totosai tugs at his beard.

"Her mate is Gojo Satoru," Sesshomaru says without looking up from his tablet.

"Gojo!" Totosai exclaims. "He's nearly worse than this dog."

"Don't compare him to this Sesshomaru."

"So... can you make the locket or not? I can pay whatever price." Kagome leans over, blocking Sesshomaru from Totosai's view. Why does everyone have such a negative reaction to Satoru? He's not that bad. Maybe a little rough around the edges, jokes around a lot, but he's a good guy. It just takes a minute to find the goodness buried underneath all the sass is all.

"Hmm, I can. I'll need a locket of your hair. Teeth don't grow back for humans." Totosai says and snips off some of her hair before she has a chance to say yay or nay. Well, okay then.

"We'll stop at a salon on the way back," Sesshomaru says. "Or else your mate will have questions."

Kagome runs a hand through the choppy parts of her hair. She did need a trim, but a warning would have been nice. "Well, uh, thanks! What do I owe you?"

"Nothing." Totosai squints at the hair in his hand then back at her. "Who are you again?"

"Kagome," she replies, gently, because maybe from all the blows to the head, Totosai has trouble remembering people. "When should we come back?"

"Three days." Totosai sighs loudly. His whole body - not that there's much to him - slumps forward as he assesses the locks in his palm. "Teeth are better material," he bemoans, casting a glance at Sesshomaru.

"No." Sesshomaru stands, still swiping away on his tablet. "Let's go."

"Worth a shot," Totosai mumbles and waves them away. Kagome bumps her shoulder against Sesshomaru as they make their way to the entrance. Her now choppy locks itch the back of her neck. She'll probably get some looks once they get back into the city.

"Why not buy him a gift?" Sesshomaru asks, only after they make it out of the cave. "I know he can afford it."

"This feels more special. And he'll have a part of me with him when he's working."

"He doesn't need protection."

Kagome stops mid-step. Is Sesshomaru actually complimenting Satoru? She looks up at the sky. No pigs flying. The sky isn't parting. She must be hearing things.

"What are you doing?"

"Wondering if you just complimented how strong Satoru is."

"His strength is the only reason why I acknowledged him as your mate. Had he been a normal human, this Sesshomaru would have disposed of him."

"What? You would have killed him if he was weak?"

"Rather by my claws or another, a weak human cannot be by your side. I don't expect you to fully understand." Sesshomaru flicks his hair back.

"That's so..."

"You attract trouble. At this point, it must be a skill."

Kagome grumbles and resumes walking by his side. "Strong or not, I still worry about him when he goes to his missions."

"Why?"

"Because I love him. You protect the ones that you love."

"Hn." Sesshomaru pivots and heads back towards the cave. Kagome throws her hands up and follows along after him. All this walking back and forth is making her hungry. From his corner, Totosai pouts.

"Who are you again?" Totosai asks, a bead of sweat trickling down between his large bug-like eyes. Sesshomaru ignores the question, reaches into his mouth, and rips out a fang. Still bloody, he tosses the fang to Totosai's feet, grabs Kagome by the arm, and walks out of the cave.

"Ooh, you have someone you love?" Kagome asks once they are out of earshot.

"Hn."

She rolls her eyes. Fine, he can keep his secret for now. She'll find out one way or another.


A/N: Celestial Law this one is for you. Thank you everyone for your support! If you want to see a side story, just let me know ;)