InuYasha Fan Fiction / Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Space Hanyou ❯ Six ( Chapter 6 )

Restlessly, he paced the wide, long deck of the gunship, one ear listening to the comm chatter as he reflected on the circumstances of this mission. Cold golden eyes regarded the view screen, taking in the vast, pristine beauty of space. He much preferred the deep dark of the void, hating the noise and the smells of human habitation.

 

Not that he had any excuse to visit human habitations, other than the occasional refueling or to let his crew have some much needed shore leave. Personally, he preferred to stay aboard his ship, he had no interest in the entertainments that humans enjoyed.

 

His communications officer approached him, handing him a readout of a recently received transmission. “We've located him, sir,” she said quietly. “He was taken aboard a bounty hunter's ship one solar day ago. These are the coordinates and the specs.”

 

“Thank you, Rin,” he said quietly, examining the information. His lip curled disdainfully. Bounty hunters, it was utterly ridiculous. His annoyance with his half brother deepened, insulted by the fact that he was the one who had to go chasing after the fool who'd managed to get himself picked up once again. However, his father had been most specific in his instructions. He himself thought a few years in a dark human cell might cure his incorrigible sibling of his carelessness.

 

Sesshomaru sighed heavily and dropped the information slip on his pilot's console. “Set a course for these coordinates, Shippou,” he murmured.

 

The red haired young youkai grinned at him, almost as insolently as his brother would have. “We're going to go pick him up, sir?”

 

“Yes,” he said, turning back to the view screen and the fascination of empty space. Clean, cold and impersonal, he felt a kinship with the sparkling darkness. The thought of dealing with base cowboys made him deeply irritated. Clawed fingers unconsciously contracted into fists. He would not take out his temper on his crew but he had every intention of making sure that Inuyasha was painfully aware of how much his stupidity had vexed his older brother.

 

~oOo~

 

Spike was wandering his way back up to the main room. In spite of his turn at guard duty, he was still too restless for sleep. He'd personally feel more at ease once they had delivered their cargo and removed a certain federal presence from Bebop. So far, what had looked like an easy bounty head was turning more and more complicated.

 

It wasn't anyone's fault, it seemed like sometimes the universe had it in for them. He shrugged, a thin cloud of blue smoke encircling his hair like a halo. One way or another, he was damned well going to make sure they got paid for this one.

 

Jet shared his opinion, he was certain. His partner's black look when they'd crossed paths a few moments earlier spoke volumes about their prisoner and their...guest? He wasn't sure he was ready to refer to a federal marshal as a guest. Jet couldn't stand the woman, she put the hair on the back of his neck up, so he said.

 

Other than the uneasiness of her official presence, Spike didn't see anything that offensive about the woman. Certainly, she had to be a hardass, it was her job. There was no reason to put themselves at odds with her. Her job was to bring in the Hanyou, same as theirs. As long as Kagome Higurashi was playing straight with them, he had no objections to voice about her presence or anything she wanted to do to keep that strange criminal in line.

 

“Damn you, you're CHEATING again!”

 

He stopped, his head swiveling back to where he'd heard the shout emanate. That sounded like Inuyasha. Spike backtracked to the passage where the voice had echoed from, a faint frown crossing his face when he realized what room the hanyou's voice had come from.

 

Ed's room, he thought, his brow furrowing.

 

Spike stopped dead in the doorway, not quite believing what he was seeing. Ed and their prisoner were crouched on the floor in front of a console, wearing identical goggles as they avidly played some kind of computer game. On the floor were a couple empty bottles and Spike felt the beginnings of a smile cross his lips. He went to stand just behind them, neither Ed nor Inuyasha seemed to notice his presence, focused on the game and Ed's giggle suddenly pierced the air.

 

“I win,” she shrieked.

 

Inuyasha growled low in his throat. “You're a cheating little brat, you know that?” He ripped the goggles off and reached for the next bottle, pouring the liquor down his throat. Spike leaned over and picked up an empty one.

 

“Ed,” he said mildly. “I think Jet was saving this for a special occasion.”

 

Her bright eyes found his as she also removed her goggles. “It is a special occasion,” she giggled, her hands wiggling at him with her restless energy. The girl bounced to her feet, twirling around like a little whirlwind. “We caught the Hanyou.”

 

Inuyasha grunted, but didn't look up when Edward draped herself affectionately over him. “Spike, I think we should keep him. Ein likes him.” Her smile turned wicked. “So does Faye.”

 

“Yeah, I'm real popular,” the hanyou growled. It was mainly for Spike's benefit, the display of temper. He actually found himself liking this weird kid, at least she didn't look at him like he was a freak or a criminal. She'd spent a good fifteen minutes pulling on his ears before she believed they were real, but he was used to that. Humans were drawn to those fuzzy little appendages like flies to honey. Inuyasha took another swig and shrugged his shoulders to dump Edward off him.

 

She caught herself with unconscious grace and danced around the room. “His father is a pirate, Spike,” the girl said, hooking her legs over a pipe from the ceiling and staring at him from upside down. “He says his father will pay us a lot more money if we don't turn him in.”

 

Spike grinned, so he was working on Ed now, was he? “Sorry,” he said in a mild, unconcerned tone. “I think you'll have to convince Major Higurashi to let him go, not me.”

 

“Fucking bitch,” Inuyasha muttered. His ribs still hurt and his claws twitched. One way or another, he was going to pay her back for that. Maybe he'd deserved some of those sits, he did throw the marshal on her back and kiss the living hell out of her.

 

But damn it, he swore he'd thought she was getting into it for a moment. Her lips had softened under his, she'd opened her mouth to let him slip his tongue inside. A wicked grin flashed across his face. Uptight bitch of a fed or not, sadistic cop from hell, she tasted sweeter than warm sakura blossoms in the sun.

 

He felt a waver of homesickness for the planet of his birth, so far away from human worlds it was thought of as a myth, a bedtime story for humans. Youkai didn't exist, he boasted about his heritage in bars, told tall tales about his father. It got him free drinks, sometimes it got him challenges. His looks got him into more women's beds than bragging about space pirates. In spite of the ears, everyone thought he was just a showy loudmouth, full of bullshit and space dust, making his way from lechery to debauchery to criminal activity. For the most part, it worked out pretty good.

 

Until he managed to get himself too shitfaced to move and passed out in a whorehouse. Damn, but his father was going to kill him this time.

 

Ignoring the bounty hunter standing behind him, he finished off the last bottle of what someone obviously thought was scotch whiskey, he'd sure had better, and snapped the goggles back on his face before turning to Ed. “You wanna go again?”

 

She nodded vigorously, plopping herself next to him. “What do I get when I win?”

 

Inuyasha glared at her. “I'll decide that. This time, no cheating or I swear I'm putting you over my knee and making that rump of yours as red as your hair.”

 

Edward chuckled wildly at that. “If you can catch Edward. No cheating, I promise.”

 

“Yeah, right,” he muttered, focusing on the game again.

 

~oOo~

 

Faye yawned as she came out of her room, her fingers brushing lightly through her hair. She must have been tired, she'd managed to get several hours of good, uninterrupted sleep. She felt so much better now, realizing how stressed she must have been.

 

Now she was hungry, wondering if Jet had actually stocked anything decent to eat for this trip. She didn't care for instant noodles or one of his questionable creations. Faye also didn't like to cook and often found herself stuck with whatever Spike or Jet chose to bring aboard. Oh, they'd cursed her out more than once, told her to buy her own damn provisions if she didn't like what Jet kept on hand. She stretched lazily, smiling to herself.

 

Like she didn't have better things to spend her money on.

 

As soon as they got their bounty, she was heading for that new casino that had been built in Jupiter's orbit. It sounded like heaven to her, the place was supposed to be huge and stocked with every game known to man. Also, because of its newness, Faye was positive that they couldn't have worked all the bugs out of their security. They relied on professionals, like herself, to show them where the holes in their systems were. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why casino security didn't see it that way.

 

In any case, with a little luck and a bit of ingenuity, she felt she could make herself a tidy wad of cash, maybe enough to take a vacation from bounty hunting. The Bebop was starting to wear on her nerves once again and Faye felt a vacation away from her partners was just what she needed the most.

 

She was just about to cross into the main passage that would take her up to the galley when something moving way too fast whipped past her, a strangely shaped blur of red and silver. She stopped, catching her balance against the wall and heard Ed's shout of laughter.

 

He appeared right in front of her, breathing a little hard and stared right into her eyes. “Hello gorgeous!”

 

Faye pulled back instinctively, glaring at him. “Who let you loose, aren't you supposed to be under guard?”

 

Edward's head popped up from the back of the silvery hair, grinning at her. “He's under Edward's guard, Faye!”

 

She planted her hands on her hips and glared at them both. “I just bet,” she muttered, taking in the grins and in Inuyasha's case, appreciative leer. “Can't you give it a rest?”

 

“Mmmm...” he answered, still grinning at her. “No, I probably can't give it a rest, but maybe if someone was to help me wear it out...”

 

“Shut up, you pig,” she muttered, shoving past him.

 

Inuyasha dumped Edward off his back with a squeal so he could pursue Faye. “Ah, come on, I'm just kidding around, where's your sense of humor?”

 

“I don't have one,” she snapped, tossing her hair out of her face as she tried to storm away. He was making that difficult by following her so closely. Finally, she spun around and poked him hard in the chest. “Just leave me alone!”

 

Inuyasha grabbed the poking hand, his fingers caressing her wrist soothingly. “Why should I leave you alone, I think you're fun. Admit it, under different circumstances, you might like me just a little.”

 

“I doubt it,” she said dryly, but didn't yank her hand back. Inuyasha took that as an opening and gently pried apart the fisting fingers.

 

“Hmmm,” he said, eyes twinkling at her. “My mother was a gypsy, you know. She taught me how to read palms to tell your future.”

 

God, could that line get any lamer? She took note of the challenge in his gaze and decided to play along. Sooner or later, he'd give her an opening and she'd show him that Faye Valentine was no woman to be trifled with. “Okay, Mr. Hanyou, tell me my future.”

 

Inuyasha peered intently at her palm, fingertips still stroking her trapped wrist sensuously. Under different circumstances, Faye thought she might have enjoyed the light caress. Oh, who the hell did she think she was kidding? She was enjoying it right now otherwise she would have snapped her hand out of his grasp and given him a sharp crack to the jaw.

 

Instead, she felt her spine relax against her will, her shoulders moved to lean against the wall as Inuyasha's fingers made lazy circles on her skin, moving softly from her wrist, up her forearm to the sensitive skin of her inner elbow.

 

“Well,” he began, a serious look in his eyes. “I can see that you are a woman who is always on your guard. You don't let people get close to you, you like to stay on the move.”

 

Faye grinned at him. “You'll have to do better than that, hotshot. Tell my future or let go of my arm.”

 

He sighed lightly, looking back down at her hand. The tip of his claw gently traced the lines of her hand. “Your future is very mysterious, Faye. I see a lot of adventure, a lot of excitement.”

 

“Just what I needed,” she muttered.

 

“And,” he continued as if he hadn't heard her. “I can see you becoming extremely wealthy some day. I see a large house, filled with beautiful things, all of which pale in comparison to the beauty of their mistress.”

 

This was getting better, she decided. “Hey,” she said, leaning a little closer to him. “Tell me where I got my money, that's what I want to know. Was it at the track?”

 

Likes the ponies, he thought wryly. “I can't tell for sure,” he said, keeping his tone serious. “It's not like I have all the details, but one thing is for certain. Your future could go either way, continue on the path you walk now, and this possible future might not ever come to be.”

 

What a jerk, she thought, scowling. Next he's going to tell me that if I help him make his escape, his big bad daddy is going to give me that house and wealth. “You're bullshitting me, aren't you? she accused.

 

His flash of a smile caught her breath in her throat. Suddenly, Faye was very aware of how close he was standing, how his fingers had never stopped exploring her skin. He raised her palm to his mouth, his breath hot on her skin, whispering across her fingers. Delicately, as if she were a rare treat, he licked the palm of her hand. Her swift intake of breath encouraged him and he touched the tip of his tongue to her hand again, then pressed a kiss into it like a gift.

 

Faye's heart was beating fast, she couldn't remember the last time someone has so sensuously and delicately tried to seduce her. It was all wrong, that much she knew. He was trying to use her somehow for his own gain, that was something she had a hell of a lot more experience with. What now, her mind raced, is he going to try to kiss me again? She was half hoping he would, her eyes focusing on his mouth. Faye unconsciously licked her lips and waited for him to take her in his arms.

 

Inuyasha dropped her hand, stepping away from her. “I'm not bullshitting anyone,” he said softly, his eyes glowing faintly. “You think I'm playing a game with you, trying to use you. Maybe I would do something like that sometimes, but not now and not with you. I don't use women I like.”

 

She stared after him, embarrassed that he'd read her so easily. More embarrassed that her knees were trembling and the feel of his lips on her palm was making her feel weak and shaky in the pit of his stomach. It pissed her off too. “That's it?” she snapped at him. “You like me, what a crock of shit!”

 

He swung back around and looked at her, his hair falling over his shoulder. “Just because you're too paranoid to let anyone in doesn't mean the rest of us are like that. Don't project your issues onto me, Faye.”

 

She was livid and Faye wished hard that that she had the marshal's stun wand. How dare he think he could get away with talking to her like that? He was the bounty head, he was the criminal that they were taking in. He hadn't earned the right to talk to her like he knew her, not by a long fucking shot he hadn't!

 

“Don't you talk down to me,” she snarled in irritation. “Don't you think for one minute you know anything about me because you don't. You're just mean, sneaking criminal who will do anything to stay out of a federal lock up. You don't care what game you have to play as long as you get what you're after. If you think I'm stupid enough to let you get to me, I'm going to...”

 

His arms swept her up, planting a kiss right on her angry mouth. Faye was stunned, her hands hanging limp at her sides. His lips were firm and gentle at the same time, his tongue moving lazily to claim hers in a slow caress that deepened gradually. Faye's hands clenched into fists as her arms went around him quite involuntarily.

 

Oh my god, what am I doing, she thought.

 

The floor shook hard under them, Faye would have fallen if Inuyasha's arms hadn't been holding her steady. Klaxons started to wail as the lighting flickered and bathed the passage in a eerie glow. “What the fuck?” Inuyasha muttered, looking up. Damn, hell of a time for an interruption. He couldn't help but shake his head at the shitty timing.

 

The comm speaker behind them crackled suddenly to life, Jet's voice blaring harshly at them. “Faye, Spike,” he snarled. “We're under attack, get your asses up here.”

 

Attack? Inuyasha spared one quick look at Faye's flushed face before grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragging her to the command deck. “Come on, woman, didn't you hear? Someone is attacking this ship.”

 

“And what do you think you're going to do about it, Hanyou,” a voice sneered behind him. Major Higurashi was advancing on them, a dark look on her face as she fingered her stun wand. “I don't think the crew of this ship will be needing any assistance from you.”

 

He grinned in spite of her harsh words. “I'm not planning on helping,” he told the marshal, noting the hard look in her eyes and the twitch of her fingers toward the wand. “I'm just too damn curious for my own good.”

 

“Uh, Hanyou guy,” Jet's tinny voice sounded from the speaker again. “You get up here too. And Major Higurashi, if you're listening.”

 

“There you see,” he said, gesturing in the vague direction of where Jet's voice had echoed. “Even the cowboys want us up there. Unless you'd rather pout about it.”

 

Kagome hissed as she stalked by him, catching Faye's surprised look. “You sure do love pissing her off, don't you?” she asked, glancing up and meeting an amused golden gaze.

 

“Yeah,” he said and licked his lips. Looked like things we're going to be dull any longer.