InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 10: Anomaly ❯ Trick or Treat ( Chapter 30 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Mikio frowned as he stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror in the master bathroom of the Inutaisho penthouse, wondering just how he’d allowed Madison to talk him into this.

‘What do you mean, how?  She batted those violet eyes of hers and smiled at you; that’s how.’

He made a face and smothered the urge to sigh as he blew the bright red bangs up off his forehead.

Okay, so he had to admit that he didn’t really look bad, exactly, and for him, it wasn’t a bad costume, all things considered.  No, what he objected to was one part of the costume, actually . . .

‘It can’t be helped, and it’s not that bad.  You’re just irritated because—’

Snorting loudly and effectively cutting off his youkai-voice, Mikio’s gaze shifted to the side, lighting on the plastic—plastic—sword, laying on the counter.

“I knew you’d be an excellent Kenshin,” Madison gloated, leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.  She’d changed into her costume—a geisha girl—a damn fine-looking geisha girl, if he were honest.  Still, he felt entirely ridiculous as he turned to face her, jamming his arms together under the rather wide sleeves of the crimson haori that was just shades darker than his father’s infamous fire-rat clothing.  “That dye is going to wash out of your hair, isn’t it?”

She laughed, but shrugged rather offhandedly.  “Well, if it doesn’t, I could always just shave my head.”

He didn’t look amused at that, mostly because he really couldn’t tell if she were being serious or not.  As it was, he was a little worried that he’d have to do that to get the bright red dye out of his own locks.  He was really starting to dislike Halloween . . .

“It’ll wash out,” she said, sounding a little too blasé about the whole affair.  “It’s the same kind Evan uses all the time, and yes, it washes out pretty easily.”

Somehow, that didn’t really make him feel much better, and he sighed.  “You promise that everyone else is going to be dressed up, too?”

She didn’t smile, but her eyes were sparkling in an entirely mischievous way.  “Yes, they will be,” she told him.  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the party at Ben’s?”

Mikio made a face.  “Not like this,” he grumbled.  “Besides, Mama mentioned that Gavin and Jilli were invited, so it’s best if I don’t go.”

She nodded, stepping forward to retrieve the plastic sword off the counter, and without a second thought, she threaded it through the waistband of his off-white hakama.  He couldn’t control the flush that suffused his skin at the perceived intimacy of the contact.  Luckily for him, though, she was looking down, adjusting the prop, so she didn’t see it.

“I don’t like that you’re being forced to keep your distance from your family,” she mused, stepping back.

He shrugged, thankful that he’d managed to get his blush under control.  “It’s all right.  They understand, and they want me to clear his name, too.”

“I know . . .” she allowed, but she still didn’t seem particularly mollified.

He watched as she checked her makeup in the mirror over the sink, dabbing lightly at the red rouge in the center of her lips.  He had no idea, where she’d found the costumes, but if he didn’t know better, it’d be easy to mistake her for a real geisha, especially when her eyes seemed somehow darker, deeper against the pale foundation and powder she’d used.  It was unnerving, really.

Her gaze slipped to the side in the mirror, and she smiled.  “Are you ready?”

He wasn’t, not really.  If it were up to him, he’d be more than happy to put on a movie and maybe order a pizza or something, but she’d told him yesterday that she was invited to a party at a friend’s club—and he had to go with her.  A thanks for allowing her to inconvenience him, she’d said.  He’d have a great time, she’d said.  He wasn’t entirely sure he believed her, but he had allowed her to talk him into it in the end . . .

‘It won’t be that bad,’ his youkai-voice said, but it sounded to him like it was simply trying to pacify him.  ‘Besides, it’ll be nice to meet some more of her friends, don’t you think?’

Okay, so he had to admit that, Evan, Valerie, and Jazz aside, meeting more of her friends would at least be interesting.  Considering she tended to have, in her words, a rather eclectic circle, then he supposed it had to be entertaining, at the very least.


“Y ou goddamn hussy!  You’ve been holding out on me!”

Breaking into a secretive little smile as Bugs, the owner and host of the Halloween party held at his club, the Bunny Hole, grabbed her arm and stomped his feet petulantly, Madison struggled to maintain an innocent look.  “Well, hello, Bugsy . . . It’s nice to see you, too.”

The rabbit-youkai snorted, wrinkling his perfectly powdered little bunny nose.  Dressed up like a Playboy bunny, he crossed his bare arms over his chest and glared at Madison.  “Don’t you try to change the subject, you nasty harlot.  Zel’s unkie, right?  What’s he doing here with you?”

Considering he’d said, ‘you’ like it was some kind of communicable disease, Madison did laugh outright.  “I’m staying with him for a little while.”

Bugs gasped, paling even under the layers of makeup on his face.  “You whore!” he gasped.  Then he leaned in toward her without taking his eyes off Mikio, who had spotted her and was weaving through the crowded club with two drinks in his hands.  “Yummy, he is!  Like a taller, prettier version of my precious Zel . . . Is he any good?”

Madison cleared her throat.  “I don’t know,” she admitted.  “And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you, you know.”

Bugs’ lips turned down in an exaggerated frown.  “You’re so stingy, Maddy,” he pouted.  “Ruin my best fantasies, why don’t you?”

“Here you go,” Mikio said, handing Madison a glass of wine.  He grimaced, but smiled.  “It’s really crowded in here.”

“It’s not too bad yet,” Bugs replied, leaning forward to place a hand on Mikio’s forearm—something that Madison most definitely noticed.  “This isn’t even half of the people I invited.”

To his credit, Mikio did manage not to look too horrified at the admission, much to Madison’s amusement.

“Maddy!  Oh, my God!  It’s been way too long!”

She barely had time to turn before she was yanked into a tight and rather cushiony hug by a very buxom and exuberant—and very sexy—forest pixie.  “How have you been?” she asked when she was finally released.  “Oh, wait!  Let me introduce you all . . . Mikio Izayoi—he’s a lawyer from Japan, but he’s here to help out his nephew-in-law.  Mikio, these two are Bugs and Bitches.”

Mikio blinked, looking like he wasn’t entirely sure he heard her right.  “Bugs and . . . uh . . .”

“Bitches,” Bitches replied, grasping Mikio’s hand and giving it a little squeeze while leaning in a little closer, allowing Mikio a very nice view of ‘the girls’, if he were so inclined as to look down.

Mikio still didn’t look like he actually believed the woman was really named Bitches, but he did offer a slight incline of his head in greeting.  “Nice to, um, meet you . . .”

Bitches giggled, tilting her head to the side as she slowly regarded Mikio.  “You have ve-e-e-e-ery nice chi,” she finally said with a little nod, as though something made perfect sense to her.  “It does seem slightly restricted . . . You’re a bit shy, aren’t you?”

He shot Madison a quick glance, managed a wan smile.  “I . . . I suppose so.”

Bitches waggled her pointed index finger.  “That’s why . . . It makes complete sense!  Anyway, anyway, it’s so nice to meet you!  Anyone who’s friends with Maddy, here, is good in my book . . . I’m a zen guru.”

“A . . .?”  Mikio cleared his throat.  “I . . . I see . . .”

Bugs rolled his eyes and moved in a little closer to Mikio.  “She’s also a lesbian, honey, but I’m not!”

Madison pressed her lips together, partially because Bugs always tended to forget that he was, in fact, a man, and partially because Mikio looked genuinely perplexed, like he wasn’t completely sure, what to make of the pair.

‘Oh, that’s terrible, Mads . . . Terrible and so, so mean . . .’

‘And, yet, funny as fuck . . .’

Her youkai-voice heaved a longsuffering sigh.

Bitches reached out, cupping Mikio’s face in her hands as she leaned in close to examine him.  Mikio didn’t actually look too put out, but she could feel the almost nervous tick in his youki.  “You seem familiar,” she mused slowly, eyebrows drawing together in a slight frown.  Suddenly, though, she smiled.  “As weird as this might sound to you, something about your aura reminds me of Zel . . . Strange, though, since you’re really nothing at all like him . . .”

Madison cleared her throat, her lips twitching as she sought to hide her amusement.  As much as both she and Evan liked the zen guru, she also didn’t know that they were youkai, and, as such, she also didn’t know a thing about Evan’s true identity, and that extended to his family.  Bugs knew that, too, and he tittered like a little birdie.  “Now, now,” she broke in before Mikio could question that further, “I think you’re scaring him, Bitches.”

Bitches giggled, reaching up to fuss with her very bouffant hair that was teased up a good foot off her head, but not enough to muss it up.  “I’m sorry, Mikio . . . I guess I tend to get carried away,” she apologized without sounding the least bit contrite.  Then, she turned to Madison, and the smile that she’d had on her face quickly faded.  “Maddy, how long has it been since you’ve been laid, darling?”

Madison supposed that anyone else might well have been caught off-guard by the candid question, but she laughed instead.  “It’s been a while,” she admitted.  “It’s fine, though, I swear.”

Bitches didn’t look like she believed her entirely, and she shook her head.  “I don’t know . . . It’s all there in your aura, you know.  You’re a little stressed out, and don’t say you’re not because I know better.”

“You’d better not be about to suggest that she and Mikio, here, go get it on,” Bugs cut in coldly, his umbrage very apparent.

Mikio’s mouth dropped open, only for him to snap it closed a moment later as brilliant color erupted in his face.  “Wh—I—We—”

“I’ve . . . I’ve had a lot going on lately,” Madison cut in smoothly, casting Mikio an apologetic, if not rather amused, look.  “Between losing Jazz and the pipes in my bathroom, busting . . .”

Bitches gasped softly and clucked her tongue.  “I heard about that,” she said, her voice taking on an instant and very sad tone as she hurriedly drew Madison into another hug.  “I’m so sorry . . . I was in Milan when I heard . . . How are you, sweetness?”

Madison sighed, trying her best to brush aside the surge of grief that lay, just below the surface.  “I’m okay,” she said.

“And that bitch of a mother of hers,” Bugs fumed.  “She had no right—no right!  It’s her fault that she’s dead, and—”

“Calm, Bugs, calm,” Bitches crooned, slipping her arms around him, instead.  “You’re going to get yourself all worked up again, and that’s not good for you.”

“Are you okay?” Mikio asked quietly, sidling up beside her, likely thinking that he was safer if he were closer to her and farther away from her friends.

She looked up at him, only to find him, staring back at her in a wholly concerned kind of way, and she smiled wanly.  “I’m . . . Well, I’ll be okay.”

He understood what she was trying to say; she could see it in his eyes.  No, she wasn’t okay, exactly, but she would be eventually, was already well on her way to healing, even if it really would be a long, long time before she could really think about Jazz with anything other than a sense of impotent anger, of loss that just held no real reason—and she understood the other question that lingered in his gaze, that he hadn’t lent voice.  “I’d like to stay—if you’re okay?”

He seemed a little relieved by her answer, and he shrugged as he lifted his drink to his lips.  “Whatever you want, Madison,” he told her.  “Whatever you want.”


“H ere you go, my man . . . A T-Bone special.  Enjoy it. Not er’rybody gets one of those, yeah?”

Mikio blinked and accepted the drink from Bone, who slipped into the chair across from him.  Madison had been dragged off by Bitches to meet her new girlfriend, and Mikio, who knew no one, was more than a little surprised when the big man had opted to slip into her vacated chair.  “Thanks,” he said, holding up the glass and frowning as he slowly swirled the contents.  It looked like some sort of devil concoction, very caramel in color, lighter in the bottom, and very suspicious.  Mikio didn’t tend to drink often, and, if he did, it was never much.  He’d always just figured that he had enough trouble, maintaining his balance with full faculties, that adding alcohol to the mix wasn’t a good idea . . . “What . . . is it?”

Bone chuckled and leaned in toward him, resting his elbows on the table top.  “You don’t drink, yeah?  It’s something I make Roka when he’s had enough and don’t want no questions.  People around here can be dickbags when it comes to that, so it’s best to just avoid it, yeah?”

“Oh,” Mikio replied, “uh, no, I don’t.”  Tilting the glass to his lips, he nodded.  It was lightly fruity—some kind of juice—with what tasted like a mocha-type flavor added, but he guessed it did the trick since it looked entirely like some sort of mixed drink.  “It’s not bad,” he said.

Bone nodded, settling back in the chair, his grin widening.  “If you don’t want anyone to bug you about it, just carry that around.”

“Thanks.”

Lifting his fingers up off the table, Bone shook his head.  “Nah.  Just easier sometimes than starting shit that don’t need to be.”  Suddenly, he chuckled—a deep, rich sound.  “Been in the biz too long, yeah.  Always looking for the contingencies and shit . . . Parties like this can be like that.  One minute, er’ryone’s cool, yeah.  The next, someone gets set off over some dumb shit, and up it goes, like a fucking explosion ‘cause someone gets offended over something stupid without bothering to stop and consider that it could be nothing more than a damn misunderstanding . . .”

It made sense to Mikio.  As an attorney, he’d seen his fair share of the same kind of thing, but when it happened in the middle of a corporate takeover, it could be a very expensive and potentially deal-breaking affair.  “Nothing wrong with trying to avoid situations if it’s possible to do so,” he allowed.  “So, you’re not just there for muscle?”

Bone’s chuckles escalated into an all-out laugh.  “Shit . . . Roka don’t really need the muscle, yeah.  Well, you’d know that better than anyone.  Your kin are fierce.  Sparred once with your brother?  That was some scary-assed shit.”

“Aniki?  Uh, yeah,” he agreed with a frown.  In truth, he’d never actually gone up against anyone, but he’d seen often enough over the years as Ryomaru had sparred with Bas and Gunnar and Morio . . .

If Bone noticed Mikio’s reluctance, he didn’t remark upon it.  “But you and Maddy, huh?”  He slowly shook his head, but that good-natured chuckling was back.  “Didn’t think anyone would ever tame her . . .”

“I-Is that what I’m doing?” Mikio asked before he could stop himself.

Bone eyed him for a long moment, as though he were trying to figure something out.  In the end, though, he just grinned.  “She’s more . . . content.  Yeah, that’s a good word for it: content.”

“And . . . And you’ve known her for a long time.”

“Sho’ ‘nuff,” he agreed.  “One of those chicks you wanna shelter, but she won’t have that shit.  She’s fierce.”

“We’re, uh, really just . . . just friends . . .”

“Man, she brought you out here with her tonight, and then, she dragged you around to meet everyone, yeah.  That’s more than ‘just friends’, if you ask me.”

He didn’t know what to say to that.  He wasn’t entirely sure that Bone actually meant for him to respond to it, anyway.

But Bone wasn’t done, and he sighed.  “Listen, I ain’t gonna go all ‘big bro’ on you, yeah.  I ain’t gonna do the whole, ‘don’t you hurt her or I’ll fuck you up,’ or anything ‘cause Maddy don’t need that shit.  I love her, though.  She’s like that annoying little sister you can’t get rid of, yeah.  You know, the kind that you can pick on, but no one else better try it.  She’s a lot of things, but she’s always, always real . . . but you already got that.  Just . . . If you fuck it up, man?  Well, that’s on you ‘cause she’s totally worth it . . . But I think you know that, too.”

“I . . . I think she’s an insanely complex woman,” Mikio countered quietly, though with no less conviction.  “I don’t think she needs anyone to tell me who or what she is or isn’t.”

Bone stared at him as though he were trying to see into his head, and Mikio wasn’t entirely sure, just what his conclusions were, but he nodded slowly.  “I know, but it sounded good, yeah?”

Mikio blinked and frowned at Bone, but then, he chuckled, shaking his head as he set the glass down.  “You’re all just a little strange.”

“Hell,” Bone scoffed.  “I’m a little strange.  Bugs?  He’s all fucking strange, period.  You know, don’t you?  He’s over there, tellin’ them all that he’s gonna snag you, right out from under Maddy’s nose.”

“He—Uh . . .”

Bone’s laughter cut him off.  “I wouldn’t worry ‘bout it.  Not a damn one of them thinks that you’re any gayer than Roka—Well, less gay than Roka, ‘cause he has his moments, too . . .”

Mikio could feel his lips twitch.  “Evan has . . . gay moments . . .?”

Bone nodded.  “Shi-i-i-i-it.  He got moments when he’s girlier than Maddy.  Sat there one night in Rome at this seedy little bar—snuck him out of the hotel, yeah, and got in a shit-ton of trouble with Mikey later for it—and there he is, talking about how big this other guy’s dick was, that if he were a chick, he’d be all up in his business, just to see if he stuffed his pants or not . . . So, about ten shots in, he’s over there, offering the guy a few Bens to whip it out so he can see for himself how big the guy’s dick is . . .”

And for some reason, that didn’t surprise Mikio, either, though, he supposed, it should have.

“Oh, my God!  You’re telling him the Rome story?” Madison exclaimed as she sauntered over to the table once more.  The tone of her voice was disapproving, but the smile on her face said something entirely different.  “I don’t know if it’s worse that he offered the guy five hundred bucks or that the guy took it and did drop his pants . . .”

Mikio grunted.  “This whole story makes me feel dirty and somehow violated,” he muttered.

Madison barked out a little yelp of surprise when Bone snagged her around the waist and planted her firmly on his lap.  “Quiet now,” he told her in a completely condescending tone as he leaned to the side far enough to wink at Mikio.  “You’re interrupting man-talk, yeah.”

Madison rolled her eyes and downed more than half of Bone’s drink.  “Man-talk, my ass,” she complained, making a face as she thumped Bone’s glass onto the table once more.  “That’s really disgusting,” she said, nodding at the drink.  “It’s all booze!”

“Captain Jack,” he replied, raising his hand to catch the eye of a passing waitress.  The girl nodded and smiled before hurrying away to bring Bone a fresh one.  “You know better than to go around, nabbing people’s drinks.”

She snorted indelicately and drained the rest of his glass.  “Why?  Did you slip yourself a mickey?”

“Hardly,” Bone replied.  “But you know that little girls shouldn’t be slammin’ big man’s drinkies.”

Madison wrinkled her nose, neatly nabbing the new drink from the waitress’ hand.  “Bring him another one, please,” she said, seconds before she downed that one, too.

“Yeah, if you’re only here to steal my booze, find another chair,” Bone told her, despite the grin on his face.

“You took my seat, Boner, and you’re the one who manhandled me, remember?”

Mikio shook his head and stood up, stepping around the table to pick up Madison before returning to his chair once more and settling her on his lap instead.  She giggled and squirmed around so that she could look at him, neatly dropping her legs over the arm of the chair, nestling a little more comfortably against his chest.  “You make a damn fine Kenshin, did I tell you?”

Mikio blinked and smiled just a little.  “Yes, I think you did,” he remarked.  “Are you drunk?”

She thought that over, but shook her head.  “Not really . . . Contrary to what he thinks—” She jerked her head toward Bone.  “—I don’t get drunk off of a couple little drinks.  Add a few more, though, and maybe . . .”

Bone stared at the two of them for a minute, and then, he grunted and rolled his eyes, but the smile remained on his face as he took the drink from the waitress.  “Add them to my tab, yeah?”  She nodded and hurried away, and Bone made a face when he turned his attention back to Madison and Mikio once more.  “Wo-o-ow,” he drawled, slowly shaking his head.  “Y’all . . . So damn cute, kind of makes me wanna go join a boy band or some shit . . .”

Madison giggled and snuggled a little closer to him.  “I’m sure Evan knows someone looking for a very large, very assertive, and very tone-deaf security guard-turned-dancing-queen to join their group.”

Bone chuckled.  “Well, I can carry a tune better than you, so, there’s that.”

“I love to sing,” Madison quipped.  “I just suck at it.”

Bone snorted, downing his drink that was more like a shot in his huge hands, and hailed another waitress, holding up the glass and two fingers when she nodded.  “She’s good at a hell of a lot of things, but singing?  My best advice is that, when she starts, get some damn good earplugs, yeah?”

Mikio tried not to, but he laughed anyway since he’d already learned that lesson, first hand.  “Sorry, Madison,” he remarked between chuckles when he intercepted the raised-eyebrow-ed expression on her beautiful face.  “It really was pretty bad . . .”

Madison heaved a sigh and tried to affect a hurt expression that was effectively ruined a few moments later when she giggled again.  “Good thing I never wanted to be a rock star.”

Bone snorted, taking the drinks from the waitress and pushing one across the table to Madison.

“I can pay for my own drinks,” she said.

Bone waved a hand and grinned.  “Nah.  ‘Sides, Roka said it’s all on him tonight since he ditched us for that family thang.”

“Oh, did he?” Madison asked, sounding more than a little amused by it all.  “That was nice of him . . .”

Bone grunted.  “Kind of takes the fun out of it, though, when it don’t really matter, what kind of tab we run up.”

“V did say he has more money than God,” Madison pointed out.

Bone nodded, but his smile faded as he considered it all.  “Speaking of, why aren’t you at that family thang?”

Mikio shrugged.  “Wasn’t sure if Gavin and Jilli were going to it or not,” he said.

“Oh, yeah, right . . . A whole lotta bullshit, if you ask me . . . Gavin’s the last person who’d fuck someone over with their money.”

Mikio didn’t comment, but then, he didn’t need to.  He was making progress, and hopefully, he’d have the whole thing wrapped up, sooner rather than later.

As for now, though?

Now, though . . .

‘Nice, isn’t it?’

For once, he didn’t try to pretend that he didn’t know exactly what his youkai-voice was talking about.  It was enough, at least, for the moment, just to enjoy the feel of Madison, so close to him, and, just for now, maybe it was all right . . .