InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 2: Defiance ❯ Battle of Wills ( Chapter 22 )

~~Chapter 22~~

~Battle of Wills~

Toga ran out of the bathroom as he tucked the end of the towel in to secure it around his hips and grabbed the phone, answering without bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Toga, how are you?"

He grinned then grimaced as water from his still-sopping hair dripped an icy trail down his back. "Fine, Mother. How is everyone there?"

"We're all fine. We miss you."

Toga sighed. "I know. I miss you all, too."

Kagura was silent a moment, and Toga braced himself for whatever it was she was trying to figure out how to say. "Your father misses you, too."

He'd figure it would be something like that. "Does he?"

"How long are you going to be angry at him?"

"How long is he going to keep being ridiculous?"

Kagura sighed. "Toga . . . he loves you. He wants what's best for you."

"He doesn't. He doesn't know a damn thing about what's best for me."

"You love her, don't you?"

Toga relented. Kagura didn't sound upset or angry, just resigned. "Yes, Mother, I do."

"And your youkai? Has it spoken to you?"

He smiled. "She's the one, Mother."

"Then it is as it should be. Promise me one thing, Toga?"

"I'll try."

She chuckled. "Will you try to speak to your father just one last time before you make anything permanent?"

"I'll . . . try."

"That's all I ask. Your father will be home soon, and I've made reservations for dinner . . . I miss you. Behave yourself."

"Bye, Mother."

Hanging up the phone, Toga stared at the receiver with a marked frown. `Talk to Father? Feh . . . .'

A knock on the door drew his attention, and he grinned as he opened it. "You're early," he told Sierra as she stepped inside with a very happy Kirara in tow.

Sierra deliberately took her time removing her coat and letting Kirara off her leash before she turned her face away and stood back up. "You going to wear that all day?" she asked, waving her hand at his towel without looking. "You were supposed to be ready to go. Kirara's first trip to the park? Remember?"

Toga glanced down and shrugged. "Mother called," he explained. "Besides that, you said the other day that I didn't have anything to be ashamed of," he couldn't help teasing.

Sierra's cheeks flushed as she forced her gaze back to him once more. "D-did I say that?"

He nodded. "As for your question, no, I wasn't planning on wearing this all day . . . I figured I could just take it off . . . ."

Her blush deepened. "You . . . you're not funny."

He chuckled. "I wasn't trying to be."

"Yeah, well . . . if you're so comfortable running around nearly naked, you might as well do the calendar."

"That's completely different," he pointed out.

"How so?"

He shrugged. "Because here, the only one to see me is you . . . that calendar?" He affected a full body shudder. "Perish the thought."

"Coward," she shot back.

He relented as he headed toward his bedroom to get dressed. There was just something way too invigorating about teasing her . . . it had to be the sweetness of her blushes . . . .

The telephone rang again as Toga was tugging on his jeans. "Can you get that?" he hollered.

"Sure," Sierra called back.

He heard her stomping down the hallway before he saw her. She stopped in his doorway, leaning on the frame with a dark scowl on her features, arms crossed over her chest. "It's for you."

He nodded slowly as he fastened the top button on his jeans. "Figures, since it is my phone, wench. Who is it? Did you ask?"

If Sierra were inu-youkai, the growl that issued from her would have been understood. As it was, he blinked in surprise as he stared at her, unsure if she had any idea at all that the growl she'd just uttered was one female inu-youkai used when protecting what they perceived as being theirs. "Your office friend."

With an inward wince, Toga grabbed the shirt off the bed and strode out of his room, pausing beside Sierra to touch her arm. "Yes?" he asked as he lifted the phone to his ear, careful to keep his tone brusque at best since Sierra had followed him and was still eyeing him with that suspicious look of hers.

"Toga? Thank God . . . I hate to ask . . . I really need your help . . . ."

He shot Sierra an apologetic smile. "What's the trouble, Kari?"

Kari sighed. "The Torgasen account . . . they revised the contract at the last second, and now I've got to get all the documentation approved before Monday . . . . I can't do all this!"

Toga winced. The Torgasen account was one of the biggest mergers they had on the schedule this quarter, and if it was screwed up there'd be hell to pay. On the other hand, the way Sierra was glaring at the phone, he had a feeling that she was contemplating the idea of yanking it out of his hand and bashing it to pieces. "There's no way you can do that yourself?"

"You have plans, right? With . . . her."

Toga stiffened. "Yes, with Sierra."

"Never mind, Toga. I thought you'd help me, but I guess I was wrong. See you."

The line went dead, and Toga shook his head as he dropped the receiver back into the cradle.

"You have to go, don't you? To help her?"

Toga shrugged. "I probably should. It's a pretty big account."

She sighed as she stepped over to fiddle with the tan canvas bag she carried her photography equipment in. Taking her time as she checked rolls of film and restowed it, she didn't speak. "We can take Kirara to the park another time," she agreed, her tone pleasant enough. Toga winced at the too-agreeable quality.

"Sierra---"

She grabbed Kirara's leash and snapped it on the pup's collar. "It's fine, Toga. Maybe I'll take her to the park, anyway. I'll see you later?"

He nodded. "If it's not too late. Shouldn't take more than an hour or two, tops . . . ."

She forced a bright smile as she slung the bag over her shoulder and led Kirara toward the door. He reached out to stop her. "No kiss?"

A fleeting glimpse of her upset flashed in her eyes before she could manage another smile. Bracing herself against his shoulder, she leaned up to brush a chaste kiss over his cheek. "Bye, Toga."

He sighed as the door closed behind her, crushing the shirt in his hand before dragging it over his head and pulling his hair out of the collar. Her upset wasn't all because of the call, he was sure. As the date of the impending trip to Florida to meet her natural parents drew closer, he could sense her rising anxiety, even if she tried her damndest to hide it from him, and since they were leaving Monday morning, he had suggested the outing with the pup in hopes of getting her mind off all that.

`Damn . . . . Nice, Toga . . . way smooth . . . baka.'

-=-0-=-0-=-0-=-0-=-0-=-

"Here."

Toga pushed up his glasses as he glanced up. Accepting the bottle of water that Kari offered, he set it on the table and turned his attention back to the contract. "Thanks."

She sank down across from him and resumed her perusal of the proposed changes.

"Is Torgasen okay with the changes?" Toga asked without looking up.

Kari sighed. "They seem to be, but then, they're afraid their stocks will plunge if the merger falls through. Other than a blatant misuse, I don't think that they'll disagree with any of the changes."

Toga wasn't quite as inclined to agree since the proposed changes effectually ended any of the employee shelters that Torgasen had been adamant about. The way the changes were worded, any and all of the current employees could be fired or replaced at will, and all of them would have to reapply for positions that most had occupied for years. Either way he looked at it, he had a feeling that the merger wasn't going to go as smoothly as it had been anticipated.

"Hey . . . I'm sorry about how I was on the phone," Kari muttered without glancing up from the document. "I was worried, and . . . well, I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You're a really nice guy."

Toga pulled off his glasses and dropped them on the contract before sitting back to stare across the table. "It's nothing," he assured her. "Anyway, there's really not much I can do . . . you're the one that has to okay all these . . . ."

Kari made a face. "I feel like this is a set-up," she grumbled with a defeated sigh. "I feel like they want me to fail."

Stifling a yawn behind a raised hand, Toga flicked his wrist to check the time and grimaced. Nearly nine.

"She's going to be mad at you, isn't she?"

Toga stacked the documents together and put away his glasses. "Nah . . . well, maybe . . . ."

Kari shook her head. "I know she didn't know about Allan and me," she admitted quietly. "That didn't make it hurt any less."

Toga opened the water bottle and took a drink, staring at the label as he nodded. "I'm sure."

Kari shrugged. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter now. Water under the bridge, right?"

"I don't know what went on between the three of you," Toga answered, carefully measuring his tone, his words, "but I know this: I'll protect Sierra from anyone who tries to hurt her. Anyone."

Kari smiled, just a little. "I get the feeling you mean me? Why would I do anything to her?"

Toga set the water bottle aside and stood. "Not just you. I'll see you."

She stood up, too, followed him to the door and watched as he grabbed his coat. "Thanks, Toga. See you Monday."

He shook his head. "Nope. I'll be out of the office this week."

Kari looked surprised but nodded. "All right . . . ."

He pulled the door closed behind himself as he checked his watch once more. Hoping Sierra would still be awake, he headed for the stairwell . . . .

-=-0-=-0-=-0-=-0-=-0-=-

Sierra stumbled through the apartment as she turned off lights and stifled a yawn. She gave up on the idea of Toga coming by around nine-thirty, and after taking a shower and watching the news, she was ready for bed. `A couple hours, huh? Right, Toga . . . .'

Padding across the floor, she shut off the kitchen light and stretched. After taking Kirara to the park and chasing the puppy around all afternoon, she was exhausted. It amazed her, how much energy one small animal could have . . . .

The phone rang. Sierra frowned as she hurried over to the table. Muttering under her breath as she racked her shin against a chair leg, she hobbled the rest of the distance and flipped on the lamp before grabbing the receiver. "Hello?" she choked out as she tried to convince herself that she really hadn't broken her leg.

"Sierra? What's wrong?"

She winced at the obvious concern in Toga's voice. "Nothing . . . just clumsy," she answered as she hiked her leg up onto the table to assess the damage.

"Clumsy? Why?"

"Hit my shin on the chair when I was trying to get to the phone."

He chuckled. The soft breathy quality sent shivers down her spine in an entirely nice sort of way. "If you're still up . . . mind if I come over?"

Making a face at the quickly mottling flesh on her shin, Sierra sighed. "Well, gee, Toga . . . . You sure you won't get any more distressing phone calls?"

He sighed, too. "All right, I deserved that," he agreed. "So . . . want some company?"

She relented with a smile. "Maybe . . . ."

A soft knock made her spin around. Eyes narrowing, she dropped her leg from the table and slowly wandered toward the door. "Is someone there?" he asked quietly.

Sierra didn't answer as she unlocked the door and opened it.

Toga was leaning against the wall with his cell phone still held up to his ear. Offering her a shy smile, he pushed away from the wall to step into her apartment as he closed the device and dropped it into his pocket. "Nice . . . is that what you always wear to bed?"

Sierra leaned back against the door as it closed behind her, the phone receiver clutched against her chest. "Huh?"

He nodded at her, and she glanced down. With a sharp gasp, she shoved the phone at his stomach as she started to run off. Toga caught her hand and chuckled again. "You're fine. I'll behave . . . if you want me to."

"You're terrible," she pointed out with a consternated frown as she brought her arms up to cover the body-hugging white tank top she normally wore to bed. There wasn't any way to cover the stark white boy-shorts panties that made up the rest of the ensemble, and she was glad that she wasn't in her bikini underwear phase anymore. "Now let me go get something decent on."

A low whine escaped him, and Sierra glanced up into his face. Eyes darkened to a soft sherry hue, he stared at her with a subtle defiance lighting his gaze. "I like that," he mumbled, his voice oddly husky.

She blushed but didn't try to pull away. "So . . . how was your meeting?"

He winced. "You're mad about that, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "Not . . . mad . . . just disappointed, I guess . . . ."

"Would you believe me if I said I thought about you the entire time?"

"Didn't get much done, then, did you?"

"How about if I said that she finished up what she needed to do, and I swear I'll ignore the phone tomorrow."

"Getting closer."

"What can I do to get you to forgive me?"

"Why do you think you need forgiven?"

His eyebrows rose. "Because you're still pouting."

Her chin shot up, and she pinned him with a haughty look. "I don't pout!"

His laughter was soft. "Oh? You kiss my cheek and make me feel like . . . dog slobber . . . and---"

"Dog slobber?" she interrupted with a giggle. "Dog slobber?"

He grinned. "Yeah . . . dog slobber."

"Oh, that's just gross," she remarked.

"Anyway, I can't leave till you forgive me. I won't be able to sleep, knowing you're upset with me . . . then I'll be up all night, and by tomorrow, I'll be all depressed and maudlin . . . you don't want that, do you?"

Sierra rolled her eyes. "Way to lay it on thick, Toga," she said.

Toga pulled her closer. "At least kiss me."

She thought it over before she pushed herself up on her toes to press her lips against his in a quick kiss. Toga had other ideas, though. Catching her, holding her, he kissed her slowly, gently, and she sighed as her bones seemed to dissolve. There had to be some kind of magic in his kisses, some sort of intoxicating element . . . . Arms slipping around his neck, she held onto him as his tongue darted out, tracing the contours of her lips. She shivered.

"Still think it's gross?"

"What?" she asked breathlessly, unable to think straight, let alone to comprehend his question.

"Dog slobber."

Her laugh was weak as she kissed him again. Delightful nibbles as he toyed with her mouth, he deliberately toyed with her senses, thrilling her with his teeth against her lips just before he soothed her with his tongue. She felt him lift her, knew he was moving with her in his arms. It was impossible to pay attention, though, when he still had his lips on hers.

Standing her back on her feet, Toga broke the kiss and tried to smile. Strained and thin, almost as shaky as Sierra felt, his smile was almost pained. "All right. You'd better get something else on, then," he told her

Sierra glanced around. He'd stopped just outside her bedroom door. She started to turn away but hesitated. "Why now?" she couldn't help but ask.

He blushed. "I . . . uh . . . I can . . . I smell you, and . . . and you'd better put something else on . . . something bulky." Letting his arms drop from her, he stepped back, staring at her for a moment before heading back toward the living room again.

Sierra followed him. "What do you mean, you can smell me?" she demanded, interest quirked by his statement.

Toga looked completely uncomfortable with the topic but sighed. "I mean I can smell you . . . you know, how dogs can locate things by smell? I can do that, too."

"Really?" she asked, intrigued. "So . . . what do I smell like to you?"

A strange, almost possessive look filtered over his features before he shook his head. "You don't want me to answer that."

She stepped back, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Why not? Do I smell bad? I just took a shower, and----"

"Because the way you smell right now . . ." he trailed off, obviously unable to voice what he was thinking. He shook his head slowly, locked his gaze with hers. "You smell . . . like you want me."

Mesmerized by the fierce glint in his stare, she stepped toward him. "Is that so bad?"

Her answer made him grimace as he dragged his eyes off her, glowering at the darkened windows, at the night beyond. "No . . . and yes . . . . Forever's a long time, Sierra . . . you have to be sure."

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A/N:

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Reviewers

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angelica incarnate(MMorg) :
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS CHAPTER: 1)Toga can really no longer be called puppy-boy can he? 2) Can you have chocolate? 3).... "You're dripping"....ROTFLMFAO 4) Sierra grins and Toga obeys... so well trained... Do we get to read a chapter on the photo shoot???????

1) sure he can 2) Sure he can 3) Yes, he was 4) Yes, I think there should be a quite interesting chapter on the photo shoot…

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sari15 (FFnet) :

MEOW! Or should I just howl at the moon?? Cause this chapter was just HOT! Was it just me or did his youkai have NO intention of stopping until the deed was done? That puppy is so darn cute...it's gotta have a crush on Toga! The whole ice cream thing...I loved how he ended up eating hers while she was laughing about the 'beefcake' comment. Now...I hope to GOD someone can draw a decent picture of 'beefcake' Toga...cause I would love to see that!! Sounds like good punishment for a certain hentai beta! (Not me unless you want stick figures)

I did that… www(dot)inuyashafanart(dot)com/Toga-Beefcake(dot)jpg … not the greatest but no one else would do it ::sobs:: … Nope, his youkai wanted him to finish the job … stubborn pup …

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MMorg

myeerah ------ Iggy Lovechild ------ firehairedpixie (muahahhahahahaha!) ------ cjflutterbye ------ piscesanela007 ------ MouF (LoL… yes, there will be a photo shoot chapter… and it may surprise everyone… ) ------ DarklessVasion (good LORD)

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FFnet

Ryguy5387 ------ Flames101 (He promised not to kill Allan… LoL) ------ My Own Self ------ Drake Clawfang (she hasn't told me yet… LoL) ------ mslexibob ------ oakzap425 ------ grand admiral chelli ------ lil-epad ------ kestral-tudorica ------ Jasmine Fields

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AFFnet ------ AScom ------ ATnet

Sess_2005 (Yesh, yesh she was …) ------ Aitu-- not signed in and mm.org can't do a damn thing about it because I'm not on their site. ------ obsesed_wit_fluffy ------ akdreamer ------ Midnight_Sparrow ------ snowfall ------ moon_girl ------ fruitcake ------ adianna ------ pretearlvr22 (thanks!) ------ 2 coo 4 ya

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Final Thought from Sierra:

Forever, huh … ?

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Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Defiance): I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al. I do offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid characters for me to terrorize.

~Sue~