InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 3: Forever ❯ Nezumi's Date ( Chapter 5 )

~~Chapter 5~~

~Nezumi'sDate~

 

Nezumi growled in frustration and reigned in the desire to throw the video game controller at Ryomaru's head. Laughing almost maniacally, the hanyou sat up a little straighter, casting her a smug glance out of the corner of his eye. The wicked glint made her want to maim him, and Nezumi had to keep her eyes off him before she lost her temper and inflicted long and lasting damage on his person.

 

“Ready to give up, Nez?” Ryomaru goaded as his character grabbed hers and threw her off the top of a building.

 

Nezumi made a face. “As if,” she countered, executing a neat uppercut as his character hopped down to her level. His player flew back and hit the building behind him, knocking out windows before he slumped to the ground.

 

The phone rang, and Nezumi paused the game, setting the controller down as she twisted her back to reach for the receiver on the coffee table behind her. “Hello?”

 

“Deirdre, how are you?”

 

Nezumi stifled a growl as Ryomaru un-paused the game, taking advantage of her preoccupation to KO her character. “Good,” she answered. “Was there something you needed, Papa?”

 

Mitako Yoshi chuckled. “Do I have to have a reason to call my only child?”

 

“'Well, no . . .”

 

Yoshi sighed. “Actually, there is a reason,” he admitted. “I . . . I need a favor.”

 

Little trills of alarm resounded in Nezumi's head. She wasn't sure how she knew that she wasn't going to like her father's favor, but she had a strong hunch that she wouldn't. “Okay,” she agreed in a cautious tone. “What sort of favor?”

 

“An important business associate of mine is in town over the weekend, and we have the benefit dinner for his son's foundation tonight.”

 

Nezumi shoved Ryo as he dropped his controller and punched his fists into the air in celebration of beating a character that just stood there and didn't fight back. “O-o-okay,” she drawled again, waiting for the catch.

 

“The problem is, his son's date cancelled, and since he is the guest of honor, he really needs someone to accompany him.”

 

She winced. She had known she wasn't going to like her father's favor . . . “I can't.”

 

“This is very important, Deirdre. I really need your help.

 

“I . . . I don't have anything to wear,” she hedged as she stared thoughtfully at Ryomaru, who was now beating on her immobile character again.

 

“I took the liberty of buying a dress for you. It should be delivered any time.”

 

She rubbed her suddenly throbbing forehead. “Oh, you . . . shouldn't have . . .”

 

“So you'll do it?”

 

“Well . . . Ryo's here,” she admitted.

 

“Ah . . . tell him I send my regards. I'll pick you up around six. Watch for me.”

 

Nezumi sighed. “. . . All right.”

 

She stared in disgust at the receiver as the line went dead.

 

“Who was that?”

 

Snapping out of her reverie, Nezumi didn't get a chance to answer as someone knocked on her door. Since she had a good idea who it was, she stifled a groan and got up, praying that this dress her father had bought for her wasn't outrageous.

 

She took the box from the delivery boy and stuffed some money into his hand before closing the door and turning around only to gasp as she smacked right into Ryo's chest. He sniffed at the box. “What the hell is that?” he demanded.

 

Jerking the box away, she scowled as she pushed past him and glanced at the wall clock. It was only five, but knowing her father, he'd be at least half an hour early, and if she wasn't downstairs waiting for him, he'd be grouchy the rest of the evening. `How do I get myself into these things?' she asked herself as she ignored Ryo's continuing questions and strode down the hallway to her bedroom.

 

“Oi, Nez! What are you doing?” he bellowed as he pounded on her door.

 

Nezumi rolled her eyes as she wondered briefly if the lock would hold. “I'm going out,” she called back, pleased that her voice hadn't wavered at all.

 

“Go---What?”

 

“Going out,” she repeated as she pulled the lid off the box and raised her eyebrows at the black satin dress staring back at her. “I have a date.”

 

“The fuck you do!” he bellowed as the door shook on its hinges. “Mates don't date, damn it!”

 

“It's not a real date,” she yelled back, wondering just why she was justifying any of it to him, anyway. “It's a favor to my father.”

 

“Well, if it ain't a real date, then you can just pretend you went, Nez, `cause you're not going!”

 

Her temper ignited at that, and she jerked open the top bureau drawer to dig way in the back for the one pair of silk pantyhose she owned. “Go to hell, dog-breath, because I didn't ask for your permission!”

 

He was quiet for about fifteen seconds, and Nezumi had to wonder if he was trying to smell his breath before he retorted, “You don't have to ask permission, bitch, because you ain't going! And my breath smells fine!”

 

“Baka! Call me a bitch again, and I'll show you a real bitch!” she hollered as she tossed the pantyhose onto the bed and snatched the dress out of the box with a pause and an inward groan, ignoring the slip of paper that harmlessly fluttered to the floor. She'd be lucky if the damn thing extended halfway down her thighs, and she was sure that she'd seen more fabric used to make a bathing suit than this thing possessed . . .

 

“Feh! We'll see if you go or not!” Ryo thundered. Moments later, she heard him stomp away from her door, and she shook her head slowly.

 

It was pure irritation that steeled her resolve as she stripped off her clothes and pulled on the pantyhose before tugging the dress over her head. It didn't take long for her to figure out that even if the dress had sleeves, she'd still have to take off her bra since the back was cut low enough to expose most of her skin, and she grimaced as she unsnapped her bra and struggled out of it without removing the dress. After a few minutes of self-contortion, she managed the back zipper since she'd be damned before she'd ask Ryo for help, and after tugging on the two-inch-heeled pumps, she glanced at the full-length mirror behind the door only to do a double take as she stifled a gasp.

 

Nope, the dress didn't reach mid-thigh, not by a long shot. She wore t-shirts to bed that were longer than the dress was, and she wouldn't be caught dead out in public in just one of those. Her legs, which she positively hated, were in full view, and she stifled a groan. Too long and skinny, she absolutely thought they were the worst feature she had, and why someone would willingly parade such things was completely beyond her grasp. The simple sheath dress hung by spaghetti straps from her thin shoulders. It didn't have to fit her tightly for her figure to be quite evident, and she threw open her closet to look for something---anything---to cover just a little more skin.

 

As luck would have it, she couldn't find a thing that wouldn't look entirely stupid. She grimaced as she stared at her reflection again, tugging on the hem of the too-short dress in a futile effort to lengthen it. The only thing that managed to do was to lower her neckline. `Legs or boobs, Nezumi . . . kami, what a choice . . .'

 

She sighed then made a face. At least she had shaved her legs and armpits earlier. She really wasn't inclined to make any more concessions than she already had.

 

The trouble was, she really wasn't close to her father so whenever he asked her for a favor, she normally went along with it, even if she didn't want to, and this favor . . . Nezumi sighed. This favor was a disaster just waiting to happen. If it had been anyone other than her father, she would have told him to go straight to hell in the obscene dress that she was now wishing she could hide.

 

After dragging her brush through her hair, Nezumi heaved a sigh, trying not to look at her reflection in the mirror as she ignored the desire to yank the dress off in favor of her normal clothing. She hadn't heard a peep out of Ryomaru. Maybe he'd gotten mad enough to leave, though she was sure that was just wishful thinking.

 

The trouble with Ryomaru was that he really was convinced that having sex the one time made her his property. What baffled her most was that his entire family seemed to be reinforcing the odd joke. If he really was hanyou---she'd started to believe that but only because of the dog ears and claws---then it was enough of a stretch for her to buy that much of his story. To believe that the one night was enough to join them forever? Nezumi bit her bottom lip as she dropped the brush back onto the bureau. That she simply couldn't believe.

 

`Face it, Nez . . . it isn't the idea of being saddled with Ryo the rest of your life that bothers you. It's the idea that he doesn't want the same thing. If you admit that what he says is true, then you also have to admit that you're just as at fault as he is . . . maybe more so.'

 

Her face screwed up into a dark frown as she glowered at her reflection. `My fault? I didn't do anything! I'm not the one who was all over him, for kami's sake!'

 

The voice in her head snorted. `You didn't have to, Nez. You know Ryo, remember? He'd be all over anything that moved, and you were the one stupid enough to think that one night really wouldn't matter.'

 

`It didn't.'

 

`Yeah . . . to him.'

 

She flinched at the accuracy of her thoughts.

 

Well, it wasn't going to do her any good, standing around glaring at her own reflection, was it? Glancing at the clock, her face twisted into a half-grimace. She had five minutes till her father got here, and if she wasn't downstairs when he arrived, chances were good that Ryo would throw a fit . . .

 

Opening her door as quietly as she could, Nezumi breathed a sigh of relief that the stubborn baka wasn't waiting to ambush her. After glancing down the hallway, she tiptoed out of her room and peeked around the corner into the living room. To her surprise, Ryo wasn't there, either.

 

A cool breeze caught her attention, and Nezumi peeked further into the room as she tried to remain in the shadows of the hallway. From where she stood, she could see that the balcony doors were open, and as she leaned her head to the side, she heard Ryo's muffled voice. “. . . cell phone don't work inside . . . I don't think she'd agree to it . . . No, Mother . . .”

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nezumi shuffled over to the door, grimacing as her shoes scraped the floor but unwilling to lift her feet since she'd likely end up flat on her face if she tried to run in the heels.

 

Luckily, one of her neighbors was just getting into the elevator. He saw her hurrying down the hallway and though it took him a moment to realize who she was, he waited for her. Nezumi restrained the desire to slap the guy silly when his openly astonished gaze traveled up and down the length of her legs. “You're looking well, Mitako-san,” he greeted with a wide smile.

 

Nezumi fought down an immediate flush as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Thank you,” she muttered, looking everywhere but at her neighbor.

 

“I barely recognized you,” he went on, undaunted by her obvious distaste. “Going somewhere special?”

 

“Yeah,” she admitted, wondering why she was telling him anything at all. “My father is taking me to dinner.”

 

“That doesn't sound like much fun.”

 

“Depends on what you call `fun',” she retorted as the elevator jerked to a stop. The doors didn't open nearly fast enough, in Nezumi's opinion, and when they finally did, she nearly tripped over her own feet as she shuffled out of the cramped box and into the lobby, making a beeline for the front doors of the apartment building.

 

Her father was just pulling up in a taxi next to the sidewalk as Nezumi picked her way carefully down the stone steps. He climbed out and smiled at her, obviously pleased with his ability to dress his daughter. Nezumi grimaced. “Deirdre, you look lovely.”

 

It took a moment for Nezumi to realize that her father was talking to her. She forced a little smile as he kissed her cheek and quickly slipped into the taxi, glancing back to make sure Ryomaru was no where to be seen. Only after reassuring herself that he hadn't figured out that she'd left yet did she heave a quiet sigh of relief as her father got back in and told the driver to go on.

 

The absolute last thing she needed, she figured, was an unreasonable Izayoi announcing to everyone in Tokyo that they were, in his words, mated.

 

 

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

 

 

Ryomaru snapped his cell phone closed with a heavy sigh. Kagome had wanted him to bring Nezumi over for a family dinner, and he had serious doubts he'd be able to convince her to do any such thing. Glaring out over the city, he couldn't help the fleeting wince that surfaced on his expression. After nearly forty-eight hours of being mated, he had to admit that things weren't going well.

 

All right, she had stopped being furious with him sometime before she returned home from work yesterday, which wasn't really surprising since Nezumi might have a temper to strike fear into the heart but she always forgave him quickly enough. It probably helped, too, that he hadn't wasted time in having her front door replaced, either. He had been close to telling her to get her stuff together so she could move into his house but since he was already skating on thin ice, he didn't think that demanding that she do so would be such a good idea.

 

His expression darkened as he stared at the sun sinking, disappearing below the tops of the buildings. He may have screwed up in the beginning, but there was no way under the sun he was letting Nezumi go on a dinner date, and he didn't care who had asked her do to it.

 

“The hell she is!” he muttered through gritted teeth as he stalked back into the living room. He stopped and stared around slowly, cautiously, hanyou ears twitching as his brain tried to deny what his senses told him was true. “Fucking damn it, she did!” he growled as he stomped toward her room, just to make sure she wasn't still back there, just in case he was mistaken, after all.

 

But no, she wasn't in her room. He was about to storm out of the room when he noticed the paper on the floor, and he stared at it a moment before he strode over and snatched it up.

 

:

 

`Deirdre,

 

`If I don't get in touch with you before hand, I would really like you to meet me at Tokyo Hilton at promptly seven o'clock.

 

Your Father.'

 

:

 

Ryomaru didn't realize he was growling until he crumpled the paper in his hand and tossed it to the side. `The Tokyo Hilton, huh?' he thought as he stomped through the apartment. Snatching his leather coat off the back of a chair before jerking the door open, he remembered in time to restrain the perverse need to slam it since he figured that replacing Nezumi's door once was forgivable, but twice? She'd probably throw him off her balcony . . .

 

Half-way down the stairs, Ryomaru remembered something else, and with a low groan born of frustration, he paused for a moment, staring in dumbfounded dismay as his claws receded, as the hair that dangled over his shoulder shifted from silvery white to gray to charcoal, and finally to midnight black. `Damn it . . . I'm just not going to catch a break tonight, am I?' he mused sourly as he ran down the stairs.

 

As he hit the landing between the second and first floors, he pulled on his jacket and rummaged around for his keys. Since Nezumi had delighted in warning him not to blow up his transmission---or anything else---again, he had resorted to his motorcycle. It had been an impulse buy a few years ago. On a whim, he had spent a Saturday dragging Nezumi all over Tokyo and bought the newly restored blue Harley Davidson VRSCA V-Rod, 2005 model motorcycle based on looks and status rather than any real desire to ride it. He preferred the freedom of running. When he had to resort to more domestic travel, he normally opted for the car.

 

He didn't bother to stop as he slammed the door open and strode out into the brisk October night. Moments later he was straddling his motorcycle, and with a squeal of tires accompanied by the stench of burning rubber, he sped into the night heading downtown---destination: the Tokyo Hilton.

 

If he hadn't reverted to his human form for the night, he'd have taken the high road, using the buildings and the cover of darkness and would have reached the Hilton in less than five minutes. Using the congested streets filled with noxious fumes from running cars and stopping at every blessed red light, Ryomaru mumbled dire invectives under his breath as his already foul mood shifted into something a lot darker, more like cold fury.

 

`Damn her for being a stubborn, stupid bitch!' he fumed as he revved his engine and took off, leaving a furious black tire mark on the street. `I told her, didn't I? She's my mate! She's not allowed to go on dates! For the love of kami, she never dated before! Why the fuck would she do that now?'

 

Ryomaru leaned down as he gave the Harley more gas. `Just you wait, Nezumi! You'll be sorry . . . We'll see if you ever `date' again!'

 

 

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

 

 

Nezumi tried hard not to fidget as she checked to make sure her shoulder straps hadn't slipped. As if it weren't bad enough that she felt like an idiot, standing beside a man she'd just met to greet his guests, she couldn't help but think that every single person who passed by could tell just how uncomfortable she was.

 

Nataki Akuma smiled at her. She gave him a tepid smile in return and edged away, distancing herself from him and thankful that he hadn't tried anything more forward, like putting his arm around her. In her heels, she was about an inch taller than him, and while he didn't seem to mind it, she did. Too used to being around Ryomaru and Kichiro, she hadn't realized until now that she didn't like standing taller than many men, and the two-inch heels didn't really help matters at all. Nerves already teetering on the brink, it would only take one little push before she completely lost what little composure she had.

 

“Thank you for agreeing to be my date for the evening,” Akuma said quietly in one of the lulls between arrivals.

 

“Yeah,” she replied, hoping she didn't look as uncomfortable as she was feeling.

 

“My father didn't say what you do for a living?” he asked, making simple conversation.

 

She shifted nervously from one foot to the other and shrugged. “I'm a mechanic.”

 

Akuma barked out a terse laugh and shook his head. “Come again?”

 

Nezumi could feel her cheeks burning. “I'm a mechanic,” she repeated.

 

Akuma blinked in surprise and stared at her as if he were trying to decide if she was being serious or not. “Really.”

 

She bristled at the indulgent tone in his voice. “Yes, really,” she answered.

 

“Your father lets you do that?”

 

It was on the tip of her tongue to disabuse Akuma of the notion that her father had any say at all in her choice of vocation. A loud crash made her jump, and as she caught herself on Akuma's arm to keep from falling, she stifled a groan, catching sight of the faded Levi's, the all-too-familiar leather jacket---she should recognize it since she had helped the baka pick it out, but when her eyes rose to lock on Ryo's face, she froze.

 

Glowering back at her, she could feel the intensity behind his irate gaze, and he was staring right at her. If it weren't for the eye and hair colors---both of which were black---she might have thought it really was him. His face was shaped the same, and she'd seen the same sort of anger in his expression once or twice over the years though never actually directed at her. He looked like he wanted to kill someone or something.

 

She shook her head slowly as she stepped back in silent retreat. He stalked toward her, moving slowly, reminding her of an animal stalking its prey. She swallowed hard and gasped, telling herself over and over the words that should have been just a little more reassuring than they actually were. `It isn't Ryomaru . . . That can't be Ryo . . .'

 

Stretching out her arms in a pathetic attempt to ward him off, Nezumi yelped as he latched onto her wrist, painfully aware that every eye in the place was staring at the spectacle unfolding before them. `Fight him, Nez! You don't even know who the hell he is!'

 

She tried to brace her legs, to keep him from pulling her out of the room, but he was too strong, and her shoes slipped against the marble floor. Nezumi could barely manage a whisper as the man started dragging her toward the doors. “Who . . . who are you?”

 

He paused for a moment, rolling his eyes as he snorted loudly in the now-quiet banquet hall. “Feh! What the fuck do you mean, who am I? I'm your damn mate, remember? Now come on, because you ain't staying here!”

 

 

~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~ *~=~*~=~*~=~*~=~

A/N:

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Reviewers

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da baby beta (MMorg):
hmmm... guess neither of them really have realized what they've been sucked into yet... I wonder how long it will take for Ryomaru to start actually communicating and understanding how overwhelmed Deirdre feels and I wonder how long it will take her to start really listening to him. Will the girls of the family try to help the romance develop smoothly (aka meddle)? How long will it take Nez to find out about the rogue demon hunting? Will Ryo learn to cook??

 

A Yasha story without meddling? Oh my … She'll find out about the youkai hunting soon enough. Don't see her handling that well, at all … and someone really needs to be able to cook… muahahahahaha!

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jragoneyes (AScom):

Is it possible that Ryo's blood chose Nezumi when they were still children? I ask this, not to sound weird, but I've noticed that in your stories, one of the first things the male's youkai in this family seems to make them want to do is protect their chosen one in some way. And this occurs before they even realize that their blood has chosen their mate. So I'm thinking.... maybe Ryo's did....and that voice has been with him for so long, he just doesn't really “hear” it anymore. y'know? Like a constant buzzing you're so used to that it just doesn't register what an irritation it is. and Ryo being so young... he wouldn't have known what it was....it'd have been something he'd had most of his life...so that when it was time for InuYasha to give his boys “the talk”, the voice was already like second nature to him and not noticeable. Then when he finally saw Nezumi as a girl, his youkai took over what it perceived as the next “natural” step. After all, they'd been friends for many years, right? Anyway, that's my take on it, so far. I get the feeling that if Ryo sees Nezumi as a girl again (no, not like before...just dressed like one), he'd suddenly regain his lost memories and they'd flood his mind like a burst dam. Oh yeah.... no wonder she doesn't believe he's her first. He's probably bragged every so-called “conquest” he's ever had to her. See? Totally bakacidal!!

 

Heh heh heh…

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andross (AFFnet):

I've a question which of the stories you've written and are writing that have to do with InuYasha is your favorite?

 

It's hard to pinpoint a `favorite'. Sentimentally, Purity and its continuations are favorites. Chronicles is a favorite because it was, hands down, the most fun I've had writing. In that vein, Metamorphosis is just something I wish would die. Story-wise, I'd say that Chronicles is technically my favorite, though.

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rachainu (AScom):

*sniff* I'm crushed, I want an update reeeaaalllyyy bad!!!! It's so great!!! Great Ryo. How is he gonna smooth this little thing out? Do the twins look like InuYasha, like almost just like him or what? And do the twins have long hair? And how long is it? I want to form a mental picture so badly!!! I loved the chapter! How do you pronounce Deirdre? When are Toga and Sierra gonna have children? When is Gin gonna get a guy? Over InuYasha's dead body, I guess. What kind of a teacher is InuYasha exactly? Well, I have to go. Please update soon! Great chapter!!!

 

They are fairly close to looking just like their father. Their hair is a little shorter but still long, and roughly the same. Dee-druh is how it is pronounced, Toga and Sierra have awhile before they decide to have kids, Gin will likely never get a guy, and InuYasha is an administrator at the school he help to found.

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MMorg

Washuu Ogami ::: cjflutterbye ::: DawnIllusion ::: Sari-15 ::: DarklessVasion ::: Kikyou_104 ::: cynbad146 ::: suzehowe ::: Iggy Lovechild ::: tinkerbell ::: akdreamer ::: Meru ::: Deirdre ::: serendith ::: DaNi_CHaN ::: foamyfan15010 ::: inuyashasluverforever

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FFnet

I should be Studying (Uhh… I don't know… at present there aren't plans for a Purity 4 …) ::: Drake Clawfang (It says in Purity 2, what Ryo's `job' is … and I write the Purity continuations because the OC's are some of my favorites) ::: caliste07 ::: agent-doo ::: WiccanMethuselah ::: Ryguy5387 ::: SkaQueen ::: Toyas Gurl ::: SilverStarWing ::: Flames101 ::: Annabelle Wrong (no, it doesn't have to be done pre-mating… but it does have to be done… lol) ::: Kenshin's Gal ::: Pyth ::: shippowantscandy (No, she's human. She's not hanyou or it wouldn't have been shocking that he was) ::: xSilverShadowsx ::: PlaidDragon25 ::: ILOVEINUS589 (I think he should convince her that she is his mate before he goes trying to hook her up to drain her blood … )

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AFFnet --- AScom --- ATnet

Catt ::: Anon ::: Jasmine Fields ::: Ox King ::: Mel ::: Tenacious D ::: Midnight_Sparrow ::: CJ Finnegan ::: thebigguy ::: GgBg4u ::: Fairia13 (You'll be amazed… lol) ::: Kid Jade ::: the littlest shadow ::: wlfhund ::: Deep_Serenity ::: Sess_2005 ::: jragoneyes ::: redtatsu ::: Mizbum2u (Yes, it did!) ::: rachainu (Ryo is) ::: furywindhound ::: Rawben ::: inuyashasbabe1991 ::: Breezy99 ::: DarkMystic ::: inuyashasbabe1991 ::: inugrl15

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Final Thought fromNezumi:

::Plotting a slow and painful death for a certain baka hanyou::

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Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Forever): 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~