InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 3: Forever ❯ Chance Encounters ( Chapter 13 )

~~Chapter 13~~

~Chance Encounters~

 

Nezumi tugged the door closed and turned the lock before punching in the six digits into the keypad. With a heavy sigh as she pulled her collar closed tighter against the cold wind, she dug her keys out of her pocket and strode toward the Harley.

 

“Nezumi! Hi!” At the sound of the familiar voice, Nezumi turned and smiled shyly as Sierra hurried over. “Just close up shop?”

 

“Yeah . . . what are you doing out this way?”

 

Sierra waved her hand and made a face. “I had to interview Juro-san,” she explained, poking her thumb behind her toward the high rise building on the opposite corner of the street. Juro Hikari was a businessman-turned-philanthropist who loved to do public relations interviews for his many pet causes. Sierra worked for the Japan Times, one of the largest English-language Japanese newspapers in distribution worldwide. Though she didn't need to work since Toga was wealthy in his own right, Sierra did, and Nezumi had to respect her for that.

 

“Didn't you drive?”

 

Sierra shook her head. “Nope. Toga dropped me off and said he'd pick me up, but he called to say he was running late, and I figured I'd just catch the bus.”

 

Nezumi shrugged. “I could give you a ride . . . unless Toga wouldn't like it.”

 

Sierra stared at the bike for a moment, and Nezumi could tell she was trying to rationalize it in her head since Toga just might not like it. Biting her lower lip, Sierra tucked a strand of her shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and broke into a wide grin. “Oh, why not? I used to ride with a friend of mine back in Chicago all the time.”

 

Nezumi handed Sierra the helmet, figuring she'd rather deal with Ryomaru's irritation, if he caught her, than to let Sierra ride as a passenger without one. “You sure? I don't want Toga being mad at you because of me.”

 

Sierra waved off Nezumi's concern. “Toga won't care,” she scoffed as she climbed onto the bike behind Nezumi.

 

Though Nezumi had to wonder about that, she still started up the bike and let it idle for a minute so that the engine could warm up before maneuvering the Harley onto the street.

 

Sierra laughed as they sped through downtown Tokyo. The motorcycle handled like a dream, and before she knew it, Nezumi pulled up before Toga and Sierra's house on the outskirts of the city. Now that she stopped to think about it, it was roughly midway between InuYasha's forest and the Inutaisho mansion. She smiled to herself, wondering if Toga and Sierra had chosen the location on purpose.

 

Sierra hopped down and started unfastening the chinstrap. “Come have a cup of tea with me . . . or a soda.”

 

“Kami, I wasn't hearing things.”

 

Sierra whirled around and smiled at her husband, who was lounging in the open doorway looking anything but pleased. “You made it home early! Good!”

 

The man's expression darkened as Sierra ran up the few steps to the porch and leaned up on her toes to kiss Toga's cheek. “Nezumi offered me a ride. You know, we should get a motorcycle.”

 

“I'll pretend I didn't hear that,” Toga remarked, staring over Nezumi's head as he suddenly grinned almost smugly. “Oi, Ryo. What brings you by?”

 

Nezumi's back stiffened just a little though she didn't turn around to verify Toga's announcement for herself. Sierra tossed the helmet back. Nezumi caught it as the hanyou in question stepped around her, glancing from Nezumi to Sierra and back again. “Uncle Sesshoumaru wanted me to remind you about dinner tonight, though why he couldn't just pick up the phone is beyond me,” Ryomaru grumbled without taking his eyes off Nezumi.

 

“Oh, I forgot about that,” Sierra remarked with a wince. “Maybe we can have lunch sometime next week, Nez?”

 

“Sure,” Toga agreed reasonably enough despite his stance that still indicated his irritation with wife's mode of transportation.

 

“What?” Nezumi hissed, unable to stand Ryomaru's close scrutiny since he hadn't bothered to look away---or blink. “She said Toga wouldn't care.”

 

“Yeah, Toga's a big boy. He'll get over it,” Ryomaru remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

 

Glancing quickly at the porch, Nezumi wasn't surprised to see that Toga and Sierra had disappeared inside and had left her alone with the very angry hanyou. “Then why are you looking at me like that?”

 

Her question only served to darken his already menacing scowl. Bravado was the only thing that kept her from backing down despite the alarm bells ringing in her head and the voice that demanded that she run. “The helmet, Nez. Who was wearing the fucking helmet?”

 

She'd figured it was something like that. Nezumi shrugged carelessly. “Sierra was. You don't think I'd let her ride without it, did you?”

 

Nezumi hadn't really thought it would have been possible for Ryomaru to look any more irritated than he already was. She was wrong. Gaze narrowing dangerously as he arched one eyebrow and lowered his chin, he shifted his weight and leaned toward her. It took every ounce of daring to keep from retreating, but Nezumi stood her ground. “You realize, don't you, that you needed the fucking thing more than she did?”

 

Nezumi snorted before she could stop herself. “That's stupid! She's all girly, if you didn't notice. Besides that, I know what I'm doing! We were fine.”

 

Ryomaru flexed one hand, knuckles cracking menacingly, as though he wanted to throttle her but didn't dare touch her. “She's been marked, Nez. She'd heal faster than you would, and you should have known that!”

 

“What?”

 

“You just said some weird stuff about extending my life; you didn't say a thing about healing.”

 

“Well, it was implied.”

 

“Impl---It was not! And how would I know any of this when certain bakas don't tell me?”

 

He snapped his mouth closed at that set-down. It obviously hadn't really occurred to him. She glared back at him for a few more moments before jerking the helmet onto her head and turning on her heel to stomp toward the Harley.

 

“Oi, wench!” he hollered behind her. She stopped and peeked over her shoulder to see what he wanted. Letting his arms drop, he closed the distance in a few long strides. “I'll drive,” he insisted, holding out his hand for the keys.

 

Nezumi was ready to argue it but didn't. He looked too angry, too volatile, and for once, she didn't press her luck.

 

 

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

 

 

Ryomaru didn't trust himself to even try to talk as they stopped at a red light. `She's right, you know. You didn't tell her any of that.'

 

`Yeah? And when was I supposed to do that? She started babbling about blood.'

 

`. . . Maybe you should mention that again. Even if it wasn't intentional, you still got to kiss her.'

 

`Feh! At the moment, I'd rather yell at her, if you don't mind.'

 

`You? You'd rather yell at her than kiss her? What the hell's wrong with you?'

 

His scowl darkened. `Okay, I'll yell at her . . . then I'll mention blood again.'

 

His mind snorted. `There's something really perverted about your perception, did you know?'

 

`Uh huh . . . whatever works.'

 

He took a corner a little sharply. Nezumi leaned toward him, her arms tightening around his waist though she didn't comment.

 

It took him all of ten seconds to figure out that the faster he drove, the tighter Nezumi's arms gripped him, and the tighter her arms were, the closer her body pressed against his back.

 

`You're mad at her, remember? She was reckless, and she promised you she'd wear the helmet.'

 

`I know.'

 

`So?'

 

`'So', what?'

 

`Feh! So stop thinking about how nice she feels back there and pay attention to what you're doing up here, instead!'

 

Ryomaru winced as he pulled the bike into an empty parking lot and killed the engine before hopping off the motorcycle and planting his hands on his hips as he glowered at Nezumi.

 

“Okay, so you're not done yelling at me yet?” she asked dryly as she unfastened the helmet strap and pulled it off her head.

 

“Not by a long shot,” he snarled. “You promised, damn it!”

 

She sat back and looked away at a street lamp that flickered to life. “She was going to take the bus, Ryo. Get a grip. She had a higher chance of being mugged on the bus than she did getting injured in a cross-town trip on a motorcycle with a responsible driver.”

 

He didn't miss the blatant implication with the use of the word `responsible'. “I wasn't being fucking reckless, bitch!”

 

She sat bolt upright, eyes flashing dangerously as they darkened so quickly that Ryomaru stepped back. “If you call me that once more, I swear, Ryo, I'll rip your---”

 

“Feh! This ain't about me! It's about you! Do you have any fucking idea what would have happened if you had wrecked the bike? And before you give me your line of shit about being a safe driver, you probably should remember that you're not the only one on the road!”

 

“Of all the stupid, ridiculous . . .” she trailed off as her eyes flared wide. “You were worried?” she whispered.

 

Ryo stared at the ground, his anger fading with the shock that hit him. He sat on the Harley, half turned with his knee hiked up so he could face her. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Yeah, I was.”

 

Brushing aside the irritation of his overbearing show of concern, Nezumi shook her head and couldn't help chuckling softly when she remembered another time that he'd been just as irrational. “Like when we were kids, and you'd walk me home because of the neighbor's dog?”

 

Ryomaru grinned despite himself. “Dogs listen to me,” he told her. “Anyway he wouldn't have hurt you. He was just big.” Which was true enough. Royal, Nezumi's neighbors' dog, was a huge mutt that looked scarier than he really was. Royal had told him in abbreviated `speech' that he thought Nezumi smelled nice, so he'd always charge toward her. He'd terrified Nezumi. Ryomaru knew that, even though she never actually admitted as much.

 

“I don't know why . . . I always felt safer, when you were there.”

 

“You . . . did?”

 

As though she hadn't realized what she had said, Nezumi looked away as her cheeks reddened. “Yeah, don't let it go to your head,” she grumbled.

 

“And now?”

 

His careful question made her frown. Gnawing on her lower lip as she lifted her gaze to the sky, she scrunched up her shoulder and sighed. “Now, I . . .”

 

“It's all right,” he said, trying to force a smile, trying to reassure her when he really couldn't reassure himself.

 

“It's not that,” she mumbled, chin dropping as she slowly shook her head. “You don't have to protect me. I . . . I won't break.”

 

He knew she wasn't talking about physical danger. He knew what she was trying to say. “Did it ever bother you? All the girls I dated?”

 

Her laugh was harsh, obligatory, more a sound of incredulity than a show of humor. “'Course not. Was I supposed to . . .to care?”

 

“Damn, Nez. If I say you should have cared, then I'm an idiot. If I say you shouldn't have, then I'm an ass.” She pressed her knuckles against her mouth but didn't respond. “Why didn't you ever date?”

 

“Date? Date who?” Jerking the helmet back onto her head, she fought with the strap before she continued. “Because, Ryo . . . all the guys I knew were just a little too much like you. Now, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to go home. I'm filthy, I'm hungry, and I'm getting cold.”

 

Ryomaru stared at her for a few moments before turning around and kicking his leg over the motorcycle. “Touché, Nezumi,” he muttered as he kick started the Harley and pulled out of the parking lot.

 

She didn't hear him, and she didn't see him wince.

 

 

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A/N:

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MMorg

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FFnet

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eave

 

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AFFnet --- AScom

Mel (No chapters for JOO!) ::: OROsan7706 ::: Midnight_Sparrow ::: Deep Serenity ::: kalaong ::: Breezy99 (LoL, this chapter is actually shorter, but yesterday's was quite long… it all balances out. Lol) ::: Mizbum2u (None of it is canon. This is fiction. If I choose to deviate from other fan-based assumptions, I am well within my right. That's why.) ::: shedvl929 ::: Alice M. ::: Rachel ::: inugrl15 ::: Jaunty (You need to reread Purity. Shippou never marked Rin in that way. Sesshoumaru might have done it centuries ago when it was standard practice that I DID NOT WRITE ABOUT.) ::: Sess_2005 ::: Shiga ::: Rawben ::: Jaxomruth

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Final Thought from Ryomaru:

::sigh::

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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~