InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 3: Forever ❯ Learning to Trust ( Chapter 15 )

~~Chapter 15~~

~Learning to Trust~

 

Ryomaru shut the door behind the courier and turned the large manila envelope over in his hands as a smug grin surfaced on his face.

 

Nezumi peeked up from her magazine, shooting him a quizzical glance before returning to the pages of the mechanic's publication. “Why do you look so happy?”

 

“Well,” he drawled slowly as he tapped the envelope in his hands. “Let's just say I've been searching for these for a long, long time.”

 

“What are they?”

 

“New Year's gifts.”

 

She lowered the magazine, pinning him with her flashing eyes. “On second thought, I think I'd rather not know.”

 

“Where'd your sense of adventure go?”

 

Nezumi snorted and tossed the magazine onto the coffee table. “You killed it.”

 

“How so?”

 

She grinned and shook her head. “I can't begin to tell you how many times you made me suffer. Pick one, Ryo---any one.”

 

“Those weren't all my fault,” he argued as a hint of pink stole into his cheeks.

 

“What about the time you sneaked into the girls' bathroom because you wanted to know what it looked like?”

 

“It was a lot cleaner than ours,” he huffed.

 

“And the time you broke into the cafeteria because you were hungry?”

 

“They didn't feed us enough, and you thought so, too.”

 

“Or the time you super-glued Yamachi-san's cow bell to her desk?”

 

“Feh! I'm a dog, not a cow, Nez!”

 

Nezumi's grin widened. “Your father was not impressed.”

 

Ryomaru grimaced, remembering his punishment for that little endeavor. “Scrubbing desks was worth the look on her face when she couldn't pick up the damn bell,” he maintained.

 

“You're so bad.”

 

“In such a good way.”

 

Her smile suddenly faltered but she didn't look away. Fascinating, the way her lips parted then closed as she swallowed hard, only to part again as her eyes darkened. Her eyes . . . something about that shade of blue . . . Ryomaru blinked quickly. He'd seen her eyes that shade before, hadn't he? A fleeting memory---hazy and distorted but Nezumi just the same---flashed through his head. Skin flushed, eyes half-closed, she stared at him from the confines of his memory as a white-hot jolt shot through him.

 

`That night . . . ? Damn . . .'

 

Leaning toward her, careful not to frighten her, he brushed his lips over hers. She stiffened but didn't try to push him away as a tiny sound, the softest whimper, slipped from her. The envelope slipped from his hands, fell to the floor, and still Ryomaru hung back, marveling at the feel of her lips against his, the trembling in her body.

 

She pressed closer, hands hesitant and shaking, resting on his shoulders. Her scent spiraled around him, changing, shifting, still familiar yet wholly different. Lips opening under his, he groaned softly as she relaxed in his arms, as her hands closed around fistfuls of his shirt. The emotion she unleashed in him was frightening, consuming, empowering, and humbling. She had somehow become a mystery wrapped up in the familiar package of his best friend, and he knew. `Mine.'

 

`Damn straight.'

 

She didn't fight him when he pulled her closer. Falling back on the sofa with her sprawled on his chest, Ryomaru let her control the kiss, telling himself over and over that this was what she needed, that he wouldn't push her because he couldn't afford to lose this time. It occurred to him that if he wanted, he could make her forget her reservations, her reluctance. That idea was discarded as quickly as it formed. There was too much riding on it. This time was all or nothing, and he'd have to be a fool not to know it.

 

`My mate.'

 

The growled words in his head sent a shiver down his spine, a subtle wonder inspired by the simplicity of the thought. Her kisses were light, gentle, teasing, tracing along his lips, sending primitive need shooting through him with the vengeance of a hurricane. Still he held back, clung desperately to the one thought that precluded all others. If he frightened her now, he'd lose her; not only his mate but his best friend, as well . . .

 

“Nez,” he mumbled between kisses as the voice in his mind protested. “S-stop . . .”

 

The lethargic look she cast him was a mix of mulish irritation and shock. Her skin was kissed with a flush that darkened as he tried to smile, holding her close though she didn't appear to realize where she was. “S-sorry.”

 

“Don't be sorry,” he told her, smoothing her bangs out of her eyes, wondering if she realized that she was leaning into his hand. “Never be sorry, Nez.”

 

“I-I . . .”

 

This time he did manage a smile. “Just . . . just let me hold you.”

 

Her bemusement faded, and for a moment, he thought she was going to pull away. Slowly, awkwardly, she rested her head against his chest, against his heart. Minutes ticked away in the quiet of the apartment. Punctuated only by her solitary sighs, her soft breathing, Nezumi seemed content, and Ryomaru couldn't complain, either.

 

Her breathing deepened, steadied, and the fingers she had been using to toy with his hair slowed, then stilled as she fell asleep. It didn't occur to him, that he could move her. Something about the way her body molded against his left him with a quiet sense of peace, a deeper contentment than he'd ever known before.

 

`So . . . this is what it feels like? To be mated?'

 

The voice in his head rumbled something that almost sounded like, `yes'.

 

`Nice.'

 

He smiled. `Nice' wasn't exactly the right word, was it? He supposed it'd do.

 

Shifting her enough that he could better see her face, Ryomaru's smile faltered but didn't disappear completely. Running the pad of his thumb lightly over her cheekbone, he stared as her brow furrowed just a little as she snuggled closer but didn't wake. `If you'll trust me . . . I'll never let you down again, Nez . . . I promise.'

 

 

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

 

 

The first thing Nezumi thought as she emerged from the comforting oblivion of sleep was how warm, how safe she felt. It didn't occur to her why that would be. It was a nice feeling.

 

She didn't want to open her eyes. For some reason, she knew that if she opened her eyes, something would seem a little too real, a little too unavoidable. She'd have to face something, and her instincts told her that she didn't want to do that, not yet.

 

It was the final realization that something was holding her in place that forced her to open her eyes as she slowly lifted her head. Ryomaru's arms tightened reflexively, and Nezumi felt the instantaneous wash of heat flood her cheeks. `Oh, kami, I . . . oh, no-o-o-o-o-o . . .'

 

She tried to get up but his hold only tightened more. Close to panicking, she bit her lip, asking herself just how she was going to get out of this without suffering `Death-By-Lethal-Embarrassment'.

 

`How'd this happen?' she asked herself, even the sound of her conscience's voice rising in alarm. `Wait! Calm down! He's sleeping! You're fine! Just figure out how to get . . . off him . . . before he wakes up, that's all . . .'

 

`Right . . . get off him. I can do that. I can.'

 

Pep talk over, Nezumi carefully started to rear up against his death-grip. `Damn his freakish strength. Guess that has something to do with being hanyou? Mental note: ask him about that . . . from a safe distance.'

 

Mumbling something completely unintelligible, Ryomaru sighed and twitched his ears as his arms readjusted the inescapable-grip. Nezumi stopped trying to free herself as the ears rotated like little radars. Asleep, maybe, but his super-sensitive hearing was going to thwart her, like it or not. She was stuck, and she knew it. `This is hardly fair . . . figures . . . Ryo's never played fair; not even checkers. How do I get into these messes?'

 

`Well, if you can't get loose, the least you can do is appreciate the view.'

 

Nezumi snorted. `Shut up! Like he needs to wake up while I'm staring at him. He doesn't really need that sort of encouragement, does he?'

 

`Maybe he doesn't, but you have to admit, the view is nice.'

 

Despite her resolve not to, Nezumi found herself staring at him. Relaxed in sleep, Ryomaru seemed calmer, gentler, younger. Silvery hair spilling over his chest, bangs falling onto his forehead, the softness of his locks beckoned her fingers, and since she wasn't going anywhere, she gave in to the urge to touch it.

 

His bangs felt like silk under her fingers, fell away and drifted back like feathers in the breeze. Staring at his peaceful expression, Nezumi couldn't help but smile. He made her feel so much, so many contradictory emotions.

 

The way his eyelashes dusted the top of his cheeks reminded her of the down on a baby bird. Sooty black, impossibly long, he was lucky that his eyes were such an unusual color. Too many men with eyelashes like that looked far too feminine because of them. Ryomaru's eyes were too bright, too alert to ever fall into that category.

 

High cheekbones, soft hollows, the angles and contours of his face were shadowed in the half-light of the falling evening outside. His lips were parted slightly, his breathing light and even. His nose twitched once, twice, and those ears . . . Those ears turned and flicked, constantly in motion, continuously monitoring the apartment for signs of danger.

 

`So he's hanyou, and I accept that. Maybe I've always known somewhere deep down that he was different. What about the rest of what he's told me?'

 

`He doesn't seem like he's upset about the idea of being `stuck' with you, does he?'

 

Nezumi sighed. `Not now, no . . . what happens when the novelty wears off? What happens in a year? Two years? Ten years? What then?'

 

“You look a little too serious,” Ryomaru commented softly, his eyes glowing softly.

 

She gasped softly. She hadn't realized he was awake. When she tried to pull away, to sit up, he held on. “Ryo---”

“Tell me what you're thinking?”

 

She shrugged. “Nothing.”

 

“Okay, Nez,” he agreed. “I don't mind. I can stay like this all night.”

 

“This . . . isn't really . . . Ryo, let me up!”

 

“I will, just as soon as you tell me what you were thinking.”

 

“I was thinking that I really have to go to the bathroom,” she lied.

 

Ryomaru chuckled, and he still didn't let go. “You did a damn fine job hiding it, Nez. I think I forgot to tell you.”

 

She felt herself stiffen as she fought down a tell-tale blush. “Hiding what? I didn't hide anything.”

 

“Your body.”

 

The blush she'd tried to hold back shot to the fore as she renewed her efforts to extricate herself from his grasp. “You're insane.”

 

“Nez?”

 

She frowned at his choked tone of voice and stopped struggling long enough to glance at him. Eyes squeezed closed, eyebrows drawn together, he looked like he was concentrating on something---or in pain. “What's wrong?”

 

He sighed. “You . . . need . . . to stop . . . wiggling.”

 

It took a moment for his words to make sense. Eyes widening suddenly as her already pink cheeks burned hot, Nezumi gathered all her strength and shoved until Ryomaru let go. Stumbling to her feet, she backed up until she hit the table.

 

Ryomaru rolled onto his side, propping his head on his hand as he regarded her with those golden eyes. She could tell from the look on his face that he wanted to say something. He must have thought better of it because in the end, he sighed and shook his head as he sat up and grinned at her. “You want to go get some food and rent a couple movies?”

 

His question made her smile, and suddenly he was just Ryomaru, her friend. “Okay,” she agreed. “Let me get my shoes.”

 

 

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

 

 

“How old are they?” Sierra muttered to Nezumi as the two returned to the living room of the Inutaisho's house with sodas.

 

Nezumi sighed. “Mentally or chronologically?”

 

“Good point.”

 

They'd headed to the video store first only to run into Toga and Sierra, who had invited them back to their house for dinner. Between Toga and Ryomaru, they'd rented five games and no movies. Sierra and Nezumi were making dinner while the two men laughed over the games. Well, Sierra was cooking dinner. Nezumi hadn't been much help since the extent of her cooking skills were slitting plastic on TV dinners and nuking them in the microwave.

 

Nezumi handed Ryomaru a soda and sat beside him on the sofa. He set the soda on the coffee table and leaned forward, frowning in concentration as he maneuvered his game character into attack position. Toga's character countered, and Toga yelled in victory as Ryomaru's character was knocked out.

 

“Come on, Toga. Dinner's ready,” Sierra commented as she pulled the controller out of his hand and set it aside.

 

To Nezumi's amusement, the youkai stood up and obediently followed his wife toward the dining room.

 

“That'll be us in a year or two,” Ryomaru commented as he stood up to follow Nezumi.

 

She rolled her eyes. “Kami forbid, unless you are learning how to cook.”

 

He shook his head. “Nez, we gotta talk about this cooking thing.”

 

She shot him `The Look'. “Don't even think about it, baka. I'm not going to try to cook. I'd burn the apartment building to the ground. I don't even know if my stove works. The oven does.”

 

“If you don't cook, then how do you know the oven works?”

 

“Frozen pizzas.”

 

Ryomaru shrugged. “I like frozen pizza.”

 

Nezumi grinned. “Ryo, you like food.”

 

 

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A/N:

Wow. I wasn't really thinking I'd get this sort of reaction to my A/N from the previous chapter, but you all reminded me why I still post my stories. Thanks for the reviews, the emails, the e-cards … Thanks.

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Reviewers

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To the Mystery Man who ran into my Beta (Diana) at dinner last night:

Thanks for reading. After discussion, the girls and I decided it doesn't make you a total wussie bitch for reading "romance fiction about cartoons", it makes you the kind of sissy boy we like. heheheh. What makes you a wussie bitch is not reviewing. Ever. Wuss. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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AkuPhoenix (MMorg) :
Has anyone realized that Ryo's youkai has chosen Nezumi or am I wrong in speculating that?

 

That's an interesting question … It certainly would clear things up later, wouldn't it?

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Drake Clawfang (FFnet):

Flamers. Is there any lower form of life then people who have to insult something they don't like simply becuase they don't like it? Sorry about all that. You wrote another Kag/Inu fic, so what? They keep getting better and better, what's the big deal? Anywho, does Ryo love Nez? Maybe I missed it, so help me out here. Oh, and another question. Are you a forum administrator for Mediaminer? Cause I nominated a story on the forum there, and a user 'Sueric' said it was up. Was it you? I was 'Drake the Dragon Tamer'

 

Yes, that's me, but no, I'm not admin. I'm a fanfiction site moderator both in the regular site as well as in the forums! Ryomaru doesn't know exactly what he feels yet, though I'd say that he's probably loved her for a very long time and just hasn't quite realized it yet.

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Stephany Kay Anton (MMorg):
How the hell did you come up with the story line?

 

I had a very interesting conversation with one of my betas, Sari-15, then a later one to flesh it out with another of my betas (Kim) … the rest is history!

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MMorg

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eave

 

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FFnet

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Final Thought from Ryomaru:

I like pizza …

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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~