InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 3: Forever ❯ The Gift of Giving ( Chapter 31 )

~~Chapter 31~~

~The Gift of Giving~

 

Kagome smiled and kissed Ryomaru's cheek as he slipped the present into her hand. “What's this?” she asked as she turned the plain envelope over to inspect it.

 

“Nothing,” Ryomaru assured her. “Just something I thought you'd find interesting. Happy New Year, Mother.”

 

Nezumi grabbed his arm and leaned in as Ryomaru led her toward his aunt. “What are we giving people, Ryo?”

 

He shook his head as his grin widened. “I thought I told you, Nez.”

 

“Oh, kami,” she muttered. “I don't think this is one of your better ideas,” she pointed out.

 

“Keh! Toga spends a good portion of his time trying to find innovative ways to piss me off. This is just a little comeuppance.”

 

She shook her head as they drew closer to Kagura. Ryomaru bowed formally and handed her a package identical to the one he'd just give his mother.

 

Kagura accepted the gift with a bright smile, and Ryomaru stepped back as he waited for both is aunt and mother to open them. Toga and Sierra stood near Sesshoumaru, talking in hushed tones and obviously unaware that one of them was about to become the center of attention.

 

“Oh . . . my . . . T-Toga?” Kagura rasped out as she stared, eyes bulging, at the calendar shot that Ryomaru had so painstakingly searched for—and had framed.

 

“Goodness!” Kagome exclaimed as she stared at the duplicate image in her hands. “What a . . . lovely . . . picture.”

 

Having heard his name, Toga glanced up and came around to look over his mother's shoulder at the picture that held her attention. “Damn,” he muttered as his cheeks reddened.

 

“I thought it was nice,” Ryomaru commented loudly as Sesshoumaru uttered a sound suspiciously like a choked sigh. “The next tai-youkai in his natural state.”

 

Nezumi groaned at the intended pun and pulled Ryomaru out of Toga's reach as the older cousin grabbed for him.

 

Kagura put a hand on Toga's chest to stop him and shook her head. “If you're going to fight, boys, do it outside.”

 

“Love to,” Ryomaru remarked with a happy grin.

 

Toga snorted. “Keh! This Toga doesn't have time to waste on a petty pup like you.”

 

“That Toga can put up or shut up,” Ryomaru tossed back.

 

“Well, I like the picture,” Sierra announced as she grinned at Kagome's copy of the picture. Kagome stood close by, slowly shaking her head with a hand over her eyes.

 

InuYasha peeked over Sierra's shoulder and snorted. “Kami, Toga! She neutered you!”

 

“Hardly,” Toga remarked acerbically. “That part doesn't show.”

 

“Keh! And you think my pups are bad,” InuYasha scoffed as he shifted his gaze to meet Sesshoumaru's. “At least mine know when to keep their fucking clothes on.”

 

“Toga, I'm shocked,” Gin reprimanded as she sidled up beside Sierra. “That's just—a really great shot, Sierra . . . How did you get the picture to come out so good in such bad lighting?”

 

“Oh, I'd gotten a new low light lens,” Sierra remarked as Gin took the picture and slowly nodded. “It really did come out well, didn't it?”

 

Ryomaru rolled his eyes. “They're completely missing the point,” he muttered to Nezumi, who was inclined to agree. Then again, she'd figured out that Gin's mind tended to skitter off in odd directions fairly easily—a wonderful thing, especially when the girl would ask questions that Nezumi wasn't entirely comfortable with, and Sierra? Well, Sierra's way of thinking was something that completely eluded Nezumi, too . . .

 

“If you like this one, you should see the others that I kept!” Sierra remarked as she patted Gin's hand.

 

“Oh, really? Better than this one?”

 

“I'm not hearing this,” Sesshoumaru stated loudly. “There will be no more of these pictures of my son in this house.”

 

“Well, there is one shot that almost shows more than it should,” Sierra went on, ignoring her father-in-law as she rambled to Gin, “but—”

 

“Oi!” Toga yelled. “You promised, you know . . .”

 

Sierra sighed. “So I did. Can't I show her the other pictures?”

 

Toga rolled his eyes and stomped out of the living room, passing by a doubled-over kitsune as Shippou howled in laughter.

 

Sierra shrugged and handed Gin the picture before hurrying after her mate as Nezumi shook her head. “That was just mean,” she pointed out.

 

Ryomaru chuckled. “Sure was,” he agreed. “Definitely worth it.”

 

Kichiro breezed into the Inutaisho living room and paused to get the abbreviated story from Shippou, who was still cackling.

 

“That was just wrong,” Kichiro commented as he stepped over to Ryomaru and Nezumi. “You didn't wait for me.”

 

Nezumi rolled her eyes at Kichiro's disapproval. “That's what you get for being late,” Ryomaru remarked. “You'd be late to your own funeral.”

 

Kichiro grinned unrepentantly. “I was busy.”

 

“Busy, huh.”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“Doing what?”

 

Kichiro shrugged. “Wouldn't you like to know?”

 

Ryomaru snorted. “No, I don't think I do.”

 

Kichiro laughed. “Nothing nearly as clandestine as you're thinking, Ryo. I had a patient who was having trouble, so I had her come into the office. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?”

 

“Not so much.”

 

“How's the desk job?”

 

“Tedious.”

 

Kichiro shook his head. “Never thought I'd see you behind a desk, Ryo. I might have to stop in one of these days.”

 

“Yeah . . . don't bother.”

 

“Head of security isn't that bad, is it?”

 

Nezumi intercepted the quick glance Ryomaru shot her. “Nah, it ain't so bad.”

 

Kichiro moved off to greet Sesshoumaru, who was talking in hushed tones to Kagura. Nezumi turned to face Ryomaru with a thoughtful frown. “Ryo? Are you all right?”

 

He shot her an almost guilty look but shrugged. “Of course.

 

“Why did you take that job?”

 

“Seemed like a good idea.”

 

Nezumi frowned and shook her head. True enough, after the night he had told her he'd stop hunting, he hadn't mentioned it again, and she . . . she couldn't ask him to do that, no matter how she felt about it. When he'd told her only days later that he'd been offered a job as head of security for Inutaisho Corp, she ignored the small, nagging voice in her mind that told her it was because of her.

 

`He might have said he would,' she thought as she watched him stride over to talk to his twin, `but . . . he wouldn't do something like that unless he wanted to . . . right?'

 

 

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

 

 

Ryomaru digested the implications of the entirely too precarious situation in silence. Toga lounged against the wall beside InuYasha while Kichiro slouched in the chair beside him with his forehead in his hand. Shippou was completely serious for once, and that was enough to set Ryomaru's already frayed nerves on edge. He glowered across the wide desk at his uncle and slowly shook his head. “So they've banded together? What the hell will that prove?”

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his gaze and sat back in his chair. “It shouldn't be of much concern, providing the hunters I sent after them do their job efficiently. I felt it would be wisest to let you know of the dangers. While I don't foresee any real problem arising from the miscreants, I dare say that you would be wise to take whatever precautions you feel are necessary.”

 

Ryomaru sighed and shrugged. “Why do I get the feeling you're talking to me more than the others?”

 

“Be not a fool, Ryomaru. You're the one in the most danger of misplaced vengeance. You're the one who has hunted their kin, exterminated their own. Do you think they will just let it slide despite the fact that you've `retired'?”

 

“Yeah . . . okay, I hear you.”

 

Sesshoumaru shot InuYasha a meaningful look before returning his gaze to his nephew again. “Your father and I are in agreement on this: you need to take Ryoteishuseishu home with you.”

 

That gave Ryomaru pause. In the years since he'd been given the sword in a rite of passage, Ryomaru had never taken it out of his father's house without the intent to use it. The sword was forged by Totosai, the same sword smith who had forged Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga for InuYasha and Sesshoumaru's father. Ryoteishuseishu as well as Kichiro's sword were the last works the great master had created, and he'd done it out of affection for InuYasha. Shortly afterward, Totosai died but his swords, with care, would last forever.

 

His immediate concern, however, was that Nezumi would not like having the weapon in the house.

 

`Let's not gild the lily here. Nezumi's gonna blow an ass gasket of her own, damn it . . .'

 

Of course there wasn't a question in his mind about taking the sword home with him. If his father thought he needed it, then that was reason enough, in Ryomaru's opinion. Whether or not Nezumi would approve was arbitrary. She'd just have to deal with it.

 

It wasn't the idea of taking the sword home that bothered him. It was the idea of having to explain to Nezumi why he would need it that did. She knew that he had hunted youkai, and she might realize that he didn't just use his claws in the doing, but . . .

 

InuYasha pulled the sword from behind his back and held it out to Ryomaru.

 

He stared at the weapon with a scowl before he took it, balancing it on his knees, as the silence in the room grew thicker.

 

Toga cleared his throat and pushed away from the wall, wandering around the study with a sort of quiet ambivalence. “They're not just teaming up to come after Ryomaru, are they?”

 

Sesshoumaru stared at his son for a long moment before shaking his head. “No, they're not.”

 

“But Ryo's the obvious target . . . they'll go after him because he's hunted their kin,” Kichiro stated flatly.

 

Sesshoumaru nodded.

 

“Then they'll come after the rest of us,” Shippou added.

 

“Keh! You're figuring they will get past my son?” InuYasha growled.

 

“Who'd you send? What hunters?” Ryomaru asked quietly as he glowered at the sword.

 

Steepling his fingertips together as he carefully regarded his nephew, Sesshoumaru didn't answer right away. “Danno Benjiro and his brother, Goro.”

 

“Damn,” Ryomaru grumbled, shaking his head. The snake-youkai brothers were good enough hunters, but neither of them was smart enough to be effective, especially if there was a gang of youkai. “You sent them?”

 

“Considering they are the best I've got to fall back on now, yes, I did.”

 

There was nothing Ryomaru could say to that, either. True enough, he'd chosen to quit hunting, but if the youkai came after his family . . .

 

Ryomaru's eyes darkened as he clenched his teeth and slowly glanced around at his family. `If they're that fucking stupid, then it's on . . .'

 

 

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

 

 

“So what do you think, Sierra? Girl or boy?” Gin asked as she leaned over to rub Sierra's still-flat stomach.

 

Sierra laughed and shook her head. “Toga says he doesn't care, but I know he really wants a son.”

 

Gin rolled her eyes. “Well, of course he wants a son! What about you?”

 

“I don't care. I just can't wait!”

 

Kagome stopped beside Nezumi and gave her shoulders a quick squeeze. “You look a little shell-shocked,” she remarked as she shook her head.

 

Nezumi forced her gaze off Sierra and smiled weakly. “I'm fine,” she lied since the topic under discussion really did freak her out.

 

Kagome saw through the lie. “No one is expecting Ryomaru and you to run out and have babies. Babies are a blessing but should be something both of you want. They're a huge responsibility. Don't worry about it.”

 

Considering Nezumi hadn't even fully acknowledged the extent of Ryomaru and her relationship, thinking about something like having children was terrifying. “I won't,” she managed with a thin, brittle smile.

 

Kagome hugged her. “I'm glad Ryomaru chose you. Can I give you some advice?”

 

Nezumi nodded.

 

“Don't change for anyone but yourself, Deirdre. It won't work if you try, and besides, my son chose you as you are. There's nothing these hanyous hate more than when someone changes the rules.”

 

Nezumi blinked at Kagome's choice of words. They reminded her of something Ryomaru had said. “Same players, different game . . . that's all.”

 

`But what, exactly, did he mean?'

 

 

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

 

 

Nezumi flopped onto the sofa with a heavy sigh as she watched Ryomaru stomp through the living room with the sword held tightly in his fist. She had refrained from comment when she'd first clapped eyes on the weapon, but as she watched him heading back toward his bedroom with it, she couldn't ignore it any longer.

 

“What are you doing with that?”

 

Ryomaru stopped and glanced down at the sword as though he'd forgotten that he was holding it. “What? This?”

 

Rolling her eyes at Ryomaru's blatant attempt to distract her, Nezumi sighed. “Yes, baka, that.”

 

“It's my sword,” he remarked casually enough as he looked around the room—everywhere but at Nezumi.

 

“I know that, Ryo. Where did it come from? Why did you bring it home?”

 

With a defeated sigh, Ryomaru shuffled over and sat next to Nezumi on the sofa. Yukitora hopped onto his lap, rumbling out a loud purr as she rubbed her head against Ryomaru's chest. “This is Ryoteishuseishu, forged from the fangs of my old man and my uncle. It was given to me when I mastered sword combat. The old man and Uncle Sesshoumaru thought it was time I brought it home.”

 

“So it's not just for show.”

 

Ryomaru shook his head. “No, it's not. Look, Nez, I know I'm not a hunter anymore, but if you were ever in danger, I'd use Ryoteishuseishu.”

 

Nezumi shrugged and nodded. “I can protect myself,” she reminded him. “I'm not helpless.”

 

His smile was thin, troubled. “I know you're not. Youkai are different. You can't always reason with them, and they're a lot stronger than a human. Just . . . just be careful.”

 

“Why are you talking like this? Is there something else you're not telling me?”

 

“Some youkai have banded together, and they're pretty ticked off at me. If they come after you, I'll kill them.”

 

Nezumi blinked as she stared at him. The teasing, cajoling nature of the boy she'd grown up was gone, replaced by a fierce glower of his darkened expression, the hint of something far more sinister. In that moment, she could see the hint of the youkai hunter, the glow of something deeper—his need to protect, and realization, clear and true, washed through her, leaving her cleansed and renewed . . . `Ryomaru . . . is who he is because of what he does . . .'

 

 

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

A/N:

I feel I need to clarify something. I am not tired or fed up with writing. I still love writing, as I always have. Actually posting is the thing that has been the hang-up of late. I'd continue to write even if I never posted anything again. No, I'm not saying I won't continue to post because so long as the majority enjoys sharing my stories, then they really are worth sharing. I'll keep posting as frequently as I can (that doesn't necessarily mean every day, but at least a few times a week), and I hope you keep reading and enjoying them as much as I love writing them!

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Reviewers

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xSilverShadowsx (FFnet):

I was wondering...what is your favourite story to date that you've wrote? Nice chapter by the way. Keep it up!

 

My favorite story? Hmm … Purity will always be sort of a sentimental favorite since it was my first real fanfiction. Chronicles is probably my favorite, though, because it was just so much fun for me to post …

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My Own Self (FFnet):

This is a question more for Purity 4, but oh well. :D I know that a hanyou and a human can produce hanyou and human children, but if a youkai and a hanyou mate, will they have hanyou children or full youkai children? I thought of that last night. Anyway, poor Ryo stuck at a desk. That's so sweet that he gave up his hunting for Nez. Keep up the great work

 

Youkai/Hanyou children would actually be technically classed as `hanyou' but would have much stronger youkai powers.

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MMorg

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Final Thought from InuYasha:

…Keh! Mine better keep their fucking clothes on …

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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~