InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Little Victories ( Chapter 10 )

Kichiro stared at the thick file and stifled the urge to sigh.  Peeking up through the thick fringe of his bangs, he appraised the woman sitting patiently.  The young American wife of a powerful business mogul, she was easily one of the prettier women he'd seen, and yet she wasn't satisfied.  She'd already had breast augmentation, had her nose 'fixed', numerous silicone injections to make her lips fuller, and now she was here again, and Kichiro was almost afraid to ask her just what she wanted this time.

Letting the file drop from his fingers, Kichiro sat back with a sigh.  "What brings you by today, Yamasi-san?"

Flashing her brilliant smile as she uncrossed her legs and re-crossed them again, she flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and winked at Kichiro playfully.  "Come now, Izayoi-sensei . . . Shouldn't we be on a first name basis by now?"

Pasting on a tolerant smile, Kichiro shrugged.  "It's my policy not to call my patients by their first names."

She pursed her lips in a pretty pout.  "Does that mean I can't call you 'Kichiro'?"

"I'd rather keep this entirely professional," he responded mildly.  "Now is there something you wanted?"

"I was thinking about having some liposuction done.  My thighs are starting to get a little pudgy."

Kichiro nearly snorted at that.  The woman was too skinny as it was.  "I'd advise against it," he said with a shake of his head.  "You don't really look like you need it, anyway."

Her smile turned coy.  "Why Izayoi-sensei . . . Are you flirting with me?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," he answered.  "My uncle has business dealings with your husband.  It'd be a conflict of interest, wouldn't you say?  As a surgeon, I feel it's my duty to tell you that it's never a good idea to have unnecessary procedures done."

"Then it's a good thing I don't pay for your advice," she retorted with a tight smile.  "I've got a gala in six weeks, and I must look my best for it.  Shall I go ahead and schedule this?"

"Be my guest," he replied, closing the file and pushing it away.  Yamasi-san untangled her legs and stood up, winking at Kichiro before sauntering toward the door.

Kichiro shook his head, turned his gaze toward the window with a defeated sigh.  The problem was that he'd seen women like her just a little too often.  If he hadn't agreed to do the procedure, she'd have simply gone to another surgeon, and many surgeons, he'd come to realize, didn't really care whether something should be done or not.  She'd have gotten her liposuction, sure, but if she wasn't careful, she'd have ended up with what she wanted even if it wasn't healthy.

'Balls, Kich, you can't always save people from themselves.  I don't know why you even try.'

'I'm a doctor.  It's my job.'

'You know it; I know it.  With some of these women, it's an obsession.  They're running around with more plastic in their bodies than your average Barbie doll, and for what?'

'I'm not a psychiatrist.  I can't do anything but make sure they don't go to someone else who won't give a damn about their health, so long as they get paid.'

'Nice to be so idealistic.  Do you really think you'll change a thing?'

'No, I . . . I really don't.'

"Oh, now don't you look angry?"

Shifting his gaze to the side, Kichiro regarded Bellaniece for a moment before letting his attention wander back out the window again.

"Do you ever smile?" she coaxed, her tone playful, light, teasing.

"Of course I do," he assured her.  "Don't you have something better to do?  Work, maybe?"

Perching on the corner of his desk, she turned to face him.  Whether by accident or design, her pose drew attention to her breasts.  Kichiro caught himself staring and quickly looked away.  "We're all caught up.  Everything's done.  I just wondered if you needed anything before I go home."

"From you?" he scoffed, wrinkling his nose.  "Not hardly."

Bellaniece heaved a sigh and shook her head as she leaned back and reached out to grab his ear.  "You really do hate me, don't you?  Why is that?"

"It's not hate," he countered, ducking away from her probing fingers.  "Call it apathy.  Hate implies a certain level of caring that you have yet to achieve with me."

Sapphire eyes narrowed on him.  Kichiro nearly smiled.  "You really do go out of your way to be nasty, don't you?" she mused, her tone much more mild than her expression was.  Pale cheeks blossoming in an angry pink flush, Kichiro had to hide his amusement as she lifted her chin in a show of stubborn pride.

"You give yourself a little too much credit, Belle-chan.  Are you really so vain that you honestly believe that I'd go out of my way for you?"

She sighed and shook her head, hiding the surge of emotion behind a mask of indifference.  "Whatever, Dr. Izayoi, but for the record, your attitude doesn't suit you at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he growled.

Bellaniece shrugged as she leaned toward him to try to catch his ear again.  "Nothing bad, goodness no!  You just strike me as more of a playboy."

"Really, well, sorry to disappoint you," he retorted, flicking his ears to evade her grasp.  "Knock that off, will you?  If you want to mess with someone's ears, I suggest you call my brother.  Let me get his number, though I'm not so sure Nezumi will put up with it long . . ."

"Did I strike a nerve?" she asked as her eyes lit up in obvious amusement.

"No, you didn't," he shot back, "and Nezumi said they're the same—exactly the same."

Bellaniece slid off the desk and turned to face him, leaning forward as a wicked grin rose to the surface.  "She wouldn't be able to tell, would she?  I mean, isn't she human?"

"So?" he snorted with grudging interest.

"So . . . humans have dulled senses, you know.  Do you think she'd be able to tell the difference?  Or maybe . . . Maybe she was sparing your feelings.  Ever thought of that, big boy?"

It must have been evident in his expression that the thought hadn't crossed his mind until she'd pointed it out.  Bellaniece giggled victoriously as she turned and fairly skipped out of the office.

'I . . . hate her,' he fumed, ears twitching at the thought of her blatant insult.

'For hating her, you sure admired her rack, didn't you?'

'I did not!  I just couldn't believe she stuck it out there like that!'

'Uh huh.'

'Uh huh!'

'Face it, Kich . . . she really is something, even if you hate to admit it.'

'She's something, all right . . .'

'Just between us, admit it: Belle really ain't as bad as you want to believe she is.  What you can't stand is that she can match you, insult for insult, and sometimes she actually gets the better of you.'

'Keh!  She does not!  Whose side are you on?'

His youkai laughed.  'That's easy enough.  I'm on the side that'll get laid if you get your head out of your ass and admit that you like her.'

He could feel the furious blush steal up his cheeks as he shot to his feet and strode toward the door.  'That wench would drive me insane.  A lifetime with her?  You've got to be kidding!  She doesn't even know when to shut up!'

'So find a way to keep her quiet.  You'll be happy with her . . . trust me!  Have I ever led you astray?'

Kichiro snorted figuring that his youkai's comment didn't even deserve an answer.  He ignored Mai's wishes that he have a good evening as Bellaniece's laughter rang out behind him.  "Keh!"

Bellaniece fumbled with her keys as she tried to balance the bag of groceries—coffee for Cain and a few snack items for her—on her hip.  Still quite pleased over her victory over Kichiro Izayoi, she figured nothing could really upset her as the keys slipped out of her fingers and clattered on the hardwood floor.

"Oh, let me help you!"

Bellaniece's head snapped to the side, and she blinked in surprise at the hanyou woman beside her.  The same one she'd seen from her window the day her father had unceremoniously breezed in the same way, Bellaniece's gaze narrowed suspiciously.  'She smells a lot like Kichiro, too,' she mused as the girl bent down to retrieve the keys.

"I'm Gin," she remarked as Bellaniece stepped back.  

"I'm Belle—well, Bellaniece."

Gin unlocked the door and pushed it open before moving out of the way with a friendly smile.

"Wait!" Bellaniece called over her shoulder as she hurriedly set the bag on the table.  "You're not . . . an Izayoi, are you?"

Gin looked surprised but nodded.  "Yeah . . . I am . . . How did you know?"

Bellaniece couldn't stave back the snort of disgust as her suspicions were confirmed.  "Small world," she muttered.

Gin didn't seem to notice.  She started to smile then suddenly wince as she carted around and skittered over to the apartment next door.  "Oh no!  My cake!"

'Cake?' Bellaniece echoed as something else flashed through her mind: Cain bent over, staring out the peephole muttering about idiot pups and cake fairies . . . 'Oh, my . . .' "Gin!  Wait!" she called as she ran after the girl, pausing long enough to close the door behind her.  Gin had left her own door open, and Bellaniece poked her head inside, looking around and smiling as Gin stood up, cake pan in mitt-covered hand.

Gin grinned happily and set the cake on the stove.  "Your father says just a few more cakes, and then I'll get my wings!"

"Wings?" Bellaniece repeated, shaking her head in confusion.

Gin giggled as she tugged the oven mitt off her hand.  "He said I'm the cake fairy."

"Wait . . . my father said you'd get your wings?  Mine?  Cain Zelig?  That father?"

"Yeah.  I'm in his art class at the university.  I'm his teacher's aide."

"Really . . ."

Gin leaned on the counter and shrugged, frowning suddenly as she tilted her head to the side.  "How did you know that I'm an Izayoi?"

Bellaniece couldn't keep the scowl off her face as she wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms over her chest.  "I work for your brother."

"Really?  You don't sound like you like him very much."

"He's not very nice," Bellaniece remarked.  "I mean, at least not to me."

"Hmm . . . Well, he can be pretty harsh, especially when you first meet him.  What do you do for him, anyway?"

"Answer the phone mostly," Bellaniece answered with a dismissive wave of her hand.  "He makes me glad I was an only child."

"Papa taught me a trick or two.  The twins don't mess with me very often."

"Your father taught you how to fight?"

Gin nodded as she pulled powdered sugar and cocoa powder from the cupboard.  "Of course!  Cain didn't teach you?"

"My father, teach me how to fight?  Heavens, no!" Bellaniece laughed.  "Daddy wants to be my hero . . . You call him by his first name?"

"Yeah," Gin remarked with an impish grin, dumping sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl.  "As for my brother, just tell him that you'll tell Nezumi that he's not being very nice.  That'll shut him up pretty fast."

Bellaniece leaned on the counter to watch Gin whip up the frosting.  "Nezumi?  Why?"

"She keeps him in line.  He's been a lot better behaved since he married her."

"I thought she was Ryomaru's mate."

"She is."

Waving a hand in blatant dismissal as a terse laugh bubbled out, Bellaniece snorted.  "Oh, no . . . I work for Kichiro."

Gin dropped the wooden spoon with a clatter and shook her head at Bellaniece.  "Kichiro-nii-chan's the mean brother you work for?"

Bellaniece nodded slowly as Gin retrieved the spoon and dumped it into the sink before digging through the drawers for a clean one.  "He's insufferable!  I don't think he's ever said one single nice thing to me!  Not once!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure!"

Gin added a glug of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla and started stirring.  "But he's the nice one.  I don't understand . . ."

"Not to me, he isn't," Bellaniece remarked with a snort.  "I can't decide if he's just naturally crabby or if I've somehow offended him in a past life . . ."

"That really doesn't sound like nii-chan," Gin said with a marked frown.  "At least, not usually though he has a habit of being extra cranky in the morning."

"Cranky doesn't begin to cover it," Bellaniece scoffed.  "He's arrogant, rude, condescending . . . Do you know, he calls me 'little girl' . . . and we mustn't forget, 'Belle-chan'."

"Oh . . . calling you –chan is just his way of being playful."

"Not when he says it like I'm a communicable disease."

"That really doesn't sound like nii-chan.  I swear, he's the nice one . . . Do you want me to talk to him?  I mean, you seem nice enough . . . I can't see why he wouldn't like you.  It just doesn't make much sense, does it?"

"Don't do that," Bellaniece said as she waved her hand dismissively.  "I'd much prefer that he thinks I don't care, because I don't . . . or at least, I shouldn't."

Gin frowned thoughtfully.  The telephone rang, and Gin held up a finger as she scuttled over to answer it.  Bellaniece straightened up and wandered around.  The apartment looked nearly identical to her father's, and she plopped down on the sofa while Gin chatted away on the phone.

A sketch book lay forgotten on the coffee table.  Bellaniece smiled as she picked it up and leafed through it.  Children playing in the park . . . a pastel sunset over the thick trees of a forest . . . One picture gave her pause, and Bellaniece narrowed her gaze as she stared.  'I know this guy . . . Wait!  Of course I do!  Daddy?  She sketches Daddy?'  Flipping through the pages, Bellaniece grinned as she noticed that, aside from a few notable exceptions, Gin's sketchpad was filled with images of her father.  'She's really good,' Bellaniece thought absently.  'Bet Daddy has no idea, what's in this sketchbook  . . . That's interesting . . . very interesting . . .'

Closing the book and setting it back on the table, Bellaniece could feel the roots of an unrealized plan forming.  'I think Gin really likes Daddy . . .' Mulling over Gin's claim that Cain had told her she was close to earning her fairy's wings, Bellaniece couldn't help but shake her head.  'That really doesn't sound like Daddy, does it?  But then, she brings him cake all the time, too.  Why would she do that, and why would Daddy let her?  Unless . . .'

Gin hung up the telephone and grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator before hurrying back over and sitting beside Bellaniece.  "Sorry . . . that was my mother," Gin apologized as she extended a bottle to Bellaniece.

"You know, Gin . . . Daddy was going to take me to dinner tonight.  Why don't you come along?"

Gin grimaced as she popped open the water bottle, leaning forward as she scrunched up her shoulders and shrugged.  "I don't want to intrude.  If you two were having a daddy-daughter evening, I'd hate to interrupt.  Cain didn't say anything about it, but—"

"Don't be silly!" Bellaniece laughed.  "I'm sure he won't care!  Your sketches are really well done."

Gin bit her lip as she blinked at the sketchpad.  Her cheeks pinked as she slowly forced herself to look at Bellaniece.  "You looked at my . . . sketches?" she choked out.

Bellaniece waved her hand dismissively.  "Just the first couple.  You should ask Daddy.  I'm sure he'd be more than happy to give you some pointers, if you want them, that is . . ."

"You think so?" Gin asked, eyebrows drawing together as she pondered Bellaniece's words.

"Oh, sure!  He lectured me once on the proper way to hold a pencil.  I'm pretty certain he'd be happy to help you."

"Really?  I wanted to ask him to teach me his techniques, but I've been a little afraid to ask . . ."

"Afraid of Daddy?  Why?"

Gin grimaced, cheeks pinking prettily.  "Well . . . I've ruined a couple of his shirts," she confessed.

"How did you do that?"

"One of my cups broke, and he spilled tea over one, then I . . ." She trailed off, grimacing as she slowly shook her head.  "I . . . sort of . . . I smashed a cake all over him."

Bellaniece's mind blanked for a moment before she coughed to cover a rising giggle.  The vision of Cain with cake smashed all over him was just one that Bellaniece couldn't quite comprehend.  "Accidents happen," Bellaniece managed to say with a straight face.

Gin's ears flattened momentarily before poking back up and twitching nervously.  "It wasn't an accident . . . I lost my temper."

Bellaniece couldn't contain her laughter at that.  It was one thing to think that Gin had accidentally done such a thing.  It was entirely different to know that it had been done intentionally.  "That's too good!" Bellaniece gasped out, dabbing at her tearing eyes with her knuckle.  "Did he deserve it?"

Gin blinked as though she hadn't considered that before.  "Sort of . . . not really . . . He followed me the other day when I had tea with a guy . . ."

"My father followed you?  Oh, my . . ."

Gin didn't appear to have noticed Bellaniece's awe.  "Just like my brothers and father, really.  Do you know, they've threatened every single guy I've ever tried to date?"  She shrugged, her ears drooping slightly as she stared at her hands with a marked scowl.  "Just protective, I guess."

"You just need to find someone who can hold their own against your family," Bellaniece encouraged.  "Someone strong and brave and . . . heroic."

Gin finally smiled, and Bellaniece couldn't help the welling of hope that burgeoned inside her.  'She's really different, this girl . . .' Remembering the way Cain had growled as he peeked into the hallway . . . remembering the blush as he crammed half a slice of cake into his mouth to avoid answering Bellaniece's interrogation, Bellaniece couldn't help but to smile, too.  'Oh, Daddy . . . I don't think she really needs my help, but . . . Better to be safe than sorry, right?'

'Do you think your father will welcome your intrusion?'

'He will in the end.  I like Gin, and more importantly, I think Daddy does, too . . .'

'Belle, don't get your hopes up.  You know things aren't as simple as you want them to be.'

'That's not true at all.  It's all elementary.  If Daddy had a mate, he wouldn't die, would he?  All Daddy really needs is a gentle shove in the right direction . . . her direction, or so it would seem . . .'

Cain dropped the stack of junk mail in a careless heap on the counter and shifted his gaze around the empty apartment with a marked frown.  Bellaniece had been here.  He could sense her presence.  He could also sense that she wasn't here now.

Emptying the grocery bag on the table, Cain shook his head at his daughter's idea of shopping.  A canister of coffee and a few boxes of snacks—there was absolutely nothing substantial in the bag, and he sighed.  'I have really got to do something about the serious lack of food in this place,' he thought with a grimace as he stowed the few paltry groceries in the cupboard.

"Hi, Daddy!" Bellaniece greeted as she breezed through the door.  Hurrying over to lean on his arm and rising up on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek and grinned.  "I was going to put that stuff away . . . How about you take me out to dinner tonight?"

"How about I take you out and teach you what real groceries are?" he countered.

"Yeah, about that," Bellaniece remarked as she let go of her father's arm and hopped up on the counter, swinging her feet with a careless air.  "That would imply that one of us would have to cook the stuff," she pointed out, "and since neither of us knows anything about that . . ."

Cain sighed and shrugged.  "Go get ready, then," he agreed.

Bellaniece dropped down and grinned.  "Okay, I'll be ready in a few minutes . . . By the way, I met someone interesting today."

Cain picked up the pile of mail to sort.  "Oh?" he mumbled as he dropped the junk into the trash one by one without opening them.

"Sure . . . Want to know who?"

"Uh-huh."

"The cake fairy."

The rest of the mail fell into the trash as Cain's brain froze.  "Th-The cake f-fairy?" he sputtered.

"Yep, the cake fairy . . . You know what I think?  She's cute—beyond cute, actually.  Downright adorable, really.  So . . . how many more cakes till she gets her wings?"

Praying that his face wasn't nearly as red as he suspected it was, Cain choked back a groan and tried to pretend like he had no idea what Bellaniece was saying.  "Wings?"

Bellaniece's laughter was positively exultant.  "It's fine, Daddy, I totally approve.  Anyway, you'd better change.  That shirt is all rumpled, and those pants look like you slept in them.  You don't want Gin to think you can't dress yourself, do you?"

"Gin?" he barked out.

"Sure.  I invited her to dinner, too.   Must be lonely, to eat all by herself . . . Now hurry up.  I'm starving . . ."

"Bellaniece—"

She poked her head back into the hallway and winked at him.  "You might not want to wear red, Daddy.  It'd clash with your cheeks.  Now hurry!"

Cain stifled a groan as he slapped his hands over his face.  'My daughter's turned against me!  Oh, my God, she's met Gin . . .'

'Well, crap.  If we weren't in trouble before, I'd say we are now.'

'You think?'

'Yeah, I think . . . At least Bellaniece is going with you.  You won't be alone with Gin.  Use Bellaniece as a buffer.'

'I can't use my daughter!'

'Hell, Cain, your daughter set you up . . . She's been trying to coerce you into finding another mate for years.  Turn about is fair play.'

'Dinner doesn't bother me,' Cain argued.  'Dinner's fine.  Everyone eats, right?  Not a big deal.'

'It's not a big deal?'

'Nope.'

'Then why are your hands sweating?'

Cain blinked and loosened his fists, turning over his hands to stare at his damp palms.  '. . . Shut up.'

Bellaniece stepped out of her bedroom and shook her head as she stared at her father who still hadn't moved from the spot where she'd left him.  "Come on, Daddy . . . You can't go out to dinner in that.  Even the tai-youkai has to adhere to some sort of propriety.  You've got an image to uphold."

Cain followed Bellaniece without comment, brushing aside the feeling that he was walking into a trap—and not even a very well constructed trap, either.

Bellaniece opened his closet with a flourish but heaved a sigh and shook her head as she stared in dismay at the minimal selection.  "Oh, Daddy, I'm going to have to do something about this."

"They're all clean," he remarked.

Bellaniece sighed again.  Settling on a white cotton shirt that wasn't quite as wrinkled as the rest, she pulled it off the hanger and held it out to her father.  He took it grudgingly as she shuffled through his slacks.  Shaking her head, she snorted indelicately.  "Daddy . . . no more khakis, okay?  I mean it . . ."

Cain dropped the shirt he'd been wearing and pulled the clean one on.  "It's just dinner, Bellaniece . . . It is just dinner, right?"

"Of course, of course . . . I didn't sell you into her harem or anything," Bellaniece remarked as she rolled her eyes.

Cain clamped his mouth closed, unwilling to voice his opinion on the idea of Gin having a harem of men . . . "Women don't have harems," he pointed out.

"Gin could . . . She's cute enough, don't you think?"

'It is so important to our sanity that you just not answer that, Cain,' his youkai growled.

"Are you going to give me some pants or not?" he grouched instead.

Bellaniece wrinkled her nose and pulled the only pair of black pants out of Cain's closet.  "Here.  These will have to do.  I'll go shopping for you this weekend.  Your closet is just sad, Daddy, but don't worry.  I'll make your closet happy again."

He heard the muffled knock, and Bellaniece clapped her hands and skittered off to let Gin inside, he supposed.  'Just why am I doing this?' he asked himself as he changed his pants.

'Because you're stupid, Cain, that's why.  That girl—Gin—she needs to be surrounded by flashing yellow caution lights.  You know it; I know it . . . She's an accident waiting to happen.'

'An accident waiting to happen?  You make her sound like she's doing all this on purpose.'

'Pfft!  Nope.  That's why she's so damn dangerous, Cain.  Gin's clueless about what a girl like her really can do to you.  Tell Bellaniece you don't want to go.  You're her father.  She has to listen to you.'

Cain rolled his eyes as he tucked in the shirt.  'It's just dinner.  That's not so bad.'

'You sound like you want to go,' his youkai grumbled suspiciously.  'You do, don't you?  You're complaining because you should, but you really do want to go.'

'Of course I don't!  I'm just hungry, that's all.'

'Just hungry, huh?  You're in denial, you know . . . and you might as well redo your ponytail.  Bellaniece will make you do that, anyway.'

'I thought you didn't want me to go,' Cain pointed out as he pulled the tie out of his hair and grabbed the brush off his dresser.

'I don't, but you'll go anyway.  Might as well look presentable . . . By the way, Bellaniece is right.  You do need some new clothes.'

"Pfft."

Bellaniece waited until after the door closed behind her father to unleash the smile that she couldn't contain.

'Celebrate while you can, Belle.  Your father is going to kill you when he gets home.'

'Nonsense!  He'll have a great time!'

'Great time or not, you put him on the spot, and he knows it.  The only one who doesn't know it is Gin, and I think that's only because she's so sweet she'd never think that you, of all people, had manipulated her.'

'Manipulate is such an ugly word . . . What about, giving them a gentle shove in the right direction?'

'Potatoes, potahtoes, it's all the same thing.  Put a pretty face on it if you can, Belle.  The truth is that your father really will be furious, and you know it.'

Bellaniece's brow furrowed as she wandered restlessly around the living room.  'Is it really wrong of me, to want Daddy to find someone to make him happy; someone to make him want to live?  Sure, it might be a little selfish . . .'

'Maybe it isn't really that selfish, Belle.  He's your father.  It's understandable.  Did you have to use such underhanded tactics, though?'

Bellaniece grimaced and flopped down on the sofa.  'Okay, so it was a little obvious, at least to him . . .'

Waiting until they were ready to leave, Bellaniece had grabbed her stomach and told Gin and her father that she was starting to get cramps.  Since they were the only real ailment that Cain wouldn't touch, she figured it was safe enough.  The look he'd shot her, though, was full of suspicion, and despite her efforts to look completely innocent, she knew he hadn't really believed her at all.

Gin's expression had immediately shifted into quiet concern, and she shot Cain a glance before saying, "I could cook dinner for you, if you don't want to leave her."

Cain had looked like he was going to accept Gin's hospitality.  Bellaniece made a face.  "Oh, no, you two go on ahead.  I'll just lie down a bit.  I'm not really hungry, anyway."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bellaniece.  I can't leave you alone if you're sick," Cain commented, eyes glinting as he narrowed his stare.  He knew what she was doing.  He knew it, and he knew that she knew she'd been caught.

"Oh, Daddy, don't be silly!  It's just cramps; that's all!  Every female gets them, and every female deals with them.  There's nothing you can do, so go on and . . . enjoy yourselves."

"Still," Gin said slowly, shaking her head.

"I insist," Bellaniece assured her, waving her hands toward the door.  "Don't worry about me.  I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Cain asked tightly.  Bellaniece grimaced inside at the warning behind his feigned concern.

"Get him out of here," Bellaniece joked, turning to Gin.  "Daddy rarely gets out anymore.  I hate to ruin your evening.  Do me a favor, will you?  Make sure Daddy has a good time, despite himself."

Gin hesitated, shooting Cain a worried glance.  Bellaniece bit her lip when her father intercepted the look and blushed just a little.  To her amusement, Cain heaved a sigh and shrugged.  "I suppose she'll be okay," he allowed, "if you still want to go?"

"If you're sure . . ." Gin agreed slowly.

Bellaniece nearly laughed.  "Go on, I'm fine!  Daddy has his cell phone.  I'll call if I need anything."

Cain jerked his head in agreement and opened the door for Gin.  The last look he'd cast her, however, promised mayhem when he got home.  Bellaniece wiggled her fingers, entirely too pleased with herself to bother trying to hide it from Cain, and as he pulled the door closed behind them, she burst into a round of laughter.

Her laughter wound down, and she slumped back against the sofa.  "This isn't good . . . I need to celebrate!"

'Celebration is fine, Belle, but you don't know anyone here.'

Expression shifting into a pout, Bellaniece heaved a sigh and toyed with the hem of her skirt.  'This is what I hate about being in Tokyo.  All my friends are back home.  Even if I called them, they probably wouldn't understand.  The only one who is youkai is Kelly, and I really can't call her . . .'

There were definite drawbacks to being raised in secrecy.  It was normal for youkai to hide their natures, and Bellaniece had attended school where she and Kelly were the only youkai and hanyou.  Kelly would understand Bellaniece's small victory with Cain.  Her human friends wouldn't.  They didn't know the desperation Bellaniece felt when she thought about the years to come.  They didn't know about youkai.

'I've got to share this with someone,' she thought as she stood up and wandered around restlessly.  'This is huge, really, just huge, and . . . and maybe there is someone I could call . . .'

Grabbing her cell phone off the counter, Bellaniece dialed the number before she could talk herself out of it.  Ignoring the voice that told her she was setting herself up for ridicule, she waited impatiently for the call to connect.

"Izayoi."

"Hi, um . . . It's me, Belle.  I was just wondering if you were busy."

Kichiro didn't answer right away.  She imagined he was probably considering crushing his phone.  "Is there something you wanted, little girl?" he finally asked.

Brushing aside the prick of irritation at his appalling nickname for her, Bellaniece wrinkled her nose.  "I was just in a really good mood and wanted to share it with someone."

He sighed.  "All right, I'll bite.  Who did you manipulate into doing what you wanted this time?"

Wincing at the accuracy of his assessment, Bellaniece frowned, gripping the phone tighter.  "It's not like that.  You really don't think much of me, do you?"  She shook her head.  "Don't answer that.  I really am in a good mood.  It's my father . . . He's on a date."

"You set him up, didn't you?  You just have to manipulate every single person around you, don't you?"

"It isn't like that, honestly!  Forget it.  It was a mistake to call you."

"Why did you call me?"

Bellaniece hesitated and made a face, wondering just why she was answering him at all.  "Because . . . you're the only person I really know here."

"Pity me, then."

She sighed.  "I'm trying to be nice, here.  Do you have to be like that?"

"Sorry.  Must be habit.  I tend to get this way when people try to control everyone in a fifty kilometer radius."

"Would it matter that I had the very best of intentions?  Daddy needs a mate.  That's all I want . . ."

Kichiro was quiet a moment before answering, and when he did, he caught her off guard with the quiet respect in his voice—a tone she hadn't ever heard from him before.  "You mean that, don't you?"

"You want to go get something to eat?" Bellaniece asked suddenly, unsure just why her cheeks felt hot as she pressed the palm of her free hand to her face.

"All right," he agreed.  "Where do you live?"

She told him the address and twirled around in a small circle.

"Really?  My sister lives there . . . You mind if we stop and see her?  She might want to come along.  Kami knows she doesn't get out much . . ."

Kichiro's commentary brought Bellaniece to an abrupt halt.  "I've met your sister," she hedged.  "I think she had plans tonight . . ."

"Really.  Did she tell you what she was doing?  She'd better not be trying to sneak around to see some worthless little bastard."

"I'm sure that she's not . . . with someone like that . . ."

Kichiro sighed.  "Sorry.  Guess I get carried away about Gin.  I seriously doubt there's a man on earth, human or otherwise, who deserves her."

Bellaniece bit her lip and cleared her throat nervously.  "So . . . about dinner . . ."

"Yeah, give me about a half hour."

"Okay," she agreed.  Turning off the phone and setting it on the counter again, Bellaniece grimaced and tried not to feel guilty.

'If Kichiro figures out what you've done . . .'

'I didn't know he'd get that irritated over the idea that his sister was on a date.'

'Yeah, and not just any date, Belle!  She's out with your father!  How is that going to look?'

'That's different, too,' Bellaniece thought defensively.  'Daddy is tai-youkai—the most powerful youkai in North America.  If Daddy's not worthy, then Kichiro's right: no one else ever would be.'

Her youkai voice didn't answer.  After glancing at the clock, Bellaniece hurried off to get ready, trying not to ask herself just why she'd called Kichiro Izayoi, of all people.