InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Girls' Night Out ( Chapter 20 )

Bellaniece held onto Gin's hand as the two girls walked into the club.  Gin might be older than Bellaniece, but it was amusing, just how excited she was.  Bellaniece could feel Gin's nervous energy.  Tempered by a sense of wonder and awe, Gin was almost trembling.  Bellaniece smiled as she let go of Gin's hand and leaned toward her.  "You sure you want to do this?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the din.

Gin nodded and smoothed the skirt of the red silk dress she'd bought for their night out dancing.  "Are you sure this looks okay?" she questioned as she glanced down at herself.

Bellaniece rolled her eyes.  "Come on, Gin!  You'll have fun, I promise!"

"How do I do this?" she demanded as she grabbed Bellaniece's hand and dragged her into the club and onto the edge of the dance floor.

Bellaniece laughed.  "Just listen to the music and let it lead you . . . like this."

Gin stood back for a moment and watched as Bellaniece started to dance.  She caught on quickly.  Bellaniece laughed as Gin joined her.  "I told you that you'd catch on fast!" Bellaniece commented.

"It's kind of like fighting only . . . not," Gin answered.  "You know, Kichiro-nii-chan is a really good dancer."

Bellaniece snorted.

"No, really, he is!  He used to do a lot of plays and stuff in school.  I'm surprised he didn't become an actor."

"He's really good at something," Bellaniece grumbled then shook her head.  "Let's not talk about your brother, okay?"

Gin winced.  "Okay.  I take it you're still mad at him."

"Actually, I think he might be madder at me . . . for once."

"Why?" Gin asked, her tone reluctant but curious.

Bellaniece grinned.  "I asked if he was . . . gay . . ."

"Gay?" Gin echoed, eyebrows disappearing under her thick fringe of bangs.  "Nii-chan?  Oh, no . . . Nezumi said he and Ryo-nii both were real man-whores . . . Of course, that was a few years ago, but . . ."

"Oh, was he, now?"

Gin shrugged.  "Yeah, but he's been pretty quiet since Ryo-nii and Nezumi-chan were mated.  I don't think he's gay, though."

Bellaniece didn't trust herself to answer, and she concentrated on dancing, instead.

'Is it the idea of Kichiro being good at something more expressive like dancing or acting that bothers you . . . or is it that he was apparently known as a man-whore that does?  If you ask me, I'd say it was the latter.'

'Hmm, I don't remember asking for your opinion.'

'Yes, and aren't you lucky?  I love to give you my opinion, anyway.'

'I wouldn't say lucky . . . More like forced to endure it.'

'Oh, aren't we being the bitch tonight, Belle?'

'You haven't seen bitchy yet.  Keep talking, and you will.'

'He's really not as bad as you make him out to be.  You make him sound like he's worse than Satan.'

'Maybe not to everyone else.  To me, he is Satan.'

'You've got a flair for the melodramatic, Bellaniece.  Maybe it was inherited from your mother.'

'And you've got a knack for the annoying . . . I'm not sure where you got that.'

'Catty, catty . . . You positive you're dog-youkai?'

Bellaniece wrinkled her nose and tried to ignore the annoying voice.

'I think you should try to be nice to him, just once more.  If he cuts you down again, then you'll at least be able to say you've tried.'

'You think I can't say that now?  And no thanks.  He's really horrible on my ego.'

'Okay, I'll make a deal with you.'

'. . . I'm listening.'

'You give him one more chance—let him see the real you—and if he hurts you, I swear I'll never defend him to you, ever again.'

'You swear?'

'Yes, yes, I swear.'

Bellaniece sighed.  'I'll think about it.'

Her youkai sighed, too.  '. . . Fine.'

Gin giggled as she twirled around.  "Come on, Belle!  You're supposed to be having fun!"

Bellaniece laughed.  Even her bleak thoughts couldn't distract her from enjoying the excursion.  For the moment at least, she was free to laugh.  For the moment, she could forget about the worries about her father and the thoughts that plagued her, like the ones that centered on Kichiro Izayoi.

Gin leaned on the counter and asked the bartender for two bottles of water.  The young man smiled as she dug into her purse for money.  Bellaniece took the bottles and thanked him before turning around and leaning back.  "So what do you think?" Bellaniece asked.

Gin took a long drink before she grinned happily.  "It's so much fun!" she squealed.  "I mean, it always sounded fun, but I never got to go with my friends.  Papa said it was dangerous, but I don't understand . . . there are no dangers here, not really . . ." She grimaced but her smile widened.  "Maybe the loud music . . ."

The club was really crowded, the electricity of the crowd and the pulse of the music swelling into a corporeal thing.  Gin had always been hyper-sensitive to people's auras and emotions.  She could feel herself feeding off the current of excitement that seemed to surround everyone.  She couldn't remember feeling quite like this.  It was frightening yet invigorating, and Gin was having a lot of fun.

'Your father will have a fit if he finds out you were here.'

Gin winced.  'Well, as long as nothing bad happens, he . . . he won't care.'

'You don't really believe that, do you?'

'I want to.'

'And Cain?'

'Cain?'

'What do you suppose Cain would say if he knew you were here?'

Gin shook her head and sipped her water.  'He does know I'm here . . . I mean, surely he knows Belle's here, and I did come with her . . . I don't think it matters to him.  Why should it?'

'Doll, it would matter to him, and you know it.  You saw how protective he is of you.  He followed you around on your date with Montaro-kun, remember?'

'He doesn't need to worry.  I can take care of myself.  I'm not a pup anymore, and I'm really tired of everyone acting like I am.  I'm a big girl, darn it!  Cain can just . . . just . . . deal with that!'

'You promised Belle you wouldn't say 'big girl' anymore.'

Gin sighed.  'Oh, right; I did.'

Bellaniece suddenly gasped, and Gin glanced over at her.  The younger girl was holding out her skirt as the woman beside her smirked.  "Oh, sorry," the girl said, her voice almost hostile as she set her empty glass on the counter.  "I didn't see you there."

Bellaniece forced a tight little smile and shrugged.  "I'm sure," she replied in a cautious tone.  "Gin, I'll be back.  I'm going to go rinse this out."

"You want me to come with you?" Gin asked.

Bellaniece's smile widened and she shook her head.  Gin frowned as Bellaniece shrugged carelessly.  "No, it's fine.  I just don't feel like smelling like a frat party gone bad."

Gin wrinkled her nose and nodded.  She'd never cared for the smell of beer, and she could imagine that having it all over her dress would be enough to drive her insane . . . Gin sighed as she watched Bellaniece hurry away.

"Excuse me."

Blinking quickly, Gin looked up and smiled at the young man who had approached her.  "Hello," she greeted.  "I'm Gin."

The young man grinned shyly.  "I'm Kaori," he answered with a respectful nod.  "Are you new around here?  I don't remember seeing you before."

"Oh, it's the first time I've been dancing," Gin explained with a shrug.  "My friend brought me here to teach me."

Kaori seemed surprised.  "You dance well, I noticed."

"Thank you."

"Would you like to dance with me?"

"Okay," she agreed, setting her water bottle on the counter behind her before she slipped her hand into his, letting him lead her toward the dance floor.

Kaori slipped an arm around her waist, and Gin jumped.  "Wh-What are you doing?" she asked when he held onto her.

"Dancing." he said replied without loosening his grip.

"But the song's pretty fast," she said slowly.  "I'd rather dance the other way."

Kaori laughed.  "You'll like dancing like this," he replied, pulling her a little closer as he gyrated his hips against hers.

Gin gasped as embarrassed color filtered into her cheeks.  Without thinking, she shoved Kaori away.  He stumbled back with an expression on his face that was so shocked, so surprised, that it might have been amusing, had Gin not been so upset.

Kaori careened into another couple dancing nearby, nearly sending the girl sprawling to the floor. The girl's partner caught her and steadied her before whipping around to punch Kaori.  Kaori's head snapped to the side, and he landed on his backside.  People stopped dancing to watch as Kaori got back to his feet and barreled at the other man.

'Oh, no!' Gin thought with a wince as Kaori gave the man a hard shove.

'This isn't good,' Gin's youkai remarked as the man shoved Kaori back.

"What's going on?" Bellaniece asked as she touched Gin's arm.

Gin grimaced.  "Um . . . I was dancing with him," she said, pointing at Kaori, "but he . . . did this weird thing, and I pushed him to make him let go . . ."

"I see," Bellaniece remarked.  "Wow . . . This isn't good, is it?"

"I can't let them fight," Gin groaned as she started to dart forward to separate the two men.

Bellaniece caught her arm.  "Gin, are you crazy?  You can't get into that!"

"Oh, that's nothing!  I used to break up fights between Ryo-nii and Kichiro-nii-chan all the time . . ."

"No, that's not what I mean!  Look, guys . . . do stupid stuff like this.  They won't really hurt each other.  See?  I think they're done now."

True enough, other than the two men in question still glaring at each other, everyone else was starting to dance again, and Gin heaved a sigh of relief—until Kaori turned back toward her and strode forward.  He looked like he was contemplating mayhem, and Gin recoiled as Bellaniece suddenly stepped forward to intercept the young man.

"Hiya . . . I'm Belle.  Wanna dance?"

Kaori slowly let his gaze travel up and down Bellaniece's frame.  The girl smiled and shot Gin an indiscernible look as Kaori nodded.  "All right."

'What's she doing?' Gin wondered as Bellaniece backed off enough to dance near Kaori but skillfully avoided being drawn into his arms.

'I think . . . I think she saved us,' her youkai answered, a hint of awe in the tone.

'Saved us?  Because he was so angry?'

'Yeah, that sounds about right.'

"Hi, you want to dance?"

Gin glanced up into the eyes of another young man she didn't know.  "Oh, uh . . . I . . . I think I'll sit this one out," she replied as she backed away from him, straight into someone else.  "Excuse me!" she exclaimed as she spun around.

"No, no . . . I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Gin started to shake her head in confusion as the beginnings of a killer headache throbbed in the back of her head.

"I'll forgive you if you dance with me," he went on, ignoring Gin's confusion.

"Oi, I asked her to dance first," the other man stated.

"No, really, I think I need to sit down," she stated.

The men ignored her as they sized each other up.  Gin rubbed her temples furiously as she caught sight of Bellaniece.  Bellaniece caught the distressed look and mumbled something to Kaori before hurrying over to catch Gin's hand and pull her out from between the two men.

"Just dance," Bellaniece muttered.

Gin shook her head.  "But—"

"It's all right.  They're fine now.  See?"

Glancing over her shoulder, Gin was relieved to see the two men, now standing side by side, watching as Bellaniece and Gin started dancing.  The pain in her head receded.

"Relax, Gin, it's okay.  I should have warned you before I went to the bathroom.  Just don't dance with strangers.  It's safer that way."

"Oh," Gin replied.  It made sense.  If she didn't dance with anyone but Bellaniece, there wouldn't be any trouble.

The two men stepped forward, dancing near the girls but not exactly with them.  Gin tried to ignore them as she willed herself to relax.  Bellaniece didn't seem to be bothered by the two, so Gin figured it was safe enough.

The song ended, and the next one began.  It was a slow song, and Bellaniece grabbed Gin's hand to pull her off the dance floor.  The men stopped them.  "You're not leaving, are you?"

"No, just going to get a drink," Bellaniece replied lightly.

"I'll buy you whatever you want to drink as soon as this song's over," the other man remarked as he grabbed Gin's free hand and tugged.

"Oh, I—"

"Come on, Gin.  These guys have fewer manners than common swine," Bellaniece remarked pleasantly.

"That sounds like a challenge."

"That sounds like a promise."

"That sounds like we're leaving," Bellaniece retorted.

Gin pulled her hand away from the man's grasp and let Bellaniece drag her away.

The guy grabbed Gin's hand again, and she shot Bellaniece a panicked look as a blur of movement flashed before her.  Her hand was abruptly freed, and the young man went flying as the crack of bone meeting bone silenced the noisy club.  Gin couldn't repress the dismayed moan as stared back into a pair of eyes she knew all too well.

"I can explain, nii-chan," she hurried to say.

"Save it," he growled as he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the club and onto the street.

Kichiro paced back and forth in front of Bellaniece and Gin for nearly ten minutes before he even dared look at either one of them.  The two things he really wanted to do were to turn one over his knee and throttle the other.  The trouble was that he wasn't sure if he wanted to turn Gin over his knee and throttle Bellaniece or vice versa . . .

His heart had nearly plummeted to his feet when he'd strolled into the dance club only to see Gin being dragged away by some bastard who obviously didn't have a whit of common sense.  The baka likely had a broken nose, and he could count himself lucky for that.  Had it been Ryomaru or InuYasha who had caught him, Kichiro didn't doubt for a moment that the idiot would be dead . . .

Stopping abruptly and swinging around to face them, Kichiro sighed and poked a finger at both girls before demanding, "Whose idiotic idea was this?"

Gin winced, ears flattening as she opened her mouth.  Bellaniece blurted, "Mine."

Kichiro rolled his eyes.  "Well, that's not really surprising.  And you thought it'd be amusing to drag my sister along with you because . . .?"

"That's not fair, nii-chan!  Belle—"

"Look, I wanted to go dancing, and Gin said you and your brother and your father would get bent over it.  I thought she was kidding.  I dragged her along, and that's that," Bellaniece cut in.  "So if you want to be mad at someone, Dr. Izayoi, then be mad at me."

"Bellaniece . . ."

Bellaniece shot Gin a quelling glance.

"Yeah, I should have known it was something like that.  Damn, Belle!  Isn't it enough that you manipulate everyone and everything around you?  Stay the hell away from my sister."

Gin sighed and shook her head.  "That's not true!  I wanted to come along.  I wanted to learn how to dance.  It's not Belle's fault."

"Forget it, Gin.  He already thinks the worst of me.  He can't really think much less, can you, Dr. Izayoi?"

Kichiro narrowed his gaze on Bellaniece.  "No, I really can't.  Come on.  I'm taking you both home."

The girls followed along behind him as he led the way to his car.

The ride back to the apartment building was quiet and tense.  Gin opted to sit in the back seat with Bellaniece instead of next to him, and Kichiro stifled a sigh. She didn't have any qualms about letting Kichiro know in her not-so-subtle way that she thought he was being completely unreasonable, as far as Bellaniece was concerned.

'What if she's telling the truth?'

Kichiro snorted.  'She isn't.  Gin's just covering for Belle.'

'Yeah?  Well, you're forgetting one very important thing.'

'And that would be . . .?'

'Gin can't lie for shit.'

'Maybe she's been practicing.'

'And maybe you just want to blame Belle.'

'And maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself.'

'And maybe you're just an ass.'

'Yeah, well, Belle needs to stay away from Gin.  She's nothing like her.  Gin's sweet and kind . . . completely the opposite of Belle.'

'Damn, Kich, you're being really hard on her, don't you think?'

'What I think is that she manipulated Gin into thinking that this was a good idea when Gin had no business ever being in a place like that!'

'You're not giving Gin enough credit. She ain't stupid.'

Kichiro parked his car outside the apartment building and rolled his eyes.  'It isn't about Gin being stupid.  Gin's just sheltered.  She doesn't have a clue, what could happen to a girl like her, and frankly, I'd rather that she doesn't have to find out, either.'

'And you're not just using Gin as another easy reason to convince yourself that you don't like Belle?'

That, in Kichiro's opinion, didn't even deserve an answer.

Gin didn't speak again until after she closed her apartment door.

"That was completely unfair," Gin said quietly before she turned to face him.

"I don't remember asking if you thought it was fair."

Gin shook her head, wrapping her arms over her stomach as she stepped away from the door.  "Of course you didn't.  No one ever asks me what I think is fair.  No one bothers to think that maybe I'll be okay if I go somewhere with a friend."

"Find another friend, Gin.  Belle . . . She's not good enough to be your friend."

"Why is that?  Because you said so?  Why are you being such a jerk?  You've never been a jerk, and it doesn't really suit you."

"Think what you want, baby girl.  You and I both know that if that had been Ryo or the old man—hell, even Toga—that pup would have gotten a lot worse than a broken nose."

Gin's cheeks flushed as her eyebrows drew together.  "Nothing happened," she argued.

Kichiro snorted decisively.  "You call that bastard trying to drag you onto the dance floor 'nothing'?"

"He didn't hurt me," she argued, "and even then, I'm not a pup anymore.  I think I can defend myself well enough.  Papa trained me, too."

Kichiro snorted.  "That's not the point, Gin."  Heaving a sigh as he rubbed his temple and tried to contain his rising irritation, he deliberately took his time before trying to explain the situation to his sister.  "You don't see things the way the rest of us have to.  What you saw as a chance to do something the old man wouldn't ever have let you do, and I—we—would have seen the danger you put yourself in . . . Those guys aren't nice, and they're going to take one look at you and think that they can take advantage of you."

"Why don't you worry less about me and more about Belle?  She's the one who—" Gin stopped abruptly, clamping her mouth closed on whatever it was she had almost said.  Waving her hand in dismissal, she shook her head.

"She's the one who . . . 'what'?" Kichiro pressed.

Gin shrugged.  "Nothing . . . I just think you're being mean for no good reason."

Kichiro narrowed his gaze on Gin, positive that she wasn't telling him something.  He also recognized the stubborn set of her jaw, the mulish pout on her lips.  Whatever she had been about to say, she wasn't going to tell him if she had anything to say about it.

"Look, Gin, You really do think that people are just good; that there isn't anyone anywhere that would hurt you, but it's not true, and Belle . . . She doesn't think before she does stupid things.  Just stay away from her.  She's nothing but trouble."

"Sort of like you and Ryomaru, you mean?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

Gin wandered over to the window and stared into the darkness.  "What do you think it means?  You and Ryo-nii had Mama and Papa fooled into thinking you were so good, right?  You're a hypocrite."

"This isn't about me."

"Of course it isn't.  It's about Gin-chan, and Gin-chan's inability to make decisions on her own, right?  Bellaniece didn't drag me out there.  She was homesick, and I thought maybe she wouldn't feel so lonely if we went dancing."

"I know how Belle thinks, and I know what Belle does.  She was using you."

"Belle's a sweet girl, and—"

"She's using you!"

"No, she isn't!"

"Don't be naïve, Gin!  Girls like Belle—"

"Are no worse than you and Ryo-nii used to be!"

Kichiro shook his head and strode to the door.  "I mean it, Gin.  If I catch you out with Belle ever again, I'll do whatever I have to do, even if that means telling the old man."

"You'd really do that?"

He shifted his gaze to the side, glaring at the wall as he wished that Gin hadn't sounded quite so hurt by his threat.  "Yeah, I would.  If it meant you were safe, then damn it, yes, I would."

"Fine.  Next time I'll make sure you don't catch me."

"Gin . . ." he warned.

Gin strode across the room and jerked the door open.  "Good night."

He stared at her for a moment then nodded.  "All right, be angry, but I'm not changing my mind."

Gin smiled sadly.  "Yeah, neither am I."

Kichiro left her, pausing in the hallway to glare at Bellaniece's door.  'I should tell the old man, anyway  . . . doubt he knows that Gin lives next to the Daughter of Darkness.'

'The Daughter of Darkness, Kich?  You really think Belle's that bad?'

'Yeah, I do.'

'Oh, balls, she's no worse than you . . . and even if you don't like it, the fact remains that Gin went along with Belle; Belle didn't force her to go.'

'That's what Belle wants you to believe.  She's evil like that.'

'Right . . . Well, if you're that concerned about it, why don't you talk to her father?'

'And say what?  'Oh, by the way, your daughter is evil incarnate and must be kept away from my innocent little sister'?  Yeah, that'll work . . .'

'Ain't that what you think?'

Kichiro made a face.  'Damn straight.'

He reached Bellaniece's door in less than ten strides and pounded on it before he could think things through.  Chances were that Bellaniece's father wasn't going to like what Kichiro had to say.  'Too bad,' he thought as he tapped his foot, waiting for someone to answer.  'He obviously can't control her.  Probably doesn't even realize Belle's a holy terror . . .'

'Is it really your place to point that out?'

Kichiro snorted.  'Keh.  Yes, it is.'

'Yeah, okay . . . when her father hands you your ass on the way out, don't say you weren't warned.'

'. . . I'm not scared of her father.'

'Her father is the North American tai-youkai, and sure, maybe he did inherit the title, but you know, somewhere along the way, he probably had to defend it, too.  You might not get killed but you'll probably make the both of us uncomfortable for awhile.'

Kichiro's retort was cut off when the door swung open.  Bellaniece raised her eyebrows in mock surprise and tilted her head to the side.  "Lost?  If you are, I'd be more than happy to tell you where to go."

"Cute, little girl.  I want to talk to your father."

"Hmm, sorry.  Daddy's too busy to talk to a petty hanyou like you."

"Aren't you hanyou, yourself?" he countered.

"The 'hanyou' part isn't the problem; it's the 'petty' part."

"If you say so, Belle-chan.  Where is your father?"

Bellaniece crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged carelessly.  "I told you, my father's busy."

Kichiro frowned as he sniffed then made a face.  "Kami, wench, you smell like a brewery.  Not enough that you had to drag my sister on one of your foolhardy escapades, but you were drinking, too?"

Bellaniece leaned back, glower dropping to her dress for a moment before glaring back at him as indignant color flooded her cheeks.  'She ought to be embarrassed.  She ought to wash that stench off before her father smells her . . .'

"Yeah, I figured, you know, why not?  How did you know that's exactly why I dragged Gin to the club—so I could get stinking drunk and land Gin in tons of trouble with her idiot brother.  You figured me out, Dr. Izayoi.  Now good night."

Kichiro's hand shot out, catching Bellaniece's wrist and jerking her closer in one fluid movement.

"Ouch," Bellaniece complained.

"Right, Belle . . . You and I both know that didn't hurt."

"If you're smart, you'll let go of me, right now," she ground out.

"And if you're smart, you'll stop provoking me, right now."

"Go to—"

"Don't finish that."

Bellaniece tugged her arm.  Kichiro's grip tightened in silent warning.  "What do you want?"

"I want you to promise you'll stay away from Gin; far away from Gin."

Bellaniece pressed her lips together as she drew a deep breath and slowly shook her head.  "You're unbelievable; you know that?  You're just . . . Do you practice being nasty or does it just come naturally?"

"Careful, Belle-chan," he warned, his gaze slipping to her lips as he pulled her just a little closer.

"Don't threaten me, Dr. Izayoi.  I'd never be afraid of the likes of you."

"You should be," he growled.

"In what world?" she challenged, eyes flashing as she stubbornly refused to back down.

Kichiro opened his mouth to answer, but a low growl and a gruff voice behind Bellaniece interrupted first.

"Who are you, and what the hell are you doing with your hands on my daughter?"