InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Less is More ( Chapter 27 )

Cain slouched back in the thickly cushioned chair and stared across the wide desk as Sesshoumaru steepled his hands, tapping his fingertips together in a slow cadence.  "It's been a long time, Zelig," Sesshoumaru finally said, breaking the amiable silence with his statement.

"Maybe."

"How are things in the States?"

Cain shrugged.  "Quiet.  Peaceful.  I heard tell of your youkai uprising a few years ago.  What was that all about?"

Sesshoumaru waved a hand as if it were of no real account.  "That?  Some lesser-youkai thought to band together.  They were displeased that their kin were hunted, so they waited until Ryomaru was weakened and tried to attack."

"Hunted?  I see . . ."

"They were the dregs of our kind; murderers, thieves . . ."

Cain nodded.  He hadn't had trouble in years.  Then again, North America was a huge place.  Trouble was easier to take care of when he delegated much of the responsibility to others.  Cain had installed men who acted as his agents in the further reaches of his jurisdiction.  Despite the infrequent incursions of his hunters in his home, Cain himself hadn't had to go after any of the deviant youkai in a very long time.

Sesshoumaru gazed at Cain in the direct manner that he was familiar with.  It normally meant that Sesshoumaru had something on his mind.  It normally meant that Cain wasn't particularly going to like hearing it.  "Kagura and I were sorry that we missed Isabelle's funeral."

Standing up and striding over to the wet bar, Cain took his time refilling his empty glass.  "It's fine.  The hurricane left everything a mess.  I doubt your plane would have been able to land at Miami International."

"How do you like working at the university?"

Cain emptied the scotch and refilled the glass again.  "It's not so bad.  Some of the students show real promise."

He could feel Sesshoumaru's gaze on him, as though the Inu no Taisho were trying to delve into his mind.  "Why did you decide to stay?"

"Thought it'd be good.  A change of scenery . . . Bellaniece hasn't been this far from home before."

Sesshoumaru nodded.  "Sounds like a solid reason.  Suppose you tell me the real one."

"I thought you believed in the adage of 'Live and let live'."

"More like, "Live and let die,' but that hardly matters when you're trying to avoid my questions."

"Was I?"  Cain sighed.  "I don't really know why I stayed."

Sesshoumaru didn't look like he believed Cain, but he let the question drop.  "Come," he said, standing up and heading toward the glass doors and the patio beyond.  They walked through the garden in silence.  Strange, really.  Most of their relationship had been based on the silence.  It was something Cain had come to respect and welcome.

"So," Cain ventured, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he shuffled along beside Sesshoumaru.  "Too old to do it, are you?"

"What's that?" Sesshoumaru asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Cain shrugged.  "Gin said you told her you can't transform anymore.  Something about being too old?"

Sesshoumaru nodded in slow understanding.  "Ah, she remembers that . . ."

"Yes, she does.  You lied to your niece?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged.  "Lie is such a harsh term . . . I prefer to think of it as . . . avoiding undue attention.  A dog as big as the Inutaisho corporate office complex would be noticed, don't you think?"

"Uh huh.  So how old were you?  You know, so I can expect to lose the ability then, too?" Cain needled.

Sesshoumaru chuckled.  "Gin was an . . . inquisitive child.  After her father told her about the fight in Chichiue's tomb, she was obsessed with the idea of seeing me transform.  I finally told her that to make her stop.  Didn't realize she'd cajole Toga into transforming for her."

"That bad?"

"Once Gin gets an idea in her head, she never lets it go.  Anyway, it wasn't bad . . . until she wanted to take Toga home with her, in dog-form, of course."

"Really."

"I always found it odd . . ."

Cain stopped when Sesshoumaru paused at the base of a gnarled old magnolia tree.  Staring up through the branches, he seemed to be looking for something, or maybe he was simply gathering his thoughts.

"Found what odd?" Cain prompted.

Sesshoumaru blinked and lowered his gaze to meet Cain's again.  "I always found it odd that InuYasha's daughter could be so unlike her father."

"Maybe she takes after her mother," Cain mused, thinking of his own daughter; of Bellaniece's similarities to Isabelle.

"Possible," Sesshoumaru agreed.  "Gin has always been . . . special to us, even to me."

It was strange to hear Sesshoumaru speaking at such length, especially about something as intensely personal as family.  Cain wasn't sure what to say.  He'd caught glimpses of the family bond.  Even in the chaos of the tournament, he'd noticed how affectionate Gin was with everyone, and it hadn't been the first time he'd seen how cherished she was.  Maybe that was part of the reason she was so different.  She'd never had a reason to fear or to be sad.  She'd been sheltered by all of that, hadn't she?  Protected and adored, obviously the feelings had extended beyond those of her immediate family.  He grimaced.  Sesshoumaru's words . . . They sounded more like a warning.

"She has a way of . . . nudging her way into your heart, and the uncanny thing is how she doesn't even have to try."

Cain nodded.  No, she didn't have to try; not at all.

They circled through the garden, ending up near the tall hedges that blocked the pool from view.  Bellaniece had been thrilled by the idea of swimming, and Cain headed toward the opening to check on her.  His daughter was splashing water at Sesshoumaru's granddaughters in the shallow end of the oblong pool.  Giggling and playing, she looked happy, and Cain smiled.

"Bellaniece has grown into a beautiful young woman," Sesshoumaru commented.

"Yeah, she has."

"And she has yet to find her mate?"

Cain shrugged.  "Not yet.  There's no hurry."

"Of course not."

The sliding glass doors on the side of the house opened, and Cain did a double take as Gin stepped outside.  The modest white one-piece bathing suit covered her completely, but there wasn't any way of hiding the blatantly feminine form of the young woman beneath.  A stabbing ache shot through him—a longing that was both vicious and painful—and Cain grimaced as Gin draped the thick white towel she carried over the back of a chair.  She giggled as the children called to her, and he watched her capture her hair in one hand over her shoulder, bending her knee and dipping her toes into the water to check the temperature before she sat down and lowered herself into the water with a little hiss of shock.

"She's . . . Oh, my God . . ." Cain whispered, forgetting for the moment that he wasn't alone.

Sesshoumaru chuckled.  "Careful, Zelig.  InuYasha's Tetsusaiga was forged from the fang of my father.  It is not a toy."

Cain flushed and shook his head, blinking quickly as he forced his gaze away from Gin.  "Should I fear him?  InuYasha?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed.  "Do you have need to fear him?"

Cain sighed as a thoughtful scowl slipped over his features; as his scrutiny returned to her.  "I could take him if I had to."

"I should certainly hope so."

'You know, Cain . . . It's not InuYasha you should fear anyway,' his youkai spoke up.

Cain smiled vaguely as Gin and Bellaniece frolicked with the children.  'Oh?'

'Hell, no . . . Gin . . . Gin's the one you should fear . . .'

Cain sighed as Gin slowly turned, catching sight of him, smiling at him, and finally waving.  'Yeah.  Yeah, I should . . .'

"Sesshoumaru," Kagura called as she stuck her head out the patio doors.  "Your nephew is here."

Sesshoumaru nodded once and started away, but turned back to glance at Cain as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.  "You're as transparent as glass, you realize."

Cain nodded vaguely.  Sesshoumaru shook his head and strode away.

Gin swam the length of the pool and caught the ladder to hoist herself out of the water.  "Are you going to swim?" she asked as she ran over to Cain.

'Gin . . . Wet . . . Cain?'

Cain cleared his throat and stepped back, needing more space between them as his breath caught in his lungs.  Water clung to the tips of her eyelashes, ran down her cheek in tiny rivulets.  Her body was covered in a blanket of goosebumps, and the plain white bathing suit hid absolutely nothing from his unwitting perusal.  If she noticed his preoccupation, she didn't comment.  Could she really be that unaware of just how devastating she was?  'Yeah,' he thought with an inward wince.  'Yeah, she probably is . . .'

"Cain?" she repeated.

"Uh . . . I . . . err . . . No."

Gin giggled.  "You sure?  The water's really nice!"

"I . . . uh . . . W-Water . . . No."

She tilted her head to the side and frowned.  "Are you all right?"

"All right?" he echoed.  "Yeah, yeah . . . fine."

She smiled.  "Good," she said with a small shrug.  "Maybe you should get something to drink.  You look a little flushed."

Cain didn't move again until after Gin returned to the water.

'Oh . . . damn . . .'

He forced his feet to move toward the doors, forced his eyes away from Gin.  'Uh huh . . . Damn's a good word . . . Damn, damn, damn, damn . . .'

'Oh, Daddy . . .'

Bellaniece bit her lip and tried not to be too conspicuous as she watched Gin haul herself out of the pool and stride over to Cain.  Cain's eyes widened, and he retreated a step, and Bellaniece could only wish she could hear what they were saying.  Coral and Cassidy were splashing too much for her to discern the conversation.  Bellaniece had a feeling that her father was suffering from an acute anxiety attack.  She probably ought to feel a little more sympathetic toward Cain than she actually was.  Then again, maybe not . . .

'Your poor father,' Bellaniece's youkai lamented.  'Look at him!  I don't think he has a clue, just what to make of Gin . . .'

'Daddy's fine,' Bellaniece retorted.  'Gin's good for him.  It's his own fault.  He's being stubborn for no good reason.'

'He's got good reason!  What about your mother?'

Bellaniece's smile dimmed.  'Mother's dead.  Mother's been dead a very long time.  Daddy . . . He needs Gin.  She's the one, I can tell.'

'Bellaniece . . .'

'No, really!  He doesn't get all aloof around her because . . . I don't know why, but he doesn't.  He plays with her; he laughs with her . . . I've never seen him like that, like he was last night . . . I want him to be that way.  Gin makes him happy; I know she does.'

'But it really isn't that simple.  If it were . . .'

'It can be!  It can be that simple!  He's just got to want it, and I think . . . I think he's starting to . . .'

'Just don't get your hopes up.  I think you're wishing for something that might blow up in your face.'

'It's fate,' Bellaniece insisted.  'It has to be!  I didn't know Gin was going to be here, and I'll bet Daddy didn't, either!  It was an added bonus.'

"Bellaniece, do you think Cain looked strange?" Gin asked, standing up in the water after she swam the length of the pool.

Cassidy splashed Bellaniece and Gin.  Gin giggled and tossed the brightly colored blow up ball to the little girls.

"Strange?  How so?"

Gin shrugged.  "He was kind of flushed."

Bellaniece grinned.  "I think Daddy's just fine."

"You're sure?"

"Of course."

"You left early last night," Gin remarked as she caught the ball and tossed it back.  "Were you feeling all right?"

Bellaniece wrinkled her nose.  "Yeah, fine . . . I was just tired."

Cassidy lunged at Gin, catching her around the neck and splashing happily.  Gin rolled her eyes but smiled and dove under the water to make the child let go.

'Last night . . .'

Bellaniece sighed.  'Don't remind me.'

'Think you were a little harsh on Kichiro?'

'Absolutely not.'

'Are you sure?  I think he was trying to apologize.'

Bellaniece shook her head, pushing herself out of the pool to sit on the side with her legs hanging in the water.  'I don't want him to apologize.  I just want him to stay away from me.'

'Do you really?'

Bellaniece swallowed hard, blinked rapidly to clear her suddenly blurring vision.  'Yes, I do.'

'He really was trying.'

'And you're taking his side?  You know, it's fine, he can try, but the bottom line is that he . . . He was cruel, and he was mean, and he knew what he was doing.  It's been the same all along, hasn't it?  No, he's just . . .'

'Just what, Belle?'

'Just—'

"Hi."

Bellaniec e froze, back stiffening, chin snapping up at the sound of the soft voice right behind her.  Close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek, close enough that she could feel the heat of him radiating to her . . . "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't come in today."

"Yeah, I . . . called in."

"Sure, you did."

Kichiro sighed.  Bellaniece shivered.  "I came to talk to Sesshoumaru.  What are you doing here?"

"I came with Daddy," she replied.  "He's inside."

"Yeah, I know.  I saw him.  Pleasant, as always."

Kagura stuck her head outside.  "Girls, your father's coming after you, so you need to come in now!"

Gin waved at her aunt.  "I'll bring them in," she offered.  Kagura waved back as Gin herded the girls out of the pool.  "Hi, nii-chan," she greeted, pausing long enough to kiss her brother's cheek before grabbing her towel and wrangling the children toward the doors.

Bellaniece hopped off the edge of the pool and waded toward the stairs.  She should have known that Kichiro would follow her.

"About last night . . ."

"I don't want to talk about last night," Bellaniece grumbled.

He grabbed her arm as she started to stomp away.  "Belle, I—"

"Let go of me."

"Not until you listen."

"Let go of me, or I'll scream, and if I scream, my father will kill you."

He shook his head.  "Look . . . Oh, kami . . . Where's your towel?"

Bellaniece arched an eyebrow as she tugged her arm away and stepped back.  "What's the matter, Dr. Izayoi?  Haven't you ever seen a girl in her bathing suit before?"

"Don't challenge me now, wench," he growled as he looked around for the missing cloth.  "Where the hell is it?"

She waited, pursing her lips, hands on her hips, and foot tapping impatiently as he finally found her towel and draped it over her shoulders.  His hands were shaking when he let go.  Bellaniece snorted and jerked the towel off.  "Just say what you wanted to say, you odious man," she bit out.

"Save it, Belle.  I'm not arguing with you; not here—and put that towel on, will you?"

"No, I don't think I will," she countered.

"Listen, little girl—"

"Don't 'little girl', me.  I think you can see that I'm anything but a little girl," she taunted, holding her hands out as she turned slowly from side to side.

"Damn it—"

"Get a good look, Dr. Izayoi, because it's all you're ever going to get from me."

Kichiro cracked his knuckles and shook his head, jaw twitching in obvious irritation as he struggled to remain calm in light of her show of defiance.  "I needed to tell you that I'm leaving as soon as I can get it arranged.  Kelly's seems to be ready for surgery, so you can take the next six weeks or so off."

Bellaniece's irritation dissolved as she dried her face on the towel.  "Really?  When are we leaving?"

"We?" Kichiro echoed.

"Well, yes, we . . . You don't think I'm staying here."

"Yeah, yeah, that's exactly what I thought."

Bellaniece narrowed her eyes as she shook her head.  "I'm going."

"No, you're not."

"I am."

"I thought you hated me.  Why the hell would you want to go?"

"Don't flatter yourself," she shot back.  "I'm not going for you.  I'm going for Kelly.  She's my friend, and she needs me."

He looked like he was ready to scream at her.  Eyes flashing, stance predatory, he looked like he was sorely pressed not to light into her.  Something occurred to him, and he suddenly laughed.  "We'll see, little girl.  Your daddy will never agree to it."

"Sure he will.  He knows how much my friends mean to me . . ."

"Friends or not, he won't let you go alone with me."

Bellaniece smiled insincerely.  "Why wouldn't he?  He knows you're beneath me."  With that, she wrapped the towel around her waist and strode toward the doors.

"Belle."

Against her better judgment, she stopped and peeked over her shoulder, hand stilled on the brass handle.  Kichiro stood in the sunlight reflected off the shimmering water, hands casually in his pockets.  He didn't intimidate her at all, and yet something in his eyes . . .

"If I was beneath you, I assure you, you would not be complaining."

Bellaniece gasped at the implications of his claim.  Whipping around red-cheeked, she jerked the door open and strode inside, leaving a smiling hanyou in her wake.

Kichiro chuckled until Bellaniece was out of sight before the sound of amusement shifted into a groan of discomfort.  

'Oh, damn, did I really say that?'

'Yeah, you did,' his youkai replied with a chortle.  'Good place for us, really . . .'

There wasn't any real excuse for his comments, really . . . aside from the debilitating vision of Bellaniece in the bikini from hell.  The scant lavender material had barely covered a damn thing, and the v-shaped bottom had rose so high on her hips that her long legs had seemed just a little longer.  The bikini top had contained 'the girls' well enough, but damned if it hadn't nearly brought Kichiro to his knees, seeing the tiny stream of water dripping down her cheek, down her throat, down her chest to disappear in the amply displayed cleft between her breasts.

'Da-a-amn . . .'

'As nice as it is to dream about that girl and her amazing rack, there're bigger fish to fry, you know.'

Kichiro grimaced, letting his head fall back as he squeezed his eyes closed and tried to forget that course of dripping water.  'Like what?'

'Like the fact that she's probably inside insisting that she gets to go to America, too.'

Grunting as he opened his eyes and started for the door.  'Oh, hell, no . . . There's no way . . . I can't be stuck alone with her for that long!  She'd kill me!'

'Yeah, then you'd better get in there and try to stop her,' his youkai warned, 'but you know, she does have a point.'

Kichiro headed for the study.  'Yeah?  What's that?'

'Kelly is her friend.'

'I know.'

To his surprise, Bellaniece wasn't in the study.   Sesshoumaru and Cain were, though, and Kichiro stifled another sigh as he knocked on the half-closed door and waited.

"Come in."

Ignoring the obvious distaste on Cain's face when he strolled into the room, Kichiro sank down in the other chair facing his uncle's desk and nodded at the North American tai-youkai before turning his attention back to his uncle.  "Did you find out anything?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru sat back and pondered Kichiro's request.  "Yes, the plane will be ready to go by Wednesday.  Does that suit your needs?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Just you?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Y—"

"I would like to go, too."

Stifling a groan, Kichiro was the only one who didn't look at Bellaniece.  Her father seemed surprised by her request.   "Bellaniece, I don't think—"

"Please, Daddy . . . Kelly needs me.  I want to be there for her."

"I'm sorry, but . . ."

"I won't be alone," Bellaniece insisted, kneeling before her father and placing her hands on his arm.  "Dr. Izayoi will be there . . ."

Cain shot Kichiro a menacing look.  "Yeah, I realize that."

"Daddy . . ."

"No."

"I'm going there to do a surgery.  I don't have time to baby-sit you," Kichiro growled.

Bellaniece telegraphed Kichiro a scathing glare.  "You won't have to baby-sit me," she assured him.  "I have no intention of getting in your way."

"Of course not," he agreed, "because you're not going."

"Daddy, you know I'm right," Bellaniece cajoled.

Cain shook his head.  "Bellaniece, it's not about right or wrong.  You can't go traveling half-way around the world with an unmated hanyou."

Bellaniece made a face.  "Oh, him?  He doesn't count.  He's gay."

"I'm not—"

"He's what?" Sesshoumaru choked out.

Bellaniece blinked innocently, and Kichiro wondered just how much trouble he'd be in if he turned the belligerent girl over his knee.  "He's—"

"I'm not—"

"Gay!" they both finished together.

"Interesting," Sesshoumaru commented as he reached for the telephone.

"I'm not gay," Kichiro grumbled.

"So you see?  I'd be perfectly safe from him . . . He's not interested in me, at all," Bellaniece quipped happily.

"I'm not gay," Kichiro stated louder.

Cain shifted in his chair, scooting further away from Kichiro as he slowly shook his head at his daughter.  "Still . . ."

"Am I interrupting?"

Kichiro smothered a low groan as Toga wandered into the study.  "Yes," he growled.

"Quiet, dog," Toga said as he tapped a bit of plastic against his palm.  "Mother said that you were here, Zelig-sama."

Cain glanced up before dropping his forehead back into his hand again as Bellaniece stood up.

"What do you want, baka?" Kichiro demanded.  Something about his cousin's demeanor was far too smug for his liking.  He didn't trust Toga; not at all.

Toga chuckled, a lazy grin breaking over his features as he dropped the plastic memory card on his father's desk.

"What's this?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Toga shrugged.  "Just thought you'd find it as interesting as I did," he ventured.

Kichiro's eyes widened, and he lunged for the card.  Sesshoumaru was faster, and Kichiro sank back down with a stifled groan as his uncle slipped the device into the card reader on the computer and waited.

He winced as his own voice broke the silence in the study, and he just couldn't look at what he knew he'd see.

"Of course I . . . Yeah, hold still, baka."

"What?  Fuck, no!"

"You offered."

"Balls, no, Kich!  Get the hell away from me or I'll shred you!"

"Just hold still!  I swear it'll only take a minute!"

"You really are gay! it, I said no!"

"Stop being a pussy!"

"No means no, baka! Ear rape!"

"Shut the fuck up and stand still, will you?"

"I'm telling you, if you'd just stand still and take it like a man! like it'll hurt or anything—"

"Get the hell off me!"

"Just for a minute!"

"All right, damn it! I let you, will you leave me the fuck alone?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Oh, balls . . . just do it fast, okay?"

"I  . . . don't feel any difference."

"You know . . . I don't, either."

"Oh, for the love of kami!  This is . . . Oh this is goo-o-ood."

Sesshoumaru stopped the playback and frowned, though Kichiro just knew his uncle was struggling not to react to the footage.

"Wow," Bellaniece mused, her delight evident in her tone as she tried to keep from laughing.

Cain shook his head slowly.  "All right . . . I didn't need to see that . . ."

"I found it amusing," Toga said with an indelicate cough.

"Toga," Kichiro choked out, seriously considering beating the future Japanese tai-youkai into oblivion.

"You made your point," Cain admitted with a sigh.  "Can he protect my daughter?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged.  "Certainly.  His orientation might be . . . questionable . . . but his skills are not."

Kichiro groaned.

"Does this mean I can go?" Bellaniece asked cautiously.

Cain sighed again.  "I guess so . . . But if anything happens to you—and I do mean anything—you'll have to find someone else to finish Kelly's surgeries."

Kichiro didn't trust himself to speak as Bellaniece yelped and hugged her father.

'You know, Kich . . . That was low.'

'Hell, yes, it was,' he agreed as he shot to his feet and strode toward the door.

Toga clapped a hand on Kichiro's shoulder.  Kichiro shrugged him off.  "What, Toga, you bastard?"

Toga chuckled.  "Maybe I am, but you know, I did you a favor."

"How do you figure?"

"Think I'm stupid?"

"Well—"

"I'm not.  You think I don't know that she—" he jerked his head back toward the study, "—is the first girl who's ever gotten under your skin?"

"Do me a favor next time: don't help me."

"Yeah, whatever.  Think of it this way: you get to spend the next few weeks crawling under her skin, now don't you?"

Kichiro groaned.  Toga laughed.