InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ To Make Her Smile ( Chapter 33 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

'There's a fairly high chance that she's going to tell you to go straight to hell, you know . . .'

Kichiro made a face and snorted.  'You're supposed to be on my side, remember?'

'Yeah, I remember . . . I also remember how much of a bastard you were.  You made her cry, Kich.'

He grimaced at that unnecessary reminder.

Against his better judgment, he'd followed Bellaniece up to her room, bent on making her listen while he tried to tell her that he was sorry for that night . . . for a lot of things . . . Thing was, he had paused outside her door, hand poised to knock, when a strange sort of sound filtered to him.  It sounded . . .

It sounded like a muffled sob.

'That's ridiculous,' he thought with a scowl, hands draped on his hips as he stared at the door as though he were trying to see through it.  'Belle doesn't . . . Belle doesn't cry . . .'

The sound came again; softer this time, and Kichiro slowly reached out, pushed the door open a crack, wincing as the salt of her tears, the smell of her sadness, hit him square in the face.  He could tell from the way she lay curled on the bed with her face buried in the fluffy pink pillows that she was trying not to cry.  Something about the sadness surrounding her—the loneliness in her aura—it broke something inside him, and it didn't matter that she tried so hard to hide it.  The idea that she was crying because he had hurt her . . .

He hadn't been able to go in there.  He hadn't been able to face her.  He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that he hadn't meant any of it.  In the end, he hadn't been able to do much more than flatten his ears and leave her alone.  Maybe that was best for her.  Maybe he . . . Maybe he'd already done too much, said too much, and maybe some wounds ran a little too deep.

In the last two days, he'd done a lot of thinking, and he'd realized a few things about himself that he hadn't wanted to know.  When had he become so cynical, so jaded?  He'd been set to dislike Bellaniece from the start, and why?  Because she made an appointment . . . because she'd come into his office . . . because she was beautiful . . .? Maybe he was just too used to the women who ventured through the doors.  Bellaniece . . . he hadn't expected a girl—a woman—quite like Bellaniece . . .

He'd tried to use the excuse that she was just too young.  That hadn't worked.  Bellaniece might not be old, but she wasn't naïve.  Intelligent, sophisticated, and sometimes playful, she was a contradiction in motion; an inexpressible spirit.  Deliberately defying every single one of his beliefs, she reminded him of the simplicity of youth.  Things were easier then.  She challenged him; tied him in knots only to sort him out again.

'So that's what it's like,' he mused as he stared at the girl in question.  Sitting under a gnarled old white ash tree in the sprawling back yard, Kichiro leaned his elbow in the doorframe, gazed out at Bellaniece in her pretty yellow dress, the breeze stirring her hair, head bent as she turned the pages of the book in her lap.  'She's the one?'

His youkai sighed.  'Yeah, baka.  I've been telling you that, ain't I?'

He'd figured out something else, too; something he probably should have known from the start.  Using the lines and the charm that had gotten him by with women before wasn't going to work with Bellaniece.  For the first time in his life, he wasn't sure how to deal with a female.  She was worth it, right?  Kichiro smiled vaguely, pushing himself away from the door as he strode out into the sunlight.  'Yeah . . . I think she just might be . . .'

"I looked around the house for you," he commented as he stopped behind her.

Bellaniece's back stiffened, and she closed the book before lifting her chin and squaring her shoulders.  "I didn't go anywhere," she replied, the hint of trepidation tainting her voice when she spoke.  "You can't yell at me."

"I wasn't going to yell at you," he answered, crouching beside her.  The breeze caught her hair, blew the scent of wildflowers to him.  He closed his eyes and turned his face away.  "What are you reading?"

Bellaniece sighed and shrugged, holding the book against her chest so tightly that Kichiro frowned.  "Just a book," she told him.  "A really, really old book . . ."

"Oh, yeah?  Let me see."

She shook her head.  "It's mine," she told him, her voice taking on a sharper edge.

"I won't take it from you," he assured her.  "Just tell me the title."

"Why do you want to know?"

Kichiro shrugged.  "Just want to see what you're reading.  Is that bad?"

Bellaniece glanced down at the book and sighed, slowly letting her arms drop away.  'Les Miserables by Victor Hugo,' he read.  "Interesting choice . . . why are you reading that?"

"I don't know.  It's a good book: a classic."

He turned to face her again, reached out to brush her bangs out of her eyes.  Bellaniece looked away before he could touch her.  "It's Friday night," he said, tamping down the sigh that tried to escape.  "You want to go do something?  See your friends or . . . anything at all?"

Bellaniece shot him a wary glance as she smashed the book against her chest once more.  "Why?" she asked, gaze clouded with suspicion.  "Thought you didn't have time to do anything like that."

He grimaced, cursing Bellaniece's memory and the things he wished he hadn't said.  "Do you want to go or not?" he grumbled, injecting just enough boredom into his tone to convince her that he didn't really care what answer she gave.

"Okay," she agreed though the suspicion in her expression didn't wane.  "Unless this is some trick to get me to go so you can yell at me later for . . . whatever it is you're trying to trap me into."

"Let's make a deal," he told her.  She narrowed her eyes but didn't argue.  "Let's call a truce, just for tonight?  I swear I'll be nice to you all night . . . and in return . . . you . . . won't say I'm gay."

If she never knew how much it cost him to add that last little bit to the bargain, Kichiro would consider himself lucky.  It stung his pride to say it, even if he knew it wasn't true, but Bellaniece was trying not to smile, and for that, he'd say it again if he had to . . .

"Yeah, funny, wench.  We got a deal?" he grumbled as heat filtered into his cheeks.

Bellaniece sighed as she considered the options.  Even if she didn't trust him, he could tell she really wanted to go.  "All right," she agreed slowly, licking her lips as she cautiously nodded.  "If you're sure . . ."

Kichiro stood up and held out his hand.  Bellaniece ignored it as she pushed herself off the ground.  "You've got twenty minutes to get ready," he told her, making a show of checking his watch.  "One minute later, and all bets are off."

"Let me get my shoes," she told him, breaking into the first real smile he'd seen on her since the day they'd spent by the fire.  "I'll just be a moment."

He grinned as she ran back to the mansion, her hair flying behind her like a ribbons of gold.  'Don't screw it up, Kich,' his youkai warned.  'You might not get another chance, you know . . .'

Kichiro sighed as his smile faded.  That was true, wasn't it, and even if it weren't, how many chances did he expect he'd get?  'One chance, Belle . . . you can give me that, right?'

Bellaniece ran back outside, pausing on the steps to tug on her sandals.  She waved at Kichiro, and he drew a deep breath.  Unable to shake the feeling that everything was riding on this night, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and slowly strode toward her.


Gin clicked the cell phone off and snapped it closed with a thoughtful frown, tapping the phone against her chin.

"Something wrong?" Cain asked, dropping a Jolly Rancher candy into her lap as he popped one into his mouth.  In their search for 'manly candy', they'd located an American grocer, and Gin had been introduced to the finer aspects of American foods, like Jolly Ranchers and Hershey bars.

Gin set the phone aside and slowly unwrapped the candy.  "That was Mama," she remarked.  "She wanted me to ask if you would like to come over Tuesday night for dinner."

"Why Tuesday?" he questioned as he flipped through a magazine, "and why your family?"

"Tuesday is my birthday," she said simply, "I always spend my birthday with my family."

Cain made a face and tossed the magazine onto the table.  "I'd rather eat dirt than—"

"You're not going to be mean about my papa, are you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.  "You don't have to come along, you know.  Mama just thought that since Bellaniece is gone that you might be lonely, but it's fine.  Not like I only have one birthday a year."

Cain rolled his eyes and sighed.  "Fine, Gin, fine . . . by the way, you stink at laying the guilt trips."

She grinned.  "So will you come with me?"

"Seems a little personal, doesn't it?"

"Well, maybe . . . Just the family."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass."

Gin tried another tactic.  "My uncle's going to come, and you know him, right?  That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

He opened his mouth to say 'no'.  Gin's ears twitched, and as if she knew what he was going to say, the little triangles flattened against her head and she stared at her hands.  Cain sighed, disgusted at himself for the perceived weakness.  "All right," he agreed.  "I'll go . . . but you owe me."

"What do I owe you?" she asked, arching an eyebrow as her ears perked up.

"I don't know . . . we'll have to see . . ." He grimaced as she crunched the hard candy.  "Damn!  I've told you, you're not supposed to crunch Jolly Ranchers."

"I can't help it!" she complained as Cain's phone rang.  "They're nice and crunchy, and they stick to my teeth!"

"Suck, not bite," he told her again as he fished another candy out of his pocket and tossed it into her lap.  "Hello?"

"Daddy?  Is everything . . . okay?"

Cain grimaced.  "Just fine, Bellaniece.  How are you?"

"Good . . . care to tell me what's . . . not . . . being sucked?" she asked casually.

"It's personal preference," Gin argued as she chomped the second candy.  "There's no right or wrong way to eat it!"

"Oh, lord," Bellaniece remarked.

"It's not what it sounds like," Cain assured her as he tried to turn away when Gin made a mad grab for his shirt pocket and the candy.  "What are you?  An octopus hanyou?  Hands off, baby girl!"

"Share!" she demanded as she climbed up on the sofa and onto his back, reaching over his shoulder as she tried to sneak her hands into his pocket.  "Cain!"

"Maybe I should let you go," Bellaniece commented.

"No, it's fine . . . just got a monkey on my back, is all . . ." Gin succeeded in her candy-seeking mission and dropped onto the sofa with a satisfied giggle.  Cain rolled his eyes but grinned.  "What are you doing?"

"Dr. Izayoi is taking me to see my friends," Bellaniece answered.

"You behaving?" he asked in a stern tone as Gin crunched candy number three.

"Of course I am!" Bellaniece insisted.

Cain snorted, unwrapping another candy as he caught the phone between his ear and shoulder and sat down.  "Hmm . . . good."

"I want that," Gin burbled around her mouthful of candy pieces.

"Manly candy, Gin," he remarked.  "Parts and hair."

"Right," she agreed, leaning forward and nipping the candy—and his fingers.

"Ouch!  Hey!  Leave some flesh, will you?"

Gin just laughed.  Bellaniece coughed.  "Okay, Daddy, now I know I need to go.  Be good, all right?"

"Bellaniece—"

It was too late.  She'd hung up the phone.  Cain sighed and clicked it off before tossing it on the sofa and digging another candy out of his pocket.  "I can't believe you bit me," he grumbled

"I only bit you because you weren't sharing," she countered.

"Need I remind you that you have fangs, baby girl?"

"Need I remind you that you ought not be stingy?"

"Thought you said you had to go shopping today," he pointed out as he popped the candy into his mouth.

She shrugged.  "I do.  Do you need anything?"

"Nope."

"Okay," she said as she stood up and smoothed her skirt.  "May I have a piece of candy before I go?"

Cain snorted.  "Why?  So you can crunch it?"

Gin made a face.  "I won't crunch it!" she replied, wiggling her fingers under Cain's nose.

"It's my candy," he told her.  "You have candy at home—'course, the rats have probably rolled around in it . . ."

"Cain!" Gin gasped.  "That's not funny!"

He chuckled but gave her the last piece of candy from his pocket and waved a hand toward the door.  "You'll crunch that before you even get out of the apartment," he predicted.  "Take my keys.  I'm going to be working.  Who knows if I'll hear you when you get back . . . but don't lose them!"

Gin stuck her tongue out at him as she unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth before grabbing her purse and his keys and heading for the door.

Cain chuckled again as the unmistakable crunch of the candy echoed back to him as she pulled the door closed behind her.

'You're getting a little too used to having her around, don't you think?'

Heading back toward the small workroom, Cain frowned and scratched the back of his neck.  'Dunno what you're talking about,' he argued.

'Ah, but you do!  It's okay, you know.  I like her, too.'

'She's scared of rats.'

'Of course she is, and you're scared of being alone.  It's the perfect match.'

'. . . I'm not scared.'

'There's nothing wrong with what you're doing,' his youkai assured him.  'Sleeping with her every night . . . spending all your time with her . . .'

'Fine,' Cain growled as he unwrapped the sculpture and wet his hands in the bucket to work.  'You made your point.  I'll . . . I'll send her home later.'

'Sure you will.'

'You don't think I will?'

'Nope, I know you won't.  She's Gin.  She'll bat those bright eyes of hers at you, and you'll be putty in her hands. It's fine.  One thing though . . . that sofa is killing us.  Gin can stay, but sleeping on that sofa . . . that just has to go.'

'That's ridiculous!  Gin's just . . . It doesn't matter.  She's just a friend . . . a really, really good friend.'

'Just a good friend?  Okay . . . I hear you . . .'

Cain didn't believe himself, either.


Bellaniece turned sideways to avoid touching Kichiro as she ducked under his arm and through the doorway of the small dance club—the only one in Bevelle, Maine.  The music was loud and rather obnoxious.  She glanced at Kichiro a little guiltily.  He probably wasn't happy with her choice of hang outs, but this was where her friends were going to be, she was certain, and he did offer . . .

"Lively place," he said loudly, leaning toward her to be heard over the din.

"It's not as bad as usual," she hollered back.

"What?"

"I said it's not as bad as usual!"

"Oh . . . good!"

Smiling, Bellaniece led the way through the foyer and into the club as Kichiro helped her take off her jacket.  A very large guy glanced over just before a wide smile surfaced on his face.  With a little giggle, she squealed as the guy hefted her off the floor and twirled her around.  "Belle-y Button!" he greeted with a loud kiss on the cheek as he set her back on her feet.

"Hi, Moose!" she laughed.

"When'd you get back?"

"Last week," she answered as a tiny girl slipped up beside Moose.  He draped an arm over her shoulders and grinned.

"You look good, Belle!  How've you been?" the girl nicknamed 'Squirrel' asked.

"Who's the runt with you?" Moose asked, nodding in the direction behind Bellaniece.

She turned to look and wrinkled her nose, hoping that Kichiro hadn't heard the slight.  She couldn't tell from the look on his face whether or not he had.  He looked a little bored, and it didn't help that his ears kept flicking nervously.  The music was probably bothering him.  Bellaniece bit her lip and faced her friends again. "Him?  That's Dr. Izayoi.  He's going to do Kelly's reconstructive surgery."

"Come on, Belle!  Put your sweater down, and dance with us!" Squirrel said as she took Bellaniece's hand and dragged her back toward the tables in the back where the gang normally sat.  The club owner had given up separating the three tables since the kids moved them back every night.

She stopped when another hand tugged her back.  Glancing back, Bellaniece pulled away from Squirrel and waved the girl on as she turned around to face the hanyou.  "Are you okay?"

He didn't look impressed.  "Belle-y Button?"

Bellaniece rolled her eyes.  "Childhood nickname," she informed him.  "Moose is just an old friend."

Kichiro snorted.  "I'm not a runt," he pointed out.

Bellaniece pressed her lips together until the urge to giggle passed.  "Of course you're not," she agreed since Kichiro did look remarkably small beside the Howitzer known as Moose.  "The girl?" he questioned, nodding at Squirrel who was dragging a reluctant Moose onto the dance floor.

Bellaniece grinned.  "She's been Moose's girlfriend forever, I think . . . It just seemed right, you know: Moose and Squirrel."  She sighed at the blank expression on Kichiro's face.  "Moose and Squirrel?  Didn't you ever see The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle?  The cartoon?"  Bellaniece shook her head.  "I guess you didn't."

"Is the food here . . . edible?" Kichiro asked somewhat dubiously as he gazed around the darkened club.

"It's the best!" she assured him.  "Spanish cheese fries and a big, fat Ballpark with everything!"

"Ballpark?" he echoed.

"Hot dogs, doctor!  Haven't you ever had a hot dog?"

He shook his head slowly.

Bellaniece's eyes widened.  "Oh, my!  You really aren't cultured at all, are you?"  She held out her hand.  "Give me some money."

"Pardon?"

She shook her hand.  "Give me some money so I can get you a hot dog."

"I don't think—"

"It's not really dog, you know, now cough up the dough."

He stared at her another moment but complied at last.  Bellaniece giggled and hurried away to order some food.

It didn't take long for her to place the order and return with a tacky orange plastic tray laden with hot dogs and four heaping orders of Spanish cheese fries.  Kichiro was still standing where she'd left him.  He stared at the food then back up to her face, crossed his arms over his chest and snorted.  "Not on your life, Belle-chan," he remarked without preamble.

Bellaniece giggled.  "It's better than it looks.  Trust me!"

"It looks . . . disgusting," he retorted as he followed her to the tables in the back.  Bellaniece set the tray down and grabbed a fry.  Kichiro didn't even try to hide his revulsion as she popped the cheesy, gooey food into her mouth.  

"Try one," she coaxed, holding out a fry.  Kichiro retreated.  Bellaniece persevered.  "It's good, I swear."

He caught her wrist and held her hand away.  "I'll take your word for it, thanks."

"How do you know you won't like it if you won't try it?" Bellaniece asked reasonably.

"I'm fairly certain I wouldn't like dying either, but I'd rather not try it to find out for sure."

Bellaniece rolled her eyes and leaned forward to eat the fry.  "Suit yourself, but don't complain when you're starving later.  I tried to feed you, and you didn't want it."

"Damn, Belle-y Button, do you ever stop eating?"

Bellaniece stood on tip toe to see over Kichiro's shoulder and tugged away from the doctor before running over to greet another of her friends.  "David!  How are you?" she asked as she hugged him tight.  "I thought you were taking summer classes!"

"Not this year.  Dad needed extra help on the boat," David shrugged, brown eyes crinkling at the corners as he stepped back and gave Bellaniece the once-over.  His friendly smile dissipated as he regarded Kichiro, obviously assessing the doctor for a moment before he glanced back at Bellaniece.  "Look at you!  You look fantastic . . . then again, you always look fantastic, don't you?"

"Do you think so?" Bellaniece asked with a smile, praying that Kichiro didn't take offense to David's behavior.

"Absolutely.  You want to dance?"

Bellaniece's smile widened.  "I thought you'd never ask!"

He grasped her hand and led her out onto the dance floor.  It felt good to be with her friends; with those who accepted her completely.  She caught sight of Kichiro.  He hadn't moved at all.  The scowl on his face didn't seem threatening, but she couldn't help but wonder about the trace of inexplicable emotion.  Remorse?  Sorrow?

She shook her head, trying to concentrate on dancing with David.  'I have to be seeing things,' she reasoned with herself.  'Why would Kichiro feel like that?'

'You're with your friends,' her youkai chided.  'Think about them!  You've missed them, remember?'

'Yeah,' she thought as she pushed the questions aside, 'I am.'

"I've missed you, you know," David remarked lightly, pulling Bellaniece close as a slower song started.

"I've missed you, too," Bellaniece assured him, deliberately ignoring the intimacy behind David's tone.  "I've missed everyone!  Tokyo's nice, but there's no place like home."

"You should have started at the university," he insisted.  "That was the plan, wasn't it?"

"Plans change," she hedged with another bright smile.

"You're enrolling in the fall, right?" he pressed.

Bellaniece shrugged.  "We'll see . . ."

David grinned.  "Of course you are," he said, brushing off her reluctance.  "You'll be the prettiest girl on campus—and you'll be my girl again."

Bellaniece didn't answer as her smile faltered.  He seemed content to let the subject drop, and she ignored the pricking of her conscience for not telling David the truth.

'You don't want to be with him, Belle . . . You just used Tokyo as an excuse to break up with him before.'

'I didn't think he'd wait for me,' she argued, her gaze seeking out Kichiro once more.  He caught her eye, his scowl diminishing, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Who's the guy you came with tonight?" David asked.

"Oh, him?  He's . . . He's the doctor I work for, in Tokyo.  He's going to do reconstructive surgery on Kelly."

David digested that for a moment before shrugging it off with an easy-going smile.  "Good," he remarked as he pulled Bellaniece a little closer.  "For a minute there, I thought maybe there was something going on between you two."

"Between us?" Bellaniece repeated, forcing a nervous laugh.  "That's insane!  We're not . . . not even friends, really . . ."

"Why are you working?" David questioned.  "Your father's the richest man in New England."

"It's a long story," Bellaniece explained.  "Anyway, I don't want to talk about that!  Tell me about school!  I want to know everything!"

David grinned at Bellaniece's exuberant interest.  He launched into an animated recap of his first year of college, and all she had to do was smile and nod.  If he noticed her preoccupation, he didn't remark on it.  Bellaniece stifled a sigh and peeked back at Kichiro again.  He was talking to Moose and Squirrel and didn't seem to notice her attention at all . . .