InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Job Displacement ( Chapter 69 )

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

Bellaniece grimaced and carefully patted herself dry after stepping out of the shower in the steam-filled bathroom.  Peering down at the damage, she made a face and sighed.  'Wow, it's already discolored. . .'

'Yeah . . . Kichiro isn't going to like that . . .'

She smiled ruefully.  She didn't think for a moment that her youkai voice was wrong.  Wiping off the mirror, she turned to the side, staring at her profile as she bit on her bottom lip and shook her head.  'I can't hide it . . .'

The bruise was roughly the size and shape of a football and encompassing the better portion of her hip, it looked much worse than it felt.  It only really bothered her if she applied direct pressure to it, and while she felt a little stiff, it wasn't anything to worry about too much.

'I can't believe you're not upset over this.  Ryomaru tossed you like a limp noodle.'

'We were practicing,' she reasoned.  'He wasn't trying to hurt me, for God's sake!'

'But Kichiro is still going to be furious.  You know that, right?'

Bellaniece snorted.  'It was his idea that I learn self-defense.  He had to have known that I'd be thrown around sometime.'

'Yeah, but you scream and holler when you paper cut your finger.'

'It's not a big deal,' she maintained.  'No harm, no foul, and I'm fine.'

'It's because of InuYasha, isn't it?  And don't try to tell me it isn't.  That freaked you out: admit it.'

She didn't deny that.  Having just been lectured on the need to pay attention at all times since attackers rarely asked permission before they targeted someone, Bellaniece should have been more alert, but when Kagome had entered the dojo with a tray of cold drinks and a stack of bridal magazines where she'd bookmarked a few wedding dresses for Bellaniece's perusal, all thoughts of training had flown right out of her head.  Because of that, she wasn't prepared when Ryomaru—acting upon his father's orders—barreled straight toward her.  Bellaniece had managed to cover her face with her arms before the hunter realized that she wasn't going to move.  He'd tried to alter his path, but he was moving so quickly, he'd just been able to grab Bellaniece with one arm and stick out his other arm to brace against the impact.  Bellaniece landed hard on her side, and the added weight and momentum of Ryomaru's body had squashed her against the mat.

"Damn it, are you okay?" Ryomaru growled as he stood up and caught Bellaniece's hand to drag her to her feet.

"Yeah," she muttered, still a little disoriented.  "Fine . . . fine . . ."

"What the hell were you doing?" InuYasha snarled as he shoved Ryomaru away from Bellaniece.

"I was doing what you said to do," Ryomaru retorted.

InuYasha snorted.  "Keh!  I told you to attack her, not kill her!  She's a girl, damn it!  Would you be that careless with your sister?"

Ryomaru glared at his father as his cheeks pinked, and he shook his head.  "No."

"Well, she'd gonna be your sister-in-law, baka—if you don't kill her, that is.  Be more careful, will you?"

Ryomaru nodded once, glaring at his father for another moment before shifting his gaze to Bellaniece once more.  She must have swayed a little on her feet because he reached out to steady her.

InuYasha shoved Ryomaru's hand away and snorted again.  "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," she lied, feeling like she just might throw up.

"We're done for the day," InuYasha declared.  "Let Kagome look at it.  She's good with first aid."

She'd taken a shower and let Kagome look at the injury before dressing.   Kagome had told Bellaniece that InuYasha was always harder on the boys when they were training with Gin.  While he wanted Gin to be taught to defend herself, he also recognized that girls—even hanyou girls—weren't meant to be as rough and tumble as the boys were.  Then the miko smiled and said that it was a good sign.  "InuYasha likes you, you know.  He protects you like you were one of his own.  It's really rather sweet, and he'll probably be just as bad with this baby, if we have another daughter . . . Poor thing . . . I rather hope it's a boy so InuYasha can't pester her about dating like he's done with Gin . . ."

Bellaniece had thought so, too.  Still she didn't want to cause controversy between Kichiro and his twin.  It was bad enough, witnessing InuYasha and Ryomaru's disagreement.  She didn't want to see the brothers fighting, especially over an accident . . .

Then she'd spent the rest of the time she'd normally have spent training browsing bridal magazines with her future mother-in-law.  Kagome, it seemed, was just as anxious to help Bellaniece plan the event as Bellaniece was, even if Kichiro and she had yet to set an actual date.  Having the wedding planned would just make it that much faster when they were able to do that.  InuYasha had come inside long enough to see what they were doing, and upon discovery of the women pouring over the magazines, he'd snorted loudly and stomped right back outside.

It was Kagome's considered opinion that, since Bellaniece was American and the daughter of the North American tai-youkai, that the wedding should be in the tradition that Bellaniece had always expected: a Christian ceremony.  Though the miko had grown up in a Shinto shrine, she had insisted that marriage was more for legalities than for actual bonding among youkai and hanyou.  The only part of the thing that bothered Bellaniece was the idea of her father having to give her away though she didn't delude herself for a moment as to Kichiro's feelings on that.  He'd love it.

Pulling on a clean dress—she'd brought over most of the clothes Kichiro had bought her in New York—Bellaniece smoothed the skirt over her hips and sighed again before stepping out into the hallway just in time to hear the doorbell chime.

"Hello, Belle-chan.  Is Kich here?"

Bellaniece stepped back to invite Nezumi into the house.  "No, he's working.  I've got to head there in a couple hours, myself."

Nezumi nodded.  "Have you seen Yukitora?  We haven't seen her in a couple days, and I thought maybe she was here."

"The cat?  Yeah, she's here . . . I think she was in the kitchen . . ."

Nezumi followed Bellaniece through the house to the kitchen and laughed when she spotted her cat napping on the taupe throw rug in front of the refrigerator.  "Kich bought her canned food again, didn't he?"

Bellaniece nodded.  "He spoils her.  I thought she was his cat for awhile."

"She comes over here when Ryo picks on her too much, then he misses her so he sends me looking for her, and most of the time, she's here.  She's gone to InuYasha's house before, but he's as bad as Ryomaru is about that . . . Like father, like son, I guess . . ."

Bellaniece dug a couple bottles of water out of the refrigerator, careful not to upset Yukitora, and handed one to Nezumi.  The woman stared at Bellaniece for a moment then laughed suddenly, twisting the cap to break the seal as Bellaniece shook her head and waited to hear just what Nezumi found so funny.

"I'm sorry," Nezumi finally said, waving her hand as though trying to brush aside her amusement.  "It's just weird . . ."

"What is?"

Nezumi followed Bellaniece into the living room.  "I know he said you were going to be his mate . . . it's just . . . different, you being here when he isn't.  Not bad, of course, just different."

"He's not really the kind to let people stay here when he isn't?"

Nezumi shook her head and slugged down about half her bottle of water.  "It isn't that," she said as she capped the bottle.  "It's just that he doesn't let women in his house—well, other than family . . ."

"Really?"

"Yeah . . . I guess it's because he lives so close to his parents.  He's never brought a girl home."

For some reason, hearing that claim verified made Bellaniece smile.  Sure, Kichiro had said as much, and she absolutely believed him.  If he didn't lie about how many women he had been with, why would he have lied about that?  No, the happiness that surged through her had to be caused by the feeling that she really was just as special to him as he said she was.

Bellaniece wandered toward the glass doors.  The late morning sunshine didn't permeate the patio since the house faced the east, but it was one of her favorite places in the afternoon.  A spot of hot pink caught her eye, and Bellaniece set her water bottle on the piano.  Yukitora had left one of her toy mice in the yard, it seemed.  She started to turn the door handle when Nezumi's sharp hiss stopped her.

"Ahh . . . Don't let Kich catch you putting your drink on his piano," she warned, her face contorted in an exaggerated grimace.

Bellaniece blinked and stared at the water bottle she'd set down.  Snatching it off the piano, she hurried off to find a cloth before the condensation ring marred the finish.  She knew how he felt about the instrument.  She'd just forgotten . . .

"I know he loves this thing," Bellaniece grumbled as she wiped the moisture away.  "It's weird, though.  He's normally not so anal about 'things' . . ."

"What?  His piano?"

Bellaniece dropped the rag on the table behind the sofa.  "Yeah," she replied.

"Not so weird, really.  I mean, they've all got something like that."

"Like what?  'They', who?"

Nezumi sat in one of the thickly cushioned chairs as Bellaniece sank down on the sofa.  "The twins and Gin-chan . . . Kich didn't tell you?"

Bellaniece shook her head.

"Oh . . . Well, InuYasha got that piano for him about the time he graduated from his second instructor.  Kich went through piano teachers fast, and I guess InuYasha thought that he had earned a reward, of sorts, so he started looking.  Seemed like he spent hours reading stuff on various piano makers, and when he'd decided that a man named Arpellagio Guisepe made the best ones but that there was a waiting list about five years long—"

"Five years?" Bellaniece cut in, shaking her head in disbelief.  "For a baby grand piano?"

Nezumi laughed.  "Arpellagio-san crafted each one by hand.  Talk about old-school."

"Oh, my . . ."

"Yeah, so anyway, InuYasha called Sesshoumaru-san and actually asked him to pull some strings.  If you know anything about InuYasha then you know that he'd rather chew his arm off than ask Sesshoumaru-san for anything . . ."

Bellaniece nodded.  "I've gathered as much."  She shook her head, recalling things Kichiro had said to her, about how his father hadn't ever really understood him.  "He really went out of his way."

"Sure, he did.  InuYasha was always like that.  If his children wanted something—if they earned it—he'd make sure he got them the very best.  With Ryomaru, it was his sword.  With Gin, it was her seashells and art.  With Kich?  It's that piano."

"And that's why he loves it."

"Yeah.  I doubt it has as much to do with the piano, itself, as it does with the whole idea that his father gave it to him."

That made sense, didn't it?  She had to admit that it had seemed strange, that Kichiro put so much stock in his piano.  She hadn't realized, had she?  Whether it was a silly little dancing ballerina music box for her or a baby grand piano that his father had taken the time to acquire . . . Maybe Kichiro really did understand Bellaniece's feelings better than she had ever really given him credit for.


"I thought I'd find you here."

InuYasha peered down through the branches of Goshinboku and sighed.  He'd retreated here after the incident in the dojo.  While he knew that Ryomaru hadn't intentionally hurt Bellaniece, he also knew that his oldest son had spent years learning how to keep from hurting Gin.  He should have been better able to avoid hurting Bellaniece, too.

Kagome smiled at him, shielding her eyes with a cupped hand.

"I ain't apologizing."

"You don't have to.  Ryomaru knows that you were just concerned about Bellaniece."

InuYasha snorted.

"No, really, he does.  You like her, don't you?"

Dropping out of the tree long enough to scoop up Kagome before leaping back up, the hanyou wrapped his arms around his mate and sighed, absently rubbing her slightly distended tummy.  'Another five months . . .' he thought as he smiled just a little.  She giggled softly, snuggling against his chest as she stared at the shrine house.  "She ain't as bad as her old man," he allowed.

"I think she's lovely.  They'll make each other happy."

He snorted again.  "You don't know the half of it," he grumbled, cheeks reddening as he recalled the scene he'd inadvertently walked into in Kichiro's office.  Bellaniece was slouching down in one of the chairs facing Kichiro's desk, and his son had been quite happy, kneeling between the girl's thighs . . .

"What's that?"

He shook his head.  "Nothing."

"Is there something else bothering you?"

"Not really," he remarked.

Kagome sighed.  "It's strange, isn't it?"

"What is?"

The miko shrugged, tugging on the hair that spilled over InuYasha's shoulder.  He wrinkled his nose before leaning toward her, tweaking her nose with his.  "Ryomaru found his mate . . . so has Kichiro . . . Gin will find hers, eventually, and all our grown children will be starting their own lives."

InuYasha tightened his arms around his wife.  "It'll be awhile before Gin finds one."

"Will it?"

He shrugged.  "Reminds me.  She needs to stay the fuck away from that damn Zelig.  His stink is rubbing off on her."

"InuYasha, they're friends."

"I know," he grumbled.  "And he's her teacher; I got it."

"She's also his student aide."

"Yeah, well . . ."

"Maybe she likes him."

"Keh!  That old bastard?  Not hardly."

"Zelig-sensei isn't that old."

InuYasha snorted again.  "He's older than me . . ."

"True enough, but he really isn't that old by youkai standards."

Considering Kagome's words, InuYasha scowled.  It wasn't really possible, was it?  Gin was too innocent, too happy, to be interested in a brooding, stuffy youkai like him.  Nope, he just couldn't see it.  He'd seen way too many of the boys that Gin had tried to date over the years.  Comparing those pups to Zelig Cain was like comparing apples to oranges . . .

"She don't want him," he stated.

"Why's that?"

"Zelig's got a stick shoved further up his ass than that bastard of a brother of mine; that's why."

Kagome giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, you did tell her that anyone she dated would have to stand up to you, right?"

"So?"

Her giggle escalated into full-out laughter.  "So . . . I'd think a tai-youkai could give you a run for your money, even if he can't really beat you."

"I could take him," InuYasha said with a snort.

"I know you could," she assured him as she snuggled closer to his chest.  "You're the toughest, strongest hanyou, ever."

"Flattery won't work, wench."

She kissed his flushed cheek.  "Of course it won't, dog-boy."

". . . Keh."


"You seemed awfully quiet during dinner," Bellaniece remarked as she dropped her purse on the table inside the door and hurried over to turn on a light.  "Something bothering you?"

"Not really," he replied.  "I was just thinking."

"Uh oh . . ."

He rolled his eyes.  "Careful, wench."

She giggled.  "Okay, okay.  What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking . . . I don't think you should work for me anymore."

Bellaniece seemed surprised as she shook her head and blinked.  "Oh?  Why is that?  Doesn't my job performance . . . please you?"

He chuckled as she slipped her arms around his neck.  "Your performance is just fine, princess, though I daresay my family will be knocking before entering my office ever again . . ."

"Do you think Ryomaru suspected anything?"

"Well, you did wave."

She laughed.  "He said bye to me."

"You were under my desk.  What do you suppose he thought you were doing?  And he is inu-hanyou.  I'm pretty sure he could smell what was going on."

Bellaniece arched a brow playfully.  "Are you saying you didn't like the blow job?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't seem to have liked it," she pouted.  "You sounded completely normal when you were talking to him."

"Yeah, well . . . I think Ryo was wondering just why my ear was twitching . . ."

"Was it?"

"Kami, yes."

"Good . . . Otherwise I might have had to consider whether or not you really liked my attention."

"Belle-chan, you can crawl under my desk any time you'd like."

"Not if you fire me."

"You could come by and visit me."

"But I like working under you, doctor."

"Yeah, but you know, I shouldn't be paying you for doing that work, don't you think?"

"Oh . . . I see . . ."

"You're going to be my mate.  I'm not paying you for sex."

"Okay, then let's talk severance packages."

"Hmm . . . you'll get nights and weekends."

She thought that over.  "Not good enough.  I get nights, weekends, and days right now . . ."

"As I said, you can still visit me."

"Are you going to give me a good reference, then?"

"You want to work?"

Bellaniece shrugged.  "What else am I supposed to do all day while you're gone?"

"You don't have to work.  If you want to, fine, but I don't expect you to . . ."

"Well, I don't have anything else to do."

He wrinkled his nose.  "I thought you might say that, so I'm willing to sweeten the deal."

"Oh?"

Digging out his wallet, Kichiro plucked a new credit card and held it out to her.  "Do your damage, princess."

"Izayoi Bellaniece?  But I'm not an Izayoi yet."

"You will be soon enough, right?"

"Well . . . I thought that since I'm the last Zelig, I should keep my maiden name.  It has pizzazz, don't you think?"

Kichiro snorted.

"Okay, then how about Zelig-Izayoi?"

He snorted again.

"Fine, then . . . Bellaniece Izayoi . . . I guess that'll have to do . . ." She giggled.  "Still, I wouldn't want to run up your credit card bills too much, and there are a limited number of stores here . . . I might get bored, and then where will I be?  I think I should work, don't you?  So will you give me a good reference?"

"I hate to say it, princess, but not even you could really damage my bank accounts that much, but as for giving you a good reference, I could . . ." Kichiro trailed off as he considered Bellaniece's words.  "Hell, no, wench!  You think I'd do that when I know what kind of things you do for your boss?"

Bellaniece shook her head, brow furrowing as she stepped back.  "What?"

"Yeah, you heard me," he went on.  "I'd have to kill the bastard."

"What are you . . .?  You think I'd . . .?"

"Well, I'm your boss, and you do that stuff to me . . ."

Her arms dropped, and she blushed though the spark in her gaze belied any real embarrassment.  "I see," she finally said, her tone bright and calm.

He didn't have time to ponder the mercurial shift in her mood when the telephone rang, and Kichiro strode over to answer it.  "Izayoi."

"Evening, Kichiro.  How was your day?"

Kichiro grinned at the warm sound of his mother's voice.  "Couldn't have been better."

Kagome sighed.  "Good, good . . . Did you talk to your brother?"

"He stopped by the office."

She laughed, relief obvious in the sound.  "I'm glad.  I told your father that there wasn't any reason to worry."

Kichiro headed toward the kitchen for a drink, trying not to smile as he thought about his brother's hasty visit.  Ryomaru had seemed a little strange, but he figured his twin was shocked that Bellaniece had been under his desk at the time.  "Worry?"

"I just wanted to make sure that everything was all right," Kagome went on.  "Anyway, I'll let you go then.  Goodnight, dear."

Kicking the refrigerator door closed, Kichiro pushed the marble into the soda bottle.  "Okay.  Night, Mama."

He clicked the 'off' button and dropped the receiver onto the counter as Bellaniece rounded the corner, leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, a tight little smile on her face.  "Kichiro, I was wondering . . . how much are the rest of Kelly's surgeries going to cost?"

"Wha—?  Why?"

She shrugged.  "Humor me."

He thought it over.  "I don't know . . . anywhere up to five million yen . . . why?"

Bellaniece nodded and pushed herself away from the door frame.  "Fine, then.  I'll send over a check tomorrow.  Daddy won't mind, and Kelly knows I was paying you for the surgeries, anyway."

"Belle?"

She shot him a tepid smile and turned away.  "Goodnight, Dr. Izayoi."

Darting forward to catch her wrist, Kichiro pulled her back around to face him.  "What just happened?"

Bellaniece pulled away.  "I'm tired.  I'm going home."

He sighed.  "I was teasing, Belle.  You know: joking?"

Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest again.  "You were?  See, I didn't get that."

"Belle—"

"It's fine.  If that's what you really think, then it's just too bad."

Kichiro snorted.  "I don't think you'd—I was kidding."

"It wasn't funny."

"Oh, come on, princess!  You know—"

She whipped around and snatched her purse off the table and jerked the door open.  "I'll call you—if I ever get the joke."

Taken aback by her obvious anger, Kichiro watched in gap-mouthed surprise as the girl he knew so well stormed out the door and into the barely halted cab.

'What the . . .?  How did that happen?  She knows I don't mean that!  She knows . . .'

He snorted, expression darkening as he glowered at the closed door.  He wasn't sure what to make of her anger.  She had to have known he was teasing.  She had to have realized that he knew she wasn't about to go off and do the same sort of things with her next boss.

'I was teasing, damn it . . .'

Heaving a sigh of abject frustration, Kichiro turned on his heel and strode back into the living room.  'I'm not apologizing,' he grumbled.  'I didn't do a damn thing . . . It's not my fault if she can't take a joke!  Damn it . . .'

Nope, he wasn't going to break and call her.  If Bellaniece wanted to be mad about something that was obviously meant to be taken as teasing, then that was her fault.

'Who are you kidding?  You'll break.  You'll call her.  You know you will.'

Kichiro snorted as he flopped onto the sofa, crossing his ankles as he scowled at the ceiling.  'Not this time,' he promised.  'It's not happening.'

"Keh!"