InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Keeping the Peace ( Chapter 76 )

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

"So what's the plan?" Gin asked, hopping up onto the worktable behind her.

Cain glanced up from the letter he'd been writing to the regular professor, who would be back Monday.  "Oh . . . I was just going to write this and make sure the supplies were all good," he replied quietly.

"Do you need my help?"

"I can handle it, but if you want to stick around . . ."

"I'll miss you, you know . . . my sensei . . ."

"Your sensei."

"My master."

"Master, huh?" he echoed with a wolfish grin.  "I like that."

"You're so bad," she said, ducking her chin as her cheeks pinked.  "It'll be weird, coming to class and knowing you won't be here."

He glanced over the letter and left it in the middle of the desk before standing up slowly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he shuffled around it.  "Come on, baby girl.  We can finish this up quickly enough, and then I'll take you home."

Slipping her hand into his as she hopped off the desk to follow him toward the supply room, Gin laughed softly.  "When I signed up for this class, I was just trying to finish up requirements.  It was . . . remarkable, to have you as a sensei."

"I'm not so remarkable."

"Modest?  You know, you're really something.  Talented, smart, funny . . ."

"I notice you forgot sexy as hell."

Gin blushed and shrugged.  "I didn't say that."

"You don't think I am?"

"I didn't say that, either . . ."

Cain closed the door and slowly turned to face Gin, a hint of a smile lighting the depths of his gaze.  "It's fine; I can deal with not being sexy."

"I didn't say you aren't . . ." she hedged.

"You, on the other hand," Cain went on, catching her under her arms and gently setting her atop the worktable.  "You're sexy."

"I am?" Gin asked, breath catching in her throat.

"Absolutely."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

She swallowed hard, unable to take her eyes off him.  "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?  Not a thing, baby girl . . . Not a thing . . ." He leaned in closer, one hand on either side of her knees.  "You're blushing."

"A-Am I?"

He nodded.  "You are."

"Cain . . ."

"It just occurred to me . . ."

"What?"

"I've got you completely at my mercy."

"What are you going to do to me?"

He chuckled at her breathless tone.  "What do you want me to do with you?" he asked, his voice little more than a whisper as he grazed his fangs over the sensitive skin of her throat.

She shivered, eyes closing as her hands closed around fistfuls of his shirt.  "But we're . . . Someone could . . . Cain . . .?"

"Then you'd better be quiet."

"I . . . O-Okay . . ."

Pulling her toward him, her knees on either side of his hips, he slipped his arms around her, supporting her as she held onto him, her temple resting against his shoulder.  He chuckled softly, brushing his lips over her forehead as he hugged her for a moment.  "You're bad for me, did you know?"

"How's that?"

He shrugged.  "I should be checking supplies."

". . . I could help you with that."

"Sure . . . but I really, really want to kiss you."

"Oh?"

"Uh huh . . . So, what do you suggest?"

Gin pondered that for a moment.  "You could kiss me then check the supplies."

"Or you could kiss me so I don't feel guilty."

She leaned away, biting her lower lip as she stared at him.  Gazing at him as she gathered her bravado, she hesitantly lifted her hands to his cheeks, straightening her back as she rose up to pull his face down, lips pressing against his as she sighed.

Entirely too sweet, too inviting, she pressed her body against his as her hands slipped around his neck.  The gentle reluctance in her kiss gave way to a quiet sense of longing, a stunning surrender.  She felt so alive to him, so vibrant, offering him a peace even as his pulse hammered in his ears.  Gin was his reason, his sanity—the last shining beacon of hope . . .

"Gin?"

Cain growled as the soft, feminine voice interrupted the kiss.  Gin was too dazed to realize someone was looking for her.

"Cain?  What—?"

He pressed his finger to her lips to silence her and shook his head.  "Don't panic, but it's your mother."

"My . . .?" Gin's eyes widened in shock.  "Oh, no . . . This isn't good . . ."

"Straighten your skirt," Cain remarked as Gin hopped off the table and grabbed the door handle.  She grimaced and swiped up her book bag, rummaging through it till she came up with a tiny bottle of perfume.  Before Cain could open his mouth to protest, she sprayed herself liberally, dropping the bottle back into the bag as she hurried out of the supply room to intercept her mother.

"Mama!  What are you doing here?"

Kagome shot her a curious glance.  "I was on my way to meet your father for lunch and thought I'd see if you wanted to join us."

"Lunch?"

Staring over her head, Kagome suddenly smiled.  "Zelig-san!  Would you care to join us for lunch, as well?"

Gin peered back at him but frowned at the scowl on Cain's face.  "I'd love to, but I can't.  Today's my last day, so I've got to finish a few things up."

"That's right.  I should stay and help," Gin blurted.

"Nope, go right ahead," Cain said a little too nicely.

Gin glanced at him.  "If you're sure . . ."

"Oh, positive," he returned pleasantly.

Gin nodded and shrugged but looked like she wanted to argue with him.  "All right . . ."

Cain leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest.  "By all means; go right ahead."

Kagome stared from one to the other and back again before shaking her head and bowing.  "Come, Gin.  Your father will be pleasantly surprised."

Gin stifled a sigh as she fell into step behind her mother, sparing Cain one last look before leaving the room completely.  Still lounging in the doorway with a marked scowl on his face, he intercepted her glance before shoving away from the frame and turning on his heel.

'He doesn't like that perfume, Gin.'

'I know . . . What else can I do?'

'Worry about that later, doll.  Right now, you need to figure out how to get through lunch with your father.'

Gin grimaced as she stared at her mother's back.  'Maybe he won't notice.'

'Yeah, okay, sure . . . and he won't be breathing, either.'

Ears flattening for a moment, Gin stifled a sigh.  Surely she could explain her way around the perfume with her father.  He wasn't really her main concern, anyway.

Cain had been really irritated.  She had a feeling that he was the one who was going to ask questions that she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to answer . . .


Kichiro grimaced as he rubbed his face with both hands, loathe to open his eyes.  At least his head didn't throb quite so badly, unlike the last couple days.

Groaning as he rolled over and scowled at the empty place beside him, he saw the note lying on Bellaniece's pillow and leaned on his elbow to grab the paper.

'Ugh, her daddy . . .'

'You still mad about having your ass handed to you?'

'I didn't fight back,' he grumbled.

'You should have stopped while you were ahead—no pun intended.'

"Holy damn, you look like fucking shit, don't you?  What happened to you?"

Pinning his twin with as dark a glare as he could muster, Kichiro snorted and rolled his hand to hurry his brother's inevitable teasing.  "What are you doing here?"

"Came to laugh at the monkey."

"Yeah, well, get the hell out."

Ryomaru ignored Kichiro's surly reply.  "I take it Grabby-chan told her old man about you and her doing the nasty?"

"Something like that," Kichiro allowed.

"How did that happen?  So far as I can smell, you and she have had The Sex, but you don't smell like you've mated her . . ."

Kichiro snorted.  "Condoms, baka."

"Oh, really?  Damn . . . Should have figured that out before."

"You wanted to sleep with all those women?"

Grinning like a fool, the older twin shrugged.  "Yeah, you're right.  Nez was ticked enough when it was just oral sex.  Real sex?  She'd have neutered me."

"She should have done that, anyway," Kichiro grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah . . . just remember: I'm not the one who got the living shit beat out of me by my future father-in-law."  Ryomaru laughed.  "Can't say you didn't deserve that.  You've been doing his daughter for how long now?"

"How are those cooking classes?" Kichiro asked, changing the subject without any subtlety at all.

"You think I don't realize you're trying to get me to leave?" he countered.

"Is it working?"

Ryomaru grinned.  "Classes are going well.  Almost done, actually."

"Why are you taking those?" Kichiro demanded.

"Because I'd like to have pups someday."

"Come again?"

Ryomaru snorted and made a face.  "Nez said that if neither of us can cook, then we won't be able to feed a pup."

"You with a family?  Kami forbid."

"I'd be a kick-ass oyaji, baby brother."

Kichiro rolled his eyes.  "You drive your cat insane.  A pup is worse.  It can't run away from you."

"Why would it run away?  Don't be stupid."

"I'd run away if you were my old man."

"That's why there'd be two of us.  Nez would be a good mother."

"I don't have a doubt in the world that Nez would be just fine.  You're the one who's bound to fuck up."

"Speaking of fucked up . . . Did you even land a hit on Zelig?"

"We were talking about you, baka.  You took cooking classes just to get Nez to have a pup with you?  Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Like what?"

"Like she thinks that the idea of procreating with you is a bad one."

"So you say; so you say . . . You know, I get along great with Nez's old man.  Too bad you can't say the same."

"I don't need to.  My father-in-law doesn't want to see me dead."

Kichiro shook his head and flopped back on the bed.  "Since you're here . . ."

"What?  You want me to beat up Zelig-san for you?  It'll cost you . . ."

"If I wanted to beat up Zelig Cain, I could do it.  I just didn't want to."

"Uh huh . . . Does the sun shine in denial, too?"

"Shut up."

"Okay," Ryomaru agreed, his laughter dying away.  "What did you call for?"

Kichiro snorted, having forgotten that he'd called his idiot brother the night before to have him stop by this morning.  "Oh, yeah . . ."

"So what do you need, baby brother?"

"Will you stop calling me that?"

"What?  You don't like being called baby brother, baby brother?"

"No, I don't, fat ass."

"Nez likes my fat ass."

"Yeah, well, Nez didn't get around much."

"Okay, okay.  What did you really want?"

Kichiro eyed his brother carefully.  Ryomaru seemed anxious, and he had to wonder why.  "Expecting someone?"

"Nope . . . Nez doesn't realize I left, though.  I'd rather be home before she wakes up."

"Isn't she normally up by now?"

Ryomaru grinned wolfishly.  "Normally . . . We were up late last night—well, this morning—having real sex."

"I have real sex," Kichiro shot back.

"No, you don't.  You have neat, pristine, clean, boring sex.  We have down on the floor, fluids leaking everywhere, slick, slippery real sex . . . You know: the actual thing."

"Why is it that you can make sex sound completely unsavory?"

"It's a gift," Ryomaru stated proudly.

"Or a curse."

"Whatever," Ryomaru shot back.  "Real sex, baby brother.  You ought to try it.  Oh, wait, you can't . . . Grabby-chan's father would kick your ass . . . again."

"Ryo, let me ask you something."

"Okay."

"Does Nez put out whenever, wherever?"

Ryomaru snorted.  "Of course not."

Kichiro grinned.  "Yeah?  Well, my mate does."

Ryomaru, for once, was speechless.

"Anyway, I wanted to know if you'd be my best man at the wedding."

"Best man?  I already am."

Kichiro shook his head.  "Baka."

"Sure, sure . . . Do I get to kiss the bride?"

"Thought you don't like her."

"Well, it wouldn't be because I like her.  If it pissed you off, though . . ."

"Do I get to kiss Nez?"

"And why the hell would you want to do that?"

"I don't know . . . It'll be my wedding.  I should be able to kiss all the women."

"Yeah . . . You do that . . . Can't guarantee you'll get to try out the real sex on your wedding night, though . . ."

Kichiro rolled his eyes but grinned.  "Then no, you don't get to kiss the bride."

"Fine, fine, take away all the fun . . . Sure, I'll be your best man.  I'll also run the betting pool."

"Betting pool?"

"Yep . . . odds are that you and Zelig-san will come to blows at your wedding.  Nez's been wanting a new air compressor.  Might as well make some money off your fight, don't you think?"

"Get the hell out, Ryo, you vermin.  I'm done with you."

Ryomaru chuckled, but seemed to get serious.  "You'll be happy with her?"

Kichiro nodded, wondering what his brother was thinking.  "Of course."

"For the record, I really didn't mean to hurt Grabby-chan the other day."

"I know.  She's okay."

"Then it's how it should be."

Kichiro grinned.  "Yeah, it is."


Cain stuffed the last of Bellaniece's clothes into a box and sighed.  Thinking that it would make things easier for her, he had started packing her belongings the day after he'd found out about Bellaniece choosing Dr. Butt-munch as her mate.  He'd take all of it over to her later.

'It is the least I can do,' he figured.  Unsure how else he could show her that he would support her, even if he didn't like her choice, he'd thought maybe this would help.

It felt as though things were coming to an end.

Cain grimaced.  Gin had offered to skip lunch with her mother and father, to stay home with him in case he needed her.  He had told her not to be ridiculous.  He would be fine for a few hours without her, but when she'd sprayed that perfume on . . .

No doubt about it, the idea that Gin was trying to mask his scent . . . That bothered him more than he cared to admit.

'That's not what's bothering you the most, and you know it.'

Cain shook his head as he carefully taped the box closed.  'Don't know what you're talking about.'

'Yes, you do.  It bothers you that today was your last day as Gin's official sensei.'

With a sigh, he stacked the box atop the other three that contained Bellaniece's things.  'That's stupid.  I knew that the position was only temporary.'

'What'll we do now, Cain?  I mean, sure, we have Bellaniece's wedding.  We have to stay for that, but afterward?  We can't stay here forever . . .'

'I know.  I have to go back home.  I have responsibilities there, too . . .'

'And Gin?'

Cain stopped, grimacing as he glanced around Bellaniece's room for anything he might have missed.  'Gin . . .'

'Yeah, Gin.  What about her?  Do you really think you can just leave her?'

'. . . Maybe she can visit . . . or stay . . . If she wants . . .'

'And you think that would be enough?  Vacations?  Weekends?  Partial custody of your baby girl?  It won't be, and you know it.'

'I . . . I should have gotten onto that plane.  I should have gone right back to Maine . . .'

'Shoulda, woulda, coulda . . . Cain, that doesn't change anything.  Maybe we should have left before Gin had a chance to work her magic—before she showed you what living could really be, but would that really change anything?  Do you really think Isabelle would have wanted this?  Do you think she wanted you to make a promise like that?'

'I don't know, damn it.  She's not here anymore for me to ask, and that's my fault, isn't it?  Now Gin . . .'

'Gin's the most important, right?  We can't hurt her.'

'No, I can't hurt her . . .'

'What are you going to do?'

'I don't know . . .'

"Daddy?  What are you doing?"

Startled out of his reverie, Cain shook his head and turned around to face his daughter.  Standing in the doorway in a flirty lavender sun dress, she scowled at the barren room.  "Hey . . . What brings you by?"

Bellaniece shook her head and blinked quickly, clutching her purse in both hands.  "You're packing my things?"

"Sure . . . Thought it'd make things easier for you."

"Makes things kind of final, doesn't it?"

"Oh, uh, yeah . . . Today was my last day at the university.  I figured you'd be staying here."

"You're leaving?"

Cain sighed.  "Not right away, no . . . be pretty sad if I left before you got married, wouldn't it?"

"We were planning on being married soon."

He nodded.  "How soon are we talking?"

Bellaniece shrugged, running a hand over the boxes.  "Two weeks from tomorrow.  It's going to be in InuYasha's Forest."

Cain made a face.  "Ugh . . . I don't like him, either."

"He's a good man, Daddy."

He didn't comment as he sank down on the window sill and looked Bellaniece over.  "You look good.  You look happy."

"I am."

"And Dr. Shit-for-Brains?"

Bellaniece shook her head at her father's insistence on renaming Kichiro.  "Well, you knocked him around pretty good."

"Not nearly as good as I wanted to."

"I came over to tell you I'm sorry," Bellaniece said quietly.  "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't," he told her.  "You just . . . reminded me of some things I'd forgotten."

"I didn't mean that I don't still need you.  I'll always need you.  You're my daddy."

"I know, Bellaniece."

Her smile widened into one that closer resembled the expression he was used to.  "Why don't you and Gin join us for dinner tonight?  Kichiro won't mind—"

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Well, he'll get over it.  What do you say?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

"Okay," Bellaniece said, trying to hide her disappointment.  "You know, Daddy, you didn't have to throw him around quite so much."

"Sure, I did," he complained.  "I'm not stupid, you know.  I know what sex smells like."

"He didn't shower," she said with a trace of embarrassment but not nearly as much as Cain figured she ought to show.

"Not just on him, Bellaniece.  It was all over that house."

Bellaniece grinned.  "I told you he makes me happy . . ."

"Ugh, details I don't want or need, thanks," he grumbled.  "I want to know the second that little fucker steps out of line.  I'll be more than happy to put him back on the straight and narrow . . ."

Bellaniece sighed and glanced at her watch, making a face as she shot Cain a rather hesitant glance.  "I've got to go.  I promised Kichiro I'd meet him for a late lunch."

Cain smiled and pulled Bellaniece into a hug.  "All right.  Thanks for stopping by."

She grimaced, and Cain knew that she was thinking about how strange it sounded.  He had to admit that it really did.  "Daddy . . ."

"Make sure that little shit is good to you, Belle."

She giggled, but it sounded strained, almost sad.  "I will.  I love you."

"Love you, too, my lady."

Giving him a quick squeeze, Bellaniece held onto him for another moment before letting go.  "And make sure Gin is good to you."

Cain felt himself blushing but didn't comment.

"In case you're wondering, Daddy, the condoms work wonderfully."

"Good God, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Oh, no, Daddy!  You need to hear it!  Sex is a beautiful thing.  You should try it sometime."

"Bellaniece—"

"I know you know what it's like.  You're not that old."

"Gee, thanks."

"I bet Gin would love it."

"I'm not hearing this . . ."

"Okay, I'll stop.  I'll come by to check on you again."  Her impish smile dissipated, and she slowly shook her head.  "In all seriousness, Daddy . . . I think Gin's really good for you, and . . . and I think you're good for her, too."

"Do you?"

Bellaniece nodded.  "I do, and you know, I don't think just anyone deserves to be with you.  You've changed, you know?  And it's not a bad thing."

"I haven't changed," he argued, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"You don't think so?"

"Not at all."

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't let her get away.  You need her, and I think she needs you, too."

"Why do you say that?"

Bellaniece shrugged.  "Just a feeling."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Okay, you don't want to discuss your love life with your daughter; I get that . . . but I've seen the way you look at her, and I've seen the way she looks at you.  You two . . . complete each other, don't you?"  She grinned and quickly kissed his cheek, taking a moment to wipe her lip gloss from his face before she hugged him again.  Turning to go, she stopped in the doorway, bestowing an enigmatic little smile on him.  "Just think about what I said?"

Cain nodded and watched as his daughter swept out of the room.

Bellaniece's words echoed through his head, words that made more sense than he wanted them to . . . "You two . . . complete each other . . ."

'We do, don't we?  Everything I'm not . . . Everything I could never be . . . That's what Gin is.  Complete me . . .?  Is that what she does?'

'You know the answer to that, Cain.  Do you really need for me to confirm it?'

A slow smile surfaced on his face, an image of a silver haired woman with the most luminous golden eyes flashed through his head.  'No,' he thought absently, gazing out the window as the familiar aura filtered into the apartment before he heard the soft click of the front door being closed.  'No, I don't think I do . . .'


"Earth to Kagome . . . Oi, are you listening, wench?"

Kagome started and smiled as she lifted her gaze to meet InuYasha's.  "Of course I am.  What are you barking about now?"

He snorted.  "Keh!  Barking, my ass . . ."

Lifting the mug of fragrant tea to her lips, Kagome giggled and winked at her mate.  "Okay, I'm sorry.   You said?"

Nonplussed by Kagome's casual apology, he wrinkled his nose and scowled at her, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest in abject disgruntlement.  "I asked if you knew why my pup reeks of perfume," he growled.

"She says she likes it," Kagome remarked.  "Anyway, it suits her, I think."

"Keh!  Suits her?  She smelled fine before that."

Kagome shook her head.  "She's a girl, InuYasha.  Girls wear perfume sometimes."

"You don't, and you're a girl.  Besides, she's hanyou.  Hanyou don't wear perfume, either."

Rolling her eyes, she heaved a sigh.  "I think you're worried over nothing," she pointed out.

InuYasha snorted.  "Did she look . . . different to you?"

Kagome's eyebrows rose.  "Different?"

"Yeah . . . like she was . . . nervous or something."

"Wouldn't you be nervous if your father whom you adored kept glowering at you like he was about to rake you over the coals?" she asked pointedly.

InuYasha snorted.  "Keh!  As if I would!"

"Yes, well, you were staring at her."

InuYasha shook his head.  "I don't know.  Do you get the feeling she's not telling us something?"

Kagome smiled as she set her mug aside and stood up to retrieve InuYasha's cup of ramen out of the microwave.  "She's twenty-five, InuYasha.  There's not a twenty-five year old woman on earth who tells her parents every single thing going on in their lives."

"She used to," he grumbled.

"Face it, dog-boy.  She's just not a baby anymore."

He looked like he wanted to argue that with her.  In the end, he snorted and took the chopsticks Kagome handed him.  "She'll always be my baby, wench," he informed her.

Kagome tweaked his ear and smiled a little sadly as she regarded InuYasha's back.  "Of course she will."

He didn't see the expression as he stirred his ramen.