InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Thwarted ( Chapter 94 )

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

Gin giggled as Cain used his claw to cut through the string around her neck.  He slowly tugged it free from the ring and tossed it into the trash can beside the desk.  "There.  Better?"

"Much," she approved, holding up her hand to inspect the engagement ring.  "It's still a little loose."

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about losing it," he said.

Her smile turned bashful, and she ducked her chin.  "I can't believe we're getting married tomorrow."

Cain pulled her into his arms, letting her lean against him.  "Are you sure you're feeling up to it?"

"Yes," she insisted.  "You want to marry me, right?"

"That's not even an issue," he grumbled.  "I'm just making sure that you're not overdoing it."

"I'm not," she assured him, hugging him tight and burrowing her face into his chest.

Cain scooped her up and sat on the sofa.  "You know, I was thinking . . ."

"Hmm?" she asked, twining her fingers into his ponytail.  He could tell from her tone that she was starting to doze off a little, and since she'd been awake since the early hours of the morning, discussing last minute plans with her mother, he couldn't help but feel quite relieved that she was finally going to take a much-deserved nap.

"You sure you want a Shinto wedding?"

That got her attention.  She sat up and slowly nodded.  "Why?"

"Well, I am North American tai-youkai.  Maybe we should have an American ceremony . . ."

"But . . . But I've always wanted a Shinto wedding," she said, struggling to keep her tone reasonable.

Cain wrinkled his nose.  "Sure, but you have to admit that there are things about American weddings—traditions . . . stuff like that."

"But the wedding's tomorrow . . ."

"Yeah, I know."

Biting on her lower lip, she couldn't help the way her ears drooped as she forced herself to ask, "Traditions like what?"

He shrugged.  "Oh, you know . . . like your father having to give you to me . . ."

The slight stiffness in Gin's body dissipated, and she sighed.  "Cain, that's not nice," she pointed out.

He chuckled.  "Not nice, maybe, but I can't say I wouldn't enjoy it."

"I don't want my papa to give me away," she argued.  "I love you both."

He heaved an exaggerated sigh.  "I guess the Shinto ceremony will have to do."

"I've never seen you in ceremonial clothes," she pointed out.  "I'll have to remember to thank Ryomaru for going to Maine to get them for you."

"I already did," he said, rolling his eyes, "and there's a reason I don't often wear them."

"What's that?"

"You don't think I'd stand out like a sore thumb, wearing those archaic things?"

She giggled, picturing her family's ceremonial clothes: InuYasha's old fire rat clothing . . . Sesshoumaru's regal white clothes with the orange-red detailing.  Toga's outfit was exactly like his father's but his clothes were edged in hunter green while Ryomaru and Kichiro's were basically like InuYasha's except in their colors: navy blue and dark violet, respectively.  Gin would be wearing the kimono Kagome wore when she married InuYasha, and as far as Gin could tell, there wouldn't be any humans without youkai or hanyou ties in attendance.  "Well, maybe," she agreed.  "Your color is teal?"

"My clothes are black with teal detailing, yes."

"Sounds dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Like the anti-hero: dark, brooding . . ."

"I don't brood," he protested.

Gin laughed.

"You promise me you'll tell me if you get too tired?"

"I promise."

He snorted as though he didn't fully believe her.  "And you didn't go overboard on the invitation list?"

She shook her head and sighed.  "Thirty for the wedding, and fifty for the reception."

"I just don't want you to wear yourself out."

"I know.  I won't."

"I'm sorry that you really didn't get to have the pre-wedding festivities."

Gin smiled wanly.  As much as she hated to admit it, she was glad that Cain had insisted that they forego the dinner and entertaining before the wedding.  She was nearly exhausted from helping her mother with the last minute details that kept popping up.  A dinner party would have been too much.  "That's okay.  The important part is the wedding, right?"

"Still . . ."

She shook her head.  "I'm rather embarrassed about the gifts," she admitted when the doorbell rang for what had to be the hundredth time since they'd gotten up this morning.  "I don't need anything."

"So you didn't like the obi I gave you?" he teased.

"Did you like the hakama?" she teased back since Cain's reaction to the traditional gift was an indulgent smile.  He wore a version of them when he practiced, but that wasn't often, and the black hakama Kagome had picked up on Gin's behalf were quite full—more like a skirt—than the ones that Gin had seen Cain wear the time he'd joined in the fray at the family's dojo.

"Hakama are rather comfortable."

"And the obi is lovely."

He finally relaxed, leaning his cheek against her temple.  "Take a nap?" he coaxed.

She snuggled closer and let her eyes drift shut.  "Okay."

He didn't comment, but she felt the warmth of his lips on her forehead.


"Explain to me again: how did I get suckered into this?"

Bellaniece rolled her eyes and grinned as she held out a plastic bag.  Kichiro took it, muttering under his breath about manipulative women, sister's weddings, and basically anything and everything under the sun.  "I didn't manipulate you," she pointed out as she followed him along the sidewalk and onto the porch.

"Keh!  The hell you didn't."

"I just asked—"

"While we were having sex."

"—If you would come with me—"

"Which I never would have agreed to otherwise."

"—And help me get the house ready for Daddy and Gin."

"Exactly the reason I would have said no."

Bellaniece giggled and rubbed his back as he unlocked the door and pushed it open.  "I could have driven myself."

That earned her another pronounced snort.  "I've seen your idea of driving, Belle-chan."

"I should get my license, don't you think?"

Kichiro shot her a dark look but didn't answer.

"This shouldn't take too long," she insisted.

Flopping onto the sofa with his hands tucked behind his neck, Kichiro yawned and grunted as he stretched out and closed his eyes.  "Wake me up when you're done, princess."

"I'd get done faster if you'd help me," she pointed out.

"Look, Belle.  I already oversaw the marking ritual, didn't I?  I refuse to lend any more assistance to your father in his effort to defile my sister."

Bellaniece laughed.  "Kichiro, you make it sound so dirty!"

He wrinkled his nose and snorted again.  "Keh!  When it involves your old man and my sister?  It is dirty."

"They're going to be so happy together," Bellaniece went on, ignoring Kichiro's less-than enthusiastic commentary.  "Daddy's been so different since he came back.  Did you notice?"

"Can't say I have," he admitted.  "Then again, I've been a little busy, catching hell from all sides."

She grimaced and paused in the middle of her task.  Pulling candles from one of the bags, she carefully set them aside and crossed her arms over her chest.  "You were doing what Gin asked you to do."

"I know, and I've told that to oyaji.  He'll get over it . . . eventually."

"It might not mean much, considering, but . . . I'm proud of you—really proud of you.  You're a wonderful man."

Kichiro pulled a grimace but couldn't stave back the rising color that stained his cheeks.  "Yeah, yeah . . . Get a move on, wench.  I don't want to be here all day."

Bellaniece hurried over to kiss his cheek before hurrying off with some of the candles.

Despite Kichiro's blustering, she had the feeling that he approved in Gin's choice of a mate.  She had a feeling that they all did.  'Well, you can't really do much better than the North American tai-youkai, can you, when she's related to the Japanese one, and he's already got a mate.  Strictly speaking, just being able to hold that position as long as Daddy has is quite a recommendation, by itself . . .'

'They're just objecting on principle, and Kagome doesn't really have any objections, at all.  I don't think it would matter, who the man was.  He'll always be seen as the man who stole everyone's baby girl, won't he?'

'Stole her and swept her away to Maine,' Bellaniece allowed with a grimace.  Surveying the spacious master bedroom, she sighed.  'Funny . . . Maine never seemed that far away before . . .'

'But you know your father's a big old softie when it comes to Gin.  If she gets homesick, he'll bring her back to visit.'

Bellaniece's troubled expression dissipated as she considered the words of her youkai.  It was true enough.  She'd seen it for herself, just how Cain worried about Gin's happiness.

Her happiness . . .

The little smile that had formed at the corners of her lips dissolved.  Gin's happiness was important to her, too.

'Are you going to tell Kichiro the real reason you want to wait to have babies?'

Taking her time as she arranged candles on the table near the windows, Bellaniece pressed her lips together and shrugged inwardly.  'It's not like I don't ever want to have children,' she reasoned.  'I just . . . I just need to make sure that Daddy thinks about it, too.'

'Of course he'll think about it.  Let him get married first.  That's a huge thing for him, and you know it.'

'I know, but Daddy . . . Let's be realistic, shall we?  My mother died having me, right?   The last thing he'll want to do is to take that chance with Gin.'

'Gin's hanyou.  It's entirely different.  Besides that, women don't normally die in childbirth anymore.  Your father knows this.'

'He might know it,' she allowed, 'but knowing something and believing it aren't always the same thing.'

'So you're still not going to talk to him about this?  You didn't learn your lesson about interfering the first time?'

'Daddy's not going to want to talk this over with me,' she insisted.  'No, it's better for him to think that he still needs an heir.  Even then, the next tai-youkai should be his son, not mine . . . and I owe Gin, don't I?  Even if they say that the entire situation wasn't my fault . . . As much as Gin wants to be with Daddy, she'll want children of her own, too, at least one, right?  She's saving Daddy, sure, but she'll never, ever tell him . . . and she deserves as much happiness as Daddy, too.'

'You should tell Kichiro all this.  He's your mate.  He'll understand.'

Bellaniece stepped back to survey her handiwork with the candles and sighed before turning toward the huge bed and pulling the blankets and sheets off.  Though she wasn't overly fond of satin sheets since they slipped and slid way too much, she figured that they'd be more romantic than cotton ones, and since it was their honeymoon, would they really be doing that much sleeping?  'I'll tell Kichiro . . . I just don't want him to think that he's not important to me because he is.'

'Of course he is.  Just let him know that, and it'll be fine.'

Bellaniece's smile returned as she spread the white lace coverlet over the pale sheets and carefully arranged the nightgown that Kagome had packed up in a cream colored garment box.  The long teal satin gown was simple yet elegant, cut up one side to show off Gin's legs, but it was the matching robe that held her attention.  Embroidered in a slightly darker thread on the left breast, the simple kanji that depicted the Zelig name was beautiful.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Kagome asked as she stepped back to eye the nightgown.

"I think she'll love it," Bellaniece answered, idly tracing the Kanji.

InuYasha wrinkled his nose and snorted.  Kagome tweaked his ear in response, and he'd turned away in a huff but not before Bellaniece had seen the hint of color blossom in his cheeks.  Bellaniece had been oddly moved by the simple gesture.  As gruff and surly as InuYasha tended to be, it was also easy to see just how much he loved his family, too.

Scooping up the discarded sheets, Bellaniece hurried back toward the living room.  Kichiro hadn't moved though he wasn't sleeping.  She rolled her eyes and set the sheets on the table to take back with her.  "Is it so awful?"

Kichiro opened one eye to cast her a dubious glance.  "Is what so awful?"

"The idea of your sister and my father being married."

He snorted.  "Keh!  Yes," he growled, then sighed, "and no . . ."

Bellaniece smiled sadly.  Something else was bothering Kichiro about the situation.  She only wished he'd tell her what it was.  "What's really bothering you then?"

Kichiro made a face and avoided her probing gaze.  "He's going to take her back to Maine, isn't he?" he finally asked, glowering at the back of the sofa as his cheeks pinked just a little.

"Yeah," she replied.  "He'll take care of her, though.  He loves her as much as I love you."

Kichiro winced.  "I know.  I just . . . She's my sister—my baby sister.  That's all."

"And she'll still be your baby sister . . . Besides, don't we have to go to Maine soon?  Kelly's almost ready for her next surgery, right?"

"I suppose," he agreed though he didn't sound reassured at all.  Bellaniece sat on the edge of the sofa by his hip and leaned over to brush his hair out of his eyes.  "When Mama brought Gin home from the hospital . . . Kami, she was tiny.  They say that Ryomaru and I were littler—we were born early . . . and as little as Mikio is, Gin always seemed smaller . . ."

"Daddy will take good care of her.  He's taken care of me for years."

"I know.  I just . . . If he hurts her again, I swear I'll kill him."

Bellaniece laughed and brushed a kiss over Kichiro's cheek.  "Don't worry.  I think they'll be deliriously happy . . . disgustingly happy . . . almost as deliriously, disgustingly happy as we are."

He grinned.  "You're happy?"

"Do you doubt that?"

He sighed.  "Not really.  I just like to hear it sometimes."

"I'm absolutely . . . deliriously, disgustingly happy," she assured him.

He snorted at her choice of words.  "Disgustingly, huh?"

"Absolutely.  Now let me finish up here, and we can head back."

His arms locked around her waist as the familiar burn of intensity lit behind his gaze.  "I have a better idea," he drawled.

Bellaniece giggled.  "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do," she pointed out between bouts of laughter as he pulled her down to nuzzle her neck.

"Oh?  And just what are you accusing me of doing?"

"You think that if we have sex here that Daddy'll be so put off by the lingering smell that he won't be able to enjoy his wedding night."

Kichiro wrinkled his nose, and his grip loosened the tiniest bit.  "Well, I hadn't thought of that, but it does give me even more reason . . ."

"No way, you dog," she retorted, bracing herself with a hand on his chest as she tried in vain to push herself away.

"If that's the case, then I'd be dragging you off to the bedroom, don't you think?"

She gasped and squealed as he sat up, catching her off guard long enough to scoop her into his arms before he strode back toward the bedroom.  "Don't you dare!" she huffed.

Her indignant tone was completely undermined when she giggled again.

"Your lips say one thing but your body says something else.  Let's see if we can't get complete agreement from both."

"You know, they're going to have sex right here, in this room tomorrow night," Bellaniece pointed out.

Kichiro groaned.  "Don't remind me, Belle-chan."

"Would I do such a thing?"

He snorted but let her legs slip from his grasp.  "Right there in that bed . . . The satin sheets are an added plus, don't you think?"

"And yet the idea of fucking my wife is getting less and less appealing, thanks," he grumbled.

"The candles add a certain ambience . . . Unscented though, so that they aren't distracted by the smell of each other's bodies."

"And there you have it!" Kichiro growled with a shake of his head.  "Sex drive is officially dead.  Damn."

Bellaniece giggled and patted Kichiro's cheek before she stepped away.  "Sex and wildflowers, lover," she nearly purred as she sauntered out of the room to retrieve the rest of the candles she'd purchased to put in the bathroom.

Kichiro's ears twitched as he stared at the empty doorway.  'Sex and . . . ouch . . .' "Oi!" he hollered, taking off after his mate at a sprint.

He caught up with her in the bathroom.  Bent over as she arranged candles on the edge of the tub, he grinned as he grabbed her hips and jerked her back against him.

She gasped and giggled before straightening up and wiggling around to face him.  "Thought you said that your libido was dead," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well, the smell of sex and wildflowers does strange things to me," he informed her with a mocking smile.

"Oh?  We'll have to see about that, then, won't we?  Let me finish up in here . . ."

"Or we could just take a break," he coaxed, lips dropping to the throbbing pulse of her neck.

Her head fell back as her eyes closed, as her fists tightened around handfuls of his shirt.  "Good idea," she agreed.

He chuckled almost nastily.  "Why don't you bend over?  There's a rather nice towel bar for you to hang onto."

Bellaniece's laughter was shaky.  "Hmm, well, we could test it out, you know . . . for Daddy and Gin . . ."

He groaned but steeled his determination not to think about the things that Bellaniece was saying in her effort to distract him.  "I know what you're doing, and it isn't going to work."

"But we came up here to get the place ready for tomorrow."

"Well, you did . . ."

"And you agreed to help me.  This isn't helping me."

"Speak for yourself.  I'm enjoying the benefits, at the moment."

"You know, Daddy's waited for a woman like Gin for almost three hundred years.  Can you imagine?"

He groaned again, hesitating in his perusal of his wife's thighs.  "The last thing I want to discuss is your father and his old balls."

"Yes, well, his 'old balls' are going to get a nice work out tomorrow night, don't you think?"

"Oh, kami," he grumbled.

"But you're completely right.  We should try out the bar.  I mean, in case Daddy decides to bend Gin over right there, and—"

"Belle . . ."

"—Make her his bitch."

"Oh, hell!"

Bellaniece wasn't finished, either.  "You know what they say about old balls, right?"

"Do I want to?"

She waved her hand as he sank back on his haunches and heaved a sigh.  "They say that saggy old balls are rather nice.  They get this momentum going, and when he thrusts, they'll slap against her a—"

"Stick a fork in me; I'm done!" Kichiro growled, slapping his hands over his ears as he shot to his feet and strode out of the bathroom.  Bellaniece's laughter trilled in his wake, and with a loud groan, he slammed out of the house to wait in the car.

'She did that on purpose,' his youkai chortled.

'Damn straight, she did,' he agreed.

'And it worked, didn't it?'

'Hell, yes, it worked!  If I ever get that image out of my head, I'll be grateful . . . I think it's burned into my retinas . . . Ugh . . .'

Bellaniece finished up and paused long enough to check the door to make sure it was locked before running down the steps and to the car.  "See?  I told you it wouldn't take long," she gloated.

Kichiro shot her a baleful glower.  "Maybe you should drive back.  I think I'm blind."

"The idea of Daddy's balls slapping against Gin's ass a little too much for you?"

He groaned and slammed the car into reverse.  "Do you ever want to have sex again, Bellaniece?"

"Of course."

"Then you'd better stop before you inflict any permanent and lasting damage."

She sighed.  "Okay, I'm sorry."

"Keh!"

"Oh, and I think I forgot to tell you."

"What now?"

"Daddy's going to stay with us tonight."

"What?"

"Your mother thought it'd be best since your father's insisting that it's bad luck . . ."

"Bad . . .?  The hell it is!  Bad luck for me, you mean . . . You realize, right?  There's no way in hell I'm going to be able to look at your old man without seeing things in my head that no being should ever have to see."

"You mean the slapping balls?"

Kichiro gunned the engine and groaned as his wife's laughter filled the car like tiny silver bells.