InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 5: Phantasm ❯ Femme Fatale ( Chapter 3 )

~~Chapter 3~~

~Femme Fatale~

 

Groaning softly as he sat up slowly, rubbing the side of his head where the girl had hit him with . . . God only knew what . . . He had a feeling it was that gargantuan monstrosity she called a purse. He should have realized it wasn't a purse at all but a weapon . . .

 

`Way to go, Bas . . . She could have killed us.”

 

`Damn her . . . I just want to talk to her, not hurt her. What the hell . . .?'

 

`Never mind that. Let's find her.'

 

Wincing as he got to his feet, swaying precariously as he bit back the edges of dizziness, he shook his head and blinked.

 

He wasn't unconscious long: five minutes at the most. She obviously wasn't trying to kill him, but he had underestimated her. How dangerous was she, hiding behind that innocent face? `She really is the one I'm looking for, isn't she?'

 

`Your father would have your ass if he knew how careless you were just now.'

 

Shuffling toward the empty doorway, Bas snorted. `Yeah, I know . . . Damn it, I didn't think she would do that.'

 

`What is it that your grandfather always tells you?'

 

Though he didn't really feel like hearing `The Lecture' from his youkai, no less, Bas heaved a sigh as he stepped outside the building and carefully perused the empty street. `Don't let your guard down.'

 

`And what did you just do?'

 

He made a face as he caught her lingering scent. `Yeah, okay, you made your point.'

 

`Be more careful next time, moron. You know, right? If you die, you kill me, too, and if I die, then I'll really be ticked off . . .'

 

`Shut up, will you? I'm trying to concentrate. I don't think she got far . . . I think I can still catch her.'

 

Breaking into a sprint despite his aching head, Bas gritted his teeth and forced himself to run, following her scent—the unsettling mix of vanilla and warm spice. `Cinnamon? Cloves? What is that?'

 

`Who cares what spice she smells like, you moron? You're tracking her, not looking for a date to the prom . . .'

 

The first place he'd gone after arriving at LAX was Cal Richardson's apartment. Sneaking past the guards stationed outside the apartment was easy enough. Dropping from the roof onto the balcony, he'd slipped inside without commotion, only to find that the place had been crawling with investigators and police officers. He'd tried to come up with a scent of the elusive girl despite all that. It wasn't possible. Whatever scent she might have left behind was covered with the reek of way too many humans. Even Richardson's scent on the bloodstained bed was faint and masked.

 

None of Richardson's friends were helpful. Richardson normally divided his time between Chicago and New York City, and the few friends he had in the Los Angeles area had never met this alleged girlfriend, which just figured. Humans, he was coming to understand, were a horribly indifferent lot who didn't notice much of anything if they weren't told to look for it. They could talk to someone for twenty minutes and not be able to recap the gist of the conversation, let alone to describe what the other person looked like.

 

The waif-like appearance of the young woman seemed to dance before his eyes. In the harshness of the yellow street lamps, her eyes seemed to glow as her lips turned up in a thoroughly amused grin. `Frustrated, puppy? You poor widdle thing . . . You'll never catch me, will you?'

 

Squelching a frustrated growl as he sprinted past derelict buildings and ramshackle businesses that looked like they'd fail an inspection by the Department of Health, Bas couldn't tell if he was closing in on her or not. A left turn here, a right turn there, and still her scent lingered, teasing him, goading him, as if she were doing little more than toying with him, batting him to and fro between her proverbial paws.

 

`Cat and mouse . . .'

 

`Damn it . . .'

 

When he turned the corner by the abandoned building where he'd started the chase, Bas skidded to a stop and growled. She really was playing with him, wasn't she? “All right, Sydnie . . . Kit . . . whatever the hell your name is,” he mumbled as his gaze swept the area. He could feel that she was close. If only he could see her . . . “The game is on . . .”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

Sydnie peered over the edge of the building and bit her lip. `I shouldn't have circled back . . . He was fine, right? I knew he was fine . . .'

 

Still, she hadn't been able to shake off the feeling that she really had hurt him. She'd taken off with every intention of disappearing for awhile—at least until the Bas the Hunter was gone. She hadn't gotten more than a few blocks away when her conscience had begun gnawing at her. Though she'd tried to tell herself that it didn't matter, that he would wake up eventually, she wasn't surprised to see that she'd circled back, but when she'd ducked inside to see if he was still breathing, she figured out he was gone.

 

The dusty darkness played tricks on her. The lingering remains of his aura seeped out of the drafty cracks, the blackened holes. Filtering through the shrunken floorboards as the chill night winds siphoned in, it seemed as uncontainable, as untouchable as a midsummer's dream. Why did she feel even more alone? The hunter with the golden eyes . . .

 

`He's coming, Sydnie. Get out of here, will you?'

 

`He's coming? Who?'

 

`Bas—the hunter—the one you ran from . . . he's coming, and you really shouldn't be here when he gets here.'

 

The building was so decrepit that she didn't dare run up the old staircase when she felt his presence closing in. She'd barely had time to leap onto the roof outside before he came back into view. `He's a damn good tracker; I'll give him that . . .'

 

In her haste to get away, she hadn't forgotten the few simple things she'd learned over the years. Altering her course between the sidewalk, the roofs, and the alleys normally made it harder for the few youkai that inhabited the area to find her, and humans? She smiled insincerely. Humans had a tendency not to look up.

 

`This is all your fault,' she sneered, shrinking back into the shadows but still leaning over enough to see as Bas the Hunter's head came into view.

 

`My fault? And how do you figure that, Missy?'

 

`You just had to feel bad, didn't you? You just had to come back to check on him . . .'

 

`Oh, and you didn't want to? Come off it, Sydnie. I'm your youkai, but you know, I don't make you do anything you don't already have a mind to do.'

 

`That's stupid! I was all set to disappear, remember? You're the one who—'

 

`Yeah? Well, you're the one in charge of the body, so don't even go there. I can't make you walk anywhere you don't want to go, but if you sleep better at night deluding yourself, then knock yourself out.'

 

`His hair looks really soft,' she mused, smiling slightly as she peered over the edge.

 

`You think so? Then ask him if you can feel it, but you'd better do it fast. He's like to want to throttle you when he finds you.'

 

`If he finds me, thank you very much. I've spent a lifetime escaping and hiding, haven't I? Bas the Hunter might be good, but he's not that good.'

 

`It's getting tiring, isn't it? The running? The hiding? All of it . . .'

 

Sydnie stifled a sigh as she sank back on her knees, resting her chin on her clasped hands atop the low lip that ran around the perimeter of the roof. `Just a little longer . . . Just a little more, and I can stop . . .'

 

`There is no going back, Sydnie. You know that, right?'

 

`I know that,' she agreed with a sad sort of smile. `No going back; not ever . . .'

 

There wasn't, was there? Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run . . . the only thing she had was the hope that she could elude them long enough to see her vengeance through.

 

She'd spent her entire life hiding in the shadows; had run so far for so long that it was the only thing she really knew. What did Bas the Hunter hide behind those golden eyes? What sort of things had he grown up with? A loving home, no doubt . . . a beautiful life full of smiles and laughter? A mother who tucked him in at night until he got old enough to make her stop? A father who went to all his football games and said silly things, like, “That's my boy . . .” Siblings? Pets? The golden dream . . .

 

Unleashing a piercing scream as a firm hand wrapped around her wrist and jerked her to her feet, Sydnie was whipped around, crashing straight into the very solid mass of a body—Bas the Hunter's body. Glowering down at her behind a mask of barely contained irritation, he looked like he'd rather choke her than capture her, and just for a moment, her heart skipped a beat.

 

“Care to tell me why you bitch-slapped me back there?”

 

“So you caught me.”

 

“Yeah. Answer my question.”

 

“What are you going to do with me?” she countered.

 

Eyes shrouded in the darkness as he glared down at her, Sydnie wished that she could read his eyes. She could sense the barely contained anger that flowed through him, and though he wasn't holding onto her tightly, he was definitely too strong for her to easily gain her freedom. “I could have sworn I told you: you're coming with me.”

 

“I'd love to take you up on that,” she drawled, “but I've got things to do. You'll understand.”

 

“You don't have a choice. Don't make me lock you up.”

 

“Lock me up? That sounds fun . . .”

 

“Are you going to try to escape?”

 

She smiled. “Every chance I get.”

 

He sighed, reaching into the inner breast pocket of his black leather duster. Her eyes flared as she watched him pull a set of shiny silver handcuffs, and she couldn't suppress her amusement as he slapped one around her wrist without taking his gaze off her.

 

“You don't really think those are going to stop me, do you?”

 

He chuckled. “Actually, I do.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Ofuda.”

 

“What?”

 

He shrugged as he clipped the other handcuff around her free wrist. “Ofuda. Paper charms. The scrolls are sealed inside the metal. If you had a mind to escape by transforming into an energy form, you can't.”

 

“Oh, now, that's sneaky.”

 

“And coldcocking me wasn't?”

 

“You're not going to hold that against me, are you?”

 

“Let's try this again,” he said, ignoring her question. “Who are you, really?”

 

“Not this again . . . I've told you, right? I'm Kit.”

 

“You've also said you're Sydnie.”

 

“I am.”

 

He stared at her for several moments. “So you're saying you're both Kit and Sydnie?”

 

“You catch on quick, puppy. Not just a pretty face, are you?”

 

“Are you schizophrenic?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then how can you be both Sydnie and Kit?”

 

She rolled her eyes and giggled. “Come now, Bas the Hunter. Surely you've heard of aliases before.”

 

“Ri-i-ight.”

 

“Don't you think that this is a little extreme?” she questioned, holding up her bound hands.

 

“Nope.”

 

“But I can't pet the puppy this way,” she pouted.

 

Bas snorted, grasping her arm as he prepared to leap from the roof.

 

“So you are trying to kill me,” she said before he could jump.

 

He stopped abruptly and glowered at her. “What?”

 

“How am I supposed to jump when my hands are tied up?”

 

“You're a cat. You'll land on your feet.”

 

“Without my arms, I'll lose my balance. Killing your quarry? Then where will you be?”

 

“And how do you know I haven't changed my mind about killing you?”

 

She grinned. “You haven't. Your tai-youkai wanted me alive, didn't he?”

 

“That was before you decided to sucker-punch me.”

 

“Hardly a sucker-punch. You should have known that a murderer can't be trusted.”

 

“Just move it, cat.”

 

“Well, if you're supposed to bring me in alive, then you'll be in trouble if I die when you drag me off the roof.”

 

He sighed and rolled his eyes as he pondered her not so subtle threat. With a frustrated grunt, he hefted her up over his shoulder and hopped off the roof before she could protest. As soon as he lit on the ground, he let her slip off his shoulder. She stumbled but managed to catch her balance as she shot him a fulminating glare; as she tried not to blush at the obvious insult.

 

“Move it, will you?”

 

Cheeks burning at the hunter's brusque treatment, Sydnie narrowed her eyes as she glowered up at him. “I don't think I will.”

 

“Suit yourself,” he growled as he reached for her again.

 

Sydnie stepped back in retreat and nearly stumbled over a large rock behind her. “I don't think so.”

 

“Then walk.”

 

Seeing no way around the intolerable predicament, Sydnie stomped away with a heavy sigh. Bas fell in step beside her, deigning only to grunt and point when they reached the end of the block. She turned to the left, following the sidewalk that he'd indicated. `I can't believe he's such a jerk!' she fumed as her purse strap slid off her shoulder. The bag thumped against her knee as she continued to stride forward.

 

`Well, you can't really say you didn't earn that.'

 

`That's irrelevant. I thought he was nicer than that.'

 

`Nice? You want nice? You clocked him with your purse, Sydnie! It's a little late for `nice', I think . . .'

 

The brush of his fingertips against her arm made her falter, and Sydnie stopped short, staring incredulously as Bas the Hunter clumsily pulled her purse strap up and let it fall on her shoulder again. “Thank you,” she said before she could stop herself.

 

He shrugged and started walking again. “You got lead in that thing?”

 

She blinked as her gaze fell to her bag, and for a moment, she almost smiled. “Nope, bricks.”

 

“I thought as much.”

 

“I'm sorry I hit you,” she muttered.

 

It was his turn to stop and stare at her, his eyes hidden in shadows. The chill breeze rippled through his hair, carrying an odd but inviting scent of wood and sun-dried grass. “Come on,” he finally said, turning away from her as he moved on. “We're leaving first thing in the morning.”

 

“Leaving? How?”

 

Bas sighed. “Not sure. I have to call my—the tai-youkai and ask him how he wants you brought in. If you really are Kit, then the human authorities are probably looking for you.”

 

“Human authorities? You mean the cops? They don't frighten me.”

 

Bas shook his head and snorted. “Yeah, well, we don't really need to mess with them if we don't have to, right?”

 

“We? Hmm . . . that has a nice ring to it . . .”

 

“There is no `we', Sydnie. There's just me, and this `me' is taking you back to Maine so you can plead your case to the tai-youkai.”

 

“I'd rather eat dirt than talk to him,” she quipped pleasantly.

 

“Ah, then it's a good idea that you don't get to choose. You're already scrawny enough. You look like a sack of wet cats, you know. Can't think that eating dirt would help that, in any case.”

 

“A sack of—!” she sputtered indignantly, trying in vain to jerk her hands through the tight confines of the handcuffs. “Why, you—”

 

“Just move it, will you?” he grumbled. “I'm tired, and for some reason, my head feels like it's going to explode.”

 

Snapping her mouth closed at the blatant reminder, Sydnie kept walking. She tried to catch the eyes of a passing group of teenagers, but they all seemed too busy to notice her plight. `That's fine,' she thought as she bit her lip and kept moving. `I'll find a way to escape . . .'

 

`Maybe you should go with him, Syd . . .'

 

`What?'

 

`Think about it: you need to get to New York City, right?'

 

Frowning as she realized the truth in that, Sydnie slowed her pace. `Sure, but with him?'

 

`Why not? At least you won't have to travel alone.'

 

`There's nothing wrong with being alone.'

 

`Of course not, but you know, at least you won't have to worry about getting there, or did you really think the hundred bucks you lifted off Richardson would get you all the way across the country?'

 

Sydnie grudgingly conceded the truth of that as she stole another glance at the hunter. Eyes shifting around as he scanned the street for trouble, he looked deep in thought.

 

`He'd just be a means to an end, right?'

 

Sydnie's youkai voice laughed. `. . . Sure, Syd. Sure . . .'

 

 

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A/N:

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Final Thought fromBas:

Bricks …

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Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Phantasm): I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al. I do offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid characters for me to terrorize.

 

~Sue~