InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 5: Phantasm ❯ Leaving Home ( Chapter 41 )

~~Chapter 41~~

~Leaving Home~

 

“Looks like they're leaving.”

 

InuYasha sat up from his slouch in the branches of the tree that offered the best view of the mansion, narrowing his gaze as he spotted the cat-youkai and his grandson packing things into the trunk of the rental car. “About fucking time,” he grumbled, snapping his flip-phone closed.

 

“How's Mother?”

 

“Tellin' me to hurry it up . . . what do you think?”

 

Ryomaru grinned. “You mean she really misses you?”

 

InuYasha grunted. “Keh!”

 

They had been out for quite some time. InuYasha hadn't really expected the mission to be easy. The most irritating facet of their quest, however, wasn't the task, itself. No, it was the constant waiting and watching. He was of the opinion that they should have just located the Onyx's headquarters and busted in with all guns blazing. Cain, however, had wanted Bas to take care of things, himself. Bas wouldn't have known if they had gone in and taken care of business InuYasha's way. Too bad Gin had agreed with her irritating mate, damn it all to hell . . .

 

Bas stopped suddenly, holding the passenger side door open for Sydnie. Glancing around carefully, he looked as though he sensed something. InuYasha retreated further into the cover of the tangled branches. Bas couldn't see them, he was sure, and the wind was carrying their scents away. Ryomaru noticed it, too, and he gripped the branch he was straddling, leaning forward to better scan the area. “Old man . . .”

 

InuYasha's eyes flared wide, and he nodded. He sensed it, too. Coming from the east, the obvious presence of an unknown youkai tinged with a bitterness so strong that InuYasha had to grit his teeth to keep himself from growling out loud. The unmistakable youki surged and flowed with an electric force.

 

“Damn it,” InuYasha ground out, teeth clenched and fingers tightening around the branch where he was perched.

 

“There's another,” Ryomaru said quietly. “I can feel it.”

 

“Me, too,” InuYasha replied. Not nearly as angry, not as much of a threat, the second youki was dulled by the malignant rage in the first.

 

“Bounty hunters?”

 

InuYasha nodded without taking his eyes off the far edge of the trees—the same place where Bas was staring, Triumvirate clenched tight in his hand. “You know the drill,” he growled, tamping down the absurd surge of irritation inspired by the notion that he didn't dare interfere. Sure, he understood the logic, and on some level, he agreed. Still it grated on his nerves, the encompassing feeling that he couldn't do a damn thing when all he wanted was to charge in and protect one he considered his own. `Bas ain't a baby any more,' he reminded himself. In the last battle, the pup had more than proven himself, as far as InuYasha was concerned. Eight against one wasn't good odds, and despite the outcome, InuYasha had been proud to see his grandson fight so well.

 

Ryomaru nodded and dropped to the ground to skirt the perimeter of the high security wall. InuYasha sprang to the branches of a nearby tree, opting to take the high route instead of the safer, less conspicuous ground.

 

`Musta taken out the guards,' InuYasha thought with a snort as he vaulted through the trees. `Two on one? Better odds . . . Bas'll be just fine . . .'

 

The cougar-youkai swaggered out of the trees, brandishing a blood-stained sword in the watery winter sunlight. “Your father's security is lax,” the youkai called out.

 

Bas mumbled something to Sydnie before stepping away from the car and striding toward the bounty hunter. “Who are you?” he demanded, his tone careful, calculated.

 

“I am Jeb Christopher, son of the Zelig—your judge, your jury, and your executioner.”

 

“Leader of the Onyx?” Bas replied. “You can't have her.”

 

Jeb snorted derisively, casting Sydnie a scathing glance before turning his glower on Bas once more. “I couldn't care less about her,” he growled. “You're the one I want.”

 

“And why is that?” Bas countered. “Because you sent your pup to do your job? Did you really think I'd let him take her? You're not really stupid enough to believe that.”

 

“He was doing his job.”

 

Bas narrowed his eyes, gripping his sword tighter and bringing it before him in a ready stance. “As was I.”

 

“Yes, well, not for long.”

 

InuYasha sprang to the next tree, intent on locating the second youkai, as Jeb unleashed his first attack. Slamming his sword into the ground, the shockwave of crackling blue light streaked across the ground. Bas blocked the wave with one of his own, and the conflicting attacks exploded in an earth-shaking blast of white light and the bite of a fabricated wind. From his vantage point, InuYasha gritted his teeth and dug his claws into the branch, waiting for a moment to make sure that Bas was all right before leaping to the next tree.

 

Bas lowered his sword though it was still high enough to fend off any impending attacks as Jeb smiled—a grim visage of mocking insincerity. “Your father is a fool . . . sending his heir to do his dirty work. Surely he realized that there might be danger. An awfully big risk to take with the future tai-youkai,” Jeb sneered.

 

“Same could be said for you,” Bas pointed out. “Sending your son after Sydnie? You're a bigger fool than my father, I'd say.”

 

Jeb growled in reply—a sound more akin to a caterwaul—as his youki spiked and crackled. InuYasha leapt to the roof of the mansion. Ryomaru could take care of the second youkai, and he'd be damned if he'd let Bas out of his sight. A promise was a promise, after all, even if he hated the idea of sitting back and watching . . .

 

Sprinting forward, sword drawn back, Jeb's face was contorted in absolute hatred and consuming rage. Bas raised Triumvirate in time to block the descending blade, and with a mighty shove, he sent the cougar-youkai sliding back. He regained his footing well enough as Bas leveled Triumvirate straight at Jeb's chest. “Walk away and call off your hunters,” Bas warned quietly. “She is under the protection of the tai-youkai now, and you can't have her.”

 

“I've told you, Zelig: I don't want her. She's nothing but a paycheck to me, but you . . . This is personal . . .”

 

“There's nothing personal in hunting—for the tai-youkai or otherwise. Surely you know that?”

 

“Don't tell me what I know, and don't try to lecture me! Just shut up and die!” Lunging at Bas once more, Jeb swung his sword with a loud grunt. The whistle of the blade slicing through the air was cut off as Bas met the weapon with his own. Jeb flicked his wrists, bringing his sword lower. Bas blocked the attack, wrenching Triumvirate's hilt in an effort to disarm Jeb. Letting go with one hand, Jeb let Bas' action roll the blade of his sword in a compact circle before righting his grip. Bas jumped back to avoid an upward thrust of Jeb's sword, whipping around in a tight circle to meet the blade and knock it away.

 

Bas grimaced, lowering his sword and squaring his right shoulder before barreling into Jeb's chest. The youkai skidded back, the heels of his boots leaving tracks in the snow. Bas strode toward him, extending Triumvirate, letting it hover inches away from Jeb's jugular with one steady hand. “I told you once; I'm telling you again: get out of here. Go home to your wife, and leave it alone.”

 

Jeb narrowed his gaze, his wiry frame doubled over. He slowly stood up, hair whipping in the wind. InuYasha crouched low on the roof, hand resting lightly on Tetsusaiga's hilt. From his vantage point, he could see the youkai's grim determination. He could appreciate what his grandson was trying to do, but Jeb Christopher wasn't about to turn around and walk away. InuYasha grimaced. As much as he hated to admit as much, he could understand Jeb Christopher's determination. He'd felt much the same way, years ago when Nezumi had been kidnapped; when Ryomaru had been in trouble . . .

 

“InuYasha,” Kagome called after InuYasha, stopping him as he headed for the door. “Take Tetsusaiga. Don't ask me why. Just . . . Just do it.”

 

An unmistakable chill ran up InuYasha's spine. He couldn't remember the last time she'd asked him to carry his sword, not in this world. In Sengoku Jidai so long ago, Tetsusaiga had become an extension of him. He had used his father's sword to protect Kagome and their friends. When he used Tetsusaiga now, it was in practice, with his pups, teaching those skills he hoped they'd never have to use.

 

Kagome knew and understood this, and if she was asking him to take Tetsusaiga with him, then maybe the fear in her mind was larger, more ominous than even Naraku. The fear of one of their children in trouble . . .

 

The dank, dusty building . . . the stench of decaying wood and the reek of the errant youkai . . . Nezumi started to dash toward Ryomaru only to be intercepted by a horde of youkai. Ryomaru unleashed a savage growl and lurched forward. InuYasha caught his arm. “Don't be stupid, pup! That's what they want.”

 

InuYasha had to stand back and watch as Ryomaru stood his ground against the assembled youkai . . . They'd found out somehow that Ryomaru had just marked Nezumi and was weakened by the significant loss of blood. “As long as they have Nezumi, they have the upper hand,” InuYasha muttered under his breath. “Damn them . . .”

 

InuYasha blinked away the lingering memory. Yes, he knew the desire to protect his own. Yes, he understood the pain that losing someone that close would bring. In both cases where he'd intervened, first with his son years ago and now with Bas, the cowards had chosen the dishonorable path, sending their numbers after their intended targets without concern for fairness or that what they were trying to protect ultimately was the wrong thing.

 

The difference was that Jeb had stupidly sent his son out on that mission, and he should have realized that there was always a certain level of danger in that sort of mission, and even Bas was playing by the rules. He fought his own battles unless the odds were stacked against him. That was more than could be said for Jeb Christopher and his band of thugs . . .

 

Jeb spun around, his sword forcing Bas' away. Bas allowed the contact and followed it through so that he didn't lose grip on his sword. He'd learned his lessons well, hadn't he? Blades crossing with the screech of metal grinding against metal, yellow-white sparks spilled like a waterfall from the seam where the swords collided. It had become a battle of strength; a show of control and endurance. Bas' eyes glowed in the sparkling light as Jeb's face contorted into a grimace of complete concentration.

 

“Grandpa giv' me a bokken,” three-year old Bas had said solemnly, holding the wooden practice sword out to show his mother and father. InuYasha stood, arms crossed, trying not to smile at the pride that was unmistakable in the young boy's expression.

 

“So he did,” Gin agreed, gently ruffling her son's golden bronze hair. Light spilled in the huge glass doors in the living room of the mansion in Maine, bathing his daughter and his grandson in an ethereal sort of glow.

 

Cain shot InuYasha an inscrutable glance before lowering his gaze back to his son. “You learn how to use that, Bas,” Cain had said. “You've got a lot of things to protect.”

 

Kagome rested her hand on InuYasha's forearm. “You'll teach him, right?”

 

InuYasha snorted. “Keh! Of course I will!”

 

And he had. Damn straight, he had. It had seemed to InuYasha that every generation had one who was better at fighting than the rest, and while the others were good enough to be considered formidable, one always seemed to stand out. In the first generation, it had been Ryomaru. In the second, well . . . InuYasha doubted that anyone could actually take down Bas without dealing him dirty, as Christopher had tried to do when he'd sent out eight hunters . . .

 

Jeb shoved Bas hard enough to make him stumble. Claws flashing, moving so fast that they were little more than a blur of motion, he caught Bas' cheek. Bas hissed in pain but stood his ground, blocking the descending blow of the sword with Triumvirate. Jeb kicked out, catching Bas in the gut, and Bas slipped on the snow, landing in a crouch: one hand on his sword, the other wrapped over his stomach.

 

Christopher wasted no time. Dashing forward, he raised his sword. Bas blocked the attack and slowly forced himself to his feet once more, slipping on the snow as he dug his heels in and braced his stance. Bas had pure size on his side. Towering over the cougar-youkai, his presence seemed to engulf the area. Jeb, however, wasn't above fighting dirty, and with a fluid jab of his balled-up fist, he snapped Bas' head to the side, whipping around, dislodging his sword, and cleaving a clean arc through the air.

 

Bas spun away in time to avoid the brunt of the youkai's attack but not fast enough to elude it completely. The sword's sharp point sliced through Bas' leather duster, drawing a fine spray of crimson blood that stained the pristine white of the snow. Triumvirate clattered to the ground as Bas clutched his right bicep and staggered back. Sydnie screamed his name and darted forward, stopping only when he held up his hand and uttered a terse little growl—a warning.

 

Jeb tossed his sword to the side, holding his hands before his chest as a malignant black ball of energy started to grow. “You're formidable,” he allowed in a condescending growl, “but not nearly formidable enough.”

 

InuYasha dug his claws into the roof and gritted his teeth. Bas glanced down at his blood-covered hand and shook his head. Flicking his wrist, unleashing five crimson blades, Bas yelled the name of the attack that InuYasha had taught him years ago: “Hijin-ketsusou!”

 

The blades of blood whipped past Jeb's face, forcing him to let go of the energy blast. The ball of black light zipped past Bas, well off the intended target. It slammed into the ground with a force that shook the earth. InuYasha nodded his approval though he refused to relax until the fight was over.

 

Bas dashed forward, drawing his left arm back, cracking his knuckles. Jeb vaulted off the ground to meet him halfway. He screeched in pain as Bas' claws shredded the flesh of his chest. Reaching, struggling, grabbing . . . the youkai dug his claws into the left side of Bas' throat. With a grunt of pain, Bas shoved Jeb away, using him as a springboard, leaping backward out of the range of the cougar-youkai's arm.

 

He was losing a lot of blood from that wound. InuYasha grimaced and bit into his cheek, digging his claws deeper into the roofing to keep himself from entering the fray. `Bas' fight, damn it . . .' he reminded himself furiously. `Bas' fight . . .'

 

Jeb sensed that he had Bas cornered. With a loud wail, he sprang again. Bas smashed his hand over his throat to staunch the flow of blood, raising his elbow to fend off the youkai. Jeb pulled his hands back, throwing all his weight at Bas with the force of his strike. Bas tumbled to the ground, landing flat on his back about ten feet away. Jeb raised his hands again, summoning another energy ball and unleashed it as Bas managed to stumble to his feet.

 

The blur of movement was almost too fast for him to discern. InuYasha shot to his feet as the cat-youkai darted forward into the path of the coming blast. She didn't even scream as the energy ball erupted around her, blasting her backward, tossing her body as though she were little more than a rag doll. Bas screamed her name as she struck against the corner of the mansion and crumpled to the ground. For a split second, InuYasha thought that Bas might give in to the need to check on Sydnie.

 

Dashing forward, though, he stooped long enough to retrieve his sword without missing a step, hefting Triumvirate over his head with a grunt of pain as his arm protested the motion. The crackle of energy that ignited around the blade of the sword signaled that he'd located the fissure between his youki and Jeb's.

 

Smashing Triumvirate into the ground, Bas grunted as the force of the impact reverberated up his arm. The flames of Bas' version of the Kaze no Kizu shot out, engulfing Jeb in a violent explosion of heat and light and wind. The youkai's scream of agony lingered long after his body disintegrated in ashes.

 

Bas dropped his sword, chest heaving as he struggled to breath and ran to the fallen cat-youkai.

 

InuYasha glanced around for a moment before dashing across the roof once more, intent on finding Ryomaru to make certain that he'd located the second youkai. `Keh! Of course he did! He's the best hunter in Japan—and he's my son, damn it . . .'

 

Still he had to make sure . . .

 

Ryomaru was easy to find. On the other side of the estate near the back entrance, he found his son. Leaning lazily against the askew gate, Ryomaru nodded at the nearby female—a hawk-youkai. She stood rather docilely, her hands confined in handcuffs made with ofuda to seal her. Though she stared at InuYasha with a wariness that bespoke her reluctance, she didn't actually seem afraid.

 

“Bas okay?”

 

InuYasha nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he eyed the hawk-youkai. “Who's she?”

 

“Myrna Loy—Christopher's second-in-command, she says. She's agreed to give up the names of the ones who ordered the bounty in exchange for her life.”

 

InuYasha snorted. “For him to decide, ain't it?”

 

Ryomaru nodded, understanding that the `him' InuYasha was speaking of was Bas' father, who InuYasha never deigned to call by name. “She says that Jeb was the last of the hunters. Bas should be home free now.”

 

“Good,” InuYasha grumbled. “We need to get the hell outta here before the pup realizes we were watching him.”

 

Ryomaru shoved himself away from the wall, grabbing the youkai's arm and propelling her toward the forest beyond the estate walls. InuYasha closed the gate and ducked into the guardhouse, grimacing at the blood splattering the surveillance equipment and master control panel. He could hear Ryomaru's voice—muffled by the stout cinderblock walls. He'd probably called Zelig already. InuYasha hit the button that locked the gate and stepped back outside, pulling the door behind closed after turning the deadbolt lock.

 

He could leave Ryomaru to explain things to Zelig. Catching his son's eye, InuYasha nodded, leaping up onto the guardhouse before vaulting into a tree nearby. Satisfied that everything was under control, he just had one more thing to check on. He was safe enough, under the circumstances. He knew from personal experience that the scent of her blood would preclude anything else that lingered nearby in Bas' mind. He could easily check to make sure that Sydnie was okay without drawing Bas' notice . . .

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Sydnie? Baby? Wake up . . .”

 

Sydnie moaned softly, brows furrowing together as she tried to bury her face against Bas' chest.

 

Bas grimaced and gently tapped her cheek. “Come on, kitty . . . open your eyes . . .”

 

She whimpered and burrowed closer. “N-n-n . . .”

 

He could feel the panic subsiding but couldn't quite brush aside the fear that nearly choked him. Carefully maneuvering her so that he could locate the source of the smell of blood, Bas kept talking, blinking back the burn that stung his eyes. “Wake up, please? Look at me . . .”

 

“Sebas . . . tian?” she mumbled weakly, waving her hand to try to brush him aside. “Wh . . . what?”

 

“God, baby,” he rasped out, crushing her against his chest as he closed his eyes. A surge of relief shot through him. He swallowed hard, unable to repress he terse bark of choked emotion that raged through him. “You're so stupid! How could you be so stupid? Damn it, I—you—we . . .” He winced. “I'm sorry, kitty . . . I'm so sorry . . .”

 

“M-my head,” she whispered. “Where is—?”

 

“He's gone,” Bas assured her, kissing her forehead, stroking her cheek, holding her close. “Don't ever do that again, kitty . . . God, you scared the shit out of me.”

 

“Bas?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Why are you . . .?”

 

Bas sniffled and shook his head, but couldn't summon the will to smile. Impossible to find the words to explain just how his heart had slammed to a halt. Seeing her body flying through the air . . . she was too precious to him, and the fear that had choked him—the need to get to her . . . He'd never forgive himself for letting her be in any kind of danger . . . It had been pure rage that had lent him the strength to take out Jeb Christopher. Now that it was over, and he knew that she'd be safe . . . The late emotion was too much, and the tears that streaked down his cheeks couldn't be staunched. Forcing himself to his feet without letting go of her, Bas carried her into the house and up the stairs to his room. She reached up, clumsily wiping his tears away before sighing softly and snuggling closer to him, content to let him take care of her.

 

He sat on the bed, dragging his cell phone out of his pocket and scrolling through the numbers before finding the one he wanted. Unmindful for once of what time it might be in Tokyo, Bas dialed the number and gently shook Sydnie to keep her awake.

 

“Bas? Something wrong?”

 

Bas grimaced at the note of concern in Kichiro's voice. “Sort of.”

 

“Yeah? Okay, what's up?”

 

“Sydnie . . . she took a hit, and it knocked her out . . . a little bleeding, but nothing serious . . .”

 

“It knocked her out?”

 

Bas nodded. “Yes.”

 

Kichiro sighed. “Is she having trouble focusing on things?”

 

“No.”

 

“Okay, good. Listen, I'd say she's okay, but keep her awake for a couple hours, if you're worried. You can't really tell with bumps on the head, so . . .”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Bas agreed. “Thanks, Kich.”

 

“Not a problem. Call me back if you need anything else.”

 

“Will do.” Bas hung up the phone and gently shook Sydnie again. “Hey . . . wake up, baby . . .”

 

“Tired,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “So tired . . .”

 

Bas grimaced and squeezed his eyes closed, resting his cheek on her hair. “Don't go to sleep, baby . . . Just don't go to sleep . . . not yet.”

 

“Is this payback for me not letting you sleep the other day?” she asked, her tone sulky.

 

“You could call it that,” he agreed. “Just . . . stay awake, okay?”

 

She nodded and heaved a sigh. “He's really gone?”

 

Bas sighed, too. “Yeah.”

 

“And he was the last one?”

 

“I won't know until I talk to Dad and Gunnar, but I think so . . . he was the boss, anyway.”

 

“I'm sorry,” she mumbled as her eyes drifted closed. “I don't want you to be in danger anymore.”

 

“I know,” he assured her, grimacing as some of his hair that had dried on the blood staining his neck pulled free. He sorely needed to clean up and check his wounds. At the moment, though, Sydnie was far more important. “It's over now, kitty. You're safe.”

 

 

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A/N:

Flashback sequencing taken from Purity 3: Forever, Chapter 40: Pact with the Devil, and adapted from Purity 3: Forever, Chapter 41: Splintering the Sun.

Bokken: wooden practice sword.

Hijin-ketsusou: Blades of Blood.

Kaze no Kizu: Wind Scar.

== == == == == == == == == ==

Final Thought fromSydnie:

Safe?

==========

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~