InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 5: Phantasm ❯ Sunset ( Chapter 53 )

~~Chapter 53~~

~Sunset~

 

“Damn, kitten. Your hands are freezing,” Gunnar complained.

 

Sydnie managed a weak little giggle and smoothed her dress. “I knew I should have tried harder to talk the puppy into eloping,” she complained.

 

“What? And take away my chance to—” he coughed delicately, “—be your daddy? I don't think so.”

 

“How do I look?” she asked, stepping back and holding her hands out before turning around slowly so that he could get the full effect.

 

Gunnar sighed. “Tell me again: why are you marrying my baka cousin when you'd be so much happier with me?”

 

Sydnie giggled again, and this one sounded much more natural. “Because he's my puppy!”

 

“I'll be your puppy,” he informed her.

 

She rolled her eyes, fussing with the hem of the short white gown she'd chosen. “You wouldn't roll over for me, Gunsie, and you know it.”

 

“Well . . . you'll never know, will you?”

 

“Ri-i-i-ight.”

 

“I could be persuaded,” he went on. “Mutually beneficial—the perfect sort of relationship.”

 

“Oh? And where's that girl you brought with you?”

 

Gunnar chuckled. “She's around here, somewhere . . . I left her with Evan.”

 

“And you're not afraid that he'll try to charm the pants off her?”

 

“Oh, he'll try. She doesn't make a habit of sleeping with pups, though.”

 

“Is this the same girl you were seeing when we first got here?”

 

“No.” Gunnar flicked a non-existent bit of lint off the immaculate sleeve of his traditional garments. All white with black embroidery on his shoulders and sleeves, she'd been told that his clothing looked almost identical to Sesshoumaru and Toga's. She wrinkled her nose. “How many stinking tai-youkai and wanna-be tai-youkai are in this family?” she grouched, leaning her head to the side to fasten one of the diamond earrings Bas had given her the night before.

 

“Ask me no questions; I'll tell you no lies, Sydnie,” Gunnar quipped.

 

“That many?” she concluded, unable to keep the hint of horror out of her tone.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Disgusting.”

 

“Not too late to back out,” he reminded her.

 

She rolled her eyes. “Well if I left Sebastian, it certainly wouldn't be for another tai-youkai.”

 

Gunnar laughed and checked his watch. Sydnie laughed since the timepiece looked completely out of place with the ceremonial garb he sported. “It's about that time, kitty. You sure you want to do this? My car's parked in a strategic place: perfect for the quick getaway . . .”

 

“I'm sure,” she replied with a nervous little giggle. “I'm ready.”

 

Jillian hurried over to her, her pretty face bright with an anxious sort of excitement, carefully hugging Sydnie while trying to keep from mussing either of their dresses. Gin hadn't seemed very happy about Sydnie's choice of dress for Jillian since it was almost exactly the same as the bride's gown. In fact, the only real difference was the lack of embroidery around the hem of the skirt on Jillian's dress and the color since Jillian's was a light champagne colored silk. Still, Sydnie liked the overall effect and smiled.

 

“You look fantastic,” the girl insisted, holding Sydnie by the shoulders and giving her the critical once-over. “Wow, Madison really did an awesome job with your hair, didn't she?”

 

Sydnie nodded, glancing quickly at the full length mirror. Hair swept up and away from her face and cascading from the pearl hair pins adorned with fine iridescent sprays that reminded Sydnie of fiber-optic wires that lit up and glowed in those tacky lamps that were always glowing in the store window of an electronics store back in Los Angeles. She didn't wear a veil, and the silk dress wasn't fancy. Cut in the front to the length of most of her miniskirts, the hem was cut diagonally, almost touching the floor at her ankles with a soft trim of tiny embroidered leaves in pine green—Bas' color. It was the only embellishment on the form-fitting garment.

 

“I can't believe Cain let Bas sneak in last night,” Gunnar grumbled. “All but opened the door for him, I'd say.”

 

Sydnie fiddled with the compact in her hand, using the brush to touch up her gloss as a secretive little smile toyed at the corners of her lips.

 

Deciding that neither one of them actually wanted a bachelor or bachelorette party, the couple had opted instead to let Gin and Cain host an informal dinner with the immediate family, and while Sydnie was still quite sure that the actual term `immediate family' wasn't supposed to include aunts and uncles, second cousins and his mother's brother's best friend's uncle, twice-removed.

 

She giggled. `Okay, so that last part was a bit of an exaggeration,' she allowed. `It seemed like it, though . . .'

 

The evening had gone well, all things considered. Sydnie still wasn't completely comfortable around Cain Zelig. Bas had laughed at her when she'd told him that she thought that his father was far too intimidating for her comfort.

 

“Wait . . . so you think my dad is . . . intimidating? My dad?” Bas asked incredulously.

 

“Yes, puppy. Far more intimidating than you are.”

 

Bas looked extremely amused, his golden gaze brightened with barely contained laughter. “Really.”

 

“Why is that funny?” she demanded, unable to keep the little scowl off her face.

 

“Because,” he explained, “most people think that I'm more intimidating than he is.”

 

Sydnie wrinkled her nose. “That's ridiculous. Of course you're not! You're just a puppy!”

 

Bas had merely snorted at that but let the subject drop as Gunnar sauntered toward them. “Come on, Bas. You're coming home with me for the night.”

 

“What?” she interrupted, grabbing Bas' arm as an instant and fierce surge of panic swept through her. “No!”

 

Gunnar chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Come on, kitten. It's just for one night. You can have him back tomorrow—and I don't think anyone else would care, either.”

 

Sparing a moment to glower at Gunnar before turning a pleading eye on her mate. “You promised, Sebastian! You swore that we'd never be separated again.”

 

He grimaced. “I know, baby. They say it's bad luck for me to see you before the wedding, is all.”

 

She shook her head. “Bad luck? Bad luck is leaving me here alone,” she mumbled.

 

“It's just for one night, Sydnie. After tomorrow—”

 

“You said that before,” she grumbled. “I don't want to stay here alone.”

 

“It'll be fine,” he insisted though she could tell from his tone that he wasn't any happier about it than she was. That didn't really help. All she wanted to do was to curl up with him; not lay awake all night, wondering whether or not he missed her as much as she missed him . . .

 

“You promised,” she whispered, tugging his arm as she tried to make him understand.

 

Bas grimaced, the guilt that marred his features twisting her stomach unmercifully. “I know I did . . . if I could stay, you know I would.”

 

“But you gave your word,” she reminded him, pouting petulantly as she crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her gaze to the side. “You said you wouldn't let anyone separate us ever.”

 

He sighed. “I know, but it's a tradition—”

 

“A stupid tradition,” she shot back.

 

“—And my mother insists that traditions be upheld.”

 

“You can't leave me here, alone,” she hissed. “You can't!”

 

“Don't you think it's time to get moving?” Cain interrupted, clapping a hand on his son's shoulder.

 

Bas shot his father an irritated scowl as Gunnar stood back with an entirely amused grin on his face. “I was,” he grumbled. “Give me a minute.”

 

Cain nodded, pinning Bas with an inscrutable expression, like he was trying to tell Bas something that Sydnie didn't quite grasp. “Yes, well, there'll be time enough for that later—and don't even think about trying to sneak back in. I'll be watching, you know.”

 

“I know; I know,” Bas replied.

 

“I trust, though, that it's too cold to be trying to sneak in windows,” Cain remarked then shrugged. “See you at the wedding, son.”

 

Bas stared at his father's retreating form as he made his way back over to Gin's side. A slow grin surfaced, and he chuckled as he pulled Sydnie into a reassuring hug. “You look tired, kitty. Why don't you go on to bed?”

 

She snorted, resisting the powerful urge to lean against him.

 

“Oh, and Sydnie?”

 

“What?”

 

His grin widened. “Make it easy for me, will you?”

 

She shook her head in confusion. “What?”

 

He chuckled and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Just make sure that the sliding door is unlocked.”

 

Sydnie giggled as the memory faded. True enough, she'd barely had time to lock the studio door when he'd tapped lightly on the glass balcony door. They'd cuddled well into the night, and when Gin knocked on the door only to find the groom sleeping with the bride-to-be, she'd shooed him out of the room with a long string of dire invectives about bad luck and starting things off on the wrong foot. Sydnie had laughed as Bas shot her a longsuffering look.

 

Now, though, she hadn't seen him since the unceremonious discovery, and she couldn't help but wish that the entire thing were over.

 

“Come on, kitten. Time to go.”

 

Sydnie blinked and nodded, slipping her hand under Gunnar's elbow. “You look great,” he murmured as Jillian opened the door and stepped out into the church foyer. The building was small but quaint; the perfect setting for a more intimate wedding, and Sydnie took comfort in the aged chapel. The very stones under her feet seemed to whisper to her, and she shot a nervous glance at Gunnar before pressing a hand to her belly to steady her nerves. Jillian slipped a bouquet of creamy off-white roses into her hand and kissed the air beside her cheek before skittering over to wrap her arm under Morio's elbow. He turned to wink at her as the double doors were pulled open before straightening his back and escorting Jillian down the aisle in a rustle of slate blue silk. His ceremonial clothes reminded her of the peculiar crimson clothing that InuYasha seemed to favor though since his arrival at the Zelig estate, she'd seen him dressed in more modern apparel, even if the jeans and almost archaic-looking wrap-around off-white shirts that he had worn weren't exactly the height of fashion. Bas had told her one night that they were the kind of shirts normally worn under traditional Japanese haoris, and she nodded. They seemed to fit InuYasha's personality somehow . . .

 

She couldn't see Sebastian. The church was lit with hundreds of white candles, but the light didn't reach the darkened forms standing before the altar. Tamping down the sudden and vicious need to see him; to see his face, she bit her lip and willed the music signaling her entrance to start.

 

The ambient trill of the two pianos' dulcet tones seemed as gentle and perfect as the hush that had fallen over the assembly of guests. Sydnie smiled to herself as Gunnar led her forward past the first instrument that had been set up just inside the double doors. Evan, it seemed, had been convinced to wear a shirt for the occasion. He peered under the raised lid of the white baby grand piano and winked at Sydnie without missing a note. He wore his classic garb—clothing very much like Gunnar's—though his was black with metallic reddish-brown embroidery that looked completely out of place with the diamond nose stud and the glittering golden earrings that rimmed his left ear. A metal studded black leather dog collar completed his ensemble, and Sydnie had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing outright since she had a feeling that Evan had worn that to completely irritate Bas.

 

Faces were lost in a blur as Sydnie moved forward. Gunnar leaned down to whisper to her, and when he did, she laughed. “Who's your daddy, kitten?”

 

Shooting him a quick glance, she couldn't help the gales of laughter that spilled from her lips. Whether he had sensed the nerves that tied her stomach in nervous knots or because he simply wanted to make her laugh, she wasn't sure. Either way, she was grateful for the gentle reminder that her wedding day should be filled with laughter. “You are, of course!” she whispered back.

 

Gunnar chuckled, too.

 

Sebastian's uncle, Kichiro closed his eyes and inclined his head in an abbreviated bow as she passed the second baby grand piano that stood at the head of the small chapel. She smiled at him and drew a deep breath before turning her gaze to the man she was about to marry.

 

Bas looked calm enough, but she could feel the anxiety tingeing his youki. The black silk of his traditional garb served as a stark contrast to the brightness that glowed behind his eyes. The gold clasps that held the pine green cape on his shoulders glinted in the wan light, but the flash of light that glimmered off the pewter keychain—the moon and the dog—dangling from the end-cap of Triumvirate's hilt offered her a semblance of comfort that she sorely needed.

 

Gunnar ignored Bas' hand that he held out for Sydnie, kissing her cheek and squeezing her cold hands before casting Bas a condescending glower as he put her hand on Bas' and stepped back.

 

“You look beautiful, kitty,” he whispered.

 

Sydnie tried not to blush. “You don't look so bad, yourself.”

 

“You ready to get this over with?”

 

She nodded, and he finally smiled.

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Welcome to the family, Sydnie,” Gin remarked as she hugged her new daughter-in-law. Bas grinned as Sydnie shot him an amused glance and hugged Gin back. “You look lovely!”

 

“Thank you,” Sydnie murmured, nodding her thanks as Gunnar slipped a glass of champagne into her hand in passing.

 

“I can't believe she married you,” he complained, eyeing Bas rather dubiously.

 

Bas shrugged. “Of course she married me. Why wouldn't she?”

 

“No reason. I just thought she'd figure out that you're as dull as dishwater, is all.”

 

“Careful, Mamoruzen.”

 

“Yes, well . . .”

 

“She wouldn't have wanted to be with you, anyway.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Bas grinned. “It's bad enough she's married to the next North American tai-youkai. You really think that she'd want to be the Inu no Taisho's granddaughter, even if it is only by marriage?”

 

“That's true,” Gunnar confessed. “Damn.”

 

Standing across the room, Gunnar's sister, Charity was talking to Ben with her hand on his forearm while he leaned down to better hear her. Bas nodded at them. “What do you make of that?” he mused mildly.

 

Gunnar followed the direction of Bas' attention and frowned. “No idea,” he remarked. “Ben's probably just humoring her.”

 

Bas shrugged again. “I don't know, Gunnar . . . she's touching him.”

 

Gunnar snorted. “Keh! That doesn't mean anything. I think Evan turned up the band's amplifiers.”

 

Bas rolled his eyes but nodded. In the course of a couple of hours, the band that had been hired to entertain during the reception had become increasingly loud. Come to think of it, he had seen Evan over there talking to the guys during one of the breaks. He shook his head but smiled. “So who is she?” Bas commented, jerking his head toward Gunnar's date—a swan-youkai he had introduced as Belinda Marmoutte—who was chatting away with Sesshoumaru Inutaisho at the moment.

 

Gunnar glanced over and shrugged. “Isabelle introduced us.”

 

“Did she?”

 

He shrugged again. “She's a medical student in Izzy's class.”

 

“Yeah, okay. Why did you bring her along if you weren't going to spend any time with her?”

 

Gunnar rolled his eyes but jerked his head toward another couple: his parents. “I've spent time with her,” he remarked rather airily. “Just because she doesn't hang all over me doesn't mean we aren't compatible.”

 

“Compatible?” Bas echoed, judiciously hiding his amusement behind his champagne flute. “Compatible, how?”

 

Gunnar shrugged despite the wolfish grin he tried to hide behind his champagne flute. “In the only way that matters, Bastian.”

 

Bas rolled his eyes. “Mate material?”

 

Gunnar snorted. “Keh! No.”

 

“Ah, but your mother and father look so hopeful.”

 

“Bite your tongue, Bas-tard. Father knows that I'll do that when the time comes. As for mother? When doesn't she worry about my marital status—and the need to produce an heir?”

 

Bas did chuckle at the absolute revulsion writ in his cousin's expression. “Your disdain for children is completely unnatural,” he pointed out.

 

Gunnar snorted. “I don't dislike children,” he countered. “I just don't like them—at least, not until they're older.”

 

“You don't, huh? Then why do you get that panicked look on your mug every time you're faced with a baby?”

 

“I don't panic,” he grumbled. “They're just . . . loud . . . and they smell weird.”

 

“They're babies,” Bas remarked acerbically.

 

“Just because you've succumbed to the overwhelming desire to be someone's bitch doesn't mean that I will,” Gunnar shot back.

 

Bas rolled his eyes. “You have such a colorful way with words.”

 

“Don't I?”

 

That earned Gunnar a marked snort. Gunnar slapped Bas' shoulder and wandered off toward Morio and Mikio, who were sitting at a table nearby.

 

“Now that doesn't look good,” Cain commented as he stopped beside Bas. Following the direction of his father's gaze, Bas grimaced and handed the champagne flute over to a passing waiter as he watched Evan talk to the band members. Waving his arms in an exaggerated gesture, Evan pointed at the stage then draped his hands on his lean hips.

 

“Fifty bucks says he'll sing something entirely inappropriate,” Bas remarked.

 

“A hundred bucks says that your mother won't catch it,” Cain added.

 

“You're on.”

 

Cain shook his hand, and they both stood back, crossing their arms over their chests as they watched the scenario unfold. Sure enough, Evan hopped onto the stage with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, patting his thigh as he tapped his foot, waiting for the cadence of the music to start. One by one, the guests fell silent, watching the youth on the stage. Evan's grin widened, and he winked at Bas before clearing his throat and glancing at the musicians behind him. “I didn't buy anything for the couple. Thought I'd dedicate a song to them, instead. Sydnie . . . bubby . . . this one's for you.”

 

Bas shot his father a quick glance and waited for the proverbial gauntlet to fall. Gin sidled up beside Cain, slipping her arm around his waist and leaning against his chest with a happy sigh. “Evan's so sweet!” she remarked.

 

Cain coughed indelicately. “Sweet, huh? We'll see about that.”

 

“Maybe you ought to stop him,” Bas remarked as Cain grimaced.

 

“A song for us?” Sydnie mused, wrapping her arms around Bas' bicep.

 

“Too late,” Cain muttered as the preliminary notes rang through the air.

 

“Oh . . . my . . . God . . .” Bas groaned. He recognized the song right away since it was one of the ones that Evan so loved to blast on his monstrosity of a stereo system. `Nailed Her Down,' the song was called . . . “You owe me fifty bucks, Dad.”

 

“I like this song,” Gin intoned with a little giggle.

 

Cain snorted. “Pfft. You have any idea what this song is about?”

 

Gin shrugged. “Well, sure! It's about understanding women.”

 

Cain choked and shot Bas a knowing grin since the song wasn't really about that, at all. “And you owe me a hundred,” he mumbled.

 

“`Nailed her down . . . licked her cream . . . all night long . . . she makes me scream . . .'” Gin sang along.

 

Cain's choking escalated into a terse bark. “Uh, Gin . . .”

 

She waved a hand at her mate, bobbing up and down on her toes as she watched her youngest son's antics. “He sings so well!”

 

Bas stifled a groan as Cain grimaced. “Baby girl . . .”

 

“`She's my slow grind . . . the beat of my drum . . . all night long . . . and when she goes I co—'”

 

Cain slapped a hand over Gin's mouth before the last word was finished. Sydnie giggled, covering her lips with her hand as Bas shook his head and sighed. “Gin . . . sweetie . . .”

 

She blinked up at Cain.

 

He winced. “I don't think this song is about understanding women.”

 

She shook her head, her eyebrows drawing together in a marked scowl as his hand fell away. “Then what's it about, Zelig-sensei?”

 

Cain scratched the back of his neck and leaned down, whispering something in Gin's ear—probably an explanation of the song. Her eyes flashed open wide, and she gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand. “I didn't know that!” she exclaimed then waved her hands though her cheeks were hot pink. “Well, I suppose that's fitting . . . I mean, it is their wedding day, which means they'll do that stuff tonight . . .”

 

Bas snapped his mouth closed and shook his head. Cain snorted, trying to cover his amusement as he glanced from Bas to Gin. “Gin . . .”

 

“Now, Cain, sex is an entirely natural part of life,” she pointed out reasonably despite the deepening blush on her cheeks, “and Sebastian is a big boy.”

 

“Mo-o-om,” Bas groaned.

 

“A very big boy,” Sydnie added between giggles.

 

“Yes, of course . . . he takes after his father,” Gin agreed.

 

Cain grimaced. “Gin, you remember when I told you that you have a habit of saying things that could be taken the wrong way?”

 

She shook her head slowly. “But I just said—”

 

“I know what you said,” Cain cut in. “But that's not what you implied.”

 

“I did not! I—” Cutting herself off abruptly, she winced and pressed her lips together. “Oh, I did it again, didn't I?”

 

“Come on, Mom,” Bas interrupted, taking his mother's hand and leading her toward the dance floor. Evan's serenade was over, and the band was back to playing something softer and slower—perfect for him to dance with his mother.

 

Gin sighed and danced with her son. “I wasn't trying to embarrass you,” she pointed out quietly.

 

Bas grinned. “I know.”

 

She smiled, too. “Have I told you recently that I'm very proud of you?”

 

“Nope . . . are you?”

 

She nodded emphatically. “I am. So is your father.”

 

“Good.”

 

“And Sydnie did take your name, after all,” she went on.

 

Bas sighed. That had surprised him, actually. He'd have to ask her about that since she'd been so adamant that she didn't want to be a Zelig. The best he had hoped for was Tucker-Zelig, but she . . . “Yeah, she did.”

 

“She's beautiful,” Gin stated. Her smile faded as she glanced over. “Oh . . . hmm . . .”

 

Bas looked, too, and stopped dancing, letting his arms drop from his mother as he watched Cain dance with Sydnie nearby. She didn't look like she was going to freak out, but she didn't look comfortable, either . . . her fleeting gaze caught Bas', and he bowed to his mother before striding away. “Can I cut in?”

 

Cain glanced at him and nodded, stepping back to allow Bas to take Sydnie's hand. “Take care of her, Bas,” he admonished.

 

Bas shot Sydnie a quick smile and nodded, too. “I will.”

 

Cain chuckled and wandered over to Gin. Bas watched him go before pulling Sydnie close and kissing her forehead. “You okay, kitty?”

 

She sighed. “Yes.”

 

“Good. So what did Dad say to you?”

 

“He just wanted to welcome me to the family,” she remarked.

 

“Oh?”

 

Sydnie nodded.

 

“What changed your mind?”

 

“Changed my mind?” she echoed.

 

“About taking Zelig for your last name.”

 

Sydnie shrugged. “Well . . . I guess it didn't matter . . . I never was a Tucker; not really.”

 

“We could have your name changed. Dad mentioned it.”

 

“Changed? To what?”

 

“Do you want to change it to Sydnie? That's the name you know, isn't it?”

 

Sydnie thought that over for a few moments while they danced. “My parents wanted me to be Cynthia, didn't they? I . . . I shouldn't change that,” she mused.

 

“That's true . . . you could always change your middle name to Sydnie, though. Lots of people go by their middle names.”

 

“I'll think it over,” she allowed. “Your father . . .”

 

“Hmm?”

 

She smiled almost shyly, and he had to wonder just what she was thinking. “The painting he did for me . . . well, for us,” she amended. “It's beautiful.”

 

Bas nodded his agreement. Cain had a rare talent: the ability to see something as simple as a picture and to paint something completely different while adding life to the still imagery. He'd painted a portrait of Sydnie's family, and Bas hadn't missed the tears that filled her eyes as she stared at it. “I told you, kitty. Dad's not a bad guy.

 

“Maybe,” she agreed in a dubious tone despite the hint of a smile that still turned up her lips.

 

“He gave you the jewelry box he'd carved for Mom for Christmas,” he told her.

 

Sydnie blinked in surprise. “He did?”

 

Bas smiled. “Yeah, he did.”

 

“I didn't know that,” she allowed. “Why would he do that?”

 

“Who knows? Maybe he just wanted you to have it.”

 

She pondered that for a moment then bit her lip. “I should thank him for that, huh?”

 

“If you want to. Dad probably didn't expect you would . . . I doubt he thinks I'd tell you.”

 

“But you did, so . . .” She shrugged and shook her head. “I can do that later. Can we get out of here, puppy?”

 

He chuckled. “It's your reception, kitty . . . you don't want to stay for the rest of it?”

 

Her smile turned secretive, and she leaned up to nip his earlobe. “I think I've had enough of this for one day,” she assured him.

 

“Have you?”

 

She nodded. “Besides . . . I own you now—completely own you. I have the papers to prove it.”

 

“Papers?”

 

“Yes, and you willingly signed them, too . . . ownership papers.”

 

He laughed. “And here I thought that was the marriage license.”

 

She shook her head. “They won't miss us,” she decided, glancing around at the mingling guests.

 

Bas grinned and caught her hand, pulling her along toward the doors of the formal ballroom of the mansion. Sydnie had grouched about that before, citing that it just wasn't right to have a house big enough to have a formal ballroom. Bas had rather agreed at the time. Now he was grateful since that meant they really didn't have far to go to get away . . .

 

“And just where do you think you're going?”

 

Bas stifled a growl and eyed his cousin and uncle as the two stepped neatly into the path of retreat.

 

Mikio chuckled. “Looks like they were trying to escape to me.”

 

“Not fast enough, apparently,” Bas grumbled.

 

“Yes, well, Mikio and I wanted to give you your gift before you slipped away,” Morio added.

 

“Fax it to me,” Bas shot back, grabbing Sydnie's hand and heading for the door again.

 

Morio was faster. Neatly stepping into his path, he planted his hand in the center of Bas' chest to stop him. “This'll just take a minute,” he assured the impatient groom.

 

“All right,” Bas relented. “Make it fast.”

 

“I think he's serious,” Mikio remarked.

 

“Wouldn't you be serious if you were taking off to go have The Sex?” Morio countered.

 

“But they've already had The Sex,” Mikio argued.

 

“That's true . . . but this is legally sanctioned, completely acceptable The Sex,” Morio mused.

 

“Will you two get on with it?” Bas growled, much to Sydnie's amusement. She giggled and peeked around Bas to smile at the two hanyous.

 

“We just thought that since you weren't actually leaving on your honeymoon till tomorrow morning, we'd help you out a little.”

 

“Help us out?” Bas echoed.

 

“Yes,” Mikio intoned, digging a silver keyring with a single key out of his pocket. He dropped it into Bas' hand and idly fingered his twitching left ear.

 

“What's this?”

 

Morio chuckled. “We got you a room at that bed and breakfast just outside Bevelle . . . Don't want to spend your first night of wedded bliss in Mama and Papa's house, do you?”

 

Bas blinked in surprise. “Really? Thanks . . .”

 

“Get going,” Morio went on. “We'll cover for you till you're gone.”

 

Bas nodded. Sydnie kissed Morio's cheek then Mikio's, giggling when his left ear twitched a little more, his face pinking in nervous embarrassment.

 

The two stood back, watching the couple's hasty retreat. Mikio was the first to speak, a thoughtful scowl marring his brow as he turned his head to stare at his nephew. “You sure he's not going to be ticked off when he figures out what we did?”

 

Morio snorted. “Keh! Nah . . . he'll thank us.”

 

Mikio wasn't as inclined to agree. Sure, it had seemed like a harmless enough prank at the time . . . thing was, Bas wasn't the best at taking jokes well. “You're sure there aren't any side effects?”

 

Morio shrugged. “Nope . . . Evan said that Mammie told him that Sydnie has interesting reactions to catnip . . . It's not harmful though . . . I asked Uncle Kich.”

 

Mikio grinned just a little. They'd rented the room, all right. They'd also gone through and laced the entire place with catnip, even going so far as to poke little holes in the mattress and pillows to infuse them with the herb, too. “If Bas comes after us, I'm telling him it was your idea.”

 

Morio chuckled, waving off Mikio's concern with a flick of his wrist. “Fine, fine . . . He'll thank us. You'll see.”

 

 

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A/N:

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Reviewers

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CarylonMalfoy:

You said that you had several other Purity continuations planned out, just wondering if any of them involve, slash or Interacial relationships, I'm bi-racial and I was just curious if you would have any major issues like that in your fics, it'd be interesting and I definitely think you could be the person to tackle them tastefully, while still writing awesome work, just curious.

 

That's an interesting question, and I have a few thoughts on it. I have a younger brother and sister, both of whom are bi-racial, and both of whom I adore. I certainly think that it is a viable topic, and while I won't say I'll never write something in that vein, I will say that I'm worried that I would not be able to write it in such a way as to give an accurate depiction of Afro-Americans, in general. I wouldn't want to do the `stereotypical' persona, and I certainly would never want to offend any ethnic group. In that vein, I would be a little leery of writing such a thing, as I would not want to offend. However, I have considered this quite a bit before. Would it surprise you that one of the characters (though he is not a main character, but he is rather prevalent in Evan's story) is a black youkai? In the same story, there is a flamboyantly gay rabbit-youkai affectionately nicknamed `Bugs'… The answer is the same here as it would be for the yaoi question. I have nothing against yaoi. I simply have never really been around homosexual men enough to be able to draw an accurate picture of it without making it come off as cliché or worse. `Write what you know' is true in this case. I hope you get what I'm saying. Thanks for reading; I hope you're enjoying the story!

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MMorg

RisikaFox ------ Deceptress ------ inuyashaloverr ------ GalacticFire ------ angelfire777 (err, no … No, I don't …) ------ Rawben ------ OROsan0677 ------ Lisa C ------ FireDemon86 ------ hanyouwings

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Final Thought fromBas:

Ownership papers … nice …

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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~