InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 5: Phantasm ❯ Losing Hope ( Chapter 56 )

~~Chapter 56~~

~Losing Hope~

 

Bas woke slowly and winced as he craned his neck from side to side and let out a deep breath.

 

He'd fallen asleep in the overstuffed recliner in his study—again. He hadn't meant to . . .

 

Rubbing his eyes, he frowned at the blanket that hindered his movements and forced his eyes open only to grimace when he saw that Sydnie must have found him sleeping again. She'd covered him up with the thick blanket that normally lay over the back of the sofa, then she had curled up at his feet, her hands crossed on his knee, cheek resting on her folded hands.

 

“Shit,” he muttered, carefully maneuvering her so that he could scoop her up and carry her into the bedroom. Only four a.m. according to the clock . . . Bas tucked Sydnie into the bed and shuffled into the bathroom for a quick shower.

 

Not for the first time, he wondered if he'd bitten off more than he could chew. The meeting with the generals was tomorrow, and as far as Bas could tell, he only had about seventy-five percent of his presentation ready. So much was riding on this . . . he closed his eyes and let the warm water soothe him.

 

He'd been working on it since they got home from their honeymoon. Taking all of Cain's unsolved cases, he'd been meticulously looking over every one for tiny clues that had gone unnoticed. He'd found a couple of leads in one case. All he needed was the approval of the generals before he could go ahead with what he wanted to do. A youkai special crimes unit that concentrated on the unsolved cases that were left forgotten in the lone filing cabinet in his father's study . . . That was what Bas wanted to do. The trouble was that he didn't think he could do it alone. There were just too many cases, and even then, he had to admit that having more than one person looking at the files really couldn't hurt.

 

Luckily for him, Gunnar had inadvertently offered him a solution to the problem in his own roundabout way. He'd mentioned that he liked Bas' idea, and since he was already familiar with some of the cases, having been looking into a few things for his grandfather back in Japan, he would prove to be a valuable asset, and, Bas had to admit, they worked well together—when they weren't arguing over trivialities.

 

In fact, Gunnar would be there bright and early to help Bas go over the last of the files in final preparation for the meeting.

 

He sighed. He'd tried to explain most of this to Sydnie while leaving out the gory details that most of the cases contained. Ultimately, Cain decided whether or not something was a good idea, but having the backing of the generals tended to be quite helpful most of the time. It was a good idea: a solid idea. The only real drawback was Bas' perceived lack of experience in what was considered `detective work', which was why Gunnar's experience would help tremendously. He'd been doing that sort of thing for his grandfather for awhile.

 

Scrubbing his scalp absently, Bas closed his eyes, tipping his head back as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair. He was confident enough that he would be able to convince the generals of the necessity of the new division. He just hoped that he'd be able to stop working so many hours after the meeting. He'd seen it in Sydnie's eyes: she missed him, and though he had explained it to her in an abbreviated sense, he wasn't so sure she understood. Still she hadn't complained. No, she'd just nodded and tried to smile before kissing his cheek and curling up with her workbooks for her upcoming GED test. Somehow that made him feel even worse, and then to wake up every morning in the chair he hadn't meant to fall asleep in with her leaning on his knee . . . He grimaced. He didn't want to see her asleep on his knee anymore. He'd been going to bed with her and staying there until she was asleep before creeping out of bed to work just a little longer. Up at the break of day and working well into the night was taking its toll on him, though Gunnar was good at goading him into practicing for awhile when he thought that Bas was overdoing it.

 

Every day, he vowed that he'd make it home to eat lunch with Sydnie, and every day, something invariably came up instead. Either he found a small lead that had been overlooked before, or he got into some deeper discussions with his father, he had yet to keep that promise to himself, and that bothered him, too. `I'll make it up to you, Sydnie,' he vowed. `As soon as all this is over, I swear I will . . .'

 

`Fine thing, that . . . just don't forget that her test is tomorrow, too. You promised you'd take her there and wait for her.'

 

`I know; I know . . . her test is at one. I've got all morning to get through the meeting. Dad knows . . . I told him. He said that I'll be done by eleven.'

 

It was important to her. She'd actually asked him to take her, and Sydnie never asked anyone for anything. Though he was positive that she'd do just fine, she wasn't nearly as confident, and seeing Sydnie worry that she wouldn't be up to snuff wasn't something that sat well with him.

 

He sighed again. `She'll do fine . . . She's a cat. Cats always land on their feet.'

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

Sydnie woke up and blinked the remnants of sleep from her eyes as she sat up and stared at the empty place beside her. `Another morning without Sebastian,' she mused with a sad little sigh.

 

Scooting off the bed, she padded over to the window that overlooked the small back yard. Her frown turned thoughtful as she gazed at the overgrown flowerbeds that lined the patio. Bas had said that he could pull all that out and seed it with grass. Still, she liked flowers. They were pretty yet seemed entirely useless, didn't they? `I could do that,' she thought slowly then wrinkled her nose. The idea of getting dirt under her nails wasn't appealing, and while she could probably get gardening gloves, she wasn't sure how well they'd hold up, considering . . .

 

`How hard could it be?' she argued.

 

`Famous last words, Sydnie.'

 

She shrugged offhandedly, stepping away from the window and over to the closet to get dressed. Staring into the darkness, she bit her lip. `When was the last time I felt the desire to retreat to the closet?' she wondered.

 

It had been awhile, hadn't it? Tugging off her nightshirt, she pulled on a thin cotton sundress. The spring morning was chilly but not cold, and by noon, she'd be glad she was wearing something sleeveless, she was certain.

 

With a sigh, she glanced at the undisturbed glass of milk on her nightstand. Badd whined softly, sensing Sydnie's melancholy. She rubbed the dog's knobby head as she passed him, sparing a moment to down the milk before tightening her hold on the glass and heading for the door.

 

The dog padded along behind her down the stairs and into the kitchen. Sitting at her feet while she washed out the glass and meticulously dried it before sticking it back in the cupboard, he grunted happily when she finally filled his food bowl.

 

That done, Sydnie stood back, taking in the bright and shiny kitchen. Strange, the idea that it was hers. Bas had said as much, anyway: her house . . . her home . . .

 

She bit her lip, crossing her arms over her chest as the emptiness in the house seeped into her soul. She didn't want it; not by herself. She wanted Bas here, too . . . she wanted it to be their home . . .

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

“Come on! Get the sword up or I'll wipe the floor with you!”

 

Bas rolled his eyes but raised Triumvirate as Gunnar whipped around in a circle, arcing Keppanshuto through the air toward him. The blades met with an awesome crash, and Bas ground his teeth together as the reverberation of metal meeting metal shot through him. Twisting his arm, he nearly managed to disarm Gunnar. Allowing Bas' movement, he followed it through with a flick of his wrist. “Nice try, Bas.”

 

“I'll take the winner.”

 

Gunnar's eyebrows lifted, disappearing under the thick fringe of his bangs without sparing a glance at the speaker.

 

Bas saw Evan leaning against the low railing that lined the stairs. Grinning lazily with his sword strapped to his hip, he intercepted his brother's glance and chuckled. “Come on, Bubby . . . you know you want a go at me.”

 

Bas jerked his sword away and lowered his shoulder, barreling into Gunnar and sending him stumbling back. By the time he managed to regain his footing, Bas had Triumvirate leveled at his chest. Gunnar sighed and let his arm drop, shaking his head as he slammed Keppanshuto into the magnolia wood sheath strapped to his hip. “That was a cheap shot, you know,” he pointed out as he strode over to the steps to stand beside Evan.

 

“There are no cheap shots, Gunnar,” Bas pointed out, reminding his cousin of the lesson they'd learned years ago while training under Bas' uncle, Ryomaru.

 

Evan tugged his shirt off, dropping it onto the flagstone sidewalk and twisting his torso to stretch. “Bring it, Bubby,” he scoffed, unsheathing Ternion with a flourish.

 

Bas tightened his grip on Triumvirate's hilt, narrowing his eyes on his brother. True, Evan was no slouch. Still, Bas had yet to lose to the pup, and he'd be damned if he would start now. “All right, Evan . . . what are you trying to prove?”

 

Evan chuckled despite the gathering darkness in his deep blue eyes. “Not a thing . . . ain't got nothin' to prove.”

 

“Of course you don't,” Bas allowed. “That's why you're challenging me?”

 

“Not a challenge, Bubby,” he shot back. “You don't really think I wanna be tai-youkai, do you?”

 

“Not a chance in hell, baby brother.”

 

“Yeah, good . . . so long as we're straight.” Pushing off the ground, Evan shot toward Bas in a flash of silver and a blur of motion.

 

Bas brought his sword up, blocking Evan's blade with his own. Shoving him away, Bas lunged forward. Evan hopped out of the way to avoid the attack before sprinting toward him once more. Right arm crossing his chest, Ternion's blade dragged over the pebbly beach, sending up a spray of sparks as Evan swung his sword upward. Bas dove to the side to avoid contact. Ternion cleaved through the air, whistling as Evan lunged again. Rolling out of the way of the descending blade, Bas shot to his feet, raising Triumvirate in time to block another vicious blow.

 

“What's the matter, Bubby? Choking on your silver spoon?”

 

Bas growled low in his throat, heaving Evan away once more with sheer brute force that sent the younger man skidding back over the pebbles that covered the beach. He dug his heels into the soft ground before charging forward once more. He was out for blood, wasn't he? “What the hell's your problem?” Bas demanded.

 

Evan snorted. “Never did know when you had it all, do you?”

 

Gritting his teeth, Bas whipped around in a circle, meeting Evan with a force so jarring that they both grimaced but doggedly held on. “What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Dunno . . . you figure it out,” Evan spat as he slid back a foot but didn't falter.

 

The overcast sky rumbled ominously. Bas smacked Evan's blade away before advancing with a series of short blows. Evan managed to block them but had to retreat backward even further. The agitated waves coming off the ocean surged over their feet as they danced back and forth. Evan didn't possess as much power as Bas, but he was fast—damn fast. He had a level of finesse that Bas didn't, and that worked to level the playing field.

 

“What the hell are you trying to prove?” Bas growled, slapping Ternion's blade away with the broad side of Triumvirate.

 

“Not a fucking thing, Bubby,” Evan shot back with a glower.

 

Bas spun away to avoid another swing, hefting his sword and cleaving a clean arc through the air as the rain started to fall. Evan darted forward, drawing his weapon back. He's miscalculated Bas' actions. Triumvirate's tip grazed his cheek before Bas could stop the motion. Spinning away as he wiped his cheek on his bared shoulder, Evan growled angrily, bearing his fangs as he narrowed his gaze on his brother.

 

“Damn it, Evan! I've had enough!” Bas bellowed, tossing Triumvirate down in complete disgust.

 

Evan's growl intensified as he jabbed his sword into the ground. “Aren't you gonna finish me off?” he taunted, eyebrow quirking as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand.

 

“What the—? Hell, no! Are you fucking stupid?”

 

Tossing his hands out to his sides, Evan shook his head as an exaggerated show of surprise surfaced on his face. “It's what you want, isn't it? You've said so often enough! What's the problem, Bassie-boy? Gone soft, have you?”

 

“Don't be an ass, Evan,” Bas grumbled, glaring at his brother. “Maim you, maybe. Kill you? Hardly.”

 

Slowly, deliberately, Evan strode forward, planting himself in front of Bas. Hair whipping around him in the rising gale coming off the ocean, he stood his ground. “Yeah? If you think you can . . .”

 

Bas started to turn away. He'd had enough of Evan's temper. Unprepared for Evan's attack, Bas grunted as Evan barreled into him, bearing him to the ground. His first punch snapped Bas' head to the side. He tried again. This time, Bas saw it coming and jerked to the side as Evan's fist smashed into the rocks. Heaving him away, Bas rolled to his feet, snatching up his sword and leveling it at his brother's chest before Evan had a chance to rise.

 

“That's enough.”

 

Lowering his sword as he glanced over his shoulder to see Cain standing at the bottom of the stone steps with a completely horrified Gin peering around his back, Bas shot Evan a scathing glance before slamming Triumvirate into the scabbard.

 

“What the hell is going on?” Cain demanded, shifting his impassive gaze from Bas to Evan then back again.

 

“Why don't you ask him?” Bas snarled, jerking his head toward Evan.

 

Evan retrieved his sword and remained silent.

 

“I'm asking you,” Cain reprimanded.

 

Bas sighed. “I don't know . . . sir.”

 

Cain nodded almost imperceptibly, letting his gaze linger on Bas before moving on to Evan once more. “Do you know?”

 

Evan snorted. “Keh! Whatever . . . like it matters.”

 

Gin tried to catch his arm as he stormed past. Cain caught her before she could run after Evan. “Leave him.”

 

“But—”

 

“Leave him,” Cain stated again, this time in a tone that he rarely used with Gin though Bas had heard it often enough over the years. It was the `Don't-Mess-With-Me' tone: the tai-youkai tone. Gin didn't argue, and she didn't go after Evan though she did look like she was ready to cry. Cain sighed. “What do you think happened?” he reiterated.

 

Bas shook his head. “I have no idea. He just came down here and challenged the winner—he wanted to fight me.”

 

“I see.”

 

Draping his hands on his hips, Bas shuffled his feet in the pebbly sand. “Good, `cause I don't.”

 

Gunnar shrugged, looking rather uncomfortable in witnessing this discussion. “Evan's had a bigger chip on his shoulder lately than usual, hasn't he?”

 

Cain nodded. “Something like that.”

 

Gin's ears were flattened, though whether it was because of the pouring rain or because of her upset, Bas couldn't be sure. He had a feeling it was the latter. “You cut him, Sebastian,” she whispered.

 

Bas winced. “Mom . . . I wasn't trying t—” Wiping the rain out of his face, he touched his fattened lip and frowned as he saw the smear of blood on his fingertips. `Right . . . I cut Evan . . .' He sighed. “I'm sorry.”

 

Cain sighed, too. “Go get dried off and clean up. I need to talk to the two of you about the special crimes unit.”

 

Bas nodded, brushing past his parents and trudging up the stairs.

 

He didn't realize Gunnar was following him until he spoke. “Makes me kind of glad I don't have any brothers,” he stated casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he fell in step beside Bas.

 

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Bas shrugged. “God . . . I swear he needs to grow up,” he grumbled.

 

“I'm sure he will,” Gunnar allowed.

 

Bas chuckled suddenly, shaking his head in slow disbelief. “Evan? Grow up? I highly doubt it.”

 

Gunnar chuckled, too. “Yeah . . . maybe.”

 

 

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

 

 

Bas sat back in his chair and scowled at the open case file before him. He'd reread the same part of the report more than ten times. It wasn't sinking in, though. Too lost in thought, concentrating on the conversation he'd had with his father, he couldn't help but wonder if it was going to be a colossal mistake . . .

 

“You're kidding, right?” Bas asked, narrowing his eyes on his father as though he were trying to read Cain's mind.

 

“No, I'm not,” he replied dryly, shaking out a match and dropping it in the ash tray before sitting back in his chair and exhaling a long stream of smoke.

 

Bas shook his head, leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Dad . . .”

 

“It's non-negotiable, Bas. No matter what your personal feelings on the matter are—”

 

“There's nothing personal about it. I just don't think it's a good idea. How do you know we can trust her to work for us?”

 

Cain drew in a deep breath and shrugged. “We don't.”

 

“Oh, well, that makes me feel better,” Bas grumbled.

 

“She was good at her job,” Gunnar interrupted. “Damn good at it, from what I can tell. Second in command . . . that's got to mean something.”

 

“Yeah,” Bas allowed. “It means you've both lost your fucking minds.”

 

“Bas,” Cain began in a warning tone.

 

“Sorry,” he ground out, “your . . . minds.”

 

“She could be a huge help,” Cain pointed out calmly.

 

“Sure, she could. She could also decide that she's going to kill Sydnie, anyway.”

 

“That won't happen,” Cain insisted.

 

“How do you know that?”

 

Cain shot Gunnar a quick glance. Gunnar sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, slouching against the far wall. “She'll have a monitoring device on her at all times. If she goes out of bounds, she'll be killed, no questions asked.”

 

“Just like that, huh?” Bas asked dryly.

 

“Just like that,” Cain replied.

 

“Which won't make a great goddamn if she kills Sydnie, don't you think?”

 

“She won't,” Cain said again. “She's had enough of that.”

 

“Yeah, well, I'd rather not test this . . . woman's . . . miraculous change of heart on my mate, thanks,” Bas remarked pointedly.

 

Cain sighed and drew a deep drag off his cigarette. “This is the only alternative I have,” he said, his voice weary; as though he'd expected Bas to resist the idea. “Would you rather that I have her killed?”

 

Bas sighed and shook his head again. “They all came after Sydnie,” he said quietly, his eyes burning as he fought to control his rising temper. “Every last one of them.”

 

“She didn't,” Cain reminded him. “She's cooperated completely. She even gave us access to the people who hired the hit. There's been enough death in this mess, hasn't there? She's not off the hook. She'll have to earn her right to be free again. Think of her as a human computer. She'll be able to gather information that might not be so easy for you two to get. Like it or not, Bas, people know who you are. Gunnar's the same. She won't leave the office. There're a few rooms that I'm having renovated for her. She won't be allowed out of her rooms. The security that's being installed is much too thorough for her to escape, even if she wanted to. If she needs to give you information, she'll call you or send it through the LAN. You won't really have any contact whatsoever with her.”

 

“And later? You said you'd let her earn her freedom,” Bas pointed out.

 

Cain nodded. “We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said. “It's not a perfect plan, but it's the best I can do without having her killed . . .”

 

Bas blew his cheeks out in a steady exhalation. He really hadn't had any say in it, at all, and while Bas could appreciate his father's dislike for indiscriminate killing, he could also understand that Sydnie's peace of mind might well be at stake if she found out about the ex-Onyx member's involvement in the special crimes unit. Myrna Loy, the second in command in the Onyx's organization, was going to be working for the special crimes unit, and the last thing he wanted to do was to tell Sydnie that.

 

Burying his face in his hands, he heaved a sigh and tried to push it out of his mind. One last case to go over, to see if he could come up with anything that they could check into further . . . he'd worry about telling Sydnie after the meeting. `Damn it . . .'

 

“I don't suppose you're coming to bed.”

 

Lifting his face, peering over his hands, Bas stifled yet another sigh and sat up straight. “I'm sorry, baby. I have to get through this file first.”

 

She nodded, her gaze skittering away as she fought to mask her upset. “Okay,” she said, her voice a choked whisper. She licked her lips and pressed her palms together, scrunching up her shoulders as she gathered her waning bravado. “You'll still go with me, won't you? Tomorrow's my test . . .”

 

“Of course I will,” he assured her. “I promised, didn't I?”

 

She nodded—a jerky motion that made him grimace. Pushing his chair back, he held out his hand. “Come here, kitty,” he coaxed.

 

She didn't look like she was going to comply. It took a moment before she shuffled toward him, staring at his palm for several heartbeats before gingerly slipping her hand into his. He tugged her into his lap, cradling her against his shoulder before fishing out the police report. She snuggled closer, closing her eyes. “You comfortable?” he asked.

 

Her nod was slow, almost dreamy. “I'll stay here until you're done,” she murmured, her voice thickening as sleep closed in around her.

 

“Okay,” he agreed, kissing her forehead. “Go to sleep, baby . . . I'll carry you to bed when I'm finished.”

 

 

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A/N:

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Reviewers

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OROsan0677 ------ Rawben ------ FireDemon86 ------ vvkimbo07 ------ toyas_gurl ------ artemiswaterdragon ------ Usagiseren05 ------ inuyashaloverr ------ JasonC

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Final Thought fromBas:

Myrna Loy …

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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~