InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity Redux: Fruition ❯ Haste to the Wedding ( Chapter 60 )

Ben frowned at his reflection in the mirror, wondering just how much trouble he'd be in if he clubbed his hair back since it had to be five hundred degrees outside, with humidity added on top of that and the long hair was enough to make him want to chop it off entirely.

'Five hundred degrees, Ben?  Seriously?'

'Shut up, you . . . You're banned from speaking to me today.'

'Oh, aren't we in a fine snit?  Still butthurt over being arrested and thrown into the clink for a few hours?'

'Nope . . . Just . . . So much fuss over something that's already a done deal seems a little silly, don't you think?'

'Actually, no, I don't, and you'll see why in . . . about an hour.'

Heaving a sigh, he scowled at the cloth covered rubber band in his hand.  Even if he did want to pull his hair back in customary fashion, given that he was wearing the ridiculously formal tuxedo—a Waterson-Markham—the latest off the runways, or so he'd been told, it might look a little dumb, all things considered.  It had to be the most uncomfortable tux he’d ever owned, given that the current style was closer fitting, resulting in tightness across the shoulders and upper chest despite reassurances that it, 'fit perfectly'.  Add to that the idea that he already had about six tuxedos, hanging in bags in his closet, and, yeah, this one was going into that closet right after the wedding and never, ever seeing the light of day again.

A curt knock on the door announced the arrival of Cain Zelig as the North American tai-youkai slipped into the room with Nadia and Emmeline in his arms.  "They wanted to wish their daddy good luck—and to remind him not to faint, too."

"That's a very real possibility, given that it's got to be close to a hundred degrees outside," Ben muttered, taking the nearest girl—Nadia, all decked out in cream colored satin and lace—and kissing her cheek.  She laughed happily and grasped Ben's face to plant a rather slobbery baby kiss right on his lips.  "Thank you," he said, giving her another snuggle before trading babies to repeat the process with Emmeline, who was wearing an identical dress as her sister's, but hers was pale lilac—they both wore the wedding colors.

"Wearing your hair down?" Cain asked, probably because Ben rarely did.

Ben sighed.  "I thought that the rubber band might look a little dumb today," he admitted.

Cain nodded and set Nadia on the floor, reaching back to tug the black velvet ribbon out of his hair.  "Better?" he asked, handing it over and taking the rubber band instead.

"Yes," Ben allowed, settling Emmeline on the floor so that he could pull his hair back.  “Thanks.”

Cain looped the rubber band around his hair.  "You about ready to do this?"

Giving himself a last look over, he nodded and scooped up his daughters.  "About as ready as I'll ever be, I guess . . . By the way, have you seen Kyouhei?"

"Uh, no . . . I can go find him for you, though . . . I think the last time I saw him, Myrna was talking his ear off . . ."

Ben made a face.  "Good God . . ."

"I heard my name?"

Glancing up as Kyouhei slipped into the room, Ben broke into a smile at Kells, who was wearing a very tiny and very formal tuxedo.  "I didn't know they made tuxes that small," Ben remarked, letting Kyouhei take Emmeline so that he could hold Kells for a minute.  "If he spits up on me, Charity will have a fit," he predicted.

"Charity-san adores Kells," Kyouhei countered mildly as Emmeline got a hold of a good fistful of Kyouhei's hair and yanked.  "Anyway, I ordered that back in Japan.  It had to be specially made, so . . ."

Ben chuckled.  "He looks very dapper."

Kyouhei made a face.  "Yes, well, let's hope he can make it through the ceremony without incident, shall we?"

Considering Kells did all right for short periods of time when someone else held him, but tended to dislike being too far away from Kyouhei if he couldn’t sense him near, it wasn't impossible that the boy might well start fussing midway through the ceremony.

"I'm sure that he'll be fine," Ben insisted.  "It's Zelig's brood that I should worry about."

Cain laughed since it was true.  Keeping the triplets entertained during the ceremony might prove trickier since they tended to pick at each other when they were within grabbing distance.  "Don't worry.  I've asked everyone to keep them separated, so it shouldn't be an issue . . . shouldn't be."

Ben arched an eyebrow.  "Shouldn't be."

Cain nodded.  "Ben tells me that you're moving here . . . Any idea where you want to be?"

Kyouhei shot Cain a quick glance.  "Uh, I haven't really thought about it too much yet . . . I have a branch of my company in New York City, so maybe . . ."

Cain considered that.  "Sounds like a good place," he allowed.  "Talk to me after the wedding, and we'll see what we can do about hurrying things along a little for you."

Kyouhei bowed.  "Thank you."

Cain shook his head.  "No, thank you . . . If it hadn't been for your intel, for what you did for Manami . . ."

Kyouhei was visibly uncomfortable with Cain's praise, and Ben cleared his throat to interrupt.  "I think it might be a little too soon for him to hear your thanks, Zelig, and Kyouhei?  A word of warning: watch out for Myrna.  That woman would chew you up and spit you out faster than you can blink."

Kyouhei finally managed a wry chuckle.  "I kind of got that impression."

"She's not that bad," Cain protested.  Then he stopped and thought it over.  "Okay, yeah, so maybe she is . . ."

"Just because you're hopelessly devoted to your mate, Zelig . . . If you were still single, she'd have come after you, too, I'm sure," Ben remarked.

Cain chuckled and took Emmeline as Kyouhei reached for Kells.  "I’m going to go hand off these two . . . It's about time, you know."

"Yep, all right."  Ben hurried over to get the door.  He didn't have to, though, because it opened before he could reach it.  Manami smiled but stepped back to allow Cain to leave before slipping into the room and closing the door behind herself.  "Well, now, don't you look upstanding?" she said as she adjusted his tie.

"Manami, it's so good to see you!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug.  The simple yet elegant dark blue silk dress she wore was absolutely stunning, in a very straightforward design.  The sleeveless confection had to have been tailored to fit her from the waist up because the bodice of the dress hugged her like a second skin until it flared around her hips into a slightly fuller skirt that ended just above the knees.  Hair pulled up into an understated twist with soft tendrils that fell around her gorgeous face, she looked even less like a ruthless hunter than usual.

"Manami-san . . . You're looking well."

She smiled at Kyouhei and stepped over to touch Kells' face, to smile sweetly at the child.  "May I?"

He allowed her to take Kells, and Manami laughed as she cuddled him close, kissed his downy head.  "He is precious—just gorgeous," she said, turning that radiant smile of hers on Kyouhei.  "And I wanted to thank you for everything you did," she went on quietly, reaching out to grasp his forearm and giving him a little squeeze.  "Had it not been for you . . ."

Kyouhei winced.  "I'm . . . I’m sorry for what they did to you . . ."

She shook her head, her smile taking on a bittersweet edge as she touched Kyouhei's face, cupped his cheek gently.  "You have nothing to apologize for," she insisted quietly, her calm seeming to fill the room with a blinding sense of comfort, of solace.  "You didn't do anything to me, and you . . . You aren't to blame for Hidekea or for Yukina's actions.  They're not yours.  You shouldn't try to keep them."

"Manami-san . . ."

She shook her head, as though to underline her words.  "No.  I will not let you.  You were their child.  You are not them."

Ben saw it: the slight brightening in his brother's eyes, and though he wasn't foolish enough to think that Kyouhei was all right, something about it reassured Ben that maybe he was a little closer to realizing what Manami was telling him, even if he wasn't entirely ready to let go of it all.

Kyouhei cleared his throat, managed a wan smile of his own as he reached for Kells.  "I'm going to go, uh . . . Go get ready," he said.  "See you downstairs."

Ben watched Kyouhei slip out of the room with Kells in tow.

"It seems that caring for Kells is absolutely the best medicine for Kyouhei-san," Manami mused, watching the younger youkai's exit with a thoughtful expression on her beautiful face.  "He'll be all right eventually."

Ben nodded slowly.  "It has been . . . and he will.  Actually, he’s adopting Kells to make things easier for them both.”

Manami digested that for a minute.  “And you’re okay with this, too?”

He nodded again, digging his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels slightly.  “Yeah.  I mean, he’s still family, and that’s all that matters to me.”

She smiled and gave a nod of her own.  “Then, all will be as it should be.”

Ben agreed, glancing at the clock and drawing a deep breath.  “Almost time, I think.  Fifteen more minutes before I have to head down there . . . But you . . .?  How are you holding up?"

Her smile was almost enough to convince him that she was fine, but he also didn't miss the slight tightness around her eyes—the same shade of blue as her dress.  "I'm good—healing nicely, Izayoi-sensei has assured me."

He frowned as he let go of her and slipped his hands into his pockets.  "And your wings?"

Her smile faltered slightly but didn't disappear, and it brightened when she caught his worried expression.  "Flying is overrated," she quipped.

Ben winced.  "Damn . . . Nami . . ."

"You may not look like that on your wedding day, Benjiro.  It's bad luck," she said softly, laying a hand on his cheek in much the same fashion as she had done to Kyouhei.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry . . . Your beautiful wings . . ."

She shook her head, pressed her index finger to his lips.  "Don't you dare pity me," she told him quietly, fiercely.  "I'm alive, thanks to Charity—and you have nothing at all to feel sorry for.  It's a risk that comes with my job.  I got cocky.  I stayed longer than I should have."

He didn't argue with her, but he didn't look pleased, either.  She smiled again.  "Today is about you and Charity," she said.  "Save a dance for me, will you?"

He nodded and watched her go.  She stopped in the doorway and smiled at him before blowing him a kiss and stepping out of the room.

"You look . . ." Sierra murmured as she stepped back to give Charity the critical once-over.

Charity turned away from the full-length standing mirror to smile at her mother but frowned when she saw the tears standing in her eyes.  "Mama!  Oh . . ."

Waving a hand as she choked out a half-sob, half-laugh, Sierra took the tissue that Coral offered her and dabbed at her eyes as she stepped forward to hug the bride.  "It's just that you . . . You look so . . . so beautiful, and . . ." she laughed roughly.  "Ben should be on his knees, thanking God because you, my baby, are far more than any man deserves."

Charity blushed at her mother's words, and, just for a moment, she felt like a little girl, all over again, being held and coddled and loved . . . "I love you, Mama," she whispered.

"Oh, I love you, too, my girl . . ."

"Stop it, Mama . . . You're going to make her cry," Coral insisted, grasping Sierra by the shoulders and tugging her back gently.  Then she stepped over to give Charity a quick squeeze, careful not to rumple the simple but elegant just-off-white silk dress that had little in the way of embellishment and was designed more as a sheath dress with capped sleeves, a scooped neckline and a modified, slightly fuller skirt that brushed the floor in the front, only to end in about a two-foot train behind her.  "There," she said, fussing a little with the long strands of Charity's hair that fell around her, curled just a little on the ends, adding a wispiness to it.  Kinney, the stylist that Madison had sent over to do Charity's hair, had pulled up the sides just enough to allow her hair to fall naturally from the pearl embellished combs.  That part had been styled into big, loose curls that cascaded down her back.  Coral stared at her, a soft smile on her face—one that she usually didn't allow.  It was reserved for family—and she didn't cry, but her eyes were bright as she leaned in to kiss Charity's forehead.  "You'll do," she said with a wink.

"This one wants to say good luck," Cassidy said as she stepped over with Nadia in her arms.  "It's too bad she and her sister aren't big enough to be your flower girls."

"I have three lovely flower girls," she said as she took her daughter to cuddle her for a moment.

"Mama!" Nadia babbled, stretching her little arms wide, laying her head against Charity's shoulder with a contented sigh.

"Aww, my sweetie," Charity crooned.  "You're going to sit with baa-chan and jii-chan and be a good girl with your sister, right?"

The baby nodded, which made Charity laugh since she wasn't entirely sure that Nadia understood what she'd just said to her.  After another long hug, she handed Nadia back to Cassidy and reached for Emmeline, who was bouncing in Chelsea's arms.

"Are you and Ben really going to be able to leave these two behind while you go on your honeymoon?" she asked as she slowly shook her head, smoothing out the short skirt of the ivory sundress that matched her sisters' in design, even though theirs were all lilac in color.  Charity had insisted upon dresses for the maid of honor and bridesmaids that all could easily be worn again later since she wasn't very fond of the idea of buying a dress for one occasion that would never be worn again.  The wedding dress was one thing, she supposed, but the other dresses?  No, she'd prefer that they weren't stuffed in the back of the closet, never to be seen again, and, with that in mind, the girls had all chosen a design that they wouldn't mind wearing later on, too—even Coral—who said she loved the dress, even if it wasn't something she could wear to work.

"Of course, we are," Charity insisted.  "They'll be spoiled rotten by Mama and Papa, I'm sure, so it's fine."

Sierra didn't deny it as she stepped forward to take Emmeline.  "It's about time, Charity.  Come on, girls.  I think your father wanted a moment with your sister before he brings her downstairs."

They all headed for the door in a rustle of fabric and the click of heels on the floor.  Chelsea was the last one to leave, and she grinned back at her twin, giving her a thumbs-up before she stepped out of the room.

The door opened again, though, not even a minute later, and Charity blinked as Mamoruzen stepped in.  He said nothing as he stepped toward her, taking the time to stare at her, his head inclined to the side just slightly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his ridiculously expensive Faison tuxedo.

"I just . . . wanted to say omedetou gozaimasu," he said, offering Charity a formal bow.

"Arigatou," she replied, stepping forward to hug her brother.

He hugged her back, but snorted.  "Don't get all weepy, okay?  Oh, and tell that damned cat that if he aims the garter belt at me, I'll kill him."

She laughed.  "But if you kill him, you'd kill me, too."

He snorted again.  "Acceptable loss."

"You're such an ass," she giggled, which completely ruined the scolding in her tone.

He chuckled as he headed for the door once more.  "You look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you," she called after him as he stepped out, only to pass Manami, who slipped into the room with a gentle smile on her gorgeous face.  "I won't keep you," Manami said as she hurried over to clasp Charity's hands in hers.  "Beautiful . . . simply beautiful . . . Benjiro is a lucky man."

"I feel like I'm the lucky one," she admitted.

Manami shook her head.  "No, definitely not . . . You're the prize."

"I'm so glad to see that you're okay," Charity went on, blushing at the woman's quiet praise.  "You . . . You are okay, aren't you?"

"I'm as okay as I need to be," she allowed, her smile thinning slightly, though she did her best to hide it.  "I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you, and I wanted to say thank you for what you did."

Charity's smile faltered.  Something in the woman's tone . . . She wasn't okay, even though she wanted everyone to think she was.  "It . . . It wasn't enough, was it?  It . . . It wasn't enough to save your wings . . ."

"You saved my life, and that's enough," Manami insisted, her smile brightening by degrees.  "I wanted to wish you and Ben all the happiness in the world.  You both deserve it."

"Is there anything that can be done?" Charity went on, not wanting to let go of it, even if Manami wanted her to do so.

Manami shrugged.  "No one on earth can repair them," she allowed.  "I'm fine, though, and that's what I'm focusing on.  I just want to be a part of your special day, and . . . and I'm grateful that you are allowing me to do so."

Charity sighed, but let it go since that's what Manami wanted.  Even so, she vowed to herself to try to find some way to help the swan fly again some day . . . "You're precious to Ben," she said with a slight shake of her head.  "You're . . . You're special to me, too."

Manami smiled and laughed as she hurried forward to hug Charity tight.  "I saw your father pacing in the hallway," she admitted.  "I'll let him in for you."

"Thank you," she replied as Manami hurried toward the door.  Toga stepped inside as Manami winked at her before slipping out once more, closing the door behind herself.

Toga smiled at his daughter, stopping just inside the room, digging his hands into his pockets as he stared at her for a long heartbeat.  "Papa . . ."

Toga sighed.  "Well, it's just about that time, daughter of mine.  You sure you want to do this?"

She nodded and carefully picked up the veil.  "Mama wanted to help me with this, but I . . . I wanted you to do it."

He stepped forward and took the veil, gently shaking it out as he stepped behind her, as he slipped the combs into her hair that held it into place.  "If you're sure," he said, deliberately trying to keep his tone light.  "I mean, the rental's outside, all gassed up and ready to go.  It's not the Batmobile or anything, but it should be fast enough to get us out of here before Ben realizes that you're jilting him."

She laughed and turned around to hug Toga tight.  "The last time . . ."

"The last time?" he echoed, arching an eyebrow as he stared down at her face.

She nodded.  "Yes, the last time you'll walk me down the aisle," she promised.  "Thanks for all the practice, though."

He chuckled and gave her a long and gentle hug.  "Your mama said not to rumple you," he admitted.  "Damned if I want to let go, though . . ."

"Oh, Papa . . ."

He sighed.  "I'm just . . . just trying to memorize this moment," he went on quietly, his voice choked with the thickness brought on by tears.  "You'll still be my little girl, but you'll be his wife . . ." He trailed off with a rueful chuckle.  "I thought I was ready for this, but . . . but I'm not."

"It's not the end," she reminded him gently.  "It's a beginning, isn't it?"

"A beginning?" he chuckled—a strange sound, given the heightened brightness in his gaze.  "I suppose it is."

"Besides," she went on, a devilish glint entering her expression.  "You still have three more girls to marry off, so it's all right."

He groaned.  "Thanks," he grumbled, sounding less-than-pleased at her reminder.

A knock on the door broke into the moment, and he sighed again.

"Get a move on, will you?" InuYasha grumbled as he stuck his head into the room.  He stared at Charity for a long second, then finally nodded.  "You'll do," he remarked with a little grin just before his gaze shifted to Toga.  "Move it, Toga.  You're the one holding up this whole thing, and I'm counting down the minutes until I can take this fucking monkey suit off," he grouched as he slipped away from the door.

Charity laughed as Toga leaned down to kiss her on the temple.  Then he let go and strode over, stopping in the doorway to offer her his crooked arm.  "Shall we?"

She laughed and picked up her bouquet: a crazy arrangement of lilacs and baby's breath—before hurrying to her father's side to slip her arm up under his elbow.  "I'm ready."

Toga winced, but smiled as he led her forward, down the hallway toward the stairs.  "I'm not."