A/N: Hey there, you can call me Aerie, for the purposes of talking to me on . This is my first fanfiction. I decided to write this because...well, currently there are over 90 thousand Inuyasha fanfiction on this site alone, and it's *really* difficult to find me some decent Bankotsu fanfiction. So, I have decided to come up with my OWN. This is the first part, and I promise you, this story will *not* be short, at all. So brace yourselves. =) This is an alternate Universe fic, and also is pretty slice-of-life in the beginning. But bear with me. I don't like sending my characters in circles just like you don't like reading it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, the characters, or anything else previously created by Rumiko Takahashi. This goes for the rest of this fic!!!

And on that note, please enjoy.

Living To Let Go

Chapter One

Short Notice

He was stealing the building's wifi. Thankfully he was able to get a signal. He sat in a small room connected to the end of a long, fluorescent-lit hallway, in a cushioned burgundy chair with gray metal arm rests. He never liked those chairs, because whenever he was told to sit in them it meant he was either in trouble, got blamed for something, or was being sent with a new family. Yeah, being in an orphanage wasn't the best thing in the world. But he supposed things could be worse.

He kept his head down, focusing on the iPod Touch in his hands. His black bangs covered his eyes, preventing anyone walking past being able to see his expression. His thumbs typed sporadically against the screen, typing out a text message to send to his friend. As he tapped the "send" button, his message appeared in a bubble above the keyboard, joining the rest of his conversation. He glanced up at the black and white clock on the wall across from him, before receiving a message and continuing to type. His screen read:

Jakotsu: the office? did u do sumthing wrong?

Me: nah dunno, prolly found a foster again

Jakotsu: o ok. got any idea where they mite put u this time?

Me: uhh.. i usually dont til i go in jak lol.

Jakotsu: ha ok buster :P well let me kno wat they say l8r

Me: will do.

"Bankotsu? You can come in now." Bankotsu looked up to see a short, blonde woman poking her head out of a door. Once he stood, she opened it wide enough for him to take a hold of as he walked through it, and into an office setting. A small settee sat to his left against the wall, and a cherry oak end table to his right sported a vase of white chrysanthemums. Ahead of him was a chair, a desk, and then another chair with a man currently sitting in it. He heard the woman step out of the room and close the door behind her, before he stepped forward in front of the desk and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black nylon jacket.

The man before Bankotsu was scrutinizing a sheet of paper, signing it at the bottom, flipping it over, and signing it again. He looked up at Bankotsu, and reached up to remove the thin glass frames from his face. "So, what happened this time?"

"I don't know what you mean, Harima."

The middle-aged man sighed and closed his eyes momentarily, before pointing to a seat with the pen in his hand. "Let's have a talk."

Though Bankotsu was feeling particularly defiant, he decided he liked this man enough not to completely drive him up a wall this time. Harima was the only man in the orphanage he had the smallest bit of respect for, and was also the only one he would tolerate for a lengthy amount of time. He stepped to the left and took a seat, leaning back and slouching down into the back rest.

When Bankotsu failed to say anything, Harima stuck his pen into a tube that held a variety of writing utensils, and fisted his hands to let them sit on top of his desk. "Unmanageable behavior."

Bankotsu shrugged.

"Extremely inappropriate language."

Bankotsu rolled his eyes.

"And home wreckage? What's that one about?"

"Their television was too old. So I eradicated it."

Harima blinked and ran a hand through his short black hair. "Honestly." He pulled a manilla folder from his desk and opened it, studying the contents carefully. He soon spoke. "'Minor has failed to comply with all household rules, has insulted all family members tremendously, and has wrecked several of our antique household items. We don't regret to inform you that we must return said minor to you, for we can no longer tolerate his wild antics. Sincerely, The Franklin family.' This family has a young boy, you insulted him?" Harima asked, glancing up at the teen before him.

Ignoring Harima's question, Bankotsu said, "Couldn't even write my name, huh? What a shame." Bankotsu looked at the cup of pens on Harima's desk before looking at the small digital clock next to it. 2:57PM. "Look, is this gonna take all day? I'm back, so what? Either I go somewhere else or I stay here."

"You know, you're running out of options. Foster families don't take kind to nuisances."

"I don't need those options," Bankotsu mumbled. "I make my own."

Harima raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well how about you make it your option to stop throwing tantrums all of the time whenever you get sent out to a new family. It might actually do you some good. And then, maybe you'll get yourself a girlfriend and stop being such a little shit." His face held a matter-of-fact expression.

A low growl erupted from Bankotsu's throat and he said, "Shut the hell up, you can't say that shit to me." If he wasn't already miffed, he was certainly angry now.

"Stop using your age as an excuse to run through people's houses like a rampant storm. These people are affording to keep you, the least you could do is bite your tongue and suck it up. I know it's hard, but--"

"No, no you don't know." Bankotsu said. He stood, unable to sit and listen to the man lecture him any longer. "And I never asked any of them to afford shit for me, it's their own damn fault!"

Harima placed the folder back to the edge of his desk and looked Bankotsu hard in the eye. "What is? What's their fault that you haven't done?" Harima challenged.

"I...whatever," Bankotsu grumbled. He turned to walk out of the office, but Harima's voice stopped him in the doorway.

"By the way, you're going to another home tomorrow. So pack your stuff and look nice by two. Thanks." He stood from his office chair and shouted over Bankotsu's head, "Debbie!"

Bankotsu growled angrily before mumbling under his breath and storming through the doorframe and down the hall, heading for his room. Debbie, the short blond woman returned to Harima's door, glanced off in the direction of Bankotsu's course, and said, "Oh boy."

{~*~*~}

Was there ever anything fun to do while he was in the orphanage? Usually not. Well, maybe if he had a friend there that might be different. Bankotsu currently sat in the open courtyard on the facility's properly, on a wooden bench off the side of a sidewalk path. In the center of the courtyard there was a small playground structure and a set of swings, which were both adorned with kids. Staff always made everyone go outside once a day, because they said it helped clear the mind and maintain positive attitudes within the kids who stayed here. Though, it never did much for Bankotsu. If anything, he was living proof that such ideas just didn't work for him.

Considering that the only real friend he had wasn't in the orphanage, he was mostly left alone unless a staff member or counselor came to see him while he was here. Most of the conversation he had was with his friend Jakotsu, through text messaging. But unfortunately Jakotsu wasn't texting him back at the moment. He placed his iTouch into his jacket pocket, and raised a hand to tentatively touch the purple cross mark on his forehead. He prodded at his skin there, listening absently to his surroundings. The sun was hidden by a thick blanket of clouds that day, and because of last night's thunderstorm the temperature had dropped. It was a little too chilly for an August day though. Bankotsu reached for the collar of his jacket and tugged it up to cover his neck as a small gust of wind entered the circular courtyard.

His attention was caught by a group of boys his age who were looking at him and pointing from across the courtyard. God, why did people always do that? It's not like he looked that different from everyone else. A scowl covered his handsome, tanned face as he made a move to stand, but the sound of Harima's voice approaching him stopped him.

"Nice day."

"Not really." Bankotsu slumped back on the bench while Harima took a seat next to him. Sometimes he wondered why the guy bothered with him.

"Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Bankotsu didn't reply. The wind shook the leaves around the open space. They sat in silence for a while. Harima observed all of the kids and teenagers while Bankotsu fiddled with the zipper of his jacket in one hand.

Finally, Harima spoke. "The family's last name is Kitamura. They have no kids. Their house is about an hour East from here."

"Really now."

Harima sighed, trying not to get too annoyed by Bankotsu's sarcastic mood. "I think they'll do you some good. In the interview they sounded very promising, and it sounds like they might be able to handle you, no matter what you do." Harima leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees.

A smirk appeared on Bankotsu's face. "No matter what I do, eh? Huh."

"Must you challenge everyone who bothers to take you in? Most people don't adopt teenagers because they'd rather raise a child. You're very, very lucky considering that fact."

"Sure. So, I don't get to meet them before they whisk me away? That's a little strange." Bankotsu yawned, shielding his mouth with the back of his hand.

"No, on such short notice you'll only get to meet them briefly before they take you to their house. But don't be nervous, Bankotsu. I think they're a much better family for you, and you shouldn't have any problems with them at all." A smile pulled at the corners of Harima's lips, and his dark brown eyes found their way to Bankotsu's to see his reaction. He stood and began to make his way back to the main housing building, leaving Bankotsu on the bench.

"Th...that's what you think, Harima!" Bankotsu stood up, but did't know what to do with himself. "And I'm not nervous!" he shouted after Harima.

{~*~*~}

Bankotsu had a bad feeling about this. He had reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat of his new foster parent's Jeep, and the hour long car ride was pretty uncomfortable for him. By the time they arrived at the quaint house Bankotsu was overly ready to get out of the car and away from the man who drove. His new foster father was a pretty large man, but by large that meant he was mostly muscle and meat. His hair was a chestnut brown and he hadn't shaved in a day or two judging by the scruff on his jaw. His eyes were a deep brown. He had on a white t-shirt under his jacket and a pair of jeans, so Bankotsu suspected he was unemployed. Great.

Once the car stopped Bankotsu unbuckled his seat belt and opened the back seat door to get his small duffel bag out, launching it onto his shoulder. The older man shut off the truck and stepped out, closing the door.

Though Bankotsu felt he was at no liberty to care about this man or his wife, he decided at least knowing their names wouldn't hurt. He heaved a sigh as he closed the back seat door and followed the man up the driveway and onto the wooden porch. "What did you say your name was again?"

The man dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, jiggling them around in his palm to find the right one. "My name is Kenji, and my wife's name is Maaya." Kenji found the correct key and opened the wooden front door and stepped into the house, stepping aside for Bankotsu. Bankotsu followed suit, and set his bag down ahead of him while he started to remove his sneakers.

Kenji slipped off his shoes and walked into the house after closing the front door. He said, "Kitchen to the right, den to the left, straight is the back door, and upstairs are all the bedrooms. There's a bathroom both upstairs and downstairs, and there's a coat closet next to you on the left.

"Got it..." Bankotsu stepped up onto the wooden floor of the hallway, picking up his duffel and slinging it over his shoulder again. Kenji motioned for him to follow him up the stairs ahead of them.

Once they were upstairs Kenji walked up to the first door on the left, and turned around to face Bankotsu. "This is your room."

Bankotsu waited for him to say anything else. When he didn't he asked, "That's it?"

"That's it." The corner of Kenji's mouth tugged into half a smile, before he walked around Bankotsu to head back downstairs. "I'll be out in the back yard if you need anything." Bankotsu watched his descending form until he could no longer see him anymore. He turned back towards the door, and took the handle, pushing the door open.

It was a simple room, nothing extravagant. A twin sized bed along the right wall, a window across from the door, a folding-door closet on the left wall, and a desk under the window complete with a chair and a small lamp. The curtains were wide open, letting in a vast amount of sunlight. He sat down his duffel at the side of the bed before sitting down in the desk chair and taking out his iTouch. Once the screen lit up he noticed he had four new messages from Jakotsu. the screen read:

4 New Messages!

Jakotsu: ok well i will see abt that

Jakotsu: o guess what?

Jakotsu: i jus saw the sexiest guy haha ;)

Jakotsu: btw wher did u go? u kno what city ur in? how long u think u'll be there?

Bankotsu replied,

Me: ha okay jak. i'm in the city this time. well not the city, im in sum neighborhood.

Me: tokyo

Bankotsu set the device down on the desk and stared out of the window. there was a tree not too far away, and it was adorned with small white flowers. Since the weather was much better and warmer today, he stood up and leaned over the desk to unlatch the window, and pulled it up letting in some fresh warm air. He got a new message, so he sat back down and picked up the iTouch again.

Jakotsu: ah wowa ur in tokyo?! hey ur closer 2 me this time. i wanna c u! wher u at?

Bankotsu laughed a little before replying,

Me: i dunno lol. this guy is weird tho. barely introduced himself. and i havent seen his wife yet.

Me: ill call u l8r after i look around a bit.

Jakotsu: o ok keep me posted

Bankotsu locked the device and put it into his back pocket before removing his jacket and draping it over the back of the chair. He got up and set off to explore the house.

It was strange...this guy was strange. Anyone who bothered to take Bankotsu in knew he was a trouble maker but thought they could tame him. Most people started off by lecturing him about all the things he shouldn't do, shouldn't say, and all the places he couldn't go. But this Kenji guy didn't even bother to be so courteous. Bankotsu figured either it was only a matter of time, or Kenji's wife, whatever her name was, would come in a do all of that herself. Bankotsu reached the bottom of the stairs and looked to his right, into the den. A couch, a flat screen TV (thank God) a lounge chair, a coffee table, basic den furniture. But of course he chose the other direction and walked into the kitchen. It was quaint, just like the exterior of the house, with pale yellow walls and white cabinets. An island was placed between him and the sink. The kitchen was pretty large, and at the far end toward the back of the house was a dining table with chairs. He stepped inside and opened the fridge, hoping to find something quick to stuff down his throat. He was delighted to see that the fridge was almost stocked to the brim with food! Fruits, meat, juice, soda, snacks, everything he could have asked for. He reached in with a huge grin on his face and took out a small container of chocolate pudding. Maybe living here for a while wouldn't be so bad after all.

This was Bankotsu's normal routine. He's been to so many people's houses that he started developing an order in which he did and said things. First he would observe. So for a day or two, sometimes a week, he would lay low and check out his surroundings, test the people he was staying with, and scope out all of his possible options for driving them crazy. How annoying the fosters were to him determined how quickly he went on to the second stage: the nuisance. Little things like drumming his fingers constantly would start the havoc, and then he would move on to worser things like punching holes in walls for the fun of it, popping up floor tiles and smashing them in the sink, and he couldn't forget that one time he hurled a lamp out of a bedroom window when the light flickered out. One could say he was quite destructive, and a very costly kid to take care of. But he wanted it that way. All of these families he had been placed with were all the same, and none of them really took his thoughts and feelings into consideration for anything. So why should he take their home and family members into consideration? The world wasn't fair, and he didn't intend to live out his life letting people run him however they wanted to.

He started pulling open different drawers along the cabinets, trying to find a spoon to eat the pudding with, and was startled when he heard a voice from the archway leading into the hall. "I see you've found the refrigerator," a woman's voice said.

Bankotsu spun around, almost guiltily, as he laid eyes on the woman standing there. He hadn't realized she had come through the front door. She was tall, like Kenji, with black shoulder length hair that framed her face. A knowing smile played on her lips as she walked into the kitchen and sat the bags she was carrying on top of the island countertop. "It's nice to finally meet you, Bankotsu. I'm Maaya," she said. She glanced at the cup of pudding in his hand and asked, "Looking for the utensils?"

Bankotsu nodded, watching her intently. She pointed to a drawer just in front of him inside of the island, and he pulled the drawer open and grabbed a spoon quickly. He turned to walk out of the kitchen, but changed his mind and walked down to the dining table and took a seat. The walls around the table were lined with windows, and all of the curtains were pulled back letting light pour in. He settled down, opened the packet, and enjoyed the first spoonful of chocolatey-goodness.

Maaya opened the freezer and pulled out two cornish hens. She set about preparing to let them thaw out by washing her hands and cutting up different stuff. Bankotsu tried to steal a glance at her but it was difficult considering he was facing the wall and had his back to the rest of the kitchen. Once he finished his pudding however he got up and started seeking out the trash can after placing his spoon in the sink. He found it quickly, as it was a large drawer on the side of the island. He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Nice hair, what shampoo do you use?" Maaya asked, without lifting her eyes from the onions she was cutting.

Bankotsu eyes her suspiciously before slowly answering, "Garnier...Fructis." He caught the smile that formed on her lips before it quickly disappeared.

"I'll look into that product then."

"Was that a compliment?"

"In a way, yes."

"Huh," Bankotsu concluded, and turned to leave the kitchen.

Before he could exit, Maaya said, "Once I'm done setting this meat to thaw, I'm making lunch. You should come down."

Bankotsu only scratched the side of his head as a response, before disappearing behind the wall and ascending the stair case. She was...strange. But so was her husband. 'Whatever,' he thought. 'It's just small talk, like it always is.' When he reached his "room" he closed the door behind him after entering, and stretched out face down onto the bed. He noted that the sheets smelled crisp and fresh, like some kind of "mountain breeze" detergent was used. He decided to sleep for a bit.

A/N: Hope you liked the first chapter, I'll start writing the next installment. =)