Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, I only own the plot.
Merry Christmas 2011 everyone! :)
A Snowy Dream
Kagome looked up at the cloudy sky.
"It's already been three months..."
Three months since she and her friends have killed Naraku.
It was a hard battle, but they all managed to live out of it.
Sango already showed sings of pregnancy a week after the battle. Looks like Miroku couldn't wait to start having children.
Sesshomaru wanted Rin to learn what the life in a village would be like, so he left her in Kaede's village with the rest of the group. Though she wasn't happy with the decision, Rin knew it was for the best. But she wasn't too sad since Sesshomaru and Jaken visited from time to time.
Kohaku took his role as a demon slayer and traveled in villages to do his job. Since Sango was pregnant, he had some work to do. He also visited Kaede's village to see how his sister was doing. And also to give little Rin some good company.
Shippo continued training to become a fox demon, so he was out often as well. He visited once a week, just to show Inuyasha his new moves. And what effects they have on the victim. The poor dog.
And...
Ah, yes.
Kikyo survived the battle.
Inuyasha chose to be with her. It was a hard decision, after all, it was already hard to keep Kagome and Kikyo in the same room. That's what you get for being a two-timer.
Kagome felt sadness piercing her heart as she remembered his choice. However, the pain immediatly started to disappear. And she smiled.
She knew how hard it was to make a choice between the two of them. Kikyo was his first love. She was beautiful, sweet, kind, wise... Kagome was almost just like her, only... she wasn't very wise and very forgiving when it came to Inuyasha's stupidities.
And what made her give up on him was the fact that she loved him so much.
True love is wanting the best for another. And she was his friend; as long as he was happy, she would be happy.
She shivered as she felt the cold wind blowing in her hair. The orange and red leaves were falling from the trees, and some fell on the wood she was carrying. The miko clothing she was wearing wasn't very warm. She held the wood tighter and imagined it burning inside... Warm and cozzy...
Everything disappeared when she started coughing.
"Oh, great."
Recently, she seemed to have started coughing a lot. Her friends were getting worried, and with this weather, it wouldn't be hard to catch a cold or to get sick.
As if she had been called, Sango approached her and asked with concerned eyes, "Are you okay, Kagome? You've been having these coughs a lot more lately. Are you sure you're not sick?"
The young miko smiled. "I'm fine, honest. It's just a small cough, I'm sure it'll go away in a day or so."
Sango narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but magically, Miroku appeared behind her and said, "A small cough can turn into a storm if you stay outside for too long," he started pushing Kagome into Kaede's hut, "Let's not take any chances, my dear friend, and let's get you inside. We'll prepare the fire."
Sango frowned and said as she got next to Miroku. "I was about to say that! And stop following me everywhere I go! I know you're worried about me, but please, Miroku, I need some space too!"
With one last glare at the monk, she took care of pushing Kagome to the small hut.
When they were in, Sango took the wood out of her friend's arms. "Let me take that."
She placed the wood in the fireplace and walked outside. "I'm going to go get Kirara for the fire! You wait here and try to stay warm."
Kagome nodded, and her friend went out. As soon as Sango was gone, Miroku poked his head inside the place and looked around, his expression uneasy. "Is she still here?"
The miko sat down on a cushion and said, "She just left."
Miroku walked inside and breathed a sigh of relief. "I wonder what's gotten into her today."
Kagome giggled. "You're going to have to get used to it."
Miroku blinked in confusion, and she continued, "Women can get moody when they're pregnant. But you should know that. You're the one asking women to bear your children."
He nodded. "Yes, that's true, but I'm not used to Sango getting so..."
She answered with a nod. "It's going to be hard, but you'll have to bear it. Just think of the cute kids you'll have!" she exclaimed in delight as she imagined a mini-Sango and a mini-Miroku.
The monk smiled. "Yes, that's true... If it is a girl, then her name shall be... Harumi."
Kagome tilted her head in wonder. "Why?"
He grinned. "Because by the time our child is born, it would be spring. Haru. And if it's a girl, then she would surely look as beautiful as Sango. So 'mi'. Beauty."
She smiled softly. "That's a nice name. And what if it's a boy?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. A drop of sweat rolled down his head. "Er... How about... Haruko?"
His drop of sweat was mirrored on Kagome's head. "'Spring child'? After such a beautiful speach about a daughter's name, you decide to call your child 'Haruko' if it's a boy? That's not very original."
"It's still coming to me!" Miroku said as he placed his fingers on his temples. "Maybe I'll ask some of the villagers, or maybe Inuyasha... But Inuyasha doesn't know anything about women or children, so he's not a very good source..."
Kagome giggled. And then, that giggle turned into a yawn. Miroku noticed this small yawn and said gently, "Why don't you get some sleep? It may do you some good. And I'm sure carrying all that wood was hard."
She was about to protest, when she felt her eyelids starting to close. She gave in and lied down on the floor. It was cold. She took the cushion she was sitting down on and placed her head on it. Much better.
As soon as she closed her eyes, Miroku started walking away quietly.
And when he was gone, Kagome started dreaming.
~{*o*}~
When she opened her eyes, there was no fire in the fireplace. And she felt extremely cold.
She shivered and brought her hands to her arms to warm herself up. There was no fire. "Maybe Sango and Miroku forgot I was here. Yeah, that's it. Maybe Sango's mood swings got in the way and they forgot..." she thought.
She stood up and went outside. She might as well see why it was so cold. Was there too much wind? Or was it just an ice demon? Those type of demons were showing up a lot recently...
When she looked out, she couldn't see anybody.
But instead, she saw snow.
Her eyes widened in shock and she gasped at all the white. The ground, roofs, fields were all covered in white. The snow was spotless and was shining from the small light of the sun.
Snow was still falling from the sky. She blinked as a few fell on her nose.
She noticed that her cough was gone. Her throat felt fine, as if everything that was blocking it was cleared. She also started feeling a little warm. The sunlight was offering its warm energy.
She felt happy, and looked around to see if anyone was there.
And the happiness vanished when she realised nobody, nobody at all, was in the village.
She frowned, and ran to Sango and Miroku's own small hut. Nobody was home.
When she checked in the fields, she couldn't find any men.
Finally, she checked the sacred tree. But she didn't find Inuyasha or any of her friends.
By now, she was starting to panic. She lied agaisnt the huge tree. What happened? Why couldn't she find any of her friends? This couldn't be happening. "Did I fall into some parallel universe? Are they playing a trick on me? No, they wouldn't do that. What's going on?"
Suddenly, she thought of why this was happening. Kaede sometimes spoke of why odd things, odd dreams, odd anythings could happen. It could be an omen, or maybe a sign. Kagome never really believed in those things. Well now, she believed.
"What can this mean?"
Kaede said the sign could be told through the thing that showed the most... In this case... It would be the color white... The old miko said something about the colors... Red, for blood, or death... Yellow, for something bright... Green, for vegetation, or herbs... Blue, for water, or something sad...
What about white?
Then, it hit her.
"White, for solitude."
It made sense. Nobody was around her, and there was no living thing at all. No birds, no animals. Even the trees, which were living beings, seemed dead.
Inuyasha's face suddenly came into her mind. "Was it right to let him go...? If I stayed with him, would this 'sign' have been different? Am I ment to spend the rest of life alone?"
Tears started flooding her eyes. "No... This can't be right..."
She wasn't alone, she never was. She had her friends, her family on the other side of the well...
Then, she heard a sneeze behind the tree.
She jumped in surprise. So there was someone here! Kagome felt relief flooding heart. She quickly brushed her tears away and poked took a quick look at who could have sneezed.
The slightest look of the person was enough to make her turn around, and to make the panic inside her rise again.
"What is HE doing here?"
Alright, this couldn't be right. At all. There was snow everywhere, and nobody was in the village, that was something she could take. But what did Bankotsu have anything to do with this?
She might not have seen his face, but a glance at a long black braid and blue and white clothing was enough for her to turn around and make her stop breathing. It was familiar enough.
Of course she couldn't forget one of Inuyasha's biggest enemies. He was the leader of the Band of Seven. And one of the band's men, Mukotsu, if she remembered correctly, tried to kill her, Sango and Miroku. And he almost succeded.
And now here she was, facing their leader.
But what was he doing there in the first place? He was dead, wasn't he?
"This has to be a dream," she kept on telling herself. "Kaede said that omen can come through dreams, right? This has to be a dream. When I wake up, Sango will still be pregnant and moody, Miroku will be right next to her, and Inuyasha and Kikyo will be back from picking the last vegetables. Everything will be-"
"If you don't want to be here, then leave!"
Kagome froze and turned around.
Bankotsu was glaring at her. His Banryuu shone so brightly, she could barely see his face. She blinked and blinked, trying to see him. She didn't need to anymore because he turned his back at her.
"How long do you intend on staying there, girl? I know you're there. Go if you don't want to be here."
She was surprised. If he knew she was there all this time, then why didn't he kill her? Maybe he knew this was a dream? "But a guy like him wouldn't give any mercy, even if he was in a dream," she thought as she remembered the one time he spoke about revenge for his comrades.
"Why aren't you trying to hurt me?" The question came out on its own.
There was a moment of silence. She saw him looking up at the snow falling from the sky, and wondered if he wasn't going to answer. Then, he growled, "I have my own reasons. Get lost."
Now she was getting suspicious. A mercenary like him wouldn't let an innocent girl leave alive if she asked a single question. He clearly didn't want her company, but he didn't feel like killing her either.
Why?
First the fact that she was completly alone, and now a bloodthirsty mercenary, an enemy, letting her go alive? What the hell?
"You aren't... usually like this..." She said slowly.
She saw him stiffen. His words came out quick. "Oh? And why do you think that?"
She sounded like she was talking to a close friend when she spoke. "Well, first, you're speaking really quickly. Second, you're one of Inuyasha's top enemies, so it's be weird if you didn't try to kill me. Plus, I asked you a few questions, and you're still letting me get out of this alive."
"Do you want me to kill you?" he growled.
She replied calmly, "That's only a threat, but you won't do it, will you?"
He finally turned around to glare at her again. "She's got guts, that's one thing," he thought, "But she isn't smart. Does she even know where she is?"
Bankotsu's glare disappeared and was replaced by a questioning expression. He knew she was the girl who stuck with Inuyasha. The girl who shot an arrow at him and made his arm reduce to bones. How could he forget that?
And another thing was how she answered to his question.
"Do you want me to kill you?"
"That's only a threat, but you won't do it, will you?"
He snickered. She sounded surprised, and her voice slightly trembled with fear. "W-what are you laughing at?"
Bankotsu's face was serious again. "Do you know where you are?"
"What?"
He rolled his eyes. "I said 'Do you know where you are?'," he pronounced the words slowly so she could understand.
"I know what you said but why are you asking me that?"
He sighed. That sounded like a bad sign. "Is that a bad sign? Don't tell me I'm in another universe? Isn't this a dream?" Kagome thought in panic.
Bankotsu shook his head. "I don't know if this is a 'dream' to you or not, but you surely don't want to know where you are."
Her eyes widened. "How did you... know what I was thinking?"
"Do I have to spill it all out?" he finally snapped. "I don't even want to remember that I'm here! Think, woman! I'm dead, there's nobody here, whatever you think is an open book to me, is any of this getting into your head?"
She snapped back, "It isn't that obvious! How am I supposed to know where I am with such vague things? Are you telling me this is where evil mercenaries go when they die? Is this Hell?"
His expression was surpried at first. But then, no emotion was shown. Kagome suddenly felt a cold chill run down her spine. "No." She looked around. "No, oh no. This can't be happening."
"You keep on telling yourself that, but this is real," Bankotsu said. "I've been here twice. When I die, I come to this place. This is my Hell."
His cool voice was only making her panic rise. "What do I do? How do I get out of here?"
"What I'm wondering right now is how you got here," he spoke thoughfully. "I've been here, like, forever, and I've never had any guests. Can you tell me how you died?"
She stopped all movement and thought carefully. She could remember talking to Miroku about his child's name... Then... Then what? Yes! He left because she was getting tired... And then she fell asleep.
"Yes!" she exclaimed in triumph. "I knew it! I'm not dead! I'm just asleep! This is all just a dream!"
Bankotsu stared at her as if she were crazy. "Okay... So you fell alseep. That still doesn't explain why you're here."
Kagome froze. "Oh. That's right..."
He sighed, and facepalmed. "So now I'm stuck with you. That's just great. It's great that I'm with a woman, but does it have to be an annoying one? And my enemy at that."
"Hey!" she yelled, insulted.
He smirked at her angry expression. This was fun. He never would have thought that having her company would feel better than being... alone. In this cold, snowy place that he called his own Hell. While she saw it as a wintery wonderland with its sparkling snow, he saw it as a cold death place.
His smirk disappeared when he remembered why he was there. Not burning in the dark flammes of Hell like his brothers.
Kagome looked at the sacred tree. A flood of memories rushed in her head. "Long ago... I was back in my time, and it was snowing, too. At that time, I felt alone, but... I was able to talk to Inuyasha through this tree." An idea popped into her mind. "That's it! What if I try that again?"
"It's no use, woman," Bankotsu growled. He turned around. "If you just fell asleep, then you'll leave soon. Don't do something so useless."
Kagome glared at his back. "I may not be trapped, but I want to get out of here as soon as possible! And my name isn't 'woman', it's Kagome! Why is it so hard for everyone to remember?"
Bankotsu heard the 'remember', whipped back around, walked up to her and snapped, "Don't talk to me about 'remembering'! Because that's the only thing these stupid trees talk about! The snow screams it, and the wind blows it into my ear every single day! I don't need to remember!"
Her eyes widened in shock and she took a step back. How did he get so pumped up in a matter of seconds? And he didn't seem like the type to get mad so easily... Why was the word 'remember' such a huge deal to him?
He seemed to have calmed down only when he saw something light up in her eyes.
Fear.
For some odd reason, he didn't want to see that. He eased his breathing, and sighed. He turned around again, and tried to speak calmly. "I'm not the type to appologize for my own things. So just tell yourself that I'm sorry."
She blinked. This was getting weirder and weirder. She makes him angry, and then... he 'says' he's sorry. And then, that tantrum about this place about reminding him of something... "What's going on?" she finally asked.
"What?"
"Why are you so upset about... 'remembering'? Is it because of this place?"
She thought about all the white on the floor again. Solitude.
There was nobody but him, until she arrived. And him, a leader of seven men, is here. Where were his brothers?
Bankotsu didn't say anything. She wondered if she made him mad again, until she realised that he was hesitating between telling her something and just walking away. He gave in to the first option, though he wasn't too happy about it.
"It's not like this is going to do anything to you in your life, so I guess I can tell you... Where do I start?"
He took a deep breath. "The day the Band Of Seven was taken down... was also the first day of snow after spring." He glanced at her over his shoulder to see is she was listening. And yes, she was. Very intently.
"My brothers and I died looking at the snow falling on our faces. When my head was chopped off, I came here. A place full of snow. And I was alone. Somehow, these crazy trees," he said as he punched the sacred tree, "told me I was the only one here, and that my brothers were somewhere else. I was the only one here because I had to 'recieve my punishement'."
Kagome blinked in confusion. Was there really punishement after death? Other than Hell?
He growled, "I was left here alone because I led my brothers to their deaths."
"But... that wasn't your fault, was it?" she asked. "You're the leader, sure, but-"
"Apparently, 'fate' cares about my role in the Band Of Seven," he interrupted. "I was leader. I led them to their deaths. That's all there is to it. So I'm left here all alone, surrounded by snow so I can always remember the mistake I made."
"That's terrible," Kagome thought. "Snow is supposed to be good, it's supposed to announce the arrival of a new season! Why would anyone leave someone to live in the snow for eternity because of their mistakes?"
"If Buddah existed, then it would be Him," he said. "And don't bother thinking anymore, I can hear everything loud and clear."
She felt a little insulted. "Then how come I can't hear my own thoughts ringing in the forest? How can you hear it so well?"
Bankotsu was about to answer, until he blinked, and narrowed his eyes. "Huh. Good point. Come to think of it, your thoughts aren't exactly yelling at me."
She smiled in triumph, but then, it disappeared. Her eyes were sad now. She looked down at the floor and lied agaisnt the sacred tree. "It's not fair."
"What?" he asked.
"Why should you have to stay here?"
"I already told you, I-"
She interruped him. "I know, but I just don't think it's fair. No matter who it is, nobody deserves to walk their path alone. You even had friends to live with while you were alive. Even if you have lived as a mercenary, killing people only for the heck of it, nobody deserves to be alone."
Bankotsu blinked. He stared at her apologizing face, and then at her brown eyes. Then, he turned around and snorted. "Whatever. What you think won't change the fact that I'll be staying here for the rest of my... ummm... for eternity."
She tilted her head and started walking towards him. He heard her footsteps in the snow and stiffened. He turned to her and braced himself. "What..."
"You don't like to be lonely, do you?" she asked suddenly. "If you'd like, I can stay with you for a while. I mean, until I leave."
Now he was confused. What was up with this girl? Was she trying to understand him? Why did she want to try to make him feel better? They were enemies not too long ago, and she wants to become 'friends', if that was what she really meant.
He grunted and looked away. "It's not like I care. As long as you don't chatter and chatter like all the rest of the women do."
She raised a brow. "Not all women chatter like birds. Some girls like Sango, Kikyo, and I like to talk about how annoying Inuyasha and Miroku are, but we only talk a little."
Bankotsu frowned in confusion. Kagome sighed. Of course. He didn't know who those people were. Except for Inuyasha. "Sango's the demon slayer, Kohaku's older sister. Miroku's her husband. If you could actually call him that," she mumbled as she remembered the many times he flirted with women after he got married. "And Kikyo's-"
"Already know her," he said. "Met her once. And she gave me a lecture about how I should change my ways, and why I stay even after my death, and bla bla bla..."
"Yup, that sounds like something I would have done if I was left alone with Bankotsu," she thought. "Another reason why Kikyo and I are so alike. Well, I am a reincarnation of her. What did you expect?"
"So she's still alive, eh?" he asked. "I'm surprised she still isn't dead yet. And you let her tag along with you?"
Kagome stared at him. "What do you mean?"
He said lightly, but with no emotion. "When I met her, she said that people from the dead will only suffer and make the living people suffer as well. I'm wondring how odd it is for a priestess like her to still bring hapiness to living people like you and Inuyasha."
She slightly stiffened as she heard the dog demon's name.
Bankotus noticed her sudden change of mood. He explained, "I already know that Inuyasha fell in love with her. Naraku explained everything. So I'm guessing that they're together, now that she's alive?"
Kagome's face didn't show any emotion, and her voice sounded flat. "... Yeah."
He narrowed his eyes. "Earlier, she spoke with so much energy... What's with that face now?" Then, he guessed it. "Ah, so you're upset because Inuyasha chose her instead of you. 'Original is always best', right? I don't even need to hear your thoughts to know it."
She froze, and bursted out, "T-that's not true!"
"Oh? Then what is it?"
Kagome thought of something she could say. But what could she say? She looked down at her hands. They closed into fists. She noticed how hard she was clenching them only after her knuckles started turning white.
So was it true? Was she still upset because didn't choose her?
She tried and tried to tell herself that everything was fine. That she wasn't jealous anymore. That she was happy for her two friends. But she wasn't. The tears were starting to appear again. This time, it wasn't because she felt lonely.
She sat down next to the sacred tree. It didn't seem to bring much comfort as it always did.
Now, it was just an old tree.
A tree which signified Inuyasha's love for Kikyo.
Not the day Kagome and Inuyasha first met.
She closed her eyes shut. Why did it have to hurt so much?
"Well!" Bankotsu suddenly exclaimed. "It's not like I really care, but in some way, it's a good thing that he didn't choose you."
Kagome looked up at him. What was he talking about? He continued, "Even if he did choose to be with you, he'd still continue seeing Kikyo, right? since Naraku's gone, there's no where for her to go, so she's staying with you.
"And since everyday, he'd see Kikyo, he'd always have that stupid look on his face, always concerned about that woman, always there to stop her from trippingover a tiny rock... And what would you be able to do about it? The only you'd do is suffer. That's all. If what you said earlier was true, nobody deserves to suffer from such a stupid incident called love. If you ask me, I'd say that for once, that mutt made a smart choice."
She stared at him. As he spoke, her tears disappeared. She never imagined it that way, but he was right. Even if Inuyasha tried, he would never be able to get over his first love. Maybe Inuyasha knew that his feelings for Kikyo will remain, no matter how long time passes.
It hurt to think about how much the dog loved Kikyo, but maybe he knew that if he chose Kagome, he'd only make his friend suffer more. And he certainly didn't want that.
Kagome knew that he loved her, but it was as a 'sibling'. "Maybe he wants me to live a good life. For me to be happy, and to live on. He knows that I have a family that I don't visit often and friends I barely see. Plus, I need to spend some more time in my era... That makes a lot of sense."
"What?" Bankotsu asked.
"Huh?"
"Have you forgotten? Your mind is as clear as day," he remided her. "And what do you mean 'in my era'?"
She gasped, and clamped her mouth with her hands. He looked down on her, a brow raised, waiting for her answer. She avoided his gaze. It's not like it's going to do any harm in telling him. And he was stuck in this place, so why not tell him?
She sighed. "Where do I start..."
It took her a few minutes to explain it all. Some words were confusing Bankotsu, and sometimes, he's get lost and ask her to start again. They shared a few laughs at some moments.
When she was finished, Bankotsu didn't say anything. Kagome wondered if he believed her at all. He may have laughed with her at a few things she said, but was he laughing out of humour, or out of how absurd everything sounded?
Then, he finally spoke. "I guess that explains why you where such odd clothing."
She expected him to say that. But what he said afterwards surprised her. "I guess I should have known that you came from somewhere else. Well, in this case, some other time."
"How would you have..."
"You're Kikyo's reincarnation," he said. "Obviously, it'd take a lot of time to reincarnated with a sacrel jewel inside of you. Also, you never really looked like the type to be in great shape. You didn't run that fast as demon slayers or other priestesses."
She felt insulted. "Hey, I may not be strong, but I'm not useless either. Besides, we don't all have super strength and a huge demonic halberd like yours."
He smirked. "Why, thank you. Yes, I do consider myself very strong."
She rolled her eyes. He noticed this and asked, "What, you don't think it's true?"
"Of course you're strong. You gave Inuyasha a hard time last time you met. I'm just wondering why some men can get so cocky when it comes to their strength. You guys just can't get enough of it."
"That's because we're proud of it," he said as he puffed his chest out and pointed Banryuu directly to the sky. "It's what makes all the men different. While one's a whimp, the other is a hero."
"And you're the leader of a band of mercenaries."
"The famous Band of Seven," he said as he smiled with pride. "Feared all across the region, and that lives on even after death."
When he said those words, his expression turned serious again. "That lives on after death. Is that right?"
Kagome knew what was on his mind. And for some reason, she didn't want to see him that way. She wanted to see him smile again. Or at least smirk. "How did you become leader of your band?"
He blinked, as if he were at a daze. "Oh... Umm... First, I was already traveling with Jakotsu. He already knew that I was the strongest. Then, when I met Naraku, I decided to make a band. You can guess the rest. I met Renkotsu, Ginkotsu, Suikotsu, Mukotsu, and Kyoukotsu. In other words, everything was decided from the start."
Thought all those 'kotsu's didn't fit into her head, remembering his comrades seemed to keep him out of depression. She kept the conversation going, "Wasn't it hard to keep them all together?"
He seemed thoughful for a moment. "The only ones I had trouble with was Jakotsu and Renkotsu. Jakotsu kept on whining and whining about handsome men he found, but I was already used to that. Renkotsu... he was the problem."
Kagome shivered as she remembered the blad man. She could still see his piercing eyes as he glared at her. What could have made him have such eyes. A thirst for power, perhaps?
"Sometimes, he'd be a regular guy, just like the rest of them," Bankotsu said. "But right when you think you can trust him, he'd do something suspicious. Still, I made him my second in command because of how smart he was."
She nodded. "That makes sense..." Then, she wondered how Renkotsu died. If she remembered correctly, last time she saw him, he was alive. And she was never told if he was dead or alive. "How did he die?"
Bankotsu tensed. "Let's say... that he took his ambitions too far."
Kagome tilted her head, and he ended up spilling everything out. "First, he forgot to give me the jewel shards he stole from you. I took them anyways. Then, he refused to give me Ginkotsu's jewel shard when he died. And what made me snap was when he killed Jakotsu. He tried to take me on with three jewel shards, but of course, he ended up losing. And I killed him. There."
Her eyes were wide the whole time he spoke. So even if Renkotsu was a member of the band - a 'brother' - he still held on to his own ambitions. And what changed everything was the jewel shards.
"So it's true," she thought in sadness. "All those who encounter the Shikon Jewel only suffer. Inuyasha, Kikyo, Sango, Kohaku, and even Naraku... they were all victims. The Shikon Jewel only brings greed. And that greed bring deaths."
Bankotsu realised that he had just told everything to this girl - someone he'd only met a few times in his life - and regretted saying so much. "For... Forget what I said. You weren't supposed to hear that."
"What do you mean? If something disturbing is on your mind, then you should just say it to someone. Especially in your case," she said softly. She looked around. "There isn't anyone here. Since I'm here, you might as well tell everything to me."
He snorted. "Heh. Not really. Besides, it's not like you'd really understand much. You don't enjoy killing, you're not the leader of a band, and you're not as strong as me. There isn't much we can talk about."
She sighed. "I know that I might not be much. But at least I'm human. Humans have feelings. They understand each other's suffering. And besides, there might be one thing we have in common."
He raised a brow. "Oh? And what could that be?"
She smiled up to him. "We both hate being alone."
Bankotsu stared at her. What was up with this girl? Acting like she could actually understand the suffering's he's been through- hah! "But then again," he thought, "She might be right."
She must have been betrayed by Inuyasha many times. And now, he's finally left her. He was betrayed by Renkotsu, and he was punished for all the things he's done wrong.
When she came to this place, she couldn't stand being alone. She missed her friends, she didn't believe this was happening. "Kinda like me the first time I came here," he thought as he remembered his reaction when he came to this snowy place.
"What the Hell?" was the first thing he said when he woke up.
He noticed that Banryuu was nowhere to be found.
His hand immediatly came to his neck. Yes, his head was still on his shoulders. He looked around and noticed all the snow. How could he not when everywhere he looked, it was completly white?
That's when he remembered that he was dead.
He clearly felt the blade of the Lord coming down on his neck. Next thing he knew, he was over here.
"So this is Hell, eh?" he said out loud as he looked around. Then, he mumbled to himself, "Nah. Hell doesn't exist. This is just a bad dream after death. The light will be off for me in a few minutes."
But he still couldn't get the thought that this really was Hell. "Didn't expect it to look like this."
He thought Jakostsu would be right by his side, but no. Nobody was there. Not even the rest of his brothers. Where did they go?
"Hey!" he yelled. He stood up. "Is anyone there? Come on, there should be more people in Hell than me!" He growled. "Where are they?" 'They' as in his brothers.
"'They' are somewhere else."
He almost jumped as he heard the cool and mighty voice. He looked around. But still, he couldn't see anybody. "Who are you?" he yelled. "Show yourself!"
"But I am here," the voice responded.
Bankotsu scolwed and growled, "Don't play dumb with me. I'm not blind, where the hell are you?"
"Look around you. What do you see?"
He rolled is eyes, and said sarcastically, "Oh, let's see... Oh, that's right!" And he bursted, "Snow, snow and more snow! And how could I forget the sky and the cold that even an ice demon can't handle! And of course, the trees!"
"Especially this big tree here!" he said as he punched the Sacred tree.
"Good. Very good," the voice spoke. "Now if you punch me any more, I think you're going to break me."
Bankotsu blinked and looked up. "You're kidding me," he groaned. "First I end up in a winterland, and now I'm talking to a huge tree. It's official. I've gone nuts."
The tree ignored his comment and said, "This is Hell. But this is your Hell."
"My Hell? Don't make me laugh. Hell is filled with people with who've commited so many sins they can't be accepted to Heaven. I don't see anyone."
"This is your Hell," the voice repeated. "And you... are to stay here for eternity."
"Bankotsu?"
Kagome's voice woke him up.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts, but he still stuttered a "H-huh?"
Her eyes were concerned. "You looked distracted..." And she thought, "Oh great. I knew that what I said was weird."
He smirked. "Actually, I might say that you're right."
Now, she said "Huh?"
He looked up at the sky. "It's true, I suppose. All my life, I've been hanging out with Jakotsu, even before I became a mercenary. Then, I guess I got used to so much of his company, I can't stand being alone."
She smiled. "He was a good friend, wasn't he?"
He smirked. "Oh, sure. His sexual orientation always creeped me out, but he was just a regular guy. A sexist, gay, cross-dressing guy."
Kagome giggled lightly, and he chuckled. Then, Kagome said, "I have Sango for that too. She's great, I can always tell her everything. But now she's got Miroku and her unborn baby to deal with. So I guess I have to give her some space."
"That means you feel even lonelier," he said. "You don't even have your best friend to hang out with you."
Kagome got onto her feet. "Sure I do!" she protested. "I can talk with Sango any time!"
"Sure you can. Right now. But what about when she gives birth? She'll have the baby to deal with. Every day and every night."
She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. She sighed. "That's true." She smiled. "But I can take care of the baby. And Sango's going to be really happy. As long as she's happy, I'll be fine too."
He shook his head. "You say that you'll be fine because of their happiness. But what will happen to yours? If your happiness really comes fom the others, it's not even called happiness. Joy comes from the feelings you feel, not from others'."
Kagome blinked, and closed her eyes. She tried to hide her sadness. What he said was true. Everyone likes to see their friends happy. And she couldn't live with only seeing her friends living a great life. Where was her happiness in this world?
How many times had she felt like crying that day? The tears disappeared and came back, and all because of the man standing in front of her. "This may be a dream, but it feels like real life..."
"This is no dream," a voice boomed.
Bankotsu and Kagome both jumped in shock. The wind started blowing harder, and the snow stopped falling.
The leader of the Band of Seven's eyes gleamed with annoyance. "Damn it! Not now!" He started looking around, and he yelled, "What the hell are you doing here again? Get lost! We don't want you here!"
The miko was confused. "Huh?" she whispered to him, "What's going on? What is that?"
He grumbled back, "You don't want to know."
"She does," the voice said again. "This is for both of your good."
"Both of our good?" Bankotsu wondered. Then, it came to him, and he bristled with fury. "You bastard! You here to take her away too?"
"Take me away?" she looked at him with worried eyes. What was he talking about?
"Listen to me," it replied calmly. "This may interest you."
"'Interest' my ass!" he yelled in anger. "If you're telling me that this girl is going to stay here because she's dead, you can forget it!"
"Dead?" Kagome thought in horror. But she remembered sleeping! She couldn't have died in her sleep. "But I had a cold," she reminded herself. "Did that take my life away?" A simple cold shouldn't have killed her...
"Nobody died," the voice reasseured her.
Bankotsu snorted. "Yeah, expect for me."
"Listen to me," the voice repeated.
Kagome spoke gently to the mercenary. "Maybe we should listen to what it has to say. It might be good news."
He scowled. "Last time I remember, it gave me bad news."
"Bad news?"
"It told me everything about this place when I first came here," he explained. "Only this time, it's not this tree," he said as he glanced at the sacred tree. "Now it's everywhere. Great."
"Kagome," the voice said. "Have you ever wondered why you are here?"
The miko's eyes were confused. "Now that you mention it... No, I haven't really thought of that, since I thought this was a dream... But if you say this isn't a dream... Then I have no clue of what I'm doing here."
Bankotsu stared at her. "That annoying voice is here for one reason, and that's to explain to you how you died. That's what it told me last time. Just don't listen to it." "I don't feel like dealing with a crying girl," he thought, thinking of how she'd react if she was told that she was dead.
The odd thing was that he didn't mean it. Sure, he didn't want to see her cry, but only because she didn't want to see her hurt. She's already been in pain enough for the last few minutes, she certainly won't be able to take her death easily.
"She is not dead," the voice said abruptly. "She knows that. And that is what's curious. Why do you think you, out of all the other people in this world, are here, in the rest place of a sinner?"
"Rest place, it says," the young male mumbled. "Rest place, my ass."
Kagome looked deep in thought. But no, she still couldn't understand why she would be there, with Bankotsu, an old enemy. But instead of asking the voice for the reason she was there, another question popped up.
"Who are you?"
The voice didn't answer for a moment. The wind was still blowing fine, the snow continued falling. And it finally answered, "I am the Shikon Jewel."
Both of the teenagers' eyes' widened. "That's impossible!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "I wished for you to disappear, why are you still here! And why would Bankotu be in here, he barely had anything to do with the Sacrel Jewel fifteen years ago!"
"Bankotsu did have an interest in me long ago," the jewel said in its monotone voice. "He met Naraku, and heard of me from him. His whole adventure started because he was trying to search for me."
She looked at him. "Is that true?"
"Barely!" he retorted. "Sure, I had an interest in the jewel, but I didn't want to search for it! I mean, if I came across it, sure I'd take it, but I wanted to form a band!"
"Still, you had an interest," the Shikon Jewel spoke again. "And you were trapped in me because in you heart, you wanted more power. From me."
Bankotsu cringed, but didn't say anything.
"Then, when you died again, you came back here. You finally had a hold on my shards, but you died because of me. And what better punishment than keeping you inside the very thing that killed you?"
"Shut up!" he yelled. "Just shut up! What the hell made you decide to keep me here? You're a damn jewel!"
"Midoriko," it said.
Kagome's thoughts travelled back as she heard the familiar name. "Midoriko..."
Bankotsu turned to her. "You know who that is?"
"I've only heard of her once or twice... She's the creator of the Shikon Jewel..."
"And therefore, she is my master," the jewel spoke. "She was trapped here as well, until Kagome wished for me to disappear."
As the words were spoken, Kagome exclaimed, "Yeah, and why aren't you gone?"
The jewel ignored her comment and continued, "Midoriko decided to keep you, Bankotsu, in here."
"Great. So she has a grudge agaisnt me? And I haven't even met her."
"When she heard of the Band of Seven's death, she brought you here. She also knew of your second death, and that you'd return here again. And she waited, and waited."
"Waited for what, exactly?" he snapped.
"She waited for this day to come."
Kagome blinked. "Eh?"
"She knew Kikyo would survive, and that Inuyasha would chose her," it said. "She knew that Kagome would feel lonely, just as you, Bankotsu, would feel empty when you are here."
"Empty?"
"Midoriko knew that both of you would be lonely. Since Kagome was the keeper of the Sacred Jewel, the source of power she created, she would never let the one she owes her gratitude to to live without happinness."
"And what's this gotta do with me?" Bankotsu asked. "Why did she keep me in here?"
"Midoriko decided to give you another chance at life," it said calmly.
His eyes widened in shock. "Another... what?"
"Midoriko isn't cruel," the jewel said with the first hint of warmth they ever heard. "This may be a dream, but I have the power to bring you back. As a living human this time since I'm not in shards."
"That's great!" Kagome exclaimed. Then, her eyes narrowed. She looked up to him and asked, "Don't tell me... You're going to live this other life as a mercenary too?"
He stared at her brown eyes. Deep inside them, he could see that she was begging him not to follow that path a third time. But could he really do that? Could he give up what he loved the most (killing, of course) for her?
The Shikon Jewel interrupted his thinking. "However... the choice is Kagome's."
Bankotsu snapped his head up. "What?"
"She will decide whether you live again or not."
This time, he refused to look at her. She must have known clearly that he was going to live as a mercenary again. A kind girl like her would never let a killer run free again.
He waited for her words: 'Of course I'm not letting him out!' or 'Are you kidding me? You think I'd do that?'. But he also wished that they'd never come.
The jewel spoke again. "What happens to your life is none of my concern. Bankotsu can remain here, trapped forever, or you can let him live. You can go your seperate ways, or even live together, if you wish."
He saw Kagome blush and smirked. He certainly wouldn't mind that. She was cute, no, she was beautiful. She had a fiesty attitude. He liked that. A woman without challenge was nothing. Sure he just met her a few minutes ago, but he felt like a relationship like theirs would last for a very long time.
Also, they were both lonely. If they lived together, it would be great for both of them.
Then, he remembered what this was about.
Bankotsu silently cursed to the damn thing. Why did it have to come and ruin it all? He and Kagome would have continued talking, and they'd both be okay. But no, it just had to arrive and break the one moment of 'joy' he had in months.
"I'm going to let him live."
Bankotsu turned around and stared at her in shock. Her smile was full of warmth, and her eyes glowed. Her beautiful face shone in both the sunlight and the snow.
And he finally understood why Midoriko chose her to visit him.
Kagome wasn't like any other human. She could forgive those with the most tainted of hearts. She had the power to change people's minds with a hint of her kindness.
And a single look at her beautiful smile made him undrestand everything.
"Very well," the Shikon Jewel said.
A bright pink light glowed from Bankotsu's body. He looked at his hands, and realised that they were disappearing. He took a last look at Kagome, and asked the one thing that's been on his mind for a long time, even before she spoke her choice.
The reason why sh was so kind to him...
"Why?"
Her smiled was enough to make his heart skip a beat. "You may be a mercenary, and may not know if you're going to stay that way... But inside, you're just like a regular teenager. You need company just as much as everyone does."
And with that, he vanished.
~{*o*}~
Kagome opened her eyes.
She blinked a few times, sat up, and looked around. The fire next to her was burning. She was back in the hut.
She looked down at her hands, and wondered if what she saw was real. Or if it really was a dream. But that type of dream doesn't happen everyday. So it must have been real.
The next thing she noticed was how well she felt. She could breathe easily again, and her throat didn't feel sore.
Outside, she could hear Sango and Miroku bickering, as usual. She could hear Shippo chatting happily with Kaede, explianing all the new tricks he learned.
"Looks like everyone's here," she thought. "Everyone except..."
So if that wasn't a dream, where was Bankotsu?
She stood up and ran outside. She ran past Sango and Miroku who greeted her with smiles, but who looked confused when she ran away.
Kagome first searched the fields, then, she searched the outisde the village. But she still couldn't find the leader of the Shichinintai. Then, she thought about what he'd actually do with this new chance at life... He might have chosen to remain a mercenary.
"I should've known," she thought in disappointment. "I guess he woke up somewhere and ran off to go kill people."
She didn't know why that mere thought hurt her so much. Was it because Bankotsu decided to stay away from her and her friends? She wondered why she felt empty. Perhaps Midoriko was right. Maybe she really was lonely, and Bankotsu was the only person who could fill that hole of loneliness.
She remembered that there was only one place she didn't check.
She ran off to the sacred tree.
But before she could even get there, she heard Inuyasha's outraged voice. "What the HELL are YOU doing here?"
Even though Inuyasha was yelling his fury out, Kagome felt a small spark of hope. That was a good sign. "Bankotsu might be there."
When she arrived in the clearing, Inuyasha already had his sword in his hand, and Kikyo was ready to fire an arrow. Then, she saw him. Bankotsu was facing them, his Banryuu pointed directly at them.
"What are you doing here, you're supposed to be dead!" Inuyasha growled.
Bankotsu only glared at him, and replied calmly, "I have no intention on fighting you right now. I'm looking for someone."
Kagome's eyes shone with happiness. "Is he looking for..."
"Someone?" Kikyo asked. "Are you saying you and your comrades have been resurrected again?"
Inuyasha stiffened. Kagome knew that he would start attacking soon. "I have to react soon!"
But it was too late.
The dog demon was already running at the dead man.
Kagome gasped and started panicking, when she remembered something very important. Something very useful that saved her life many, many times.
"SIT!"
And Inuyasha hit the floor.
All three people turned around to look at Kagome.
Inuyasha jumped up and screamed, "What are you doing, Kagome?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she stood in front of Bankotsu, blocking Inuyasha's way. Her eyes were challenging as she said, "I'm not going to let you hurt Bankotsu."
The dog demon sounded outraged and furious. "WHAT? Kagome, he's a mercenary who loves killing, who have killed thousands of people in the past, who's been our enemy and who tried to kill you-"
"Kill, kill, kill, it's the only excuse you can think of!" she yelled back. "We've killed people too, may I remind you! I know how Bankotsu is, I can see that killing isn't the only thing he does in life!"
Kikyo lowered her bow, but Inuyasha didn't give in.
"He's our enemy, Kagome! Get it through your tiny head, we have to kill him before he hurts others!"
"Well I'm not going to let that happen! Would you listen to me and just let him talk?"
Without waiting for Inuyasha to reply, she turned her back to him and faced Bankotsu, who seemed shocked. How many times has he heard someone take his side? Once. Just once.
He was surprised to see how much strength Kagome possesed. To go against a former love like this... He expected to see sadness in her eyes, but no... there was pride.
She was proud of how she stood up to the mutt.
He somehow felt some repsect towards her.
Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then, she smiled at him, and asked, "So? Were you... looking for me?"
Bankotsu blinked. For a moment, he didn't know what was going on. He was lost in her brown eyes. Her black hair moved gently with the fresh breeze, and he could't tell what was what anymore.
Then, he heard Kikyo say, "Inuyasha, let Kagome take care of this. She knows what she's doing." Of course, she was holding him back.
And he was back to reality.
He stuttered, "Oh, yeah, well... ummm..."
He imagined how stupid he must have looked, and said straight, with his old smirk, "I've made my choice."
He didn't even wait for Kagome to ask what it was. He just grabbed her shoulder, and brought her to his side. Her face went red, and she blushed again.
Inuyasha's face was red with fury.
Bankotsu smirked. Oh, yes. This was going to last for a very long time.
"So... How does your place look like?"
She faced him, surprised. "Y... You're going to stay with us?"
He shrugged. "Well, I've got nothing better to do." He put aside his thrist for blood and focused on this moment. "I can help in the fields, or take care of other things..."
"And besides," he whispered into her ear, "I think I'm going to take the jewel's proposition."
She looked confused for a moment. And she blushed when she remembered what the Shikon Jewel said. She hid her red face from him and thought wildly, "Wha... What do I say? I can't just say that sounds weird, I mean, he stopped himself from attacking Inuyasha... Well, it might work out, after all, he's hot... What? No! I'm not supposed to think about that! But he gave up his hobby to live here, I can't just say that he should stay away... Oh..."
Bankotsu smirked as he imagined the thoughts going on in her mind.
Then, something cold fell on Kagome's nose.
She and Bankotsu looked up... and there was snow.
They looked at each other, staring at each other's eyes for an instant.
And they laughed.
Inuyasha was completly confused. His face was twisted in disgust and anger. A good combination for a 'What the fuck?' face. Kikyo didn't have that face, but she just was confused as him.
But she at least had a slight idea of what happened. And she smiled. "Kagome..."
Bankotsu looked up at the sky, and then at Kagome's smiling face.
Snow has always been ultimate his enemy for a long, long time.
But now, it became everything he could wish for.
Okay, so it's not my best... But it's still not that bad, right...? Right?
I know with the jewel coming back and all, it's kind of confusing, but let's say it didn't disappear complelty.
Again, merry Chirstmas and have a happy new year! :)
~FoxRain7~