TailFluffGirl this one is your fault! )

Okay now to be a little serious... This story is taking place during the forming of the Shichinin-tai. In this story the Shichinin-tai already consists of; Bankotsu who is the leader, Jakotsu an interesting/cute/gay/girlfilth type of swordsman, Suikotsu a doctor/killer with multiple personalities and schizophrenia, and Mukotsu is a poison wielder with a less than lovely countenance.

I'm breaking this story up into a couple of parts; once they are posted that's all of it. This was originally going to be a one shot, but... well... you know how stories go.

Oh, and just in case VIZ decides to turn Jakotsu into a female... I just wanted to tell everyone that Jakotsu is in fact male so it's not a mistake when I keep calling him 'him'. I mean this is one guy with serious anti-female issues. (For good reason!)

Yes, there will be Yaoi implied... I mean Bankotsu & Jakotsu are obviously meant for one another!

Author's Notes:

Daimyo: a lord in Feudal Japan. They were usually pretty darn powerful, having their own army's to take care of stuff if it was necessary. Still army's can fall and when you don't want to have clear ties doesn't a mercenary group help things a lot?

O-jou-sama: think lady or Princess

Yakata & Obi: Well I really should have used kimono or something because of the time period, though Obi would still be appropriate...

Tanto-dagger

Shiro- means white but it also means castle. I'm talking castle in this case.

Masquerade of Filth
Chapter 1: A Mission of Circustances
When time is spent in an unstoppable life

Collected memories are crammed into a strongbox

The soft forms are released from capture

Only to continue living a serious life

'What was Bankotsu thinking when he took this mission?' Jakotsu sulked.

The four members of the Shichinin-tai watched their target from a nearby cliff, and tried to figure out the best possible way to handle the mission. The way things were it was going to be almost impossible to complete it.

"We absolutely have to kill the Daimyo?" Mukotsu knew the answer but he couldn't help but to ask again. Well, maybe he had misunderstood...

Bankotsu was leaning against a tree watching the troops below, he merely nodded to confirm Mukotsu's question.

They did indeed have to kill the Daimyo, and that was exactly where the entire problem was. Mukotsu's poisons were useless here. The way the winds blew here, it was just as likely that if he used any airborne poisons everyone would die including the members of the Shichinin-tai.

That meant that they had to attack. But with only 3 warriors able to use their skills it would take too much time to get through the troops and inside. By the time they got inside the Daimyo would have already escaped.

'Was this mission impossible?'

Bankotsu stood up to stretch his legs when he noticed an entourage coming from further down the road. He remembered vaguely hearing something about a bride.

That was when an idea hit him.

"O-jou-sama!"

The guard ran towards the two figures approaching the gates. He saw the blood splattered across her soft blue kimono, and it was obvious that the warrior was favoring his left leg. He tried to help them both inside but was surprised to find the lady even taller than he was though extremely beautiful. Her black hair that had once been pinned up was half falling over her shoulders and even though blood was splattered across her face, anyone could tell how beautiful she was.

The guard showed them their papers proving who they were, and the two of them were escorted inside.

"Bankotsu, why do I have to dress up as filth?" Jakotsu wined. Sure the yukata and obi were beautiful, but still! He hated woman. He loathed the creatures. He never wanted to be compared to one, let alone look like one! The thought made his skin crawl.

Still... Jakotsu's eyes wandered over to his handsome leader. Bonkotsu had asked him to do this and for some reason he just couldn't bring himself deny him any request.

"Don't call me Bankotsu here, O-jou-sama." Bankotsu gently reminded his friend.

Jakotsu was trying really hard not to scream every time he heard that stupid word.

It's just an act... It's just an act... Jakotsu chanted to himself. He just had to follow the plan and then this hellish nightmare would be over.

"O-jou-sama?"

Not again...

"The blood!" Two warriors and a lady in waiting had been sent to attend to the survivors. When she reached out towards Jakotsu his flinch was so obvious everyone believed that she must have been hurt.

"I'll fetch the doctor!"

"No! I mean... I'm all right, really. I'm just a little... uhhh... shaken is all. My guard though he took a cut in his leg."

Bankotsu really had gotten hurt. It hadn't been expected but the lady, who's clothing they had stolen, had a tanto hidden up her sleeve and had managed to plunge it into Bankotsu's leg.

Typical filth, appearances with them were deceiving. Since the plan involved getting to the Daimyo the injury would make things look a little more realistic so it was decided not to let Suikotsu treat the injury.

So far things were moving along quite smoothly.

Bankotsu though was very thankful for a very strange coincidence. The real reason he had begged Jakotsu to be the one dressed as the O-jou-sama was because the two of them looked considerably alike in the face. The true O-jou-sama and Jakotsu could have been twins if not for their hight difference.

"My lady you have grown since the last time you were here!" The lady in waiting exclaimed, as she stood looking up at Jakotsu.

He was really starting to get sick of this stupid woman.

Jakotsu's patience was already in tatters, and the only thing keeping him from going on a mad killing rampage of all these stupid soldiers and this incredibly idiotic woman was the fact that Bankotsu was right there next to him. Jakotsu's hand was just plain itching to throw her away from him, but he managed to hold that urge back.

Somehow.

"Still your face is as lovely as always, my lady! I'm sure our lord, the Daimyo, will be pleased. He's still as handsome, and as brave as when you were last here. Also, his coffers are just as deep, Mi-lady.."

Jakotsu tried to give her a gentle smile, the kind that a lady would give to her servents, but his whole body was stiff with irritation. Just being polite right now was almost too much to ask. He really wanted to get rid of her and fast.

They were both escorted inside the shiro, and shown to their rooms. Bankotsu was offered medical treatment for his injury, and relief from his duty though he declined. He was not going to let Jakotsu have free reign of the palace in his current mood.

Jakotsu may be weird but he was the closest he'd ever had to a best friend, and he would not allow him to get himself killed because he lost his already volatile temper.

It wouldn't be long before they were escorted to the Daimyo and could finally enact their plan anyway. Bonkotsu pulled out the red lip paint Jakotsu often wore, and stared at it. Mukotsu really was a genius when it came to poisons and their antidotes.

If... they had taken a normal weapon it would have been caught by the guards, but this... no one would think of Jakotsu himself being the murder weapon. It was almost fiting, after all of all the animals Jakotsu was most like the deadly snake that strikes.

All right!

Results and stuff!

All right!

I'm invisible But even tomorrow won't say goodbye

All right! We are All right!

Because of mistakes

All right! Only progress

Lyrics are the translation of Urameshi Yusuke's image song "All Right!" The top piece is the opening of the song and the ending the chorus.