Title: Trouble in Paradise
Author: kira
Rating: Adult (more like older teen)
Characters: Jakotsu, Bankotsu, Suikotsu, and an OC *gasps*
Genre, AU/Canon: General/ Pre-canon
Words: 800
Summary: The beginnings of the Shichinintai…
Warnings: none…
Special thanks to my beta, Jen, for not only pinking it, but explaining how a poly-amorous group works! Special thanks as well to Tas, for all her cheerleading behind the scenes. You guys rock!! *glomps you both*
Author's note: While Jakotsu hates women in general; I find it hard to believe he HATES all of them; there's got to be a handful of them out there somewhere that he can tolerate…
888
Jakotsu sighed. While he was happy Natsumi kept Bankotsu occupied whenever he was with Suikotsu, he hated when she flirted with him. As far as he was concerned, if both the men in his life wanted her, that was fine with him as long as she left him alone and kept his belly full at night. Looking up, he saw she was still there, coyly regarding him.
"What do want?" he said irritably.
"I ummm…"
He sighed again. As much as she irritated him, there was something about her that reminded him of Sparrow, and he found it hard to be annoyed with her for very long. Softening his tone, he repeated, "What do you want?"
She smiled.
Damn it! he mentally swore, a slight frown creasing his brow. Natsumi's smile reminded him painfully of the long dead child prostitute, who was his childhood friend. Why'd you have to be so much like her?
Natsumi swallowed. He very attractive and he made her feel nervous. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Would you like me to make those dumplings you like so much for dinner?"
Jakotsu frowned. "If you want to." He had a brief moment of panic that she was going to kiss him, fueled by his conflicted feelings towards her. Unfortunately, his fears came true and she did kiss him, her lips soft against his. Keeping his hands firmly rooted to the veranda, he was sitting on; he let her deepen it while he imagined it was Bankotsu or Suikotsu kissing him. Anything or anyone other than her as she conjured up memories he preferred to keep buried.
Breaking the kiss, Natsumi pulled away, Jakotsu giving her a blank stare. She frowned, his other companions would have taken that as an invitation to nookie, but he seemed almost relieved. It was as if he were fighting the urge to spit or worse, and Natsumi found herself getting annoyed with him. Narrowing her eyes at him, she decided against slapping him since she knew what he was capable of. She shuddered at the memory of the poor man who had tried to accost her and rob them.
Recovering his senses, Jakotsu got up and calmly walked past her.
888
Suikotsu looked up from the herbs he was sorting. "Something wrong, Jakotsu?"
The cross-dresser looked away and back. He shrugged, and walking around the low table the mentally fractured doctor sat behind, he flopped down on the floor next to him. Taking the hint, Suikotsu lifted his arm as Jakotsu leaned into him. The older man waited patiently while the cross-dresser relaxed under his gentle touch.
"I can't, Sui…" the cross-dresser said softly. "I've tried, but I can't do it…"
Suikotsu nodded. "Okay…"
"I know how much you and Oo-Aniki love her, but…"
"You don't like her? Not even a little bit?"
Jakotsu shrugged. "A little bit," he admitted. "If I didn't I would never have to agreed to this in the first place, but she so damn annoying! Why the hell can't she leave me alone?!" he whined, he features contorting into a petulant frown.
"Having second thoughts?"
"I don't know… I liked it better when it was just the three of us."
"Well, you can't force yourself to love someone, Jak."
"I know… and I know all about faking love too. I don't think I really want to do that. So what am I going to do, Sui? I don't want her around any more."
"If it were up to me, Jak, I'd tell her to go. We've looked after ourselves before and we can do it again, but Oo-Aniki also has a say in what happens as well as Natsumi."
"Damn it! That means we're stuck with her!" Jakotsu whined.
"Not necessarily, Jak."
"No?"
Suikotsu smiled. "Natsumi could decide she wants to leave."
"Yeah? Cuz if she stays, as much as I'd hate to go, I'm out of here and I don't care what anyone says! I've had enough!!"
They held each other close. "I wouldn't want to see you go and neither would Oo-Aniki. Just be patient, Jak. From what I've seen, Oo-Aniki tends to tire of women after awhile, so with a bit of luck, he might lose interest in her sooner rather than later."
888
As his two comrades wandered around the blacksmith's shed, Bankotsu hoped Natsumi would be happy with the merchant they left her with. The man was older than Suikotsu, but he seemed smitten with her. It still rankled that she left eagerly, but then again, as Jakotsu had pointed out, if he was going to build an army a woman would just be in the way. Sighing softly over her departure, Bankotsu worked up the courage to ask him and his strange looking friend to join what eventually would become the Shichinintai…