Love Knows No Boundaries
Ok! I know that this is probably pointless, but when I first wrote this story I was just beginning to write. Meaning that it was, in kind words, a piece of crud. Knowing this, I'm going to re-do the story so it has an actual plot, more emotion and, most importantly, more detail. Also, I know I haven't finished this story, either. It's just that the beginning is really starting to bother me. The main plotline will be the mostly the same and maybe, just maybe, I'll make some other people live!
Disclaimer: I do not own the show Inuyasha. As much as I wish I did, I don't. Because if I did, Ban-chan, Jakky, Renkotsu, Suikotsu, Hiten, Sesshoumaru, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Hakudoshi would one) all live longer than they did… (Luckily, Fluffy made it to the end), and two) have much bigger parts and more screen play. Also, Inuyasha would die.
Chapter 2 – Life Goes On
Kagome had to talk to either old lady Kaede or be bored for the rest of the day. Actually, even talking to the elderly priestess was a bit boring so, in other words, the entire day, save for her talk with Bankotsu, was boring. The gang didn't show up until late next morning, leaving Kagome alone for a long time to think through the mercenary's words, to no avail, and about they're ditching her. Let's just say, the longer she thought about it, the angrier she became.
That probably explains why Kagome and Inuyasha are arguing angrily like they are so early in the day. I mean, usually their arguments start after noon or so. So this one is quite early, seeing as it is about 10 AM.
Kagome, not backing down from the angry hanyou in front of her, glares coldly at the white-haired half dog-demon. After facing Bankotsu like yesterday, she could easily face Inuyasha. "You left me all alone, Inuyasha! Of course I am angry!" she screams at him, keeping her brown eyes firmly focused his gold ones. "Do you understand how BORED I was? Do you understand how LONELY I felt? Of course you wouldn't because YOU weren't the one LEFT BEHIND!" she yells, glaring at him. Before Inuyasha can even retaliate, she uttered his dreaded word. "Sit, Inuyasha…" she mutters. Kneeling, she questions him sweetly, "Now what did you want to say?"
"You're too damned slow and we got twice the distance than if you came!" he growls out, muffled as he yells with his face smashed into the ground from his fall. He pushes himself to his feet, not noticing the sudden dark aura around the 15-year-old girl. He almost has his foot out of the crater. "Damned word…" he mutters darkly.
Kagome slowly has a sly grin cross her lips. She chuckles softly under her breath, too soft for even the hanyou to hear. She gently tugs on his hair, gaining his attention as she completely wipes the smile off of her lips and the amusement from her eyes. "Inuyasha…which word?" she whispers, earning a nervous whimper from the boy. "Which word is so 'damned' as you say? I-is it…SIT?" She cuts off her cute act as soon as she spits out the word of refinement. "SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT!" she hollers, driving Inuyasha further and further into the ground with each word.
"Wow…seems like she's going to keep that up for a while!" Miroku notes, watching as the tiny girl hollers the word over and over as Inuyasha gets driven further and further into the dirt. Miroku chuckles softly, smiling lightly. "If this keeps up, Inuyasha will have, literally, dug his own grave seeing as he is the one who got Kagome this upset..." He sighs, and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm just glad I apologized as soon as we got back…" he mutters to the woman standing beside him.
Sango sighs slightly and leans against the monk's shoulder. She gently moves until she is sitting with her back pressed against his arm, her head resting slightly on his shoulder. "Yup…" she yawns softly. She pulls out her pony-tail. She was still in her demon slayer outfit, seeing as they had just got back. "And the only reason we went a bit quicker, was that he gave us no time for rest…" she murmurs, using the monk as her pillow as she closes her eyes and falls asleep.
'Hmm…" Miroku hums, looking down at the sleeping woman. Surprisingly, he doesn't do anything perverted. No, he actually scoops her up bridal style and carries her into Kaede's hut where he lies her down on the futon on the ground. He smiles down at her, kissing her on the forehead before walking back out. Nobody is in the hut, so he has deemed it safe to show a bit of his emotion towards the woman. "Sleep well, Sango…" he whispers, walking back outside.
After two hours, allowing Sango, Shippo and Kirara rest, the group found themselves walking away from the homey village and towards the area opposite of where the gang had headed when Kagome wasn't with them. Kagome rode her bicycle, still too mad at Inuyasha to ride on his back, while Sango, Miroku and Shippo rode on the demon cat, as Inuyasha ran on ahead of them like usual. Sango had Shippo keeping watch on the monk to make sure he didn't start to do anything perverted. Poor Miroku was being trapped with a snitch.
Inuyasha suddenly halts, an annoyed expression on his face. He turns to look at the girl riding the modern contraption, his nose twitching ever-so-slightly from whatever is in front of them. "Kagome, do you sense jewel shards?" he questions, turning back to glare at the rode ahead of them. A low growl catches in his throat as he watches for any sign of what he caught.
Kagome starts, looking around carefully. Her eyes catch a sudden purple glow from where Inuyasha is glaring, her eyes shutting from the brightness of the jewel shards. "Yes…and there seems to be close to 8 or so!" she cries, wincing as she lowers her vision slightly against the glow. Soon, she is used to it, and she looks towards it again. "I think there is ten, Inuyasha!"
"It's the Shichinintai!" Inuyasha spits out, glaring at the direction. "I don't think they notice us, let's sneak up on them!" he orders, motioning for them to go quietly. With a soft padding noise, he darts ahead. The others quickly follow, not wanting to be late for this fight. It's probably going to be the last one with the Shichinintai.
Inuyasha jumps into the clearing, startling the three surviving members of the mercenary group. Grabbing a missile-like weapon from beside him, Renkotsu is up and shooting to keep Inuyasha at bay as the other two set down their sake cups and get ready for battle. Jakotsu quickly drops the cup and pulls Jakotsutou from its sheath. He moves in front of Bankotsu in a protecting way as Bankotsu shakes off the surprise of having their greatest enemy simply pop out of the trees.
"Well, now we don't have to search for him…" Bankotsu offers slightly, shrugging his shoulders and taking another sip from his sake. Suddenly, he tosses it behind him and pushes himself to his feet. Grabbing the sake bottle, he takes a swig before setting it back down and sealing it. He sets it behind the large boulder he had been sitting on and his fingers dance over Banryuu's hilt before closing around it and pulling it up. "Well, well, well!" he laughs, spinning Banryuu above his head with one hand, relieving some of the stiffness in his arms and back.
Inuyasha grins as Bankotsu finally gets up to battle. "Ready to fight?" he growls cockily at the Shichinintai leader, pushing Jakotsu aside roughly. Ignoring the feminine man's indignant cries of fury, Inuyasha stops and holds his sword out in a threatening manner.
Bankotsu laughs sharply, walking over and helping Jakotsu up from the bush Inuyasha had pushed him into. "Heh, you know I'm always ready to fight!" he chuckles, removing his hand from Jakotsu's and setting it with his other hand on Banryuu's hilt, he matches Inuyasha's menacing action. Quickly running to the side, so they're away from the others, they meet with clashing swords. Inuyasha quite blatantly insults Bankotsu, while the 17-year-old meets each insult with a cocky, but witty, remark of his own.
Jakotsu shakes his head, smiling at his kind leader. Suddenly he spins and attacks Sango, seeing as Renkotsu and Miroku are already in a heated battle. "Always stuck with the wench!" he whines, keeping the snake-sword's attacks sharp and unpredictable. He ignores Sango's protests of not being enough of a fight for the feminine man, simply flicking the sword towards her; dancing it around her. "Shut up and die!" he orders her, keeping his attacks sudden.
"Sorry, but I don't think I want to!" Sango cries, jumping onto Kirara's back and easily keeping away from the Jakotsutou too easily when Jakotsu thinks about it.
Meanwhile, Renkotsu and Miroku are sharing blow to blow. No matter what either of them do, neither can get a good attack on the other. They're evenly matched, much to Renkotsu's ever growing annoyance.
Kagome can only watch one battle, though. The one between Inuyasha and Bankotsu got her attention more than any of the other ones. She just doesn't know who she wants to win. Inuyasha is her group leader, but is doing a lousy job. He only cares about himself…and Kikyo. Bankotsu, on the other hand, is her enemy. Although he is much kinder than Inuyasha, he is a mercenary; meaning he kills for money. But…he is much kinder than Inuyasha, seeing how hard Jakotsu and Renkotsu are fighting to help him out; how Renkotsu and Jakotsu immediately covered him. They would only protect him if they care, and trust, him. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara and she only fight to get back the jewel for different reasons. They don't fight to save Inuyasha…they fight to save themselves. There is no trust in their group when it comes to Inuyasha. She is torn.
Bankotsu and Inuyasha take turns blocking and attacking; they're both incredibly well matched. Neither can get the other to fall back even an inch. Bankotsu has the advantage, though, seeing as he has a much higher endurance rate, though. Eventually, even Inuyasha's demon strength will run out; he doesn't have the battle experience that Bankotsu does. He, and his brothers, fight entire armies in one battle. They know what it feels like to go past their endurance limits. Inuyasha is panting heavily, while Bankotsu's breathing is barely even irregular.
"Tired already, Mutt?" Bankotsu questions, grinning as he blocks the next flurry of attacks with a simple motion. Quickly hitting Inuyasha's sword to the side, effectively stopping the attacks, he goes in for the kill himself. Holding his halberd with a light touch, he swings it down at the hanyou quickly and carefully. Sniggering when Inuyasha lifts the sword to protect himself, Bankotsu keeps attacking. "It's not like you to be this utterly weak, 'Trasha! What's going on?" he laughs, easily avoiding the lone attack Inuyasha sneaks in. "Come on! Fight back!" Bankotsu orders, removing one hand from the heavy and large blade to punch the half dog-demon in the face.
"Damn you, Bankotsu!" Inuyasha growls, flipping so he's a little bit of a distance away. Charging up his demonic energy, Inuyasha quickly brings his sword down in a fluid motion, smirking confidently at the Shichinintai leader. "WIND SCAR!" he cries, much to the surprise of the surviving Shichinintai.
"N-no! D-Dragon Power!" Bankotsu starts. The burst of energy from the demon halberd comes too late, though. The normally powerful burst of magenta energy is easily swept up into the wind scar due to it being weakened from being too rushed. Bankotsu's eyes widen as he pulls his halberd up to protect himself. Due to attacking at the last minute, though, he can't hide behind the large sword like he did before. The attack comes straight for him.
"Nii-sama!" Renkotsu cries, not knowing what to do. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to get in the way soon enough. Even if he decided to give his life for his leader, which he doesn't, he wouldn't be able to get there in time. He'd be too late and Bankotsu would be killed. He freezes to the spot, unsure of what he can do, if anything. Miroku pauses, too, not taking the chance to kill the open Shichinintai second-in-command.
"Bankotsu!" Jakotsu starts running, tears stinging his eyes at the knowledge that he won't make it in time. "BANKOTSU!" he cries, falling to his knees and hugging himself close as tears slip from his eyes. The feminine man closes his eyes, not wanting to see his closest and most trusted friend die while he could do nothing to avert the attack. "…don't die…y-you can't die…not now…n-not here…NOT LIKE THIS!" Jakotsu chokes out, terrified for his friend's life. "…please d-don't…d-die…" he whispers.
Sango halts, not wanting to attack the broken Shichinintai member. She watches in shock as the attack nears Bankotsu, his eyes widened in fear as his hand tries moving the halberd to cover himself. He won't make it in time…
Kagome stares in horror, not knowing what to do. H-he's the enemy! She is mentally torn and everything is happening in slow motion. A memory pops into her mind of the day before.
He stands only a few feet away from the crying priestess, not sure what to do. "H-hey now! D-don't cry, Priestess!" he protests awkwardly.
"Calm down. Like I said, I'm not here to attack…" the mercenary reassures her, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
"A team is something like a family; to me, at least. As in a family, you need to be able to give your life to any of the members at not even a second's thought. You need to be able to trust everyone around you; include each member in on the plans and actions. Most of all, you need to feel something positive towards the other members. Your group seems to be missing this…"
"You know, I can understand the pain this is causing. And don't even try to tell that this sure as hell don't hurt!" he warns in a kind manner when she tries to open her mouth to protest. When she lets her mouth close, he smiles slightly. "Good. As I was saying, I can understand. I-I was abandoned when I was young…back when I was still alive. A long time ago…before the gang joined up; hell, before I met Jakky even. Uh, Jakotsu that is." He shakes his head, snapping himself from the sudden memories of the past. "But anyway, I can understand…" he tells her, the soft smile reappearing on his lips.
Regarding him with suspicion, Kagome worries her teeth on her lower lip slightly. "Why are you being so nice to me? Aren't we enemies?"
Pausing a few feet away, he turns to look over his shoulder towards her. "I would most likely answer 'because we're not enemies.' Yeah…that's what I'll say…" he shakes his head slightly, turning away from her again. "I'm 'Trasha's enemy; not yours. 'Trasha is my enemy; not you."
Kagome knows what she has to do. Pulling out an arrow, she quickly sets it against her bow and fires toward Bankotsu. The people around her blink, not knowing why she is so ready to kill the mercenary leader. Meeting blue eyes with her own chocolate ones, she smiles softly. Make this were, Bankotsu…
Bankotsu grins, knowing what she is trying to do. He leans back just as the arrow comes, avoiding it by a hair. Kagome's arrow, cutting in front, purifies Inuyasha's wind scar, halting the attack completely. Inuyasha gapes at her openly, Miroku and Sango blink in shock, Shippo is utterly confused, Kirara stands in front of her in a protective stance, Jakotsu bites down a cry of relief, Renkotsu falls to his knees in reassurance of his leader's safety, and Bankotsu smiles slightly.
"What the hell did you do that for, Kagome?" Inuyasha snaps. He glares at her, his rage at almost having finished Bankotsu off only to have his comrade stop him. "I almost had him so why did you have to interfere?" he growls. As he turns back to the mercenary, he pulls his sword up, ready to fight again. He's surprised to see an annoyed expression on the 17-year-old's expression.
"That really takes the cake, Half-Dog!" Bankotsu retorts bitterly, gently running his hand along his braid in an attempt to relieve some of the annoyance eating him inside. When Inuyasha gives him a confused look, Bankotsu bites back a sharp laugh. Releasing his braid and tossing it behind him, he hefts up Banryuu with one hand and glares at Inuyasha. "Can you honestly not see it?" he questions, exasperation noticeable in his voice and his cerulean eyes. Biting back an insult, Bankotsu motions to Kagome. "She's terrified of you. That's not very team-ish, is it?" he questions, smiling slightly when Jakotsu hurries to him and buries his head into the braided boy's chest. Kneeling slightly, as does the older boy, he lets his sword drop to the ground as he gently hugs the feminine man.
"Hah! You're open, Bankotsu!" Inuyasha laughs, getting ready to hack through the both of them. Suddenly, he gets blocked by a sudden explosion. Looking up, Inuyasha glares at Renkotsu, who had jumped in-between Inuyasha and the Shichinintai leader and third-in-command. "Get outta my way!"
"I'm not going to let you kill my comrades, Inuyasha…" Renkotsu warns, positioning himself so the two are completely protected by his body. He stands far enough in front of them so that if, and when, he is attacked, they won't be at risk. Renkotsu's ice blue eyes narrow slightly as Inuyasha's grip tightens on Tessaiga's hilt.
"I…th-thought you were g-going to d-die again, B-Bankotsu!" Jakotsu chokes out, crying into his best friend's chest. His hands clutch the front of the white and blue printed haori tightly, not wanting to let go. He's too scared that the same thing is going to happen again. "D-don't d-die…don't…" he whispers, looking up at his leader with watery eyes. Tears slip down his cheeks, smearing the faint make-up he has on.
"Shh, Jakky. I'm ok! Look!" Bankotsu laughs, tapping the feminine man on the cheek in a teasing way. Gently, he raises one hand and sets it on the top of Jakotsu's head, mussing up his hair slightly. "If you keep crying, your make-ups gonna disappear!" he jokes, pushing himself up and offering a hand to his friend. He smiles down at his closest friend, mentally promising that he's going to live. "I'll live…and I'll protect you, Jakky…" he whispers to the feminine man. "Come on, I better take Inuyasha out of Renkotsu's hands and let him have a bit of a break. Inuyasha, I mean! Renkotsu is dead serious…haven't seen him like that for a long time!"
Jakotsu smiles slightly, wiping his cheeks of the tears. He also manages to streak the faint eye-liner of the past a bit further. "Thank-you, Bankotsu…" he whispers, placing his hand on top of Bankotsu's. He matches Bankotsu's confident grin with one of his own as the leader pulls him up carefully. He notices Sango getting ready to attack out of the corner of his eye. "Let's get back to fighting, Bankotsu!" Jakotsu chirps, removing his hand from Bankotsu's as he turns towards Sango. Doing a quick hand-spring, Jakotsu gets to where he dropped his sword. Carefully grabbing the hilt, he deflects her boomerang in a quick motion of his wrist. "No you don't!"
"Renkotsu!"
Renkotsu doesn't turn, keeping his eyes on both Inuyasha and Miroku. Neither move, not sure what Renkotsu has up his sleeves. "Yes, Nii-sama?" he whispers, feeling the shorter man set a hand on his shoulder. Renkotsu, being the smartest of the Shichinintai, already knows what Bankotsu is going to say. "Inuyasha is yours, Nii-sama…" He quickly jumps out of the way and sends a few shots towards Miroku in a split-second. Restocking the gun with gunpowder, he meets the monk's surprised gaze. When the monk goes to intercept the reloading of his weapon, Renkotsu takes a swig from his gourd and blows fire at him, nearly burning his tongue in his haste. "Get ready, monk…" he warns.
Kagome stays hidden behind the large demon cat, thankful that Banktosu is alive. The utter anguish on Jokotsu's face, and the fear Renkotsu showed, tells her that they care deeply about their leader. He has a good heart, and she won't kill him because of that. No, she won't let him be killed! "Stay alive, Bankotsu…" she whispers, Kirara purring slightly at her decision. "Please…"
There we go! Re-done chapter 2 complete!
