I in no way shape, shape, or form own Inuyasha and it's respective characters and settings.
I retain all rights to the OC character Kaikotsu.
I in no way gain profit from the production of this story.
This story is rated Mature for adult language and situations. Possibly some sex scenes later on, not sure yet.
WARNING: This scene contains graphic violence at one point. Best skim over the Flashback portion if you're squeamish.
Chapter II
Silence filled the air between the group of young heroes and the undead mercenary. It was Kaikotsu who finally broke the silence. "Well, as it seems none of you wish to answer my questions, I shall be on my way." He turned from them and began striding away.
He was halfway towards the edge of the village before Kagome caught up to him. "Wait. We'll explain everything. It's just a shock for us to meet someone with jewel shards who isn't out to kill us," she said. "Please, we're going to set up camp for the night in one of the huts. Would you join us?"
Kaikotsu's gaze was steady with her, but one could almost glimpse a deep sadness in his silver eyes. "Very well."
Once everyone was settled inside the hut and a warm fire was roasting a rabbit Inuyasha had caught, Kaikotsu leaned back against the hut wall and pulled a long pipe from his kimono. It was one of the few non-weapons he kept on his body suit. Using one of the smaller sticks in the fire, he lit the contents and took a lazy drag.
"Now then, perhaps you would care to tell me what is going on with the Band of Seven," he said.
Sango decided to take point on this, one warrior to another. "From what we've been able to gather is that the Band of Seven were a ruthless group of mercenaries who would slaughter whole villages. They were hunted down and killed for their crimes only to be revived fifty years later by a demon who calls himself Naraku. He used shards of the Shikon Jewel to bring them back from the dead in exchange for guarding him while he carries out his latest plan on Mount Hakurei."Kaikotsu processed this information, taking slow puffs from his pipe, his brow furrowed in thought. "Bankotsu you bastard, what have you done?" he grumbled out. Looking up at the others, he sighed. "If the Band of Seven were cold blooded murderers and pillagers, it certainly was after my death. I kept my troupe honorable with all we did. Well, mostly. We may have robbed a few shoguns who tried cheating us out of money from time to time."
They all sat quietly for a time as they ate. Hungry as he was, Kai was able to restrain himself. He knew that if one ate too much after going for a long period without food at all, they'd only pay for it in the end. "You said you killed Mukotsu. Have any of the others fallen?"
"Our friend Koga took out Kyokotsu," Kagome said.
"And what about Jakostu?" Kai asked, his body tensing.
"That little freak's still kicking. But he won't for long once I get my hands on him," Inuyasha grumbled.
"You will not touch him," Kaikotsu growled. "The rest I have no issue if you slaughter, but Jakotsu is to be left unharmed."
"Why are you insistent on Jakotsu being left alone?" Miroku asked. "We saw him cut down several soldiers without a second thought. In fact, he rather seemed to enjoy the act."
"The Jakostu I knew was not nearly so violent. But he was never exactly the sharpest of swords. I can see the others of the group warping his mind to crave bloodshed."
Kai paused to tap out his pipe. "You see, I first met Jakotsu when he was but a lad of thirteen or so. He'd been orphaned by some bandits my band had been summoned to defeat. I took him in and let him travel with us for a time. But then I realized that the wandering life of a mercenary was no life for a boy his age. So, we left him at a Buddhist temple with several other foundlings they were raising. It was the worst mistake I've ever made."
"What happened?" Kagome asked. All the others were tense with the tone of Kaikotsu's voice. Even Inuyasha was oddly silent.
Reaching into another pouch of his suit, Kai pulled out a netsuke of tobacco. Refilling his pipe and packing the contents down, he went to light it but thought different and merely set his pipe aside. Sighing deeply, he rested his head against the wall and looked up towards a small hole in the roof as he began his tale:
*FLASHBACK*
Kaikotsu and the rest of the Band of Seven, save for Kyokotsu and Ginkotsu, dismounted from their horses at the base of the temple steps. The last two were too large and heavy to use steeds.
Adjusting his kimono to properly conceal his body suit and its many weapons, Kaikotsu looked up at the temple atop the stairs. "The rest of you wait here, this is something I wish to do alone," he instructed. It'd been three years since he'd left Jakotsu at this place while he and his mean traveled the land on their missions. Finally, their journeys had brought them back this way, and Kai wasn't going to waste the chance to see the boy again.
He walked up the long flight of stairs, a hand carved toy horse tucked away in one of his pouches for Jakotsu. But as he neared the top of the stairs, he heard what sounded like a commotion coming from the temple's inner courtyard.
Frowning, Kaikotsu made his way into the temple, his worry growing when he found none of the monks at their duties. He palmed a pair of shuriken from his suit, their blades tipped in some of Mukotsu's deadlier poisons. But whatever trouble he was expecting to see when he stepped out into the inner courtyard, what he found there was far from it.
The monks were spaced about the courtyard, forcing the young males in their care to perform and suffer unspeakable sexual acts for their pleasure. Jakotsu was in the very center of the courtyard, bound naked to a post and being lashed with a whip while several drunken priests laughed.
Kaikotsu's eyes darkened into a pitch black as they often did when he felt great anger. These were men of Buddha, men he had trusted with Jakotsu's safety while he was away. Rushing into the center of the courtyard, he caught the lash of the whip before it struck again. It coiled around his hand, drawing blood, but the warrior didn't feel so much as a sting. With his free hand, he brought two fingers to his lips and issued a loud whistle that would serve as a signal to his men at the base of the stairs.
The rest of the mercenaries were waiting patiently at the base of the temple steps, checking their supplies and weapons. Ginkotsu was feeding the horses and grooming them with his human hand when they all heard the whistle. It wasn't a cry for help, merely a signal to make sure no one escaped.
Always eager for some action, they all raced up the stairs and surrounded the temple on all sides, making sure none of their leader's targets would get away from his wrath. The screams coming from inside were horrific, and made even the hardened Renkotsu wince. "What the hell is going on in there?" he muttered to himself.
Kaikotsu shoved away the monk who's eyes he'd just gouged out with his thumbs. Another nearby still moaned in pain as the lost skin of his face lay beside his slowly dying body. With the exception of Jakotsu, who was still tied to the post, the boys the monks had been abusing were huddled in a corner at the edge of the courtyard, too afraid of Kaikotsu to run. The mercenary leader went about, slaughtering each of these horrid men with his bare hands.
He'd long since barred the doors with the first bodies he'd slain. The monks in their panic could not think clearly enough to simply pull the corpses away to make their exit, not that they would have gotten far with the rest of Kaikotsu's men guarding every exit.
When all but the last monk fell to the ground, struggling to push his windpipe back into his own throat, Kaikotsu turned to the head priest. He stood by Jakotsu, a shaking hand holding a knife to the youth's throat. Jakotsu whimpered in fear, looking to the man who'd killed all these monsters. "Kai..." he pleaded.
With a burst of speed, Kaikotsu lunged forward, knocking the blade away. There were no words to be said to this fallen priest. Instead, Kai merely placed his hands on either side of the priest's skull and began to press. He didn't stop even when he heard the man's skull begin to crack under the pressure. It wasn't until the priest's head smashed like an over ripe melon in his hands that Kaikotsu returned his attention to Jakotsu.
Wiping the bone, blood, and brain matter from his hands onto his kimono, he stepped up to the young man and placed Jakotsu's face in his hands and softly kissed the sixteen year old's forehead. "I'm so sorry it took me so long," was all he could think to say.
The sight of Jakotsu crying nearly broke Kai's heart. "No more tears, beautiful boy. I promise you'll never need to cry again."
A short time later, the rest of the Band were gathered at the top of the stairs, the sudden silence that had filled the air around the temple informing them that whatever their leader was doing was finished. They all looked to the main doors as they opened and Kaikotsu strode out, drenched head to toe in blood, Jakotsu cradled in his arms. The rest of the monks' victims followed after him, most still looking frightened but at the same time overjoyed to finally be free.
The other mercenaries didn't say anything about the scene before them. Whatever had been done in that temple was very well deserved. It was known Kaikotsu despised killing. As he stopped before his men, he glanced over at Renkotsu. "Burn it."
As the team's pyro expert grabbed a few of his favorite bombs to carry out the order, Suikotsu looked over the scared young men. "I'll give them all a look over to check for physical damage. Not sure what I can do about the mental scars they will forever carry."
"What are we going to do with them?" Bankotsu asked, leaning on Banryu. "Not like we can take them to another temple. I'm guessing they aren't really going to trust priests after this."
Kaikotsu looked back at the youths for a moment then down at Jakotsu who slept peacefully in his arms, surprising even him. "From now on Jakotsu stays with us. I will never abandon him again. As for the others... I know of a village where they will be safe. The local priestess is said to be rather kind hearted. I believe her name is Kikyo...
*END FLASHBACK*
"After that, I trained Jakotsu in our ways, gave him his sword. I never meant for him to be a mercenary, I just wanted him to be able to defend himself should the need arise. Yes he journeyed with us, because I was afraid to let him out of my sight again. I felt... feel responsible for leaving him in that hell for so long. At the time of my death, I was thinking of letting him join officially. Guess it happened anyway."
Finally lowering his gaze back to his companions for the night, he took note of their reactions. Miroku and Inuyasha had their hands on their weapons, knuckles white with rage. Sango did as well, but like Kagome and Shippo, tears were running down her cheeks.
When Kagome could finally lower her hand from her mouth, she found her voice. "No wonder Jakotsu seemed so eager to kill. After something like that, any person in authority would seem like a monster to him."
"So why didn't he attack Kaikotsu too?" Inuyasha asked.
"Because even though Kaikotsu was an authority figure, he is also the man who saved him from that torment," Sango pointed out.
Kagome rose from her spot and crossed over to Kai, placing her hand soothingly on his arm. She could tell by his eyes how clearly tormented he was by what had happened to the young man he cared so deeply for. "You mustn't beat yourself over what happened. There was no way you could have known they would do that to him."
Slowly, Kaikotsu placed his hand over hers. "Thank you..."
Elsewhere, Jakotsu paused as he ran to tell the others Kaikotsu was back as well. It'd been Renkotsu who'd killed Kai after all. If he found out he was back, there was no telling what he'd do.
"I should find Kai first," Jakotsu said. Then he remembered there was a village they'd attacked nearby the morning after Kai had been killed. Maybe, just maybe...
"I'm coming Kai."
Author's Note: And there you have it folks, the dark truth of Jakotsu's past. Or at least my version of it. Very grim, I'll give you that, but I felt Kai and Jakotsu needed something really tragic to bond them together. That's really what this story is about, them.
As always, I look forward to reading your reviews on this chapter. And please, no flames.