Sakura Jazmine: Hey there, homies! OMG, I am soooo happy that you all like the story so much! I am very grateful for the reviews! Keep 'em comin!
Kari Mezmaru: Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it! It was sad when he died, huh? I wish he didn't have to, but you know. . .
CKO: Thank you! Yes, it will have all the Shichinintai in it, including Renkotsu (unfortunately). He's such a nerd, that guy . . . lol
Setsuko: Thanx a bunch, homie! Here's another chapter for ya! (By the way, I love your penname. . . It's really neat. . . )
Hot Blaze: Hee hee. I'm glad you like it.
Iliketosleep: Thanx for the review!
Gothic-ember: Thanx a ton! Don't you worry, Bankotsu is TOTALLY in this chapter! How could he not be, he's only like, one of the hottest guys ever! Lol
Angelfrommynightmare33: Thanx a lot for the review!
HaHaI'mBetterThanYou: Oh, thank you very much! Keep on reviewin! (Nice penname! )
Kurama'sfoxykitsune: Thanx for the review. Man, I know what it's like to have a stupid computer, believe me. I like your penname- Kurama is quite hot, is he not?
Eternalwings52: Thank you for the review! It's so nice to hear such wonderful encouragement . . . just warms me heart, it does.
Yuki Kei: Thank you very much! I will totally keep writing, as long as I get reviewers like you. Thanx again for the nice review!
Lilxangelxsweetz: Thanks for the review, homie! As for whether or not I'm gonna put Miku and Bankotsu together, I don't think you'll be disappointed. wink wink
Chapter Two: Welcome Party
"So. . ." Miku started, trying to break the silence that had fallen over herself and Suikotsu. "Who are your friends?"
Suikotsu thought for a moment, attempting to find the best way to describe the Shichinintai.
"My comrades . . . are an interesting bunch, to be sure. We are a band of mercenaries."
His answer was a bit of a surprise to Miku. She knit her eyebrows worriedly. So she was to be taken to a band of ruthless murderers? And they were going to HELP her? The doctor seemed to notice her distress, and spoke again, in a reassuring voice.
"Oh, don't you worry about it, though. I promised you you wouldn't get hurt, and I intend to keep that promise."
After about 10 more minutes of walking through the thick forest surrounding Miku's cottage, she and Suikotsu came to a clearing. A clearing currently occupied by the other six members of the Shichinintai.
As he gently set Miku down on the soft grass, Suikotsu noticed with a slight grin how the others had suddenly stopped in mid-action to stare dumbfounded at this girl; some with looks of shock, some of sheer glee (Mukotsu, lol), and others with looks of growing anger (Jakotsu…eek…). Miku herself simply sat, gazing around at the Shichinintai, trying to figure out what exactly they all were . . .
The first she saw was a tall man, with a light green bandana wrapped around his head that trailed down his back. Miku suspected that he was bald underneath that bandana, for no hair showed underneath the edges, and his eyebrows were remarkably thin. His face was long, and decidedly less sinister-looking than Suikotsu's, and his eyes had an almost cold look in them. Large, purple stripes ran up from the man's chin to the edge of his bandana, and a small mark of the same color was visible on his forehead. The tall man was clothed in orange armor somewhat alike to the armor Suikotsu wore. His kimono was made up of a light green shirt and beige pants, all held together with a dark purple sash around his waist. This man, like Suikotsu, also wore protective coverings on his forearms and calves.
Next to that man stood (or rather, crouched) a very short man. He was rather toad-like in appearance, and wore simply a white sack over his person with a matching white hat. His face was brown and wrinkled, and he, too, had markings on his face. These started at the far sides of his cheeks and extended across his face. The small man wore a wide, gleeful smirk on his squashed features, and his eyes were small and squinty.
Behind the small man stood two very large persons. The shorter of these two looked less like a man and more like a machine than anything. He seemed to be made of a bunch of assorted human and machine parts, and he had only one, solid white eye. Behind his shoulder, Miku could swear he had some sort of cannon attached to it. Over his abdomen, the man/machine wore bright green armor (as though he needed it). On this man, however, Miku could find none of the facial markings like the others had. The very, very tall man standing behind the machine man must have been twenty or thirty feet in height. At first, Miku was sure he was some sort of demon, but Suikotsu had earlier said that they were all humans- however strange they looked. And so she believed him. This massive person wore dark blue and brown armor, and his hair was an odd shade of green, and short, like the doctor's.
The only other man Miku could see was a shorter, normal-sized man who didn't look much older than herself. He wore very fine armor, light blue with darker feathery designs. It split at his hip instead of in front of his thigh like everyone else's armor, although he wore the same arm and leg-protectors as his comrades. His kimono was plain white except for one splash of dark blue at his shoulder. His hair was raven black and very long, and it was held back in a thick braid. The man's skin was suntanned, and between the part in his bangs Miku could see a small, cross-shaped making. He stood with a sort of cocky pride- like he knew could do what he wanted when he wanted and no one was gonna get in his way. Miku had to admit, this man was definitely the best-looking of all six men she had seen. In fact, he was one of the best-looking men she had seen . . . ever. Behind him, though, Miku noticed a rather large sword, jammed into the ground so as to stay upright. Miku winced slightly. She pitied the poor soul who got stuck staring down the business end of THAT thing.
It was toward this man that Suikotsu had started walking toward after he set Miku down.
"Ooaniki-" he began, but was cut off.
"Who in the seven levels of hell is SHE, Suikotsu!" Bankotsu growled, none too quietly, one might add. Suikotsu sighed at his leader's utter lack of tact.
"I found her over near the village." He said. "Two rebel samurai were drunk and had killed and robbed her father. I heard the girl yelling and went to investigate."
Bankotsu blinked and stared at him blankly, clearly waiting for Suikotsu to continue.
"And there I found this poor, helpless girl, fallen on the ground in the middle of her father's rice fields, being bothered by two out-of-their-mind men. I was about to attack the men, you see, but the little girl never gave me the chance. She just . . . ordered the men to 'go away', and they were hurled backwards. . . one of them right into my claws."
His curiosity aroused, Bankotsu raised his eyebrows.
"Soo . . . she's a demoness?" he asked.
"No, I don't think that's it. . . ." Suikotsu answered.
"A mage?"
"No, I don't think so. . ."
Bankotsu rolled his eyes.
"Then how does she have powers like that?"
Suikotsu shrugged. "I have no idea." He admitted. After a slight pause, he added, "I suppose we'll just have to keep her around and see for ourselves." The doctor smirked at his leader, who glared at him.
"I don't think so, brother."
"Ooh! But why ever NOT, big brother?" interrupted a new voice. Both Suikotsu and Bankotsu turned to see Mukotsu staring up at Bankotsu imploringly, hands clasped in front of him in full begging position. Bankotsu narrowed his eyes at the smaller man.
"I'm not going to keep some WOMAN around just so you can try to win her, Mukotsu. She'll only serve as a distraction." He told him. Mukotsu cast his eyes downward, and went into what one might have called a pout. Bankotsu rolled his eyes again.
"Oh, come on, big brother." Renkotsu cut in. "Why don't you just give her a chance? If she truly does have powers like Suikotsu described, she could be of use in the future." Suikotsu snorted- it was really something when Bankotsu was the one acting like a grumpy old bat, and Renkotsu was the one prodding him into agreement.
"Well, I still don't think-"
"I agree with ooaniki."
"Thank you, Ginkotsu!"
"We don't need some woman getting in the way. We should just take her to the village and hand her to someone-"
"HEY!"
The five arguing assassins looked over to see Miku, standing up with her hands on her hips. Instantly, Suikotsu was at her side, trying to make her sit down, although she refused. She shook him off, and locked her gaze on Bankotsu's. He stared back at her, as if daring her to say something against his ruling.
"I believe I should have some say in where I go!" She said, her voice audibly shaking. Bankotsu arched one black eyebrow.
"Fine, then. What would YOU like to do?" he asked, in a bored voice. Miku glared daggers at him, but answered.
"I don't want to stay with you." She told him. Bankotsu threw up his arms and turned back to his comrades.
"You see? Even SHE knows it would be a good idea not to stay with us! She knows she'd get in the way, so stop your-"
"That's not the reason she doesn't want to stay with us, ooaniki."
". . . Then what IS the reason, Suikotsu?"
"She just lost her father, ooaniki. She doesn't want to leave him."
"Okay, whatever. As long as she doesn't stay with US."
"Ooaniki! Have a heart!"
"Why?"
"Ooaniki, listen: this girl has powers I've never seen a human use before. She could be a real asset to us, and-"
"I think Ooaniki is right!" a rather feminine voice piped up. Miku turned her attention to a man (woman?) who had appeared from seemingly nowhere beside Bankotsu. 'He' was dressed in a light purple kimono, with half of the lower part lifted off the ground. Across 'his' back was a large sword, and 'his' black hair was pulled up into a bun. And 'he' was currently glaring like no tomorrow at poor Miku. Miku's amber eyes widened and she pulled her head back instinctively, as though the strange man was going to chop off it off if she were to stick her neck out too far.
Resisting the urge to hide behind something, Miku simply smiled a little, and looked back to Bankotsu. Suikotsu bent down to her ear and whispered,
"That's Jakotsu. . . he has a bit of a dislike of women. . ." he explained quietly. Miku nodded in understanding.
"Um, Suikotsu?" she asked, tugging on Suikotsu's sleeve lightly.
"Yes?"
"Well, it's just that. . . I'd like to get my ankle, er, 'set', so I can go back to my house."
Suikotsu smiled sadly at the poor girl. He sighed, taking her hand off his sleeve and holding it reassuringly.
"I'm sorry, kodomo. I will fix your ankle up for you, but I will not let you go back to your house."
Miku's eyes widened and her voice quavered when she spoke.
"But- But, why not? I really must be getting back to my father! You must let me return!"
"Kodomo, your father is dead. There will be no one to care for you, and you will starve. Being a doctor, I simply cannot allow you to be put in a situation like that."
"But, Suikotsu. . . I cannot simply leave . . . my father . . . who will bury him?"
"We will, just as soon as I get your ankle wrapped up. And then you will stick with us for a while."
Miku lowered her gaze again.
"I suppose I have no further say in this. . ."
"Not really."
"Excuse me!"
"Yes, ooaniki?"
"Whoever said she was staying? I thought I said 'no'!"
"Ooaniki-"
"Why are you so mean!"
Everyone turned their attention to Miku, who had apparently found her 'outside voice' again. Bankotsu stared almost open-mouthed at her. NO ONE had mouthed off to him since . . . well, ever. And he didn't think he liked it. At. All.
"What did you just say to me, wench!"
"I asked you why you being so mean! Did you not hear me the first time?"
Bankotsu felt his eye twitch slightly. Unable to come up with a retort, he simply huffed loudly and sat himself down on the grass, working off his anger on polishing his halberd. Suikotsu smiled, taking his leader's actions as a 'fine'. He turned to Miku.
"Wait here, kodomo. I'll be back in a moment."
Miku nodded and sat down, careful not to disturb her ankle, and waited for Suikotsu to return. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone walking toward her. Turning her head, she saw that it was the one they called 'Mukotsu'. He was scuttling as fast as he could to her, a big smile plastered on his face.
"Hello, sister!" he greeted her cheerfully. Miku smiled warmly at him.
"Hello Mukotsu. Pleasure to meet you."
Mukotsu's squinty little eyes nearly popped out of his head when he heard Miku say his name. He cackled delightedly.
"Welcome to our humble camp," he said, waving his short arm out to the side, as if presenting the small clearing for her viewing pleasure. "And, if I may be so bold, I must ask you your name, sister."
"Oh! I apologize! My name is Miku!"
"Ah, an exquisite name, to be sure! Now, allow me to introduce each of my brothers." He said and began pointing out different members of his group. "The huge one in the back is Kyoukotsu, the metal one is Ginkotsu, the one with the bandana is Renkotsu (you wanna watch out for him, he can be a bit grumpy), the girly one is Jakotsu, you've already met Suikotsu of course, and then our big brother is Bankotsu!"
Miku nodded after each of the names he mentioned, noticing vaguely that each of their names ended with 'kotsu'. . . Bones?1 She thought to herself.
"Uhm, Mukotsu?"
"Yes, sister?"
"Doc said you were assassins . . . Who do you fight for?"
"Oh, which ever side will pay us the most."
Miku frowned. She didn't like that mind set. Not even a little bit. . .
From across the clearing, Miku's attention was drawn to Bankotsu as he grunted in irritation and stood to his feet quickly.
"Well," he barked, his gaze flicking around each of the seven faces surrounding him and finally coming to rest on Miku's, "let's get this show on the road. We'll have to get moving if we plan to reach Kai before nightfall."
Mukotsu turned to look at Miku, only to find that she, too, had risen to her feet, a resolute glint in her eye.
"Yes, let's get this circus going, shall we?"
To Be Continued. . .
SJ: Well, that's all, ya'll. I'm sorry it took so long for me to update- my editor/ co-author was in Hawaii (darn her). And I'm also sorry this chapter was so boring- but I had to get the intros done. No worries though, Chapter three is pretty much done- and it'll be a lot more interesting.
1 – 'kotsu' bones
