"B-Bankotsu," Kagome mumbled shakily, inching toward the injured boy. "Are you... okay?"
Bankotsu groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Kagome..." he muttered.
"Bankotsu, are you alright?!" she asked frantically, her eyes scanning over the large cut that was embedded in his chest.
She lifted a hand and moved to gingerly touch the torn fabric that hung loosely around his wound. Bankotsu's eyes widened and his breath hitched in his throat. Kagome looked up at him with wide, concerned eyes.
"Bankotsu... we need to bandage--"
"LOOK OUT!"
Before Kagome knew what was happening, Bankotsu threw her aside and hopped to his feet, staggering forward with his Banryuu in hand. Kagome screamed and dodged behind the tree she was originally hiding behind, peeking around it to watch the scene before her unfold.
What she didn't expect, was to see that all too familiar red kimono flash in front of her.
"Inuyasha," she whispered.
Now she knew why she had sensed so many jewel shards; When she had last saw Inuyasha, he had atleast 3 with him. Who knows how many he had now.
Bankotsu and Inuyasha circled eachother, both holding their swords high, as though they were ready to strike at any moment.
"Why did you kidnap Kagome?!" Inuyasha spat bitterly.
Bankotsu smirked and rolled his eyes. "Why do you care, dog boy? Weren't you too busy with Kikyou anyway? I'm the one who saved your little girlfriend."
"Shut up," Inuyasha grumbled defensively. "You don't know anything."
"Is that so?" Bankotsu twirled his sword and swung it toward Inuyasha.
Inuyasha caught it just in time, blocking it with his own and pushing it back at Bankotsu. Bankotsu staggered a bit, obviously weaked by his wounded chest.
"Got a little cut, huh?" Inuyasha smirked.
Bankotsu grunted, glaring at the hanyou, "It was a cheap shot. You can't beat me in a fair fight, huh?"
"I'm done talking to you," Inuyasha growled, lunging forward.
Kagome ducked behind the tree as their swords slammed together. They moved quickly across the clearing, knocking at trees and bushes as they swung blindly at eachother. They got a few good hits at eachother, Bankotsu getting the bulk of them. Kagome couldn't help but notice how slow he was moving.
And what surprised her most, was that she was actually genuinely worried about him.
The clearing itself began to get bloody, the grass and trees getting splattered with blood from the two opponents. Kagome turned her attention away from the fight, feeling herself getting queasy.
The fighting continued, the only sounds coming from the clanking of metal swords, and the two boys shouting obscenities at eachother.
Kagome's curiousity got the best of her and she peered around the tree once more. Inuyasha and Bankotsu were in the middle of the clearing, their swords locked together.
"Why don't you just run back to your dirt mold?" Bankotsu growled. "You're not going to win anyway."
"You're all talk, aren't you?" Inuyasha shot back.
"Isn't this sad? You're a half demon and you can't even beat a human," Bankotsu chuckled, forcing his sword forward.
Inuyasha stumbled back and Bankotsu smirked, swiping his Banryuu across Inuyasha's chest.
"Damn you," Inuyasha hissed through gritted teeth.
Bankotsu just laughed, though he clenched his stomach as he did. It was obvious that he was in pain. If he fought anymore, he would probably be killed... And he seemed to realize that.
"This was fun, Inuyasha. But I gotta go. Maybe we can do this again sometime."
With that, Bankotsu lifted his sword and slammed it in to the ground. The clearing was filled with blinding light and Kagome closed her eyes tightly.
"Kagome-- Hey, Kagome, come on!"
She opened her eyes, now seeing nothing but dark grey smoke. She couldn't see the source of the voice, but she could immediately recognize it to be Bankotsu.
"Kagome!" Her shoulder was grabbed roughly, and she was pulled up. Bankotsu didn't say a word as they made their way out of the smoke, going at an insanely slow speed. Kagome could tell that Bankotsu was limping, and she could feel hot blood on her fingers as she gripped his arm to hold him up.
When they finally made it out of the smoke, Kagome got a chance to see the damage. Part of her wished they were still in the smoke.
Bankotsu's whole body was filled with cuts, his clothing torn in numerous places. His bangs were matted to his forehead by a mixture of sweat and blood, and his hair was completely unbraided and fell to his waist in unruly, knotted waves. Blood was literally dripping from his body as they walked.
"We need to get back to that cave," Bankotsu mumbled, his voice raspy. Kagome could tell that he was trying to sound like he wasn't in pain, but she knew that he obviously was; She could only imagine how he felt at that moment.
It took two long, grueling hours to drag Bankotsu to the cave. Carrying Bankotsu with armor and his Banryuu wasn't an easy task. Luckily, he was still capable of balancing himself to an extent.
They ducked in to the cave, and Kagome gingerly placed him against the wall. She shrugged her backpack off and set it down beside her.
"So..." Bankotsu mumbled casually. "Can I take you up on your offer to bandage me up now?"
