(NOTE): Y'know, I think my writing has gotten a lot better since I started. I can't update often cuz school is merciless and I have almost NO time!! Okie dokie, let's continue while we can :)...
For once in a long time, Jakotsu didn't wake up to the annoying sound of a large Clang! at the very crack of dawn.
It was instead by hard Bonk! on the head.
Groaning as he slowly sat up and rubbed his assualted crown, he opened an eye to look at Taro...Bankotsu proudly holding out his Banryuu and smirking at him.
"Come on." he said "I still need some practice with my new companion. Let's spar!"
"Now?" Jakotsu groaned, looking at the sky. It wasn't as early as his usual required wake-up-time, but he hadn't gotten much sleep at all the other night when the revolt had taken place.
After he and Bankotsu had left the daimyo's castle, they had traveled the entire day in the direction Jakotsu believed would led him to his mother. They had followed the river that had led into the daimyo's castle and had made enough progress to find a comfortable river bank at the side of a hill to stop for the night. Before they had gone to sleep, Jakotsu had washed out the scarf he had taken from the castle and left it on a boulder to dry over night.
Jakotsu really didn't have any idea where his old home was, but he knew it couldn't have been more than a couple days away. It was day two now, and he desperately hoped that they were going in the right direction.
Though right now, he was too groggy to even think about concern.
"But I'm still tired, Big Brother!" he whined.
"That doesn't matter, I just need to test Banryuu out." Bankotsu said, still smirking and motioning with the katana in his other hand for his brother to stand up "Besides, it'll build up your endurance. Believe me."
Easy for you to say.
But sleepy young man just stilfled a sigh as he yawned, stood up, and took the smaller sword Bankotsu was holding out to him.
If Jakotsu had been tired when the sparring session had started, he was almost ready to pass out by the time it had ended. He had performed completely on an adrenaline rush as he blocked his brother's attacks.
Just blocked.
Not once could he ever find an opportunity to even attempt to be on the offense. Bankotsu was so energetic and eager to test out his sword, that it took every ounce of strenght Jakotsu had to even put up a small challenge.
They had continued fighting for a few hours before Jakotsu finally flipped out of the way and surrendered, almost completely spent. Rarely had Bankotsu even beaten him, and Jakotsu had never had to backflip away from him.
Jakotsu could hardly believe that this was the same servant boy Taro that he had met what seemed ages ago.
Bankotsu himself even looked worn out, so he told Jakotsu that they would rest a little more for a while before continuing.
As Jakotsu laid his head back on the fresh green grass, he closed his eyes and thought about their little spar.
His deep, navy eyes burned with something the older boy had never seen in them before.
It wasn't bloodlust.
It wasn't determination.
Hell, it wasn't even intensity.
It was fun. Plain simple fun. He could see that Bankotsu enjoyed the strength and power the sword gave him, but it wasn't because he desired to spill blood. It was because he desired to fight. He wanted to destroy anything that he came up against and bask in every moment of it.
It was clear that his brother couldn't have had much of a childhood, as he had been so young when he had been sent to the daimyo's castle as a servant...a slave. Jakotsu knew firsthand that the life of a slave wasn't a happy one, and when you have a creepy, strict general breathing down your neck continually, it can be an absolute hell.
There was no time for entertainment, only constant hardships.
Bankotsu's...Taro's... life previous to that of his time at the castle must've been difficult, too.
Jakotsu didn't know exactly why or how Bankotsu had ended up a slave, but he assumed that his parents must've been poor and they had sold their son in order to get some money. The life of a pauper wasn't a enjoyable one either, you had to grow up quickly and learn to make a living as soon as you are old enough to work (or beg).
But now, Bankotsu was at liberty to do whatever he wanted and was old enough to be on his own. There was no one to hold him back from having fun.
Jakotsu felt himself smile.
I guess he finally can act like a kid now. In fact, I think we both can!
Jakotsu himself couldn't remember a time when he had been so free to do as he pleased. Sure he would still follow Bankotsu as his leader, but he no longer had an obligation to fulfill. He had carried out the last lengthy mission his mother had assigned him and had gained a leader who was also a partner.
Together they could have the fun they had been denied in their childhoods; they would be warriors, and children.
He could feel himself just beginning to drift off and was more than willing to succumb to the comforts of darkness with these pleasing thoughts in mind.
His eyes reopened, however, when he heard a Splash! and was sprayed with a small wave of cold water.
He propped himself on his elbows, wincing at the ache that was still in his abdomen. After he had wiped the water from his face, he saw that Bankotsu had undressed and was just now peeking his head above the river, which he had apparently leapt into.
"Ahhh, this is great." Bankotsu sighed, kneeling and smoothing his hair back with both hands. He breathed in deeply as the cool water escaped from his long hair and streamed down his back.
His hands rested clasped behind his neck as he turned to look at Jakotsu.
"Well? Come on in! You look like crap, and you really don't smell any better either!"
Jakotsu gave him a clueless look.
"Huh?" he lifted up an arm and sniffed at it "I don't think I smell that bad, Big Brother!"
Bankotsu crossed his arms and snorted "Take my word for it. You stink so much I wouldn't be surprised if a swarm of flies began to follow us around!"
The older boy pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"That was low. Besides, are you sure you should be getting your wound wet? I thought you needed to keep it dry until it's healed?"
Bankotsu shook his head "That's only if you aren't healed by a physician who uses special instruments. Takehiko enchanted the tools of all his doctors to work quickly, so that the warriors wouldn't be slowed down by their injuries." He reached a hand up and gently ran a finger over the sewn skin on his forehead. "It doesn't, however, guard aginst infection, and I am not going to let that slow me down. And neither should you. So hurry up and wash so that we can...get...GOING!"
With a loud "HAH!," Bankotsu swept his arm forward, and created a wave that crashed into Jakotsu and made him absolutely soaked!
As Jakotsu sputtered and shook the water from his hair, he barely had time to dodge another wave heading toward him.
"Okay! Okay!" he shouted, untying the rope belt from around his waist and slipping out of his outfit "Geez, you don't have to play dirty!"
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About a half an hour later, the two young men were up and back on the road, hopefully heading in the right direction.
As Jakotsu walked beside his brother, he felt...different. It was almost as if the river had washed off more than just dirt, sweat, and dried blood from his flesh. Until then, Jakotsu hadn't ever really noticed he that had constantly felt a certain weight inside of him.
He realized that since he had first arrived at Takehiko's castle, he had always felt sort of...threatened.
Or maybe it was just wariness.
But it was feeling that had held him back from being the cheerful, eager person he had once been.
Somehow, Jakotsu knew that Bankotsu had also had that sense of a burden on him, but he wasn't sure if his brother acknowledged it or not (though if he did, he was doing an expert job of hiding it). Either way, he knew what, more like who, that weight was caused by and until that person was gone for good, they would never be free of that foreboding feeling...
Raidon.
"Huh?"
Jakotsu looked up to see his brother's questioning gaze.
"Uh...'huh' what?"
"You just said something."
Whoops! Guess I was 'thinking' a little too loud.
Jakotsu simply grinned at him and folded his hands behind his head, turning his eyes toward the sky "Did I? Well, imagine that!"
Bankotsu snorted and muttered under his breath "I know I didn't just 'imagine that,' Jakotsu."
But the younger boy stopped in his tracks as soon as something caught his eye.
Jakotsu stopped beside him and gave him an inquisitive look "What's the matter, Big Brother? Did you see something?"
"Yeah." Bankotsu said, staring straight ahead of him "And if it's what I think it is, you have a better sense of direction than I thought, Jakotsu."
"Hmm?" Jakotsu turned his head to where his leader was staring, pulling a hand from the back of head and placing it over his brows to block out the sun.
His eyes widened in surprise.
There, only a while away, was his old home; he could just see the gates of the large compound peeking out against the horizon.
At that moment, Jakotsu didn't know whether to be relieved or exicited. In only a few moments, his mother would meet the one he had chosen to be his leader.
What is she going to think?
"Well, come on!" Bankotsu said, walking forward again "We're not gonna get there by just standing here."
Jakotsu brought both of his arms to his sides and nodded. He smiled when he decided to be optimistic rather than pessimistic and he gave in to excitement as he followed his brother.
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"Milady!"
Shizuka looked up as she heard the raspy voice of the old servant call her. She was in her room sitting indian style on an old blanket. In front of her was Jakotsutou, to the side of her was a cup of grease, and in her hand was a filthy rag.
Despite how many times the servants would offer to clean the great sword, she would never allow them to handle it. It was usually her son's job to polish anyway, but as he was currently on a 'mission,' she did it herself, at least until he would return.
It had been years since she had seen her boy and she suspected that it would be years still since she would see him again.
Shizuka was well aware that Takehiko was a dark magician. Not a top notch one, but a magician nonetheless, and they were difficult for even her to kill, especially without the aid of her prized weapon.
It would be impossible for Jakotsu to defeat the daimyo on his own, and whether she liked it or not, he would need others to help him defeat them. When she had first sent her son off, she had expected him to learn all he could, gather a band of faithful followers, and destroy Takehiko and all his men, which would, hopefully, earn him the respect of the others in the daimyo's army.
Yet she doubted that that was how it would be.
Jakotsu was too...childish, for lack of a better word. His presence hardly demanded respect and he was more playful in his fighting tactics and his taunts, something that wasn't going to impress very many warriors. If he weren't an excellent fighter and have a love of slaughter, she knew that he would be seen as a so-called 'pansy.'
Or a 'queer.'
It wasn't hard to guess his sexual preference, but she wasn't at all upset about that.
It meant he would never fall victim to some slut's charms and leave a young woman, still burning with passion for him, squeezing out his offspring in some old, abandoned shack.
Boy, did that sound familiar.
Jakotsu had always been a follower more than a leader anyway, but she knew that whoever he chose to follow would need her approval. She would inspect him when her son returned.
And she was sure he would return; he still had to come back for Jakotsutou.
"Milady!" The old servant rushed into her room, his hands gripping his chest as he spoke in labored breaths "Your...son..."
"What?" The old man definitely had Shizuka's attention now.
The servant swallowed before he continued, "Your son, Milady. My own boy...pant..has seen him. He...pant...he is approaching the castle...pant...with another boy."
"Boy?" she asked sharply, picking up the sword as she stood up "A mere boy? Not a man?"
The servant shook his head and Shizuka's eyes narrowed. She quickly brushed past the panting old man and made her way to the gate entrance. She could just see the two figures that were steadily approaching the castle, one pale and tall, the other dark and short.
She knew the tall one was Jakotsu, which must mean that the shorter one was a companion he acquired.
The woman felt her hand clench tightly around the sword's hilt as she raised an eyebrow.
That was it?!
A kid?!
Shizuka squinted her slanted eyes to get a better look. Due to her demon blood, however weak it might be, she could see better than a regular human, so she could just make out the other boy's features. She studied him for a moment as the couple got closer and as she saw more and more of him, her eyes slowly began to widen.
Long black hair.
Dark blue eyes.
Strongly tanned skin.
Shizuka couldn't help but recognize the boy's dark features. How could she ever forget them? She could clearly remember the first time she had seen them, that very instant when she was immediatly seized with a burning, flaming, searing flare of absolute, undeniable...loathing.
The exotic beauty and proud composure kindled the familiar flame in her very soul.
A fire that demanded to be appeased.
She was so distracted by what she saw, she didn't notice when her son began to wave at her and didn't even feel that her hand was clenching Jakotsutou so hard that her knuckles were turning white.
He...he looks like...that...that BITCH!
It was clear that he must have origin in the same place as the woman Shizuka hated with her entire soul. That slut had been an exotic beauty herself, a lovely foreign girl from the west.
It took every once of strength she had not to lunge at the boy and choke him with her bare hands as he and Jakotsu just reached the entrance to the gate. She tried to rationalize that perhaps it was a good thing that this boy looked so much like her old rival.
Clearly, Jakotsu had become a leader after all, and this boy must be a follower of his. It was her son that had this boy under his control, and it could be seen as some sort of victory.
Yes, yes, of course it could! A young man that reminded her of that treacherous wench was in a station below her son, below herself! And as the mother of his leader, she could be as cruel as she wanted, and somehow convice her boy to be just as merciless!
She did her best not to smirk as Jakotsu and his companion reached her and turned her eyes to meet her son.
"You have completed your mission?" she said without much emotion. She couldn't help but be inwardly amused when she saw her son nod eagerly at her.
"Yes I have, Mother. The daimyo Takehiko is nothing more than a head lying a few feet away from a bloody body."
Shizuka couldn't hold the smirk back any longer when she heard that and felt a great amount of pride swell inside of her.
And it serves you right, my dearest Uncle.
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That was one of the true reasons she had sent her son to kill that daimyo. Her mother, Midori, had been the younger half sister of Lord Takehiko, a princess who had been careless enough to fall in love with a certain mercenary, tainted with demonic blood, that her brother had hired.
Over only a few months, Midori and the facinating warrior became very close, though they strived to keep their growing relationship secret from the daimyo. However, that had proved impossible when it became obvious that Midori was with child.
As soon as Takehiko had gotten wind of his sister's 'cursed' pregnancy, he had somehow found out who the father was and immediately had the mercenary killed and Midori held in strict confinement.
Five years after Shizuka's birth, Midori got wind that Takehiko had plans to use her daughter. He had, apparantly, kept the strange sword the child's faher had once carried, and he had found he was unable to made it work. Surely, though, the impure offspring of the sword's former master could weild it and he was set on using Shizuka as one of his enslaved warriors.
Had her mother not stolen Jakotsutou from her brother's hold, escaped with Shizuka from his castle, and been taken in by and married to a blacksmith on the outskirts of a certain village, who knows what would have become of her and her child?
For years those thoughts had burdened Shizuka. Partly for what Takehiko had done to her parents, but also that since he had killed her father, she could never figure out the actual potential of Jakotsutou.
She had taught herself how to use it well enough after her stepfather (who had cared for her like a real daughter) had taught her the basics of fighting, and she had learned it's name from her mother. But with the stories Midori had told her about the techniques her real father would use with the sword, she knew that the weapon's true power was only something that could be either be figured out over hundreds of years or taught by one who already knew.
Shizuka had been denied that priveledge since she couldn't live for hundreds of years and her uncle had taken away the only one who could teach her anything.
She had sworn that one day, Takehiko would die by 'the hand of the flesh of her father,' and Jakotsu was just that.
Not only would her son become stronger by destroying Takehiko, but he would fulfill her vow as well.
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"Well done, Jakotsu." she said to her son "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me."
She then turned her gaze to Jakotsu's companion, looking over him as if she had just noticed his presence "Though, I must say, I am not too pleased that you have returned with such a...small amount." Shizuka bit back a snicker as she watched the younger boy's eyes slightly darken, though the smug grin remained on his face.
He had clearly picked up on her intended insult, unlike her son who hadn't seemed to notice.
"Oh believe me, Mother, Bankotsu is stronger than two dozen soldiers! I mean, look at the halberd he's carrying!" Though Shizuka hated to admit, she was fairly impressed with the giant weapon the small boy was able to hold against his shoulder with one hand. His clothes were also something to take note of, as his whole attire was almost regal.
His weapon, his clothing, and also his handsome looks made the short boy seem almost like a young warrior prince.
That is not suited for a subordinate!
Her observation was explained when she heard what her son said next,"Plus, he's sure to be a great leader and big bro..."
"What?"
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Jakotsu, who had been looking at his brother as he introduced him, looked back at his mother as he heard the soft, cold hiss.
"Jakotsu, my son," the young man almost squirmed under his mother's sharp, threatening gaze as she spoke to him in a deadly, slow tone "I want you to first repeat what you just said...and then finish that sentence."
Worry struck him like lightening as he felt a dark, freezing aura spilling from the woman before him.
Uh oh.
"He said" Jakotsu felt his heart almost stop as he heard Bankotsu haughty voice speak out from beside him "that I am his leader. A great leader."
Big Brother, are you trying to get us killed?!
Apparently he was, since Bankotsu didn't stop there "And I think what he was going to say was 'He'll make a great leader and big brother.'"He was still looking directly at the glaring face of Shizuka, who had turned her bitter gaze back to him. They glowered at each other for a moment, Jakotsu looking nervously back and forth between his mother and his big brother, until Shizuka's chilly stare suddenly caught fire.
Her brown, snake-like eyes were kindled with absolute fury and and her sharp teeth were slightly bared as she began to pant quiet, angry breathes. The hand around Jakotsutou was completely white now, and the fingers that held it were shaking and twitching with a deep urgencey.
"Big...Brother?"
In that moment, Bankotsu seemed to realize just how dangerous she was, as he no longer saw a stern, rude woman standing in front of him, but a blood-thirsty demon that was egar to spill somebody's bloody, namely his. Try as he might, Bankotsu couldn't help but feel a little scared of her, but he forced himself to remain calm as he just stared back at the infuriated female.
I'm stronger than her he thought arrongantly.
Jakotsu, however, didn't share in Bankotsu's views, as he could tell that unless he did something quickly, his mother would slice up his new Big Brother into tiny, bloody shreds.
(NOTE): This chapter may seem boring and I know I was mean and ended on a little cliffie, but at least you have a little info about Shizuka's past! And, pretty interesting about Bankotsu, huh? So...he apparently is from the same country as Shizuka's rival! ( Btw, the place 'in the west' I was talking about is India. I don't know what it was called then so just bear with me :P And as for a little teaser, later on there will be a couple more people from the same country too!)
Tell me what you thought!
P.S.: Yes, technically this means Jakie and Tamika were cousins (really like first cousins once removed or something). It doesn't really bother me since I live in a state where cousins can marry (not that I ever would), but if it bothers you, just add that to the list on 'Why Tamika is so disturbing' ;).
BTW: Everyone already knows what Jakie's mom and grandmother are named, but his dad and grandpa (and step-grandpa, the blacksmith)? I'm actually taking suggestions!