Little Sister
Chapter 26: The Sword that Saves
"This is not good," Suikotsu sighed as he stared at Bankotsu's chest. It was nearly morning once again, and the field just outside the village was littered with injured and dead. Jakotsu snored slightly as he rested against Jakotsuto. Renkotsu was wincing as he kneaded his shoulders, and Ginkotsu was trying vainly to keep Kagome from starting another screaming session. She'd already had a meltdown once she realized just how much killing she'd accomplished. But Suikotsu had no time to notice any of them. He needed to save as many people as he possibly could. With Kikyo and Kaede and some of the village women, he was able to organize a real infirmary very quickly. The Shichinintai had a lot of knowledge of army life, and they were able to instruct the villagers on how to perform a variety of tasks like a real army did. So, now he had the time to examine Big Brother's wound. It was still not much better from when Kagome had first given him those pills...
"What is he supposed to do, Suikotsu? It's not like we had a great deal of time for him to heal," Renkotsu grumbled irritably.
"Renkotsu, we have healed very quickly from Kagome's arrows in the past. Jakotsu had healed from a gunshot wound with very little trouble. And with Kagome's antidote, he should have been able to heal since it would have neutralized Sesshomaru's poison. But this isn't healing at all," he explained grimly.
Kagome picked her head up. She had been perched on Ginkotsu's platform, with her head down. She was covered in blood. She knew she was still reeling from the Silver Lady and her takeover of Kagome's powers, but when she heard that Bankotsu was still not healed, she realized that she had to do something.
Suikotsu looked up from Bankotsu and saw Kagome. "Little Sister, I thought you'd be resting."
"Do you rest after killing lots of people?" Kagome asked a bit nastily.
"Hmm...actually, no. I find that he gets rather invigorated after killing like you did. Sorry, I'm sure that's not what you wanted to hear." Suikotsu busied himself spreading an ointment onto a new clean bandage.
Suddenly, something occurred to Kagome. She went to Banryu, which was now sitting very innocently stuck into the ground beside the campfire, streaked with dried blood. She pulled one of the two jewel shards from the halberd. Sorry, I know you need them, but Bankotsu needs one of them even more than you. Kagome almost could swear she sensed the resignation in Banryu's aura, though a weapon wasn't supposed to even have an aura... Then, she went back to Bankotsu's side, and slipped the jewel shard into the wound, before Suikotsu had a chance to put the new bandage on. The wound healed itself, closed at though someone was zippering it shut. The skin around the wound site faded from the red to a normal skin tone.
Suikotsu slapped his head with frustration. "Why didn't I think of that?" he groused.
Bankotsu sat up, and finally felt like he was human once again. He held his hand up to Kagome, who took it. "You'd better put your clothes back on," she advised.
"Are you sure you want me to do that?" Bankotsu asked with a wink.
Kagome was feeling numb before. But around Banktosu, especialy when he was fully in the here and now, somehow managed to chase away all numbness. In Kagome's case, this was not a good thing. She felt the numbness fading away, that blessed numbness she'd experienced for a few moments, that took her mind off the death that surrounded her. Now, it was slamming into her full throttle again.
Renkotsu saw it coming. He decided to brave the storm this time. He grabbed Kagome by the shoulders as she began to sob. "You'd better stop this, Little Sister, or you can't be a member of our team!"
"How did you feel when you killed your first bunch of people?" she screamed.
"Pretty damned glad that I was the one left standing and they weren't!" he shot back. He turned his eyes to Bankotsu. "I'm sure Big Brother is of the same mindset. It's a good thing there was an extra jewel shard in his halberd. He's saved, for now. Until his next accident, or his next injury. And then, well, he's out of jewel shards to fix him up, unless he takes one from one of us. I wonder which one he'll take? Probably not Jakotsu, not until the very end, anyway. Once the rest of us are gone..."
"What the fuck are you trying to say, Renkotsu?" Bankotsu scrambled up and was in the taller brother's face in virtually an instant.
"Sure, the first one to go will probably be Ginkotsu. You probably figure he's half-gone already. And then, maybe Suikotsu, since you might decide he's too crazy to keep around, unless you decide you don't need me anymore, since I'm on to you now," Renkotsu yelled back.
The shouting woke Jakotsu up. He dashed to Bankotsu's side, keeping Jakotsuto at the ready. "Don't you touch him!" he growled murderously at Renkotsu.
"I won't let you take Ginkotsu's jewel shard! If anyone is going to get his jewel shard, it's going to be me, he said so himself!" Renkotsu went on, now in a near frenzy.
Kagome screamed and ran to defend Ginkotsu. She ran up onto his platform and grasped him around his neck. "No! NO! Leave him alone!"
"Little Sister, don't try to defend me. It's true, I did tell Renkotsu that he could have my jewel shard," Ginkotsu confessed.
"I forbid it, Ginkotsu! You're not giving that jewel shard up to anybody, is that clear?" Bankotsu ordered him.
"Did I miss something here? I don't recall Bankotsu saying anything about taking anyone's jewel shards," Suikotsu asked irritably.
"I can see it in your eyes; you don't trust him either! I won't die again!" Renkotsu raged. Now people were staring at him, many of them terrified of what he might do. He was breathing hard, and his eyes were darting all around, as though looking for a way out.
"Kagome? What's his shard doing?" Bankotsu asked.
"Why do you want to know that for? Maybe you'll have her pull it out of my neck for you? Is that it?" Renkotsu screamed.
"Renkotsu, you have to stop!" Kagome gasped, jumping down from Ginkotsu's platform and heading straight towards him.
"Little Sister!" Ginkotsu warned, then aimed a gun at Renkotsu, in case he tried to hurt her. Renkotsu saw the gun at his head, then glanced at Kagome who was back before him again. He then noticed Jakotsu edging forward, and Suikotsu watching him warily. Bankotsu grabbed his wrist.
"Renkotsu, you have to think! Why would I kill you to get your shard now when I need you more than I ever have? How much time will having your jewel shard buy me? Even if I had seven jewel shards in my body and the other three in Banryu, I would not have been able to do what you, my brothers, had been able to do today! Even if I had every jewel shard of yours, I would not be able to escape Naraku!"
"I just don't want to die again. Maybe that means I'm not that noble, or brave, and I don't want to sound ungrateful, because you sacrificed your honor in order to preserve ours by bargaining with the daimyos to allow us hara-kiri, but let me tell you something Big Brother, that hurt like a real son of a bitch! And that was after watching Ginkotsu's head..." Renkotsu knelt down and held his head in his hands. He looked almost as though he was trying to cry but nothing was coming out.
After a few seconds, a small hand touched Renkotsu's head. He glanced up with a start, and saw Shippo standing there. "You're just scared. All of us get scared of Naraku sometimes, even Inuyasha does."
"Shippo! Where were you this whole time?" Kagome gasped.
"Sorry, Kagome, I got scared too, this battle was very scary. Even though it was humans, it was scary!" Shippo admitted, and then launched himself into her arms.
"So, my jewel shard isn't black?" Renkotsu asked her.
"No, it's fine right now. Can't you tell when it's black and when it's not?" Kagome asked him.
"By the time I realize I've been posessed, the damage is already done," he told her, and the other brothers began to nod emphatically, except for Ginkotsu. "Hey, Ginkotsu, I just realized something. You've never been affected by Naraku's power over the jewel shards!"
"Gessh. He probably doesn't think I'm worth the bother," Ginkotsu said, and would have shrugged if he had been able.
Kagome climbed back up once again to Ginkotsu's side, this time with Shippo in tow. She sat down on his platform. "Then I guess we'll be safest with you, won't we?"
Bankotsu's eyes narrowed very slightly, but said nothing. Especially since his brother was now beaming, or at least as much as someone like him could beam. That Kagome! There she was, covered in blood, scared out of her mind just earlier that night, and now, she's back to taking care of others and making others feel better. Well, at least he wasn't dying for the moment, and there she was. How much better could his immediate life get? Oh, it could be better! We could be living without jewel shards!
The leader of the Band of Seven (who might either have to find some people or might have to change their name, since there were not seven anymore...) waited until full light, and until Kagome and Shippo were gone to finally clean up, and until Suikotsu had one minute of time to his name. Then, among the five brothers, he spoke his mind.
"We've got two priorities here, guys. One, we have to make sure that this daimyo we just helped for free isn't actually one of the ones who had us killed," Bankotsu growled.
"Well, remember, we didn't recognize the banners of the local lord," Ginkotsu pointed out.
"Wow, fresh meat!" Jakotsu joked.
Bankotsu smirked. "Good. That means we only have one priority...finding a way to live without the jewel shards. Has anyone heard of anything at all, any ideas, no matter how stupid you might think they are? Anybody?"
"Since a few days ago? No, I don't have any ideas. What happened last night made me less hopeful than ever that we'll be free of Naraku," Renkotsu frowned.
"I just hope that this isn't the start of us deteriorating. That's my worry," Suikotsu murmured.
"Damn! You're just full of happy thoughts, aren't you?" Renkotsu snapped.
"Let's not tell Kagome. I don't think we should burden her with this..." Ginkotsu said quietly.
"I agree. And Suikotsu, it's useless to keep asking Kikyo. She told me yesterday that she's got no ideas. What keeps her alive, to her anyway, is more repugnant than what keeps us alive," Bankotsu concluded. Consuming the souls of the dead to remain animate...At least Kikyo does good in the world. This somewhat justifies what she needs to do to stay alive. But, what do I do? How can I justify taking another person's soul to borrow a bit more time in the world of the living?
Jakotsu said nothing. He just discreetly wiped a tear away. Sure, Bankotsu thought, just as we have finally started forming lives for ourselves again, we are faced with our imminent demise. Jakotsu finally found his love. So have I. We've found a place that we might actually be able to call home. It's so unfair...Haven't we paid for our sins by getting beheaded? Why must we keep paying?
"If that was all you have to say, I need to get back to the infirmary..." Suikotsu sighed, then left his other brothers to brood over their fate. He himself had too much to do.
A short while later, Suikotsu stifled a yawn while stitching a sword wound in a villager's leg. He was grateful for the tools that Kagome had gotten for him. If only Kaede had a set for herself! The elderly priestess was quite skilled, and she could have been an extra set of hands. As it was, Suikotsu could only offer to pay for another set with that odd card that Kagome swore "had his money on it." Hmph! If he couldn't see the gold, how was he to know it really was there? Well, no matter, Suikotsu could get more of his gold from the safety cave.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could swear that he saw...he looked up. Yes, his eyes were not mistaken. Sesshomaru had returned! "Wonderful. One of my very favorite people is back..." Suikotsu complained to his patient.
"Heh! I'd rather you talk to him than keep stitching this leg!" the villager grumbled.
"I know it hurts. I wish there were some way to keep you from feeling the pain, but there isn't. I'm just hoping it doesn't grow infected even after we sew you up." Suikotsu eyed Sesshomaru coming toward him.
"I see I missed a battle here; I'm annoyed," Sesshomaru commented.
"Well, this was just an advance party. If the daimyo that wanted this area is willing to risk coming back again, after what Kagome did, then there might be more fighting..." Suikotsu said as matter-of-factly as he could.
"Is my brother here, then? You mentioned Kagome..."
"We expect Inuyasha to be back tomorrow at the earliest. Kagome had come back from her own time, and the rest of her friends left. What do you really want here? I'm sure you didn't come to chat with me," Suikotsu asked crossly.
"Actually, I did. Or rather, I wanted to see your leader. Is he still alive?" Sesshomaru asked. The villager stared up at Inuyasha's brother and simply gaped.
"As a matter of fact, he is. Aren't you just jumping with joy over that?" Suikotsu spat. "Look, I'm trying to do something here that might save this man's leg, and possibly even his life. I can't drop what I'm doing to show you to Bankotsu."
"Understood," Sesshomaru said, then receded. Jaken began to grouse about Suikotsu's rudeness, but Sesshomaru cut him short. "I wish to be here if there is to be another battle. I could use a good battle to...relax."
"Among these filthy humans?" Jaken gasped.
"All the better to kill, Jaken. You know better than to question me..."
"Come along, girl! We're going to camp by that large tree Lord Sesshomaru had told you about!" Jaken snapped.
"I'll be right there, Master Jaken!" Rin called to him. She had picked up a fallen branch. Just then, Kagome came over to Suikotsu, and on her way, saw the orphan girl that Sesshomaru adopted.
"Rin? What are you doing here? Is Sesshomaru here again?" Kagome fretted. Though the child was as gentle as gentle could be, her loyalty was with Sesshomaru, after all.
"Don't worry. Sesshomaru is only wondering why that man who works for Naraku wasn't killed by the poison claws..." Rin answered, then smiled. "He wants to stay for the next battle. Can he stay? Will Inuyasha let him?"
"Inuyasha's not here. I don't know. I think Bankotsu, the one who you think is working for Naraku, is the one who will decide whether he can stay or not," Kagome told her.
"Rin!" called Jaken from fifty feet away.
"Oh, I'd better go! I'll see you soon," Rin called, then scurried away.
"Little Sister, how is it that a human child is in the care of a demon lord?" Suikotsu asked her as he started tying off his patient's last stitch.
"It's a long story. Rin was an orphan, and I think she got attacked by wolves. I think then Sesshomaru rescued her, because I know that we were worried that when Koga and Sesshomaru met up for the first time that there would be a great big problem..."
"Why, were they his wolves?" Suikotsu asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, Koga attacked the village she was living in...Oh, HOW CAN I BE SO STUPID?" Kagome suddenly yelled. It was so loud that the hapless injured village man nearly leaped from the grasscloth mat he'd been resting on.
Suikotsu gaped. "What's the matter Kagome?"
Suddenly, Kagome got very excited. "I have it! I HAVE THE ANSWER!" She looked almost like she was about to cry, she seemed so excited. In spite of his doubting self, Suikotsu was starting to feel a bit of hope for an unknown reason. "Suikotsu! I have the answer to your problems, all of your problems! See, Rin was actually killed by Koga's wolves..."
"Killed? But she's alive, Kagome! How could she have died but be alive?" Suikotsu asked.
"She's a ghost?" the villager asked.
"You're all set. Now, let me talk to my little sister about her idea, please," Suikotsu dismissed him. He seemed all too happy to leave; the talk about death and revival was dangerous to his way of thinking.
"You don't understand!" Kagome protested. "Sesshomaru saved Rin by bringing her back to life! His sword, Tensaiga, it's the Sword that Can Save a Hundred Lives with one stroke! His father gave it to him, as a counterbalance to Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, which can Destroy a Hundred Lives with one stroke! Don't you see, you can be saved! Sesshomaru can use Tensaiga on you, and you won't need the jewel shards or Naraku any more!"
I hope everyone's holiday season was a joyous one. Mine was busy! I'm looking forward to 2008. Well, now we know what might be able to save them. But will Sessh go for it? And even if he does, will it even work? Who can convince Sesshomaru to help the Shichinintai? Stay tuned!