Bankotsu: The Final Battle
He never was one to believe in fate.. Still, in the pit of his being he knew that fate was against him. On the other hand maybe he was the one who fought against fate. His very existence challenged all odds. He was not supposed to have survived birth. He was not supposed to have acclaimed strength that challenged that of the immortals. He was not supposed to have survived the numerous battles he waged, not with the odds so against him. Despite this, he continued on in challenging the logical approach. He was born into struggle...he thrived on it. No wonder fate hated him, no wonder it tried again and again to break him. Yet, no matter what came his way he overcame it. He survived. He had no weaknesses. Even now...he faced death, but he was promised revival.
He took a deep breath. "...they'll live... that's all that matters..." he whispered to himself. His body shook gently against the cold. His blood staining the white below. The physical pain was nothing, it never was.
He leaned his back against the trunk of a large withering tree. His cold crackled hands tightened on Banryu's hilt, stinging as he did so. He let his lids fall shut with a smirk. "They say we're gonna die here Banryu..."
The words played in his head as the wind blew. He looked up at the grey sky, "But who gives a fuck what they say"
Banryu clinked against his armored shoulder. "Either way..." he shrugged, "I'll make sure they'll pay..."
He thought of his vow. "...even if that means rising from my own grave to do it..."_
A soldier knelt below to examine the pink colored snow. He looked back at the army behind him. "General! I found something!"
The masked general walked towards the scouter, nodding for him to speak.
"Its blood, it leads off the path and into the forest...I believe it to come from the mercenaries"
"Well done...we'll continue down it's trail..."
The general from the eastern army approached the masked general who was leading their hunt "Exactly what is our approach?"
"Approach?"
"We outnumber them, but I fear it is not enough..."
He snorted at the words, "Your cowardice disgusts me. These are not demons, they are mere humans!"
"I speak logic! A band of seven men were able to slaughter off half of our army as if they were crushing insects. Tactic is needed..."
He reconsidered the generals words and nodded. "Without their weapons, they are nothing…" he looked to the worried faces of his army. "Do not forget that these are mere men..." he kicked at the pink snow, "They too bleed"
Renkotsu tried his best to remain calm and lead his brothers as well as Bankotsu had, but the twisting in his stomach hadn't died down. They deserted the mountain path long ago, crossing through the forest terrain in the hopes of losing their pursuers.
"Their close..." Mukotsu stuttered to himself, "I know it..."
"Just shut the hell up Mukotsu!" Suikotsu barked at the small shivering man at his side.
"Both of you shut up" Renkotsu harshly ordered over his shoulder, "We don't need the excess noise..."
"Yeah" Suikotsu growled, "Because I'm sure they won't hear the sound of clanking metal!"
Ginkotsu turned towards the clawed warrior. "Gh-and what's that supposed to mean?..." he growled.
"Your fucking footsteps..." he growled back, "are going to get us caught..."
"Gh-are you blaming me for this?"
"Why else would they find us?"
Jakotsu jumped between the two, "That's enough. We're not going to get anywhere fighting like this..."
Kyokotsu nodded, "I agree with brother Jakotsu"
"Of course you would" Mukotsu snorted, "You're just as loud as Ginkotsu"
"Why you little worm..."
"ENOUGH!" Renkotsu yelled. All eyes slowly turned his way. He placed his hand to the bridge of his nose in thought. The tension was their, and everyone was thinking the same thing. Death was in the air...theirs.
"We can't do this..." Jakotsu whispered
"Do what?" Suikotsu asked, lowering his claws.
"We can't continue like this..." he shook his head, "We're supposed to be brothers...don't you get it? Alone...alone we were nothing...but when we were together..."
Suikotsu shifted uneasily when he noticed tears start to form in Jakotsu's eyes. "You're right..." he whispered to himself. He looked back up with more confidence, "Whatever happens...we need to be together..."
He gave a final nod of certainty before turning his back to them. "Whether we live or die!" he sprinted back towards the way he came remembering his old feelings. He feared nothing, not even death. He smiled as the wind hit his face. Whether he lived or died, it didn't matter. He yelled to his brothers behind him, "There's no way in he'll I'm going down without a fight!"
Jakotsu nodded to himself. Bankotsu was still back their, and despite whatever promise he made...they all needed to be together. "Hold up!" he called before running after Suikotsu.
"I've never been one to enjoy the tranquil joys of life anyway" Kyokotsu laughed at Mukotsu.
Mukotsu gave a defeated shrug, "What the hell" he snorted out a laugh, "Can't say it hasn't been fun"
Kyokotsu lifted the small man on his shoulders as they headed off. Ginkotsu looked to Renkotsu to see his next move. "We can't fight alone..." he smiled.
Renkotsu shook his head, "It's damn suicidal..." he sighed. "But we're out of options..." he forced a smile, "The army is more than likely following us, with an army to meet us at the base... it seems fighting as one is our only option"
"Gh-yes" Ginkotsu nodded. Renkotsu swallowed the feeling in his gut and sprinted towards the others. "Lets get going Ginkotsu!"
He knew that it was only a matter of time before they would find him. He gritted his teeth at the cold he felt, it made him feel weak to be at the mercy of something so trivial as the elements. He heard the army in the distance. He felt disgusted at the unworthy opponents that were about to face him. They were poorly trained and deserved to die. They all lacked stealth and skill. "Dying in battle is one thing, but not when these fools are the executioners…"
He leaned up from the tree ready to face whatever would come his way. "Lets get this over with…"
He readied his stance with Banryu facing the forest ahead of him. His brow furrowed when the footsteps ceased. What were they planning? A distinctive sound caused him to look up, another sea of arrows came his way. He placed Banryu over his head in a protective stance.
A soft grunt escaped his lips when a sharp pain hit his arm. He was pierced through his hand. He roughly tore out the arrow, dropping Banryu as he did so. He didn't have time to react when thick chains flew his way from somewhere in the forest. They tightened around him. "Dammit, they're hiding in the damn forest…cowards…"
"Pull the chains tight!" the familiar voice of the leader of the samurai called as the soldiers made their appearance. He towered over the kneeling mercenary who was tightly held by his bindings. "It is over for you know mercenary…" he spat. "With your halberd gone, you are weak"
"You sound sure of yourself" he cockily replied. "I might not have Banryu, but unlike you I don't need to hide behind a weapon…or an entire army for that matter" He moved his body in the hopes of loosening the chains grip, and found his arm was still somewhat mobile.
"Silence your insolent mouth whelp!" he let his fist land across the young boy's face. Bankotsu's head fell back, but his smirk hadn't faded. He tasted the metallic flavor of his own blood and let his smile increase.
"Where are the others?" the samurai growled.
"Others?" he mocked innocence
"Don't play fool with me boy. Where are the other mercenary swine?"
"Why ask me? You're a rather pathetic excuse for a general if you can't locate a few men in your own territory"
The general's fist pulled back, and Bankotsu waited for a contact that didn't come. "Hn, it matters not." was the general's response. "We'll find your friends…soon enough"
He didn't like how the general had spoken the last phrase. The general looked directly below at the boy in what he hoped was an intimidating display. "Surely you don't believe this to be all the men I have scouting the lands for your companions?"
The old man's words from the battlefield echoed in Bankotsu's mind. His cocky expression faded into one of ferocity as he freed his arm from the chains that bounded him. In a swift motion he took hold of the general's sheathed sword and swung it across the general's face. The mask he wore broke vertically to the floor as he stumbled back, yelling for retribution. The army surrounded Bankotsu. He let his small blade slice through the men that surrounded him.
He wished that he had Banryu. The halberd could deliver more kills, but with an injured hand he was at a disadvantage when swinging such a large blade. He fought through the crowd taking a few kills. He eventually broke free from the army, giving his metal companion a final look. "I promise I'll come back for you…in the next life"
He quickly flew into the forest. He needed to find his brothers before the other army found them. He was stupid for leaving them alone in the first place. They needed to be together, they always had.
A soldier ran to the wounded general in desperation. The general's mouth was slashed open on both sides. He held his mouth to stop the bleeding, and looked at his broken face mask. A thick growl escaped his throat. "Secure that damnable Halberd that he calls Banryu, and take it back to the castle…"
"But General…may I ask why?"
"It will serve as proof, that he was destroyed at my hands…"
"I understand…but he…he has escaped…"
The general ignored the confused soldier as he seethed with anger at the brat's escape. "That fool WILL perish by my hands, this night!" he looked to the frightened soldier, "Make no mistake…he will suffer"
Suikotsu panted as another wave of soldiers came his way. They were never ending, and his stamina was wearing off. He looked around the battlefield. His friends wore similar expressions. Their battle was in vain he decided, but he knew that deep down they all had known that. They must have realized it when they first met Bankotsu…it couldn't last forever. Only… they weren't together this time.
Jakotsu pulled back his bloody sword. His eyes met Renkotsu's. Their second in command was so unsure of himself. He fought frantically trying to stay alive. Ginkotsu's cannons continued to shoot down soldier after soldier, but his ammo was low. Mukotsu was also running low on poison, and Jakotsu knew this because he was now left to use his weaker concoctions. Then there was Kyokotsu who, having a fear of being tied down from his past life of captivity, was desperately fighting the wave of chains that fell over him. Suikotsu was injured, but Jakotsu knew he hadn't noticed the bleeding across his chest. They all fought together, but their leader wasn't there.
A soldier charged towards Jakotsu with a drawn blade. Jakotsu just watched with a calm expression. It was only a matter of time before this would happen…and being alone was far worse than death… he gave a weak smile to himself.
"JAKOTSU!"
Jakotsu turned as a familiar figure shot through the trees, slicing down the charging soldier. "Ban…kotsu" Jakotsu worded out slowly.
He nodded examining the field. It was clear…they were losing. "Are you okay?…"
"I…I came looking for you…we came looking for you…" he spoke in a frantic. Tears lined his face. "Because it doesn't matter how bad it gets….we…we need to…"
"We need to stay together…" Bankotsu softly finished with a smile, fighting back his own tears. "I know that now…but you…you should have stayed away…"
He turned to examine the battlefield. He watched the fierce expressions that lined his falling brothers' faces, and he knew that it was all his fault. He was lost in his own search for power so much so that…he didn't realize the danger his brothers were in. He didn't realize that his pain was there pain, just as their pain was his. "I failed you all…it's…my…fault this happened…"
Jakotsu's mouth slightly widened as small tears welled up in Bankotsu's eyes. Bankotsu fiercely lifted his head to the scene. His teeth gritted together in a rage as he watched the battle. It was over for them now. There wasn't any doubt within him, but he knew what his return would mean. He knew that each one of the fools responsible for the death of his brothers would pay. He would make certain of it.
Bankotsu charged the army with the katana blade he now held, and tore each unfortunate opponent apart. His other brother's caught sight of their leader, and a sense of unity filled them. They were together now.
The battle dragged on, the Band of Seven put up a hard fight, but it was all in vain. The second half of the army that followed after Bankotsu arrived bringing more men and more weapons. The injured head general watched from the sidelines, on horseback. The eastern general eyed him questioningly. "It appears that our mercenaries are weakening…"
"Hn" he snorted, "My orders were clear" he spat, knowing that the eastern general did not approve of the orders. "They are not to be killed until I give the order"
"I understand your need for retribution after…" he carefully thought on his words, "…after your encounter with the boy. However, the longer this war drags on the more lives are lost"
"MY ORDERS WERE CLEAR!" he barked before looking back to the battlefield, "The fool will learn his place before he makes his final departure"
Ok, so I know I said this was going to be the last chapter, but its getting too long and I feel bad about keeping you all in suspense. With that said, there will be one more chapter to go, and then I will have the first chapter of the sequel up, which is already written. So by the beginning of winter break I will have the end finished and posted. Sound good?
Ok, so please send me some reviews, and I'm also planning on reviewing my old chapters, which I've noticed need a lot of work.
Anyway, sorry about the long wait, and thanks for all the reviews,
Much Love,
Merky15
