Here's a little something I dreamed up while trying to fall asleep…Mindless fluff, my friends ^_^

*****

"Hey, whatcha reading?"

Jakotsu looked up from the book in his hands and met the inquiring gaze of the Shichinin-tai's young leader. Bankotsu had stopped a few feet away from him and was looking at him curiously.

A slight smile crossed the man's face. Well now, he thought, Bankotsu looks mighty cute like that, standing there in the sunlight, breeze blowing his bangs around, inquisitive expression on his face. So naïve; so unsuspecting…I could just eat him up.

"Jakotsu?" Bankotsu blinked. A peculiar expression had crossed his friend's face, something that was somewhere between a full blown smirk and a devious grin. The young man could feel sweat forming under his bangs. Why is he looking at me like that?? "Whaddya reading?"

"Uh?" The other man snapped back to reality, "Oh, this?" He indicated the book in his hands, "Found it."

A grin tugged Bankotsu's mouth upwards as he studied the colorful cover to the thin, paper-back book. Wish it was titled and there was a girl with wings holding a flower in the picture. It didn't look like anything he'd ever seen before. "I bet it belongs to Inu Yasha's wench." He teased.

Jakotsu huffed slightly, gaze dropping back to the page he was on. "Whatever. It's romantic, at least."

Bankotsu watched him a moment, bent over the tiny novel, bangs and clothing rustling on the breeze, one leg folded beneath him where he sat on the low stone wall. "Romantic?" He wrinkled his nose.

"Yeah. It's a love story and it's nice, even if it does involve a girl." The older man sniffed slightly, "See; look." He turned the book so Bankotsu could read it, one slender finger pointing at a particular panel in the manga.

The boy leaned over, eager to see what his friend found this so wonderful, but also a little leery delving into something "romantic" without knowing what exactly Jakotsu's definition of "romantic" was. He studied the panel for a moment. "This invisible string you have around your finger -- It's meant for some one else. One day it will be attached to some one you'll love, some one more beautiful…*" He stopped reading and looked up, a questioning expression on his face.

"Isn't it romantic?" Jakotsu sighed wistfully, "To be linked to some one for life…"

Bankotsu's brows knit together. "You don't really believe that, do you, Jakotsu?" He asked cautiously. Matters of the heart had never really appealed to him, but he was beginning to think more about love and a relationship of sorts…

" 'Course I do, Aniki." The effeminate man smiled dreamily, "And I already know who my string leads to."

The leader stiffened slightly, his heart sinking into his chest. Jakotsu, of course, meant Inu Yasha. Or any other of the scores of men he constantly flirted with. Bankotsu was only a friend, not to mention the other man's leader. "That's really childish." He snapped, "You shouldn't waste your time on fairytales and fantasy."

"Aniki?" Jakotsu looked at him in confusion, inky eyes full of question.

"You're acting like a lovesick little girl." Bankotsu concluded. He could've gone farther with the insult, but he stopped when he noticed the hurt expression on his companion's face. His mouth opened as if he wished to say more, then closed again, and he stormed away.

Jakotsu sat there for a moment, stunned, as he stared after the retreating figure of his leader. He felt as if he had been slapped. Why had Bankotsu suddenly become so angry with him? What had he done wrong?

Sighing, he slid from the wall and wondered off in the opposite direction.

*

By the time dusk fell, Bankotsu was a lot less annoyed and rather confused. He'd spent the evening wandering around, pondering over exactly why the idea of Jakotsu and Inu Yasha together upset him so much and not wanting to venture too deeply into the particular the waters he'd been testing.

He felt bad about the things he'd said. As Jakotsu's best friend, he knew just how to hurt the other man's feelings and had done just that. He wanted to apologize. But, upon asking the others, no one knew were Jakotsu had gone.

Sunset found the young man exiting the forest and coming across a ledge that overlooked the valley below. A figure was seated upon the ledge, back to him, leaned over with his elbows planted on his thighs, chin resting in his hands as he stared off into the distance. "Jakotsu…" Bankotsu stopped, looking sadly at his friend. The way the older man was slumped over, it appeared he was still upset.

The aforementioned man looked over his shoulder. "Konban wa, Aniki." He smiled slightly.

Bankotsu sank down beside him, legs dangling over the ledge. The two sat in silence for a moment and Bankotsu stared at his hands in his lap. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings before." He muttered.

A real smile crossed Jakotsu's face. "I know." He said softly. He knew Bankotsu must've been bothered by something else, but he was puzzled as to what exactly it was that was on the teen's mind.

"I…I just don't want to think about you going away." The young man picked at a string on his sleeve, looking everywhere but at his companion. He was extremely nervous, but wasn't exactly sure why.

"Why would I be going away?" Jakotsu's dark eyes blinked. Bankotsu just wasn't making any sense today.

"If you know who your soul mate is, wouldn't you want to be with him?" The leader countered. He lowered his head, bangs shielding his eyes from the other's view, his braid quivering down his back. He was sure Jakotsu would jump on the chance to totally be free of his duties and obligations to the Shichinin-tai and run off after the hanyou he was so in love with.

"Aniki," There was a hint of laughter in the gay man's voice, "I don't need to go away to be with my soul mate."

Silence.

Bankotsu's head snapped up. Jakotsu was smiling at him, his inky eyes sparkling with mirth. There was a hungry, lusty look in his eyes and he licked his lips. The younger man blushed as realization dawned on him. "You…you mean…me?" He squeaked.

Jakotsu's smile widened and he laughed, his own cheeks tinged pink. "Mm-hmm." He nodded slightly, hair bouncing as his head bobbed up and down.

Bankotsu's heart raced and he felt a prickly feeling rising somewhere deep within him. Jakotsu was his…soul mate? "Why…why didn't you tell me?" His face flushed even more and he ducked his head shyly, "A-all this time I thought that…"

"I didn't know how you would react." Jakotsu's voice was very quiet and he played with the end of his scarf as he spoke. He'd never felt unsure about his feelings for any other man, but when it came to Bankotsu…He was never certain what he wanted or expected from the younger man. "I was afraid of what you would do if you knew."

"Oh Jakotsu…" The teen wasn't sure what to say because, well, he wasn't sure what exactly he felt. Maybe it was just raging teenage hormones or maybe it was a suppressed sex drive or maybe he really did love Jakotsu…But he wasn't gay! He wasn't! He'd never felt that way for another man before. Only Jakotsu; he was special. He was so confused.

"And I was happy enough just being around you, I guess." The man's gaze drifted to the horizon and his brow furrowed, "I told myself I could be happy as long as we were together, even if it wasn't how I wanted. I know you're not-"

"Jakotsu," The younger man cut him off, deciding he would just go ahead and take the plunge, "You should always be honest with yourself." His mouth curved upwards into a smile as Jakotsu lifted his head to meet his gaze, "Now shut up and kiss me."

"Nani!?" Jakotsu's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, "Aniki…?"

"It's what you want, isn't it?" Blue eyes blinked innocently and Bankotsu scratched the back of his head nervously, "Well I…I want it too." He stammered, blushing lightly, fidgeting a little.

"You…You're sure?" Jakotsu's hand rose and drifted towards Bankotsu's face, then drew back again hesitantly, as if he wasn't exactly positive that the other man was in his right mind. He studied Bankotsu's face -completely serious- and swallowed, hoping they weren't about to make the biggest mistake of either of their lives.

"I'm sure." Bankotsu nodded, his gaze never leaving his friend's face. He might have exuded an air of confidence, but on the inside he was a nervous wreck. Am I doing the right thing?

Jakotsu's hand rose again, this time cupping Bankotsu's chin and tilting his face upward. He dipped down, mouth capturing the other man's in a surprisingly chaste kiss. He could feel the teen's body trembling and didn't want to move things too quickly. Take it easy there, old boy. Nice and slow…

Bankotsu was keenly aware of everything that was happening to him at the moment; all of the emotions that were welled up inside him threatened to spill over and cause some very big trouble for both men if they weren't careful. He jerked back, suddenly realizing he had the collar of Jakotsu's kimono clutched between his fingers, and he blushed lightly, feeling shy once again.

"You okay?" Jakotsu questioned concernedly, letting his hand drop to his lap as he smiled down at his friend.

The blush threatened to consume the young man's face as he fumbled for an answer. "I…I don't know what I'm doing." He mumbled, "You already know what to do and I don't…" He looked back up nervously, only to find an understand smile on his companion's face. "I've never even kissed a girl before." He admitted quietly.

Jakotsu made a face at that. "Why would you want to?" He asked, horrified. Then he smiled again, placing an arm around the shorter man. "Don't worry about experience." He offered kindly, "You'll learn in time."

The boy nodded, his braid wagging, as he rested his head on Jakotsu's shoulder. The older man's other hand still lay in his lap and Bankotsu reached for it, their fingers brushing together. A satisfied smile crossed his face when Jakotsu's fingers twined through his. "Jakotsu?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad your invisible string leads to me." Came the soft reply.

"Me too, Bankotsu." Jakotsu smiled, looking down to meet that brilliant blue gaze, "Me too."

Owari

*****

*Reference to Wish vol. 2 by CLAMP, page 117.