Sheer Insanity by Cosmic Castaway

Chapter 4

"Aww...nee-san, you're too cruel!"

"I'm only playing fair!" The black-haired girl replied.

Kagome was enjoying her fourth winning spree in a row at Chinese Checkers, and her opponent, Hakkaku, was looking very depressed. Then, interrupting them, the back door burst open so violently that the marbles on the game board jumped three inches in the air. "Who was-?" she wondered, as Hakkaku dove beneath the table with his equally flighty brother, Ginta. In a near-blur, she caught the sight of an unkempt braid. "Bankotsu?!"

Nearly everyone but the most inebriated guests stopped and stared. Bankotsu ingnored them, running swiftly to the front hall, where he ran back out of the front door without even pausing to put his shoes back on. Kagome was concerned by the crushed look on his face, but her heart dropped when Jakotsu went running after him, muttering apologies to the others. Inuyasha, against her expectations, was not the third one back in - and she knew he'd been out there. Surely he'd have heard them fighting and run on after them?

"Jakotsu, what happened?" Kagome choked. She expected the worse.

"Not now," Jakotsu replied curtly. "Gotta go after him."

As quickly and abruptly as they'd appeared, both the men were gone. The front door creaked on its hinges slightly in the wind, a small patch of moonlight shining on the carpet.

Miroku, who had been watching a horror movie marathon on the sofa with Kouga, cleared his throat loudly in the silence and got up to nudge the door shut with his foot. He turned to the crowd, put on his best smile, and exclaimed cheerfully: "Well everyone, that concludes tonight's reenactment of All My Children, episode four hundred and thirty-two. Hope you enjoyed it. Now please, continue your activities."

Everyone shrugged. Slowly, the murmer of the party picked up again. Miroku heaved a quiet sigh of relief and when he spotted Kagome, walked over to her.

"Kagome nee-san," Ginta said timidly, tugging at Kagome's stockings. "Kagome nee-san."

"What is it?" Kagome inquired of the two wolf-like youths.

Hakkaku gazed up at her fearfully, his eyes darting around. He and Ginta both whispered "Look at Kouga!" silmultaneously.

So she did. She looked right past Miroku, who was now nearly beside her, to Kouga where he remained on the couch, stuffing handfulls of microwave popcorn in his mouth. The television was showing a bland commercial about an allergy medicine, but Kouga was grinning to himself as if it were hilarious.

"Some fight they must've had, huh? Like my little cover-up?" Miroku suddenly asked.

Kagome ignored him. She knelt down to help Ginta and Hakkaku out from beneath the table. "Ginta, what do you think is up?"

"You know I- " He went quiet for several moments. "You know I don't like Bankotsu and the other ex-Shichinintai members very much..." He replied under his breath. "And I don't blame Kouga. But I think he's done something."

Kagome nodded. She was still anxious to find Inuyasha, but was almost too scared to find out why he hadn't come in yet- so she lingered a little bit longer. Ginta and Hakkaku might not be willing to talk later, and now their cousin Kouga was distracted. She had to get as much information out of them as she could. Miroku, still being ignored, had seemed to take interest in this odd conversation.

"What do you think he did?" Kagome asked gently. Hastily she added, "I'd understand why."

Ginta looked up at her and blushed deeply, as if regretting how much he'd said already. Hakkaku, instead, stepped forward.

"I don't think either of us knows exactly," he said, a bit less shakily than Ginta, "But you know Kouga - he wouldn't be smiling to himself like that if it were anyone else. He'd be over here with us, being concerned."

"That doesn't mean he did anything," Miroku added, inviting himself into their conversation. "He could just be gloating because he thinks it's funny they're finally having a serious fight. I mean, I know he can't stand them together. He hates seeing them happy..."

"Well, you could be right," Hakkaku continued. "But he wouldn't be gloating if he didn't have anything to do with it. He'd probably have just tried to block it out. Ya know, turn up the TV or something."

Kagome nodded. A stony expression had captured her face. "Well, innocent until proven guilty, I'll say. But if he did have something to do with it...! I know Jakotsu torments Kouga, but if he split them up...I'll never forgive him. A prank, sure. It's mean, yet I'd understand it. But meddling with someone else's love life...Gods, they're really all eachother's got!"

Ginta and Hakkaku nodded gravely. She knew the brothers had Kouga as their only remaining family, and it took a lot for them to agree with her. They seemed to realize, however, that Kouga had crossed the line, had he done anything. And the more Kagome looked at him, the more she believed it was so.

"Should we go after them?" Miroku suggested.

"Nee-san, we can't..." Ginta croaked.

Hakkaku nodded in agreement, repeating, "We can't."

Kagome smiled gently at the brothers. "You've done more than enough," she told them. They exhaled loudly, relieved. "Go on and watch the movie with Kouga. He probably wants some company."

"Okay," they answered together, and they approached their cousin on the couch. Kouga welcomed them warmly, and both of them looked more than a little guilty.

Kagome turned back to Miroku. Slowly, she told him, "Inuyasha was out there too."

Miroku looked puzzled at her frantic expression. "Maybe he saw something?"

"No," Kagome replied. "He was involved."

"What do you mean? What makes you so sure?"

"C'mon, I can't put it off any longer," she told him, taking his wrist and dragging him towards the back door. Sango caught sight of them as she emerged from the kitchen, holding a tray full of fresh-baked pumpkin seeds. She hastily put it down and hurried after them.

"So, where are we going?" Sango asked.

"Er, outside?" Miroku shrugged. Kagome'd finally let go of him. The three walked at a hurried pace out past the pantry and into the wide backyard. Miroku nearly fell over Kirara, his family's housecat.

"There," Kagome said suddenly, pointing to the shed. The door was swinging open and shut on its hinges in the slight cold breeze.

"Inuyasha was in there. Helping me," Sango told Miroku. "I told him if he did he could eat all your ramen."

"WHAT?!" Miroku choked. "Sango!"

Sango and Kagome both ignored him.

"Kagome-chan...what happened out there while I was in the kitchen?"

"Bankotsu and Jakotsu were out here too," she replied. "They came storming back through the house. Jakotsu was running after Bankotsu. I think he hurt him...badly."

"The chocolate handcuffs." Miroku said suddenly.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Are you all here, Miroku? Why are you even mentioning that again?"

"You girls don't give me enough credit," Miroku grumbled. "I said that because it was probably the reason Bankotsu was out here. Someone must've told him about the refrigerator I have in the shed. He went to put the handcuffs in it, like you said to, Sango."

Sango looked puzzled. "Okay, so he walked in on Inuyasha pigging out on ramen. Why would that upset him?"

Kagome turned to them. All the color had drained from her face. "Jakotsu was out here too," she said weakly. "He wasn't at the party. I noticed...he was talking to Kouga...and then he left."

"True," Miroku commented. "Bankotsu and I were in the bedroom playing Shogi. It's how he won the handcuffs."

"And Jakotsu wasn't there," Kagome stated rather than asked.

"He wasn't," both Sango and Miroku replied.

"Gods..." Kagome whispered, her hands beginning to tremble.

"What?" Miroku asked. He turned to Sango. "What's the matter with her?"

Sango mouthed 'I don't know.'

"Jakotsu went in there with Inuyasha. He did something to him," Kagome said simply, her voice cracking. "Bankotsu walked in and saw it."

Miroku and Sango felt their hearts dip into their stomachs. They suddenly understood.

"Kouga..." Miroku said softly. "He egged Jakotsu on."

Kagome's fist clenched. "I'll KILL HIM."

"Kouga or Jakotsu?" Miroku asked.

Sango glared at him. He shrunk back, mouthing 'What?!'

Kagome ran off. She dashed towards the shed, kicking up dirt, and darted in the door.

"She's killing INUYASHA?" Miroku gaped.

"You're impossible," Sango replied. She took off after Kagome, Miroku hot on her heels.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The shed looked empty. But Kagome could hear someone breathing. It was way too dark to see where it was coming from, so she walked towards the humming refrigerator and flung open the door.

Kagome brought a shaking hand up to cover her mouth, muffling her gasp.

The space had become suddenly illuminated with a soft yellow light. Costumeless and nude save for a pair of boxers, there Inuyasha lay, crumpled into a tight ball in a dark, shadowy corner. His dark eyes were blank and expressionless, as though he were dead, but his breathing was ragged and noisy. He looked so beaten, so broken. It almost seemed eerie when he blinked.

"What did he do to you?" Kagome's voice shook with fury and shock, protectiveness and horror. "Did he...r-rape..."

"No," Inuyasha choked out. "He didn't touch me. I SWEAR it!"

Kagome could instantly tell it was only his pride - he'd never admit to being taken by Jakotsu. "Inuyasha. Of course he didn't." She rushed to her friend's side, gathering him up in her arms. "Shhh...don't struggle..." Yet he did not. He leaned in to her soft arms, burying his nose in her lap. His face felt tense against her; and she knew he was trying to hold himself back. "Stop it. Let it all out." She stroked his hair and felt him shaking in her arms.

A rustling came from the doorway. Miroku and Sango stood there, both looking awestruck. Miroku had instinctively drawn Sango closer to him.

Kagome mouthed harshly, 'Leave me alone with him.'

The two of them nodded, turning to go. They could tell that Kagome had Inuyasha's best interests in mind, and it was better for him if he thought she was the only one who "knew". He would be more likely to admit to her what had actually happened and as far as he would be concerned, the more people that knew, the more humiliating the situation would be.

When Kagome was sure they were gone, she turned back to him. "No one's here but me. Now tell me what happened. I'll fix it."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I feel so helpless..." Sango said weakly as she and Miroku walked away from the shed. "I want to help them..."

Miroku, for once, was speechless. He stared down at the ground and squeezed Sango's hand.

Sango shot him an exasperated look. "Suddenly you have nothing to say? We should at least look for Bankotsu, shouldn't we?"

Miroku shook his head. Sango was about to object when he held up his hand to silence her. "Sango, the best thing we can do right now is to go back inside and try our best at keeping everyone else oblivious. We're dealing with a lot of prideful people here. It'd be worse for them if any others got involved."

Sango sighed. "You're right, you're right..." She didn't look very convinced, however.

"Hey," Miroku stopped her in her tracks and gave her a small smile. "It's gonna to be okay."

Sango stared for a moment and then fell forward into his arms. This time, it was she who could think of nothing to say.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bankotsu had found out that throwing pebbles into a lake was very therapudic. Watching them soar through the air in a perfect arc and land loudly on the surface tended to distract him from the fact that his insides felt like they weren't there anymore.

"Bankotsu."

Of course, he had to show up and ruin everything. The emptiness he felt was instantly lined with ice. "Go away."

Jakotsu didn't respond. He sat down silently beside him on the damp, grassy bank.

Bankotsu threw in another stone.

"You seem to be having fun, aniki."

"Sure," Bankotsu replied miserably. "It's a fucking carnival of fun out here."

"Ban-chan..." Jakotsu wrapped his arms around Bankotsu. He harshly pulled away.

"Don't touch me."

Jakotsu hung his head and was quiet for a very long time. Then his shoulders began to shake and he held his face in his palms. "I'm so sorry, Bankotsu," he breathed, "Gods...I never..."

"Yeah, well, you did," Bankotsu stood up and glared down at Jakotsu where he was huddled pathetically on the ground. His heart felt like breaking for him; problem was, it was already been shattered beyond recognition. "Jakotsu, cry all you want, I can't feel the least bit sorry for you. What you did was unforgivable."

Jakotsu lifted his head, black eyes glittering, lost, and hopeful. "Please...Ban-chan..."

Bankotsu tore his gaze away from Jakotsu. On the few occasions he'd seen him like this, it was never he alone who could solve the problem. He'd do his best to comfort Jakotsu and had wished with all his heart that he could do more...and now, finally, he could. All that was needed was for him to assure Jakotsu that the two of them would not break up, that everything would be fine, that they could work things out, and that look on his face would go away. He wanted to....he wanted to make things better...but he wouldn't allow himself to give in.

"I'm sorry." Bankotsu gazed at the sky, focusing on something very far away and pretending be there instead. "But it's over, Jakotsu. It's over."

He heard Jakotsu gasp slightly and quickly go to stifle it. "I-"

Bankotsu swallowed an enormous lump in his throat and bit his bottom lip to keep it from quivering. "Nothing you can say..." he began to break down, he could hear it in his voice, "Can change that."

And then he was running again, far, far away, not even caring if he slipped and drowned in the lake.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You swear."

"I do. Right on my parents' grave."

Kagome glared. "Both of your parents are still alive, Inuyasha."

"Well, you get the point, don't you!? Yeesh...females!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you," Kagome replied, rolling her eyes. "He kissed you and tore off your clothes, and then stopped because Bankotsu walked in."

"You're missing the point!" Inuyasha replied impatiently. "He didn't stop because Bankotsu barged in. He stopped before that...stepped away from me, said he couldn't do it. Then Bankotsu walked in. He was about to let me up and give my clothes back -"

Kagome nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. So Bankotsu didn't see him having second thoughts...just assumed..."

"And I yelled to him, 'He tried to rape me'." Inuyasha chimed in.

"That may have added to his suspicions," Kagome sighed. "Though you were telling the truth..."

"Exactly! I don't give a fuck if he was having second thoughts. He...violated me!" Inuyasha wiped the back of his hand accross his mouth several times and began to scrape his tongue with his fingernails. "Pervy BASTARD. I'm...I'm permanently traumatised!"

'He's acting like he was raped...' Kagome thought to herself, a sweatdrop on her forehead.

Inuyasha found his astronaut costume and zipped it back on, growling and muttering. "Kagome, come over here and shove your tongue in my mouth! Before I throw up from Jakotsu's 'flavor'..."

"What?! We're not even dating!" Kagome retorted, blushing furiously.

"Fine then!" He walked over to her and grasped her hands. "Date me."

"Maybe I WILL."

"Maybe I WANT YOU TO."

They paused. Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"You're serious?"

Inuyasha blinked. "...Yeah..."

"Okay, fine."

"Good."

Another pause.

"Will you stick your tongue in my mouth now?"

Kagome stuck her elbow in his ribs. "I'm sorry, it isn't working out. Let's break up."

"WHAT?!"

"Kidding," Kagome assured him. "Now let's go. We have to find Bankotsu."

"Uh...why...?" Inuyasha squinted at her as if she'd become blurry around the edges.

"To tell him Jakotsu stopped!"

"Well, why? He DID try to rape me. And...ugh...suck his tongue in mah mouf..." Inuyasha emphasized, sticking out his own tongue and glaring at it in disgust.

"I won't be speaking with Jakotsu for quite some time...or Kouga, for that matter," Kagome informed her new boyfriend, who muttered 'good riddance' in response, "But Bankotsu didn't do anything wrong. He deserves to have a reason to forgive Jakotsu, for the sake of his own happiness."

Inuyasha nodded, then shook his head. "YeeaaahIDon'tGetIt."

Kagome grabbed his hand and dragged him out. "C'mon."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kikyou was a strange girl. While everyone else was either chatting idly, snacking on the resfreshments, huddled around the TV (it was hard to hear above the music), or amusing themselves with random party games, she was rather content at standing in a nearby corner and staring at a picture on the wall. Said picture was a photograph of Inuyasha at AquaLand with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at a pair of walruses.

"Okay, okay...Houjou! I dare you..."

Kikyou blocked out the sound and stared harder at the picture. Her vision began to blur and strange, multicolored squares began dancing in her head...yes...she was now becoming ONE with the walrus, wishing that it was she Inuyasha had his nose pressed against...

"...to grope....KIKYOU!"

Kikyou spun around and gave the players a glare so icy that they felt the chill of death wash over them. Houjou, in particular, gulped loudly. "Ah, no, Kikyou-san...I would never...flat out refuse!...to, ah, lay a finger on you...vastly unhealthy..."

Several other of the group snickered to themselves.

"No! No! I mean, not unhealthy, as in, you're diseased or anything...er, merely...you know, it's a bit unhealthy to go about groping innocent girls...ne?" Houjou blinked up at her like a frightened little puppy.

"Unworthy bits of scum," she hissed. "Don't you DARE disrupt my concentration again!"

Houjou and the others all nodded. Kikyou once more returned to her walrus-gazing.

"Who invited her?" Miroku whispered, having just witnessed the spectacle. "I mean, seriously. She's not even in costume and she fits right in..." He gave a small shudder. Sango glared.

"Kikyou was my roomate in College," she told him sternly. "She's my friend."

"I'm surprised she didn't try to kill you in your sleep." Miroku blinked, trying to block out the creepy vibes which were coming from Kikyou's direction.

Sango rolled her eyes. "I admit she's a bit, well, detached, Miroku - but she's a really deep, intelligent person when you get to know her!"

Miroku picked up a handful of pumpkin seeds and jammed them in his mouth. "I'm sure," he replied, "But if you don't mind, sweetums, I'm going to go bathe in holy water now." He sauntered to the bathroom, most likely going off to pee.

"Honestly," Sango replied. "He just can't stay serious about anything."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'Trees sure are big...' thought Bankotsu. He'd never tried to climb one before, but that was precisely the reason why Jakotsu'd never look for him in one. He was a bit conspicuous in his wife-beater and striped shorts, but that was definately better than putting the rutabaga back on. "There. That wasn't so hard."

Bankotsu gazed down at the street from his branch. None of the other houses were decorated...then again, not many people in the mostly-Asian area seemed to celebrate Halloween. Kagome had told him once that Sango was a school teacher by day (she worked on and off for animal control on certain nights), so she knew a lot about American holidays. It was Miroku, however, who liked to be wierd and throw parties in honor of them.

"Kind of a dumb holiday anyhow," Bankotsu sighed. "We never should have come here...it wouldn't have happened..." Bankotsu dug his fingers hard into the tree's bark, splintering the skin beneath his fingernails. 'Stupid Jakotsu,' he thought, 'Why does he always mess himself up when he's around other people? He's fine at home...' "I just don't get him..."

'Then why do I stay with him?'

"Because I love him."

'But not anymore, right? He obviously doesn't have a clue what love means. I'm just a friend he can fuck...'

Bankotsu squeezed his eyes shut. "No..I still love him...I still love him..."

'Even if he doesn't love me.'

His eyes fluttered open. Kagome and Inuyasha were directly below, staring up at him.

"We found you," Kagome said, smiling.

"I'm fine," Bankotsu lied, "But you can go and beat the shit outta Jakotsu, I won't stop you."

"But you said..." Inuyasha began. Another elbow in the ribs seemed to stop him. "Ow!"

"Inuyasha has something to tell you," Kagome began. She turned to the boy at her side, urging him on. "Go ahead."

Bankotsu interrupted, "I know what happened, alright? I'd rather not hear a play-by-play account of it."

"Oh come off it," Inuyasha growled, "Stop with the faked apathy. Cause ya know, he didn't actually rape me."

Bankotsu's eyes seemed to flicker hopefully, but quickly settled back into shadow. "Well, yeah, you said he tried to. That doesn't redeem him a bit...if I hadn't walked in..."

Inuyasha seemed as if his patience was just about to snap. "Listen till the end, will you?! Good GODS!" He rolled his eyes in exasperation. Kagome restrained herself from offering him another painful jab. "You see, he was all hot and bothered and ready to go, and he just, well, backed off. He said he couldn't go through with it, and then he said YOUR name. He stopped himself because he fucking still loves you, baka. Though I've no idea why. Your head's a mile thick!"

Bankotsu felt a giant weight lift off his heart. That was proof Jakotsu'd never shown before, aside from his words, that he really did understand what love meant.

And love, to him, had meant Bankotsu.

"You're serious?" Bankostu replied weakly. "He really said my name."

The dark-haired man had already started to walk away, Kagome reluctantly following. "I said so, didn't I?" Inuyasha muttered as he wandered back. "Yeesh. Why am I friends with you?"

"He loves you!" Kagome called back, "Don't let him go!"

Bankotsu let the tears rim his eyes. His guts were back, and his heart now felt light as a feather. "Only a fool," he replied, "Would ever think to let go."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sango threw her arms around Inuyasha, close to tears.

"I'm so relieved! I mean, when I thought you got raped...!"

Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah, yeah...turn off the waterworks. I'm fine." His face, however, looked truly touched.

"I'm sorry," Sango sniffled, "Just so glad you're okay. Id've had to bulldoze that shed just for the bad memories."

"Well, Sango, your shed is safe," Miroku piped in. "I told you everything would turn out fine."

"Well, not everything," Kagome reminded him. "We have to wait it out a bit more. Bankotsu and Jakotsu still haven't gotten back together."

"Aren't you the life of the party?" Miroku grumbled.

"Actually, it appears that she is..." Kagome pointed towards the television, where the group of Truth of Dare players were gathered around Kikyou as she blazed through yet another round of 'maniac' level DDR. "Who would have thought?"

Sango shrugged. Inuyasha munched loudly on a handfull of Cheez Doodlums.

"They'll get back together," Miroku stated confidently. "You guys have told me that there's no such thing as just Bankotsu, or just Jakotsu, for that matter. It's always been the pair of them together. Anything otherwise would create a rift in the universe, I'd say."

Kagome and Sango nodded in hopeful agreement. They all stared and Inuyasha, who had his head half-buried in the bag of cheesy snacks. "What?" Inuyasha asked shiftily, an orange ring around his mouth. He held one out to Miroku as a peace offering. "Cheez Doodlum?"

The girls stifled their laughter.

Inuyasha shoved the unnaturally orange snack in his face. "Well? CHEEZ DOODLUM, MIROKU?"

Miroku shook his head, pushing Inuyasha's hand away. "No thanks. I'm saving my heart attack for later."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bankotsu finally found Jakotsu. He hadn't even left the lakeside.

The effeminate man was shivering in the grass, curled up into an impossibly tight ball. When he heard Bankotsu coming, he barely lifted his head.

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu whispered, settling down by his side, "I know what you did."

Jakotsu sniffled, pulling himself upright. "I know, aniki."

"Rather," Bankotsu continued, "I know what you didn't do."

Jakotsu blinked. His eyes were shiny and sore from crying. "What?"

"You stopped yourself because of me."

Jakotsu blushed slightly. In barely a whisper, "I know."

Bankotsu scooted closer, leaning his head on Jakotsu's shoulder. Jakotsu looked surprised. "Aniki..."

"Can you..." Bankotsu bit out, cheeks stained crimson, "H-hold me, Jakotsu...?"

"Of course!" Jakotsu beamed, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Bankotsu leaned into the strong-armed embrace, his head resting softly on Jakotsu's chest.

"Let's work this out..." He whispered breathily.

Jakotsu held him tighter, resting his chin on Bankotsu's shoulder. "I don't deserve it," he replied shakily.

Bakotsu streched out his arms behind him, wrapping them around Jakotsu's neck. He breathed in the other man's scent and immediatly felt that if he were to die right then, he wouldn't feel as if he'd never lived. "You don't deserve it," Bankotsu told him gently, "But I do."

A band of mosquitoes danced across the lake surface, clearly too distracted by their mating to bother the boys. Jakotsu'd always hated mosquitoes, but now, for some reason, they looked extremely beautiful. "I love you," he whispered in Bankotsu's ear.

For the first time in his life, Bankotsu said "I know" and truly meant it. "I love you too."

"Can I kiss you?" Jakotsu asked.

Bankotsu pulled away to stare his boyfriend in the eyes, a smirk on his face. "You can always kiss me. But remember before, when I said we could make love later?"

"Yeah."

Bankotsu's smile widened. "It's later."

The two of them stared at oneanother for a good, long moment.

"Right here?" Jakotsu questioned.

Bankotsu nodded, his eyes glazing over with lust. "I want you. Now."

Jakotsu pulled Bankotsu close and took his lips, tongues intertwining in their hot, sweet mouths. As Jakotsu snaked his nails down Bankotsu's ribs, making him squirm with a mix of ticklishness and arousal, one last coherent thought sounded in his mind - 'Make-up sex is awesome.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Nnn...Ban-chan..." Jakotsu choked out. It was more of a wild, guttural noise than a comprehensive sentence.

"Close..." Bankotsu replied. "Keep going...little bit more...."

"Harder?"

"Mmm, yesssss...."

Footsteps on the grass. Inuyasha. He looked down on them and shook his head. "Ugh...the indecency of it all."

Bankotsu and Jakotsu gazed up at him, thouroughly startled. "Oh gods, Inuyasha...I'm sorry sorry you had to see us like this," Bankotsu stammered, slightly embarassed.

Inuyasha sat beside them. "Honestly. Giving back rubs in the middle of the night."

Bankotsu sat up. "He almost had the spot that was sorest! Che, always interfereing, Inuyasha."

Jakotsu grinned at Inuyasha's arrival. "You want one too, Inuyasha?"

"No thank you," he replied. "I've had quite enough of you for one night, Jakotsu."

'It's strange,' Bankotsu thought to himself, entwining his fingers with Jakotsu's, 'How the three of us were so divided just an hour ago. Now we can sit here together like again like nothing ever happened. This must be...true friendship...'

Bankotsu sighed.

Jakotsu looked concerned. "What's wrong, aniki?"

"Yeah, snap out of it!" Inuyasha replied.

"That's the thing," Bankotsu told them, "Nothing's wrong at all. It's sheer insanity!"

"Well, if you want, I could kick him in the head," Inuyasha offered, jabbing his thumb towards Jakotsu.

"Yeah, and I could get turned on by it! That'd sure be awkward!" Jakotsu offered, smiling brightly. Inuyasha shrunk back, but it was almost a relief...his friendship with Jakotsu was a game again. Jakotsu winked, letting him know that he knew it was as well. "Aww, Inuyasha...you're so cold!"

"I literally am." Inuyasha replied, shivering slightly. "It's fucking freezing out here."

"Wasn't very cold ten minutes ago, was it, Ban-chan?" Jakotsu whispered in Bankotsu's ear.

The shorter man smirked. "No it wasn't."

"You SO did not say that..." Inuyasha muttered. "Good gods, as if I'm not traumatised enough by you two."

Bankotsu drew in a deep breath. It was amazing how his world could be shattered and put back together again so easily. It was insanity, but a very good kind of it.

"You know," he stated suddenly, as Kagome, Miroku, and Sango came rushing up to congratulate him on working things out with Jakotsu, "I kind of like this crazy world."

Inuyasha chortled, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Jakotsu agreed, squeezing Bankotsu's hand, "I wouldn't change a thing."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Whoohoo! Another perfect score!" Kikyou cried out, engaging in a very un-Kikyou-like dance of joy. She high-fived all her admirerers, basking in the afterglow of instantaneous glory.

The crowd around her cheered loudly. Kouga, who had been the previous DDR champion, sulked grumpily in a corner. Ginta and Hakkaku were trying their best to cheer him up.

"Upstaged by that." Kouga grumbled. "My life has hit an all-time low."

As Kikyou started her next song, screen flashing "PERFECT" with every well-placed step, Ginta and Hakkaku had to agree.

THE END!