Author's Note: Hello! I'm updating this while at work. (Shhhh!) J. I never really get the chance to when I'm at home. Anyway, here is Chapter Six. I hope you like it. It's kind of short and I'll post the last part this week. I'm already on Chapter 3 of the next story. Reviewer responses are at the end of the chapter!
Chapter 6
The night passed quickly as Josue slept like the dead. Bankotsu had ventured off as soon as Josue was tucked safely into bed to the woods to retrieve Jakotsutou. Surely Josue would want the sword. The forest was unnaturally still and quiet as Bankotsu entered the small clearing to look upon Josue's home. Josue had used Jakotsutou to kill his attackers, so it wouldn't be in the weapon room. He entered the first shack, curling his lip in disgust as the odor of blood invaded his nostrils. It smelled like rotting vegetation left in the sun to dry for weeks. He stepped over two dismembered bodies, careful not to misstep and get blood on the fresh clothes he'd just put on. The bastards were all in the same room drinking when Josue had entered. He saw the half full wooden basin of sake tainted with blood in the center of the room, a headless body laid beside it, hands reaching out as if it wanted to have one last taste of the alcohol. He didn't see the sword at all. Damn.
Carefully he trekked out of the wooden room, taking the entrance and exit Josue must have used... a trail of blood led to it. He pushed open the flimsy door to find Jakotsutou laying in the grass, glistening in the moonlight. He lifted the sword carefully and was shocked to note that it was clean. Not a single facet had been bloodied. Josue must have wiped it off, but why would he leave it? He remembered the frantic state Josue had been in when he'd appeared at Bankotsu's door. He hadn't been thinking clearly.
He looked to the trees, to the path that would take him back to town, and then back at the shacks. Josue would be in a lot of trouble when this mess was found. Everyone in town would undoubtably brand him a murderer no matter what his reasons, and they'd surely put him to death. If they had enough evidence...
Bankotsu grinned. His father had always told him never to leave messy trails behind. He slipped back inside the shack the bodies rested in and located the burnings ends of a candle. He kicked it to the floor and watched the dying fire begin to take on new life as it devoured the wooden floor boards. He found more candles that had lost their flames and relit them, tossing a couple to the floor. He kicked over the barrel of sake and smashed it by bringing the heel of his sandal down on it hard. Alcohol spread like butter over the floor, further fueling the fire. He took the larger splinters of wood from the shattered barrel and began to set them aflame. He torched the bodies one by one and left before the heat of the fire was to much for him to bear. The smoke was tolerable, barely burning his eyes. He stared at the red blaze of the first shack with a smirk of pleasure. Should he personally set fire to the others too, or should he trust that the fire would spread? He shrugged and gave a slight giggle. He kind of liked setting the first fire; it had been fun. He went in search of fallen branches and brought a few to the steadily growing fire and touched them to the flames. Once he'd made his new torches he ran into the second shack. He would start the fire in the middle of the....
He stopped, gazing around with a frown. The light from his torches gave him a good view of the small room. It was decorated with pale paper butterflies and stars. The artistry was amazing. A pile of ratty blankets were folded and tucked into one corner and on a small table a few inches from the floor was a porcelain box opened to reveal dishes of different paints used on the face and dozens of tiny, handmade paintbrushes. A large hairbrush sat beside the china box, its bristles old and worn with long strands of curly raven hair tangled in them. A blue hairpin laid on the floor at the foot of the table and Bankotsu almost stepped on it when he moved to get a closer look at the table. These things belonged to Josue; he was certain. Would the other boy like any of this stuff to take with him?
Bankotsu frowned and looked at the rapidly burning sticks of wood in his hands. He chucked the two in his left hand at the pile of blankets and scooped up the hairpin. He tucked it into his belt, and on second thought, he tucked the brush into his belt too. He didn't quite think a china box was a very practical thing to take with them so he left that. Sorry Josue, he thought sadly as he walked out of the shack. He tossed his final two torches into the third shack, sighing at the loss of all of those beautiful weapons.
Oh well.
His work was done. After reclaiming Jakotsutou, he disappeared into the woods, heading towards town, burning blazes at his back.
Author's Note: Did you like it, hate it; didn't care either way? Let me know! Please review!
Reviewer Responses:
Lily23: Hey chic, glad you think it's still good. J Thanks for reviewing again!
Ryogasgirl: Hehehe… Sorry about the gore, and I don't think I did much in this chapter to make up for it ;) But hey, it wasn't sad! Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked it!
MageofDarkness: Hey girl. Ok, I guess this update was soon enough because no fruit-case muses chased me this week, lol. (I can't say the same for last week though ;). I'm glad you like the story so much. I wasn't really sure how people were going to respond to that last chapter. I've never posted anything so graphic before. When I watched the series, I always wondered what made Jakotsu that way. My friend and I figured he'd been molested or something awful. I'm glad you like the way I'm writing Bankotsu, since this series is going to be from his standpoint. He and Jakotsu are two of my favorite Inuyasha characters, after Sesshoumaru J so you'll see a lot of interaction between them no matter who the story is supposed to feature J. Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter!
Cattico: Lol, they did deserve what happened to them, huh? Is Josue going to get in trouble? Not it there's no evidence (evil grin). Thanks for reviewing!
SpeakThaMind: Lol! Yes, the next member to be inducted is Suikotsu. I'm already on Chapter 3. By the time I post the end of this I'll be almost done and on to the next one lol! Thanks for reviewing; take care!