Author's Note: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I have been so bad. As I told you, my boss tries to keep me from writing at work, and when I get home I'm too tired to do anything. My usual writing time is late at night, but I can't do that anymore since I have to wake up at 5 am everyday. Ugh... I need a new job. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. I'll try to be better about the next update. This story should only have one or two more chapters left :). Reviewer Responses are at the bottom! Enjoy!
Chapter 7
"Like that?" Jakotsu asked, frowning at his artwork. Bankotsu glanced at his reflection in Banryuu, studying the purple star on his forehead.
"Kind of, but I want it bigger." Bankotsu used one hand to show Jakotsu the dimensions across his brow.
Jakotsu giggled in delight. "Well wash it off, and I will do it again. I cannot believe you are letting me do this."
"Well...we need some kind of a signet." Bankotsu dipped both hands into the cool water of the spring and splashed it onto his face, scrubbing at his forehead.
Bankotsu and Jakotsu had risen early that morning, neither feeling as if they needed much sleep after the exciting night they'd had. They were just too keyed up.
"I do not know if I like the idea of my face looking as if my make up ran. That is so ugly. Why can I not have a star too? We can all have stars of different colors."
"Because...I'm the leader and my mark should be distinctly different. Besides, your face won't look as if your make up ran if you make the streaks look deliberate. Let me do yours. I'll show you what I mean, but you don't have to go with it if you don't like it."
Jakotsu sat, toying with his hair until Bankotsu finished washing his face. "Do you think he is ever going to wake up? Perhaps, he has died in his sleep. If so, may I have his metal gloves?"
"No!" Bankotsu flicked some water at Jakotsu and squinted at him through the minor waterfall still flowing over his face. "I get those. Yet another thing to define me as leader: I get first dibs on all cool things given to us."
Jakotsu pouted. "I do not think I like you being leader then."
"You wanna do it?"
Jakotsu shook his head. "And do not ask me if I would want No Name to be my boss either."
Bankotsu tossed his head back and laughed. "Well then, we'll just be leaderless because the Honorable Jakotsu has spoken."
Jakotsu rolled his eyes, then gave a wicked grin. "Come Aniki, let me repaint your star."
Bankotsu scrambled away from Jakotsu who reached out to smudge his forehead with the remaining purple paint on his fingers. "Get away!"
Bankotsu ran and Jakotsu gave chase. They ran through their makeshift camp shrieking and laughing as they tripped, and stumbled, and stepped on the still slumbering No Name who came awake with a start.
Bankotsu came to an abrupt halt at seeing No Name awake, but Jakotsu, who hadn't seen No Name rise or Bankotsu stop, crashed into Bankotsu with a startled yelp. They fell into a giggling heap on the ground, taking a few moments to untangle their arms and legs before sitting, grinning sheepishly at No Name.
"Good morning."
The man's brows beetled together as he studied them. "Is this a daily routine?"
Bankotsu opened his mouth, starting to apologize for his childish behavior but stopped himself cold. Yes, he wanted the man's respect, but he wouldn't earn it by pretending to be something he was not. If he wanted to wrestle with Jakotsu first thing in the morning then so be it. If No Name didn't like it, they would terminate their deal. It was as simple as that.
"Not exactly, but we do get pretty wild on occasion."
Bankotsu waited for No Name's reply. Test one: Respecting leader's behavior no matter how strange it seems.
"Hn. Do you have rations for breakfast?"
Jakotsu let out a long-suffering sigh. "Looks like you have found a soulmate, Aniki."
Test one: Passed.
"We have some rations though we only had ourselves in mind when we packed," Bankotsu said.
"And Bankotsu no Aniki eats like a cow."
"And Jakotsu no Aniki eats nothing at all, so between the both of us I don't think we'll have a problem."
No Name looked a trifle uncomfortable. "I can provide for myself."
"Fine by us," Bankotsu shrugged. "We won't be insulted if you hunt, but you'd better share. In fact, we'll hunt with you, huh? It could be fun."
Test two: Being a willing team player.
"I've never known hunting to be fun, but if you feel you can make it so, come along."
Test two: Passed.
"Aniki? Must we all go? I do not want to hunt and I will not eat the meat brought back. Might I scout ahead or work on some designs?"
Bankotsu failed to disguise his scowl. No Name was passing the tests, but Jakotsu was flunking them miserably! He was supposed to be setting a good example! "Jakotsu," he hissed.
"Aniki, I have no changes of clothes! I do not like this kimono, but I do not want blood on it either," Jakotsu said.
"Ja..."
"Bankotsu, I believe that both you and I should be more than enough to form a hunting party," No Name interjected. "Though, I do question a mercenary that does not like blood."
Jakotsu pulled a face. "I did not say that I do not like blood, but I do not love it either. It is messy and makes stains. If it is not human blood I am spilling, I prefer not to soil my hands."
"You've killed men before?"
Jakotsu gave a rather chilling smile. "Yes."
No Name tilted his head, looking Jakotsu up and down, his eyes hungry for something... Oh no... he was going to ask questions. Bankotsu knew they would come, but not so early in the morning. He readied himself to intervene, if Jakotsu's serene expression turned ugly.
"Why do you wear such fine apparel while traveling?"
"You like my clothes? I had so many others that looked much better than this, thanks to you, by the way, but you did not get to see me wear them. I did not get to see me wear them...but I did wear the demon that devoured them's blood. I should have taken his hide, then I could gave made gloves or wrist guards maybe even a vest."
"You sew?"
"No," Jakotsu pouted. "But I wish I could. Do you sew, perhaps?"
"No," No Name said gruffly. "I... Kaji can."
"Well if he can, you can! You must be able to tap into some of his abilities. How convenient. I wish I had an alter ego with a useful talent." Jakotsu scratched his chin and reached back to finger the braid Bankotsu had made the night before. "Do you converse? - You and Kaji?"
No Name snarled a bit, narrowing his eyes at Jakotsu. "You ask a lot of questions."
"So do you," Jakotsu shot back lazily, sitting down and folding his legs under his body gracefully. He picked at the braid, pulling it apart. "If you do not like questions then you should not ask so many."
Should he let them battle it out or interrupt them before they actually started arguing. He weighed both possible outcomes: if he broke it up, they would eventually fight again later; if he let them fight now, maybe they'd come to a resolution and leave each other alone after that.
Test three: Getting along with other members.
"No, I do not 'converse' --as you put it- with Kaji. Why do you dress as a woman? It's distracting."
"Do you find me attractive?" Jakotsu's lids drooped, long lashes brushing his cheeks.
"Jakotsu..." Bankotsu warned in a low voice. That was a necessary interruption.
No Name blinked and Jakotsu gave Bankotsu a sly look through his lashes.
"No, I do not."
Jakotsu pouted.
"Are you going to answer my question? I've answered yours."
"I like women's clothes," Jakotsu shrugged. "Does Kaji find me attractive?"
"How should I know that?" No Name demanded.
"Just curious; as I said before, if you do not like questions then you should not..."
"You and Bankotsu are not brothers," No Name spoke over Jakotsu. Bankotsu frowned and Jakotsu stiffened. "Why do you say that you are? Do you really think you can fool people?"
"We have," Jakotsu pointed out.
"The people you fool have never heard you speak, I take it," No Name folded his arms over his chest.
"Oo-Aniki does the talking," Jakotsu undid the last of the braid and ran gentle fingers through his hair, fanning it out over his shoulders.
"He is older than you? Other than you being so much taller than he, I assumed you were the same age."
"How old do you think we are?" Jakotsu was winding his hair in one hand and preparing to clip it up.
"You're children, fifteen at the most."
"And you'd willingly follow children, even one that likes to dress as a woman and finds you... breath-taking?" A soft smile curved Jakotsu's lips and Bankotsu rolled his eyes. He was going to end the conversation before it led to Jakotsu actually propositioning No name, but stopped himself. Jakotsu was gazing at him again, looking rather pleased with himself.
Bankotsu frowned. What the.... he nearly fell over when he realized what was going on, what Jakotsu was doing. He was giving No Name a test of his own. Jakotsu wanted to know if he could trust No Name. He had to make sure the man wouldn't... try anything.
Bankotsu hated that his friend had to think that way.
"I have no desires for you, so your interests would be better invested in something or someone else," No Name said flatly, his small eyes cold.
Jakotsu tilted his head to an angle, peering at No Name. "Hn..." He then tossed an open look at Bankotsu, face free of lust and anything else even vaguely suggestive. "I guess he'll do, Bankotsu. You can go hunt now."
Bankotsu shook his head. "And what will you do?"
"Sleep. No offense No Name, but you snore worse than my papa ever did, even in his deepest of drunken sleep." Jakotsu waved a hand.
Bankotsu failed to stifle a gasp and his eyes went wide. Had Jakotsu just...? But he never spoke of the past, unless badgered to the point of almost getting angry. He tried to hide his shock with a laugh, that sounded more like a nervous titter. "Uh...yeah... You do snore, but it's nothing we can't get used to."
"Speak for yourself, Aniki."
And before Bankotsu could come up with a decent epigram, No Name laughed.
Well, how about that.
Bankotsu slapped No Name on the back lightly. "Come on."
Test three: Passed.
Bankotsu and No Name crouched in the tall grass, watching a gathering of about 6 small, brown deer grazing and seemingly enjoying one another's company.
Bankotsu grinned. Stupid animals. He was armed with a hunting dagger; Banryuu was much too large to use for stalking deer. No Name wore his steel-clawed gloves.
Bankotsu should have asked if he could use them. Then not only would Bankotsu get to try out the devils, but he'd get to see if No Name could fight well with a different weapon. One thing Bankotsu had inadvertently gotten with Jakotsu was a fighter who could fight efficiently with just about anything... except Banryuu. The halberd was much too heavy for his skinny arms to weald easily.
But he bet No Name could use Banryuu.
Bankotsu was not keen on letting people use his precious halberd, but it was good to know that his men could if needed.
One of the deer raised its head, ears standing at attention. Uh-oh. Two more raised their heads and remained absolutely still. Bankotsu fought the urge to issue a 'shh' to No Name. If the deer bolted from this distance, they'd be extremely hard to catch, and he wasn't looking forward to coming back to Jakotsu empty handed. He'd be intolerable.
The first deer finally lowered its head back to the grass he'd been munching on and the others joined him. Bankotsu grinned, showing all of his teeth. He inclined his head at No Name, mouthing, 'lets go.'
They sprang simultaneously from the grass and raced toward the deer. Bankotsu was amazed at how fluid No Name's motions were. He was unusually graceful for someone so large. The deer scattered, each trying to run in a different direction. It occurred to him that he didn't know how much No Name ate; one tiny deer might not be enough for the both of them. He gave a signal for No Name to split from him and go after his own prey. The wild look in the man's eyes let Bankotsu know that he had made the proper decision.
He was gaining ground on his little deer and he leapt, grabbing it around the neck and pulling it down. It flailed and grunted as Bankotsu brought it down into the dirt, hard, and pondered how he should kill it. Did he want to use the knife and slit its throat, or did he want to strangle it?
In the end, he broke its neck. That made it neater to carry back. He slung the little deer's carcass over his shoulders and wondered if he should call for No Name. How would call out? 'No Name! Oh, No Name!'
Ai... That sounded retarded. They were going to have to find a name for him.
He heard footsteps and turned his head toward the noise. No Name was approaching with two deer, one slung over each shoulder.
Bankotsu raised an eyebrow. Show off.
"Nice," Bankotsu commented, trying not to grimace at the bloody mess No Name had made of his clothes. He'd slashed the throats of the deer savagely. Have fun washing that out, pal.
"I... eat... a lot," No Name said, sounding a bit bashful.
Bankotsu chuckled. Nothing to be ashamed of there. "Hey, with the way you hunt, it's fine. I doubt any of us will starve."
No Name nodded, eyeing Bankotsu's kill. "How did you kill it? There's no blood."
"Broke its neck," Bankotsu said simply. "There's no point in getting blood all over everything if you don't have to. Leave as little of a trace as possible, my father always said."
No Name frowned. "I...like blood. Is this to be a band of ninjas then? I thought..."
"No," Bankotsu shook his head. "We will not be ninjas. I want to be notorious; I want people to ask for us by name; we'll have distinctive markings and tactics that will let everyone know that we've been to a place. But for now, until we have all of our members, I want to keep quiet. I want us to be ready, prepared, awesome, when we make our first appearance as mercenaries."
No Name stared at him, looking thoroughly amused. "Your eyes sparkle when you talk like that."
Bankotsu beamed. "I get so excited."
"Do you have a name for the group?"
"I don't even have a name for you, yet."
The man started.
"Oh come on, we couldn't possibly call you 'No Name' forever. We'd sound stupid."
No Name grunted.
"Is there any name in particular that you dislike?"
"Kaji."
That was a well-known given.
"Anything else?"
No Name shrugged. They began to walk back to camp, falling in step with one another, side by side. "Bankotsu?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you meet Jakotsu? Were you always friends?"
Bankotsu shook his head. "I met him by chance, just like I met you."
"And what made you choose him to travel with?"
"He's a great guy and very talented. You haven't seen him move with a blade yet. He's amazing," Bankotsu informed his present company.
"You care for him." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes. You said before that we weren't brothers, but you're wrong. We are. Maybe not by blood...but by everything else, we are." It sounded rehearsed, but the emotion that washed over him and surely had to show in his demeanor made it meaningful. He'd kill for Jakotsu, and Jakotsu would kill for him.
"Would you...do you.... think you'd ever care about... other members of the group as deeply as you do about Jakotsu?" No Name's voice was soft, his words slow and hesitant.
Bankotsu blinked, almost stopping. What? He gazed at the killer beside him. No Name was walking very stiffly, his eyes straight forward, glinting a bit with some fleeting emotion Bankotsu wracked his brain to recognize.
Loneliness.
How could a man with two minds possibly be lonely? Bankotsu didn't care enough to try to make sense of it; he just let it make him feel a bit warm. Someone wanted to join his family, meaning that someone had been really impressed by Bankotsu.
Bankotsu giggled lightly. "You can call me aniki, too. Oo-Aniki, if you wish."
"But I'm older..."
"So's Jakotsu, but it doesn't bother him to call me that." Bankotsu carefully avoided a large tree root.
No Name frowned. "But why?"
"I don't know," Bankotsu shrugged, "but I don't mind. I kinda like it. I mean, I'm supposed to be in charge, so I suppose I should be called 'Big Brother.' I don't want to be called 'boss' or 'lord' or anything."
"So... it's ok for me to address you as Jakotsu does, as Aniki or Oo-Aniki," No Name confirmed.
"Sure," Bankotsu readjusted the deer over his shoulder and swatted at a mosquito that buzzed about his face. "That...uh...doesn't make you feel weird, does it? I mean, you don't have to, not now."
No Name shook his head. "You are trying to judge if whether or not you want me to stay. I need to show you that I want to stay."
Bankotsu scratched his head. This man certainly was different than the monster he'd wrestled with the night before. Could another personality have surfaced itself? "What made you stop sneering at me and want to join us? You're not the same person as you were last night. Are you..."
"I am still the same person I was last night, make no mistake of it. I choose to follow you because of something I saw in your eyes, your skill, your plans for the future. I am going nowhere on my own. Kaji...." he shuddered. "Kaji is a loser, but he has a life, a purpose. I feel that I need something like that too, to make me real. You're going to help me get a life... Oo-Aniki. You will guide me and make me more than I am."
Bankotsu almost dropped his meal. "Oi..." What the hell? "'Guide me..."' Holy.... "'Make me more..."' ....shit. Who the hell did this guy think Bankotsu was. He spoke of him like he was some kind of.... Buddha.
"I... don't know what to say to that. I can't promise anything to you..."
"You can decide to let me stay on with you."
"Yeah..." Bankotsu was uncomfortable. He'd said the evaluation period would last a few days. He couldn't go back on that. "Well, you're doing really well. I like you, and I think Jakotsu may as well. We'll see."
No Name narrowed his eyes a bit. "Jakotsu has a lot of say in whether I stay?"
Bankotsu nodded. "Always. He's my first concern. Everyone he's ever known has mistreated him, acted like he didn't matter, hurt him... I will never let any of that happen to him ever again, and if that means he has more power in the group than I do as leader, then so be it."
"So, I should be trying to impress him?" No Name grinned wryly, taking the news in stride, much better than Bankotsu had expected.
"Well...yeah..." Bankotsu chuckled. "He was testing you too, you know, this morning. He just wants to see how far he can go with you, I think, and he needs to know... Hey, you won't touch him will you? I will finish what I started to do to you last night with Banryuu, if you do."
No Name looked disgusted. "I am not interested in Jakotsu...or anyone. I don't want relationships or sex."
"You sound like me," Bankotsu laughed easily. "I've got so many other things on my mind, thinking about women and stuff just doesn't excite me yet."
"Maybe you're too young. I never asked your age."
"I just turned fifteen. Jakotsu will be eighteen in two more months, but we already say that he is."
No Name looked a little surprised. "Well I guess I am not that much older than the both of you, after all."
They entered camp, still chatting casually to find Jakotsu fast asleep, curled next to the pile of firewood he had gathered for them. They ended up spending the rest of the morning cleaning and skinning the carcasses and eating the packed rations after all for breakfast.
The day went smoothly, Bankotsu finding he quite enjoyed No Name's company, and Jakotsu didn't seem particularly offended by him. He'd flinched a little when No Name had called Bankotsu 'aniki,' though.
Bankotsu went to sleep that night happy and quite ready to call an end to the trial period and induct No Name, gifting him with a name to make it official.
A name for No Name.
He'd put a little thought into it. He'd come up with Jakotsu's name, christening him after Jakotsutou and himself. 'Kotsu.'
Whatever they decided to call No Name, it would end in 'kotsu.'
Maybe he'd make all of his members alter their names a bit -if they had them- to include 'kotsu,' as a suffix.
Now that was a notion.
He closed his eyes, shutting out the sound of No Name's snoring and Jakotsu's soft, nonsensical murmurs. He fell asleep quickly, his body anxious. The faster he went to sleep, the faster he could wake up to talk to Jakotsu and to give No Name the good news. He was in.
Sleep was dressed as a ninja, all in black, and it stole Bankotsu's last thought, draping him in the darkness of slumber.
"Aniki! Aniki!" Bankotsu's eyes snapped open and he gasped when he found himself staring into a pair of large gray eyes.
"Jakotsu!" He sat up, pushing Jakotsu away. Jakotsu was straddling him, and he sat back on his knees, looking ill-at ease. "What is it?" He took in his surroundings. Still in the woods, still lost in the trees, Banryuu was where he'd left it, so what was the... "Where's No Name?"
"I do not know," Jakotsu ran a hand through his loose hair. "I woke up and he was gone. I thought maybe he had wandered off and would be back, but it has been a long time, Bankotsu."
"Should we look for him?" Bankotsu rubbed the sleep from his eyes and massaged his temples. It was too early for this. The sun had barely made its appearance and still hadn't risen above the trees.
"I do not know," Jakotsu shrugged. "He must have decided he did not like us, Aniki."
"Or maybe he's hunting again."
"Or maybe..."
A twig snapped and both Bankotsu and Jakotsu were on their feet. A shadowy figure emerged from the trees, parting a curtain of low branched to peak out at them. It was No Name.
Bankotsu sighed in relief. "See, I told you."
No Name stumbled closer and Bankotsu frowned. Something was wrong. The man was very pale and shaky, like someone who'd been sick for a long time. Slowly he walked into camp, staring at Jakotsu and Bankotsu as if they were apparitions.
"Bankotsu? Jakotsu? How did I get here? What's happened? I...don't remember..."
Bankotsu's mouth fell open. What kind of game was No Name playing? Was this a test of his own he'd devised for them?
Jakotsu frowned, raising both eye brows suspiciously. He took a small step forward toward No Name, peering at him oddly. Twirling a raven lock of hair around one finger, Jakotsu finally spoke, "Kaji-sama?"
"Yes, Jakotsu?" No Name replied, waiting for Jakotsu to finish the question... but it had already been finished, by....
By Kaji.
Bankotsu smacked himself in the forehead, groaning loudly.
Wonderful.
Next time he would let Jakotsu handle the drafting.
Author's Note: Well, how was it. Good, bad, like it, hate it, don't care either way? Let me know! Please review!
Reviewer Responses:
lildaemon: Thanks! Well this chapter was a lot of conversation lol, so I hope I did as good of a job as you thought I did in the last chapter :). Thank you for reviewing and take care!
Yennie-Gurl: You're right. Cranky Jakotsu probably would have chopped of Suikotsu's members lol. I hope you like the weird conversation Jakotsu and Suikotsu had near the beginning of the chapter. Thanks for reviewing! Take care!
Corrina: I hope this chapter classifies as better too. I can't help but feel it's just been thrown together because I needed an update lol. I used to be obsessed with the Sims too, gosh but they were frustrating mean spirited little people. I got so disgusted one day I turned the game off and haven't looked at it since lol ;). Thanks for reviewing; hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
Me, just me: Giirl, if you thought Jakotsu's make up was green without your glasses on your eyes must be worse than mine lol! I have such bad vision the thinnest lens they can make for my glasses still hang off the back of the frame lol. They don't even make disposable contacts for me, and color...hah! Thanks for the review; I'm glad you still like the story! Take care!
Evil-Zukin: Suuuure you didn't like when Suikotsu got beat up. 0:) LOL! Sorry about the late update, and Jakotsu will get some more clothes... soon. Thanks for the review! Take care!
Ibara-hime: Well this chapter is definitely longer than the others lol. Getting a little melodramatic about Jakotsu being lonely forever lol! I'm such a non-romantic, so I never really think that far about things of that nature. Ooh pictures...lemme see! Thanks for reviewing! Take care!
Skittlez: You can give me hot apple crisp with caramel and vanilla ice cream on top lol! I love misc. treats lol! Thanks for reviewing and take care!
Gerbil: I'm glad you like reviewing, because I like reading reviews no matter what they say lol! No Name...gah, it's time to name him. I wanted to name him in this chapter, but I couldn't find an appropriate place to do it. Ah well...next chapter he will be named lol!
Tareacel: Yes that was Spanish :). And I agree with you with the kids thing too. I think he'll kill anybody without remorse; the fluke with those kids in the series, I believe, had to do with Hakureizan (sp?). Lol. Sesshoumaru and Jakotsu's fight.... yeah, I liked it too much too lol. Especially enjoyed when Sesshoumaru's hand was embedded in Jakotsu's chest and Jakotsu leaned forward on him and told him he was sexy. I cracked up. Thanks for the review and hope you enjoyed the chapter! Take care!
MageofDarkness: I thought about calling him Nanashi...but didn't, because I didn't call him that in the last chapter lol. I hate using "No Name" though. He will have a name come next chapter lol! Hehehe, I enjoyed writing about Jakotsu's poor clothes. He won't have any luck when it comes to apparel in this series ;). I'm glad you liked my explanation of Suikotsu. It was hard to characterize him. Yes, the Shichinin-tai are a club and one has to be initiated to gain membership, plus pay the monthly fee ;). Thanks for reviewing and take care...and gimme some of that brownie batter!
LynxzeoX: Hey girl! Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and take care!
Youkaigirl99: :) Thankee. Sorry this one was so late, but hey, you said as long as I updated it was ok. (Bet you're wishing you could take that back lol!). Well, I hope this chapter was ok to you, thanks for reviewing and take care!