Chapter 3: And My Name Is . . . Bankotsu
Kiyoshi and Jakotsu searched about the town for Kanaye and his gang. They had spent quite some time in the bar picking over ways to play a prank on them. They had taken so long that it was almost sunset and their time was running out. They did not expect to find them so quickly but no sooner had they stepped into the main street of the market, had Kiyoshi seen the heads of Kanaye's cronies at a stand that featured beautifully drawn caricatures. Kiyoshi was about to move into position when Jakotsu placed a firm hand on Kiyoshi's arm, the one with the bruise on it.
"Ow!" Kiyoshi muttered in pain.
"Wha?" Jakotsu asked, nonplused.
"You touched my bruise!" Kiyoshi said, rolling up his sleeve to examine it.
"What? That little thing? Suck it up! You're a man! Not some frilly woman!" Jakotsu said, waving his hand in exasperation.
Disconcerted, Kiyoshi rolled his sleeve back down and said, "Well why did you stop me?"
Jakotsu gave him a calculating look, as if he were thinking it were better not to say. Then Jakotsu said, "Never mind, just move into position."
"Right." Kiyoshi said, not bothering to delve deeper into the question.
Kiyoshi moved carefully around passersby so that Kanaye would not see him. He slinked next to a stand of fruit, and stood there waiting for Jakotsu's signal. Kiyoshi watched as Jakotsu walked over to a pile of garbage, and picking up an unused box, began easing garbage into it without actually touching it. Then he saw him leap from a large crate nearby onto the roof of nearest stall and walk stealthily over the spot where Kanaye and his two friends picking up the paintings. Jakotsu stifled a laugh and then gave Kiyoshi the thumbs up which indicated to Kiyoshi to start walking.
Kiyoshi walked quickly and picked up a nearby rock. Taking aim, he lobbed the rock and hit Kanaye squarely on the back of his head. As expected, Kanaye turned around angrily, his eyes scanning the crowd and falling on Kiyoshi who stood his ground. Kanaye's eyes glinted maliciously and shuffled up to Kiyoshi and elbowing him hard.
"Was that you, slave? Did you throw the rock at me? Thought it would be funny didn't you? To watch a person as high a rank as I am to get hit by a rock? Huh? Why are you laughing?" He asked him angrily.
But at that moment, Jakotsu had dropped the box of garbage right on top of his head and fell with a funny squelching sound on Kanaye. People around him were hit as well, and a woman gave a funny screeching scream as she caught some on her face and knocked into one of Kanaye's buddies who was looking around stupidly to see who had done it. He lost balance and grabbed Kanaye's neck to keep his balance and a choking noise and fell on his back right onto a muddy puddle.
With a sickening crack, Kanaye's head hit the ground and the puddle he and his friend had landed on was tainted with a pinkish pigment. Kiyoshi's eyes widened in fear and scanned Kanaye's head for an injury but there was no sign of one. Kanaye's eyes were open in horror as he looked over at his friend who lay with his eyes closed, mouth slightly open, the water all around him crimson with blood. Kanaye screamed, but did not move from his position on the ground. Kanaye had caught others' attention and focused their eyes on the unconscious boy next to Kanaye. A woman somewhere screamed and a man yelled for someone to get a doctor.
At a loss for what to do, Kiyoshi turned tail and ran. Jakotsu followed him closely
"That was brilliant!" He yelled, breathlessly, giving Kiyoshi a hearty tug.
"Yeah . . . " Kiyoshi said, trailing off.
His mind was on the bleeding boy at the scene he had left behind. It was all replaying in his mind over and over again, watching, as if in slow motion, how the garbage had toppled onto their heads, how Kanaye's friend had lost his balance because a woman had pushed him, and how he fell, with a crack to the ground. A fallen giant, slain by David's stone.
"Oh man, that was hilarious!" Jakotsu added.
Kiyoshi merely nodded and followed Jakotsu wherever he ran.
"Where are we?" Kiyoshi asked, mildly curious after a while.
"At my house." Jakotsu said simply.
"Let's have some sake, in honor of our accomplishment." And he opened the door that led to stairs and climbed up it, Kiyoshi following him eagerly.
They emerged in a small one room apartment comprised of a small dining area, Jakotsu sleeping quarters, blocked by a paper screen, and the main entrance which gave to way to most of Jakotsu things. In the middle of the 'room' stood a table fill with unwashed bowls and plates. In one movement, Jakotsu had swept them up in his hands and placed them into a bowl in the 'kitchen' where Kiyoshi guessed he washed them.
"Sorry for the mess. I didn't expect anyone to come over."
"Its alright." Kiyoshi said without the slightest bit of conviction, his mind was still on the prank he had helped pull.
"You live all alone?" Kiyoshi asked, shaking himself out of his trance, forcing himself to forget it in the meanwhile.
"Yeah. Why not?" Jakotsu said, placing the jug of sake on the table and bowls.
"Well, you can't be that much older than me can you?"
Jakotsu looked him up and down. "No I don't suppose not. But anyway," he poured some sake for Kiyoshi, "I was thinking, about your name."
"My name?" Kiyoshi repeated, perplexed.
"Yeah. Remember how I told you it was lame?"
"Well I've been thinking of a different name for you."
"A different name? You expected to see me again?"
"Well, I thought I'd be seeing you around again. Seeing as neither of us are going to be moving soon."
Mildly interested, Kiyoshi said, "Ok, what's the name?"
"Bankeishi." Jakotsu said, matter-of-factly
"Bankeishi?" Kiyoshi asked, completely disgusted.
"Sorry, but no way in all the hells am I going to be called Bankeishi." Kiyoshi said, shaking his head and laughing.
"Why not? Its a good name! Its better than Kiyoshi."
"No it isn't!" Kiyoshi countered.
"Yeah it is!" Jakotsu fired back.
"No it isn't!"
"Fine, fine. Let's think of another one." Jakotsu exclaimed.
"Okay . . . I like ban, so let's work from there. What about Banmaru?" Kiyoshi wondered.
"No way. What about Bane?" Jakotsu offered.
"No! That sounds even worse than all the other ones!" Kiyoshi disagreed.
"Fine, you think of something." Jakotsu said stubbornly, watching Kiyoshi eagerly.
Kiyoshi stared at Jakotsu back, trying to think of a name that they would both agree with and then it hit him. "Bankotsu."
"Bankotsu?" Jakotsu said testing out the waters.
"Yeah, what do you think?" Kiyoshi asked, smiling. This was it.
"I like it. And it kind of matches mine!" Jakotsu exclaimed.
"Ok then, Bankotsu it is." Kiyoshi exclaimed.
"You do know that I won't call you Kiyoshi anymore right?"
"Yeah well, Bankotsu is better than Kiyoshi."
That night, when Kiyoshi bid Jakotsu good bye for the day, he walked home proudly, thinking of his new name over and over in his head. Bankotsu. He thought about how the boy's head had hit the ground, blood splattering all over him, and how the water from the puddle's consistency quickly change to red as the boy's blood mingled with it. All of a sudden, he was scared. And he knew not why.
He was so deep in his thoughts that he was surprised to see that he had already reached the palace gates. He entered them and headed straight for his sleeping quarters where he was surprised to see Kameko waiting for him outside, bathed in moonlight, still not change out of her work clothes.
"About time you got home!"
She looked angrier than he had ever seen her. Kiyoshi couldn't explain it, but he just couldn't seem to be bothered much to care. He walked on, looking at the ground, not looking at her face.
"Everyone's been worried sick. And the advisor and his son came to visit. Kanaye's been attacked. His friend was killed this afternoon. Had a concussion and didn't make it. Kanaye says you were there. You'd be able to pinpoint who killed him."
Kiyoshi was regained his sense with a nasty shock. The boy hadn't made it. He looked up at Kameko whose face was deathly pale in the moonlight.
"Now I have your attention." She said viciously. Kiyoshi put his head back down, and delved into his own thoughts again, passing Kameko.
" Kiyoshi, the advisor and the lord want to talk to you. Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi."
"My name," Kiyoshi said, whipping around and facing her, his face pink with unknown anger, "Isn't Kiyoshi anymore."
"What the devil are you talking about, boy?" Kameko asked, completely nonplused.
"I will not speak to the Lord."
"You must, or you'll be punished, Kiyoshi." She asked, slightly scared.
"I WILL NOT!" Kiyoshi screamed, "And my name is Banktosu! B-A-N-K-O-T-S-U." He turned around and entered the house, leaving Kameko standing alone outside.
A/n: For those who are named Kiyoshi, gomen nasai, I do not think Kiyoshi is a 'lame name' in fact, I think its quite a wonderful name. Just that Jakotsu doesn't think so. :)