Could it Have Been Different?

Prologue: Inochi

A/n** Heheh…. Um… no… this OC is not my Mary-sue, nor do I think she's close to being my M-S (she's too tall.. not really. Just 5'3"… HEY!! DON'T MAKE FUN OF ME JUST CAUSE I'M SHORT!!... ER-ANYWAYS.… and she's pretty, and smart. And if you were wondering I don't own InuYasha (the show) nor Bankotsu. Yeah.

"Are you finished fighting me?" Bankotsu asked. He grabbed InuYasha's neck and pulled him off his feet. He then punched him in his stomach causing InuYasha to fall.  "Heh! Really? You make me too disappointed! I thought you were a worthy opponent!" InuYasha felt Bankotsu grab his Kimono collar. "Don't worry InuYasha. I'm not interested in afflicting the weak. No. I'm not interested in that."

"Bankotsu."

He frowned at that memory. Where had that come from? He shook his head and looked back at InuYasha.

"Go to Hell," he tried to pierce Inu-Yasha but it ended up to be the exact opposite. InuYasha had pierced him. His fingers were stuck in his neck but quickly he pulled out his fingers along with three Shikon Shards.

"I'm different from the men you killed. I avoid getting killed by you!"

No, you aren't. She's the only different one.

Bankotsu let go of his collar after he thought that. Why were these memories coming back? He was soon pulled out of his trance as InuYasha kicked him causing him to stumble back.

"I took out five. If I take out the shards in your arms, you'll die Bankotsu," InuYasha told him. Bankotsu looked up at him and got up.

"I won't die! I'll kill you! I'll get back the Shikon Shards which you have!" He screamed back.

"It's useless. Even if you can run away from here by luck, Naraku won't let you live on because you have his Shikon Shards."

"Doesn't he want you dead?" Bankotsu asked. InuYasha ignored him.

"Look," he said. Youkai were watching their every move. "That's his surveillance. He plans to kill those who are against him."

"That bastard, Naraku!" Bankotsu sneered.

"I don't know what you promised Naraku."

Bankotsu remembered that time when Naraku put life into him.

"You're just used as his shield," InuYasha tried to put sense into his head.

Was I used as her shield too? No… I wasn't. I remember that I wanted to protect her. I wanted to protect her. Why couldn't I, though?

'Damn memories! Why were these coming back? It's not like I care about her, still,' he thought.

"Heh! So what?"

"What're you saying?"

"Our Shichinintai were always used as mercenaries by every daimio. But we were too powerful and dangerous that we were hunted down and killed. I don't believe Naraku but since I can back to life I can manage my own life now," he implied, "If anyone gets in my way, even if it's Naraku, I'll kill him."

"Bankotsu-kun! Please stay with me."

"Are you sure? Naraku comes back to life every time!"

"Ha! Then why don't you come to your sense from your revival from the seal? You don't understand. Humans have the appetence. You too.  That miko came back to life and so did you. It's all because you have the appetence to live on. Don't think that we're all like this," Bankotsu explained.

"But you're the murderer!"

"Yea! I've killed many youkai," he said as he grabbed his Banryuu. He looked into InuYasha's eyes and saw fear. He was probably thinking that he would kill him. He then ran for his tessaiga. Bankotsu ran past him making InuYasha shocked.

"Heh," he smirked. He ran ahead and swung his Banryuu. "991! 992! 993!"

"What're you doing?!" InuYasha asked.

"994! 995! 996! 997! 998! 999!" He screamed as he killed one more. "ONE THOUSAND! Heh, we don't need you!" he noticed the Banryuu was glowing hatred. Using this advantage, he swung the hatred to InuYasha. He blocked it, but it bounced off killing all the other Youkai.

"If you want to get away from here, I'll let you."

"Then I'll kill you to avenge for my brother's death!" Bankotsu yelled.

"Keh! The swords only changed a little," InuYasha said.

"I've prepared my last work to kill you. I didn't want to kill you."

"Then what's the matter?" the dog hanyou asked. Bankotsu jumped up with his sword and brought it down to the Tessaiga. InuYasha blocked it quickly and threw him back.

"Are you still here Banko-kun? Hehe! I knew you wouldn't leave!" A girl smiled and giggled.

"Is that so?" he bit. He lunged down to InuYasha but he jumped back. Bankotsu started to run towards him. "When I met Naraku before, he told me that story about the Shikon Shards. It can endow strength to youkai and humans. Humans have no black magic and super natural powers aren't good for me. It's not inherent." He threw InuYasha to the wall and continued talking, "I thought 'if I want to get strong, I'll make myself get strong' but there's another way. It's to check the strength of the enemy, so I made a vow to Banryuu to kill more than one thousand warriors." He shut his mouth and watched InuYasha get up from the blow to the wall. He breathed heavily and held out his Tessaiga.

"Kaze no Kizu!"

"But I've also killed more than one thousand youkai!" he yelled as he cut off InuYasha's attack.

"Wha—My Kaze no Kizu!" Despite InuYasha's small complaint, Bankotsu kept on talking.

"I realized its desire. There are 4 Shikon Shards in my Banryuu. One thousand people. One thousand youkai. This evil sword absorbed two thousand hates! Your sword is evil too, but now, could you win against the Banryuu!?" He aimed for his opponent but InuYasha dodged his attack.

"Don't be silly! Demons won't know. Perhaps you will hanyou. This is Jungle Period! IT'S OVER!" Bankotsu yelled as he swung the Banryuu in his hand creating energy of hate.

"Evil influence," InuYasha whispered to himself.

"I won't go down to anyone!" he yelled as he threw the hate to the half dog youkai.

"Bankotsu has no evil influence! But if the Banryuu influences evil, he'll use a Bakuryuu," he told himself.  He created the energy to do one himself, "Bakuryuu!" as he threw the wind energy to Bankotsu.

"What?" he asked surprised. The Bakuryuu cracked the Banryuu and broke it, hitting Bankotsu. "NO!"

InuYasha breathed heavily as he stared at Bankotsu under the boulders.

"Why?" he asked. He wasn't sad about it.

"You're too greedy, Bankotsu. But you're very strong," InuYasha explained.

"Heheheh," he laughed.  He passed out but soon found himself dreaming of the past.

A/N** Short, yeah? I know. The next one is gonna be longer. I dunno if it's gonna be a lot or a little. Depends on you. The chapter title Inochi means Memories.  Yeah. If you don't understand the memories part, you'll get it in the next few chapters. Hope you enjoyed the story and enjoy in the next few chapters… yeah.