Chapter 1: Apples and Fruits and Introductions
A/N** ok!! Time for real fluff!!!! YEAH! Lol… I hope you enjoy this story! Yet again (I say it)… -__-
An old man and girl in her teens, age 16, were walking down a road on a warm spring day.
"Chichi wa, I'm going down to the field to pick some apples and fruits for the animals. They seem hungry. I'll get some for you too. Just rest here, okay?" she asked suddenly. He looked up at her with his dull eyes.
"Hai, hai. I've been getting hungry!" he laughed. The girl giggled and left. The old man sat on the rock under a shading tree. "Come back soon!" She nodded and ran down the hill. As her father rested, he wiped the sweat off his eyebrows.
"Such a hot day," he mumbled. The man got up and tied the animals to a tree trunk. The sound of a river soon reached his ears after he was done tying his animals. "Ah, water!" He kneeled down and bent over to drink some.
"A man! Is he hot like InuYasha?" Jakotsu asked. By his light voice, the man took his head out of the river. He cringed. "Ew! He's old! He doesn't look anything like InuYasha."
"Jakotsu," Bankotsu called. The cross dresser turned around and looked at him.
"What?" he frowned.
"Get behind me," he scowled. Jakotsu shrugged and obeyed him.
"What're you going to do? Who are you?" the man asked. He noticed that there were only two men. One with handsome features and a long braid while the other man was taller… and dressed in women's clothes. 'Odd…' the old man thought.
"Don't you know who we are? We are the Shichinintai," Bankotsu smiled, "And I'm the leader." The man backed up to the tree trunk and tried escaping.
"You shouldn't try running, it'll hurt more!" Bankotsu called out. He ran up to the old man and pushed Banryuu into his stomach. "Heh, let's take all he has. We deserve some better tasting food than the rats we roast." Bankotsu squatted down, checked the pockets and took out the goods and money and counted it.
"That's it? That can't possibly buy the kimono that will make Inu-chan think I'm hot," Jakotsu complained.
"You're an odd one," Bankotsu muttered to himself. He spoke up, "we can just buy the best wine there is and eat the best food at the best restaurant. Wouldn't that be great, eh?" he looked upwards to his standing brother who seemed to be whispering InuYasha's name over and over again. He sighed and got up, kicked the body into the river and walked off.
Hours later, they found themselves to be sitting under cherry blossom trees.
"When should we enter the village?" Jakotsu asked.
"Anytime," the leader responded. "If they don't listen, we'll kill them."
"Ah. The same routine, now?"
"Hai," Bankotsu said. He shaded his eyes from the blaring sun with his hand and looked around to see a girl trying to reach for an apple that was too high up for her. He noticed that she was slim with the right curves and with a pretty face. Big eyes, curved lips, high cheek bones, small face to match with her height and a pretty pointed nose. A grin tugged at his lips. Jakotsu noticed this and groaned.
"You'll end up killing her like all the other girls," he complained. "Why can't we just stick to InuYasha?" Bankotsu stared at him. "What? Eh- never mind. You do what you want to do, I'll be over there," he said while pointing to the village. "InuYasha..." Jakotsu giggled.
"Hm," Bankotsu sighed and waited for Jakotsu to get out of site. He grinned and walked over to the girl who was still trying to reach for the apple.
"Stupid apple. That's the closest apple to me, too," he heard her mumble. Bankotsu glanced down to the basket and saw that she had only picked two apples. She groaned, "I guess this is what I'll have to use to feed the horses." Suddenly, she saw a boy in his late teens jump up and grab a few apples.
"Here," he said, handing them to her.
An 'um' escaped her throat. She tried not to make eye-contact but even that wasn't keeping her from blushing.
"What's the matter? Didn't you need help?" Bankotsu asked. He stood six inches above her and had to look down. For a second, he caught a glimpse of her eye, but she turned her head away in embarrassment and blushed even redder.
"No," she replied. "I could've done it myself."
"You're short though."
"No, I'm not"
"Yes, you are."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"You're too stubborn," he mumbled. Maybe talking to her was a bad idea.
"What?" she asked, as if trying to start a fight. He shook his head. Silence went by until she picked up the apples he picked for her and started to walk off.
"OI!" Bankotsu called out after her. He hurried along until they were walking side by side.
"Huh?" she turned to him, holding tight to the basket of apples that rested between her ribs and her arm. "What do you need?"
"I would like to know something," he stated. She shook her head. "What's your name?"
"Should I give out information to a stranger?"
"Am I a stranger to you?"
"Yes, you are."
"Not anymore."
"Yes."
"No- er- My name's Bankotsu, leader of the-" he stopped and she looked back up to him. 'That was close.'
"Leader of the…farmers? Warriors? Shichinintai?" she trailed off. He gave a surprised look, but it seemed that she took his look as if he were offended. However, Bankotsu wasn't. "Gomen-nasai."
"It's nothing," he said. "Your name?"
"My name?" she repeated the question. He shook his head lightly. "I am Shinri of the Tsukahara house hold. The only child of a farmer and fisher. Do you have any parents?" Bankotsu became silent. He couldn't remember them. Did he kill them too?
"No, I don't think I do," he told her. She fidgeted. "Hey." She looked up.
"Huh?"
"Don't worry about it." Bankotsu tried hard to make an impression on her. Shinri smiled and noticed that they were approaching the horses. 'It could be working.'
"Why do you wear that big armor? Yet you're so strong," she asked after a long silence.
"To protect myself, of course. I won't lose to anyone." He laughed a little as she smiled.
"I believe that too," she told. He looked down at her with a small blush but ignored it. They were soon at the destination.
"Otou-san?" she called out. A river was heard and she followed the sound, "He probably got thirsty waiting for-" She stopped mid sentenced and stared at her fathers body caught on to a bent over tree branch. Shinri ran over to the river and pulled out his body. Bankotsu stood there, shocked to see that it was her father he just killed on that same day.
'Or maybe my impressions won't work...if she found out that was me.'
The father's body was worse off since he left it floating in the river. From the loss of blood, the skin turned dark, almost black. The stench was strong. One eye was open, as if watching his every move. Since the body was also left in the river, the body was pruned and wrinkly.
A whimper escaped Shinri's lips then transformed into a sob. This quickly turned to mourning and crying with tears pouring out. She laid her head against her father's chest and wept until the sun was setting. Bankotsu only stood and stared. He couldn't really feel bad about it, but he felt that he couldn't lose her. He was so close to holding her, so close to kissing her, so close to loving her.
Clouds began to form, and even if it was still hot, the air became humid and wet. Soon after, rain started coming down in large drizzles and the river started to rise. The grass under his feet became muddy. He looked back at her.
"Let's go," Bankotsu urged. He tapped her shoulders. When Shinri looked up, her face and eyes were red. He jumped back a little, but pushed on. "Shinri-san." She shook her head and refused even when he tried to pull her up a little.
"My house is close to here, go ahead and walk there. It's on the main road down east. It's the first house in awhile. Go ahead, I want to bury my father," she stated. He nodded and left.
While Bankotsu was walking down, he met up with Jakotsu.
"Where were you?" Bankotsu asked. Jakotsu shrugged.
"Looking for some things."
"Huh, what about that," he mumbled. "The girl said we could stay in her house since it's raining." Jakotsu stared at him.
"We or I?"
"I- but who gives a shit, eh?" Bankotsu and Jakotsu laughed. They only talked here and there, but when they reached the house he ordered his brother to go get meat to eat. "This is the house?" He walked up the steps to the house, and examined it. 'Built quite recently. One room, for eating and sleeping. Not very big, but it'll work for me.' He thought as he entered the house. A pit was built a few feet into the ground for cooking and around it were the sleeping mattresses. He started a fire and sat on the ledge. Several hours passed by as he sat around thinking. Bankotsu's stomach started to growl after awhile. He was wondering where Shinri and Jakotsu were until Shinri knocked.
"Huh?"
"Bankotsu-sama?" She called out. He looked at her, and noticed that she didn't bury her father after all. He was on her shoulder. "Heh- this? I've decided something."
"And what did you decide?" Bankotsu asked. She thought for a minute.
"To find a shikon shard and place it in my dad so he becomes alive again!" she smiled. He looked back to the body.
"Uh- where will you put that?" a sweat-drop traveled down his face.
"In the shed- well, it used to be a house but no one's living in there, and it's been abandoned ever since I could remember."
"Then can we eat now?" Bankotsu's eye brow started to twitch. She became afraid from the hate that glowed in his eyes. Her body began to quiver, but trying to hide it, she bowed to not let him see it in her eyes.
"Gomen-nasai, Bankotsu-sama," she stated. Her head remained bowed as he sat there, staring at her. He couldn't get mad at her now. He was so used to her, even if it was for a day, that he didn't want to yell at her either. Trying to calm her, he waved his hands around.
"Nah- it's alright," he accepted her apology. She sighed a 'phew' and smiled.
"I'll be back soon, 'kay?" the leader of his group nodded at her request and let her leave. Shortly after, Jakotsu entered the house with the meat cleaned and de-saturated.
"Now go get some water by the river," he ordered his taller brother, handing him a pot.
"Hai," he said. "But did that girl come back yet?"
"She left again, she'll be back soon."
"Oh," Jakotsu sighed. He wanted to meet this girl his brother was falling for. "Ja!" Bankotsu nodded and threw the meat down by the fire. As he finished, adding wood to the fire, Shinri walked in again.
"Eh? What's this?" she asked, peering down into the pit. The fire was in the center, but there was meat in the corner.
"Got some meat while I was waiting," he said plainly. "Here." Bankotsu grabbed a blanket from one of the mattresses and threw it at her. As she caught it a blush crept on Shinri's face.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"It's not a big deal. You would've gotten sick anyway. You're dripping in cold rain," Bankotsu stated. She sat by him while rubbing her hair with the blanket. The blanket soon became soggy. She threw the blanket on out on the porch for it to dry and sat back down shivering.
"Oh- where's my pot?"
"Ehm-"
"Bankotsu? Why do you make me carry such a heavy thing?" Jakotsu complained as he entered the house. Shinri stared at him. Minutes of silence ticked away. She observed his clothes. A man… in women's clothing… And the kimono was so pretty too. … Hm… a stranger… in her house… which could only mean-
"YOU'RE ONLY HERE TO SEDUCE BANKOTSU-SAMA AREN'T YOU!? AREN'T YOU!??!!?" Shinri screamed as she threw a bowl to his head. Jakotsu stumbled back a little while Bankotsu tried to interrupt.
"Shin-"
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU PERVERT!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, BUT IT'S PROBABALY SOMETHING WEIRD!" She kept on screaming.
"You little-" he stopped mid-sentence as he pulled out his Jakotsutou and tried to strike at her with it, but Bankotsu grabbed his wrist.
"Bankotsu-sama?" she called out in a question.
"Shinri-san… this is my brother, Jakotsu. I don't think he wants to seduce me because of that. I don't even think he wants to seduce me," Bankotsu explained calmly as he forced Jakotsu to put his sword back. The girl looked down at her feet and blushed.
"Eh? Gomen," she apologized and pouted.
"No! It's alright, people think that all the time!" he smiled as she looked up and placed a hand on one of her shoulder. Shinri sighed a relieved one and smiled back at him.
"No they don-" Jakotsu began. "Mmmph!" With one hand on Shinri's shoulder, he took the other hand and reached back to cover Jakotsu's mouth.
"Just ignore him," he whispered into her ear. As he let go, Jakotsu seemed to have calmed down.
"Ah, gomen-nasai Jakotsu-sama. Watashi wa Shinri. Pleased to meet you," she whispered in embarrassment.
"Hey, no problem. Ahahaha- You're his girlfriend right? Welcome to the team!" He introduced himself.
"Not his girlfriend, Jakotsu-sama," she blushed. Later on, after that incident, Shinri cooked and let them eat.
After several days the rain was still beating down hard since Bankotsu and Shinri met and every time she came back, he would always warm her not to get sick, even if he didn't do anything. One day of just lounging, farming and selling produce, Shinri came back with wet food.
"What would you like to eat, Bankotsu-sama? It's not very good because it's wet but-"
"It's fine," Bankotsu told her, looking through the door.
"Would you like some water?" Shinri asked. Jakotsu observed them talking together.
"Huh? Yeah, water's fine," he told her. He watched her shuffle around getting a cup and pouring water into it. She handed it to him and giggled to his blush. He wasn't really used to girls serving him.
"Oi! Shinri-San, don't you like him? You serve him too much. Bankotsu, you're too spoiled. Is she your wife now?" Jakotsu asked.
"EH? No! Not at all! I'm only 16! That's too young!" She confessed.
"Yea, yea but you know it's so hard for him to find a girlfriend because he ends up killing them," Jakotsu winked at her. Shinri looked up at both of them and stepped away from them.
"Killing all your girlfriends?" she cocked her head and frowned.
"No! He's just joking with you," Bankotsu tried to calm her down.
"You mean she doesn't know that we're the Shichinin-"
"Jakotsu!" Bankotsu clenched his teeth together.
"Shichinintai?" Shinri finished. "You mean you're all murderers?" She frowned again and looked at Bankotsu.
"Don't worry! We won't kill you," Jakotsu assured. Her heart skipped a few beats and felt heavier. This man, Bankotsu, she beginning to love, was a villain of the good?
"No—I-I'm not worried about that…" her voice trembled.
"Oh? Then what is it?" a man stepped in, bald but he had a cloth tied over it. Shinri looked over to the door where he was, "Oh, I'm Renkotsu, part of the Shichinintai." Bankotsu and Jakotsu looked over too.
"You're wet," Jakotsu stated. He turned back to Shinri, "I told him that we were staying here."
"I was out in the village," he told.
"For what?" Bankotsu asked.
"To-"
"No! Don't change the subject!" Shinri shouted from the corner. They all turned her attention towards her.
'Saved by a mere girl. Can't tell them I was out looking for Shikon Shards. Though it looks like Bankotsu's enjoying her company.' Renkotsu thought.
"What?" Bankotsu asked. She looked him in the eye.
"Did you kill my father, then? Is that why you didn't offer any help and just stood there?" Shinri's fist were tightening up.
"It's part of our daily routine," Renkotsu said. "It's nothing. When you die, you'll see him in heaven right?" Shinri ignored him and kept her gaze into Bankotsu's eye.
"Well?"
"Yes. Shinri-"
"Bankotsu. I was just starting to trust you, even if we only knew each other for a few days," she looked back down to her feet. "Why would you do that?"
"But-"
"No buts- ands or ifs. I want you out of this house, now!" she stated. She bent down to the pit of fire, picked up the meat and threw it at Bankotsu. "Take that with you too."
"Shinri…" Bankotsu called out her name. But she only watched him go out the door.
A/N** No… that's not the end. There will be more... If you guys want more. I mean... yea…