Author's Note: Hey! Well, I don't have much to say other than: thank you for the reviews and that I hope you enjoy the chapter. I'm really trying to get this story moving and to do that a certain someone must finally become a permanent fixture in the plot ;). So... I hope it's ok, it's not the best chapter, but... I needed it in here :).
Reviewer Responses:
lildaemon: I'm glad you liked Chapter 4 and I hope you will like Chapter 5. You'll get to see a little more Jakotsu POV in later chapters :). Thanks for reviewing and take care!
Skittlez: Hey girl; I'm glad you liked it :). Aww.. About your home internet being down. I hope it gets fixed soon, and I've noted your new PN :). Take care and thanks for reviewing! Here is your Renkotsu chapter :).
KuraSun: Double reviews are awesome and always welcomed. If you'd like to do it again, feel free lol! Seriously, thanks for the reviews! They are much appreciated. Take care!
Me, just me: Ooh...you don't like gore... Grimaces I can be rather graphic in description sometime, but I'll always put a "warning" at the beginning of the chapter so you'll know not to read it, k? :). Yes. You've got Jakotsu's origin right :). Thanks for reviewing and take care!
Houshi no Hanyou Sei: I'm glad Mac enjoyed the Kira's death scene and Jakotsu's POV :). I hope she enjoys Chapter 5 as well. Take care and thanks for reviewing!
Mukino Kuneka: Lol! I'm glad you enjoy the arc, and I'm really trying to get this story finished. The other ones didn't take me as long to write... but I think it's because I had more free time lol. This month has been awful and now it's almost over. Thanks for reviewing, take care, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Corrina: Hehehehehe... Yes, Kira is dead :) and Jakotsu did rip his guts out lol. He did go about it in a very questionable way though lol, but that was the fun part ;). I'm glad you like it and I hope you aren't disappointed with this chapter. Thanks for reviewing and take care!
Riftwar-Slave: Thank you! Here is the next chapter; I hope you like it! Take care!
Gerbil: Lol, man, Kira really doesn't have many friends. Sounds like everyone was happy when he died. And don't worry...Bankotsu will catch his mononoke ;). Thanks for reviewing and take care!
D. Pearls: Lol, I am so very glad that you liked the chapter. Thank you for pointing out that one sentence to me. I actually thought I'd finally posted a chapter that was typo free lol. I went in and fixed it. Thanks! And thanks for reviewing; take care!
ChibiFluffy: Lol. Jakotsu doesn't know why he lets certain people touch him either, but one thing he does know...if the person who touches him isn't Bankotsu, he will be killing them within the next few minutes ;). Thanks for reviewing and take care girl!
Yennie-Gurl: Lol, Jakotsu's parents. I hope you are being sarcastic lol. Yeah, Bankotsu and his crew are leaving and maybe Renkotsu's following them...you'll see. :) Thanks for reviewing and take care!
Tareacel: Lol, I'm so happy that you liked this scene. I didn't know how it would turn out or go over. I told you I'd include some more of Jakotsu's POV later on, but there is none in this chapter. This is more of a "Eboni's getting the story moving," chapter. I hope you get through it ok, next chapter is when the fun begins again ;). Thank you so much for reviewing and take care!
MageofDarkness: Hey chic; hope you are feeling better :). I'm glad you liked the chapter :). You are going to blame the Dayquil for your strangeness? How about all the other times you didn't have any? ;). Anyways, I hope you're not too disappointed with this chapter for it is one of the dreaded "the story must MOVE" chapters lol. Bear through it and I promise next chapter will be interesting lol. Thanks for reviewing as always, and take care!
XxMizukixx: Yes, Renkotsu and everyone after him are going to be hard! Gah. I do NOT look forward to writing Kyoukotsu's story, let me tell ya, lol! I'm glad you like the arc though, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Thanks for reviewing and take care!
Mars Fire Goddess: Wow, you've been really sick. I'm sorry to hear it. I hope you are doing much better now. I know being stuck in one place is a drag and make up work sucks. My sister broke her hand and has been out of school, and her homework is just piling up. Anyways... I really love your two-in-one reviews lol. I'm glad you liked the Sodality chapter and the Severed chapter. I'm should have a new Severed chap up before the month is over... sigh...that monthly update stuff is gonna kill me lol. It's nice to know the plot isn't predictable :) and I'll let you in on something: No, Dilandau is oblivious to Van's affection lol. Thanks for reviewing girl and I wish you good health lol! Take care!
Lynx the Whack: Lol. You thought Kira's death was funny or the mononoke show was funny? Maybe both lol. I enjoyed writing both parts :). I'm glad you liked it though. Thanks for reviewing and take care!
Ladya C. Maxine: Lol! You actually thought I wrote you that e-mail because I wasn't going to update soon? I'm mean, but not that mean lol. Glad you liked the chapter and I'm happy to receive another review from you. I read your Sesshoumaru story where he and Inuyasha were puppies, and I'm in love. I left you a review :). But anyways, thank you so much for reviewing and take care. I'll tell you as I warned two others...this is a "Eboni must get story moving" chapter. I finally realized I was 5 chapters into the story and hadn't officially put the main character into the story. I hope you like it!
Chapter 5
"Around the mountains is a good place to find unsettled land. Most folks are afraid of the youkai that like to keep residence in those parts and steer clear. What they don't know is that those mountain youkai are mostly the quiet type, too sophisticated to want to meddle with us."
Bankotsu swallowed a sweet dumpling and gripped another one of the fat, homemade masses of dough in his chopsticks while nodding at the gapped toothed old man that spoke to him.
He didn't know what it was about himself, but he drew people to him like insects to candy when he sat alone in parlors. Jakotsu had once told Bankotsu when he ate, he was the vilest creature every imagined, but that didn't seem to deter any of the attention he received.
"Don't listen to that old fool. The best place to build a new residence is on the coast. Right near the sea, I tell you! All the fish you can catch, plenty of resources..."
"And then he'd have to deal with all those no good foreigners that keep washing to shore in their big boats. And the resources? Who wants to use that salty timber down there? You'd have to rebuild your house twice in one month living there, boy."
Bankotsu's blue eyes darted between the gapped toothed man that knelt on one side of him drinking a cup of sake and a round bellied man sitting on the other side chomping rice balls. Dusting flecks of rice off the front of his kimono, Bankotsu smiled gingerly.
"Uh... Well..."
"The mountains!"
"The coast!"
Bankotsu caught the eye of the innkeeper's daughter, Suki, and rolled his eyes as she covered a smile with her small hand. With a silent sigh, he gathered his bowl and chopsticks and ducked out of the line of fire. The two old men were so busy arguing with each other over the small, wooden table, they didn't even notice Bankotsu's tactful retreat.
He set his bowl down with a heavy clink on the small table Suki sat at, eating her own small dinner of rice and dumplings. "I'm a glutton for punishment, aren't I?" he grumbled, pulling his braid into his lap and toying with its end.
Suki let a soft giggle escape and set down her chopsticks. Bankotsu had learned from three days of observing the girl that she hated to eat in front of people, or maybe she just hated to eat in front of him.
"You were the one that made your relocation plans a public announcement, Bankotsu," Suki pointed out. "I warned you about the men that like to come to this place during the winter season, all nosy with no families of their own to pester so they lodge here."
Bankotsu made a face, but nodded. "Yeah, you did." And I should have figured as much too.
A day and a half of riding had led Bankotsu and his troop to a new town where they'd had to stop to take refuge from the weather. Bankotsu had never seen storm clouds so dark or snow so thick. It would have been suicide to continue, and Bankotsu wasn't too fond of that idea.
Besides, Jakotsu needed to be in out of the cold. His tall friend was worrying him with his inability to recover from his illness. Maybe Kira had poisoned him... but Bankotsu had eaten everything and more that Jakotsu had in Kira's village. Suikotsu assured him it was nothing that serious and that Jakotsu just needed to rest.
Also, Bankotsu had no idea where he wanted to take the group. Wandering around in the summer, letting the wind lead the way was fun, but wandering around in the snow, letting the arctic gales preserve their bodies by packing them in ice was not. He figured the people in town could help give him direction.
So here he was at Touma-san's Inn which turned out to be a popular winter resort for long-winded old geezers with no wives at home to cook for them. The best thing that had happened to him so far was meeting Suki, who would change the menus to suit his tastes and provide him with interesting company while Jakotsu slept and Suikotsu insisted he guard their wagon of goods out in the stable area.
"So where do you think I should go, the mountains, the coast... a cliff?"
Suki laughed and peered at his almost empty bowl of dumplings. "You're too cute to throw yourself off a cliff, Bankotsu. I've never been to the coast, but the mountains are quite nice. Very clean."
Bankotsu had been throw off by the "cute" comment and found it hard to pay attention to the rest of what she'd said. People told him he was cute all the time, but the tone of voice she'd used implied other things.
"Bankotsu? Bankotsu?" Suki waved a hand in his face to get his attention. "Maybe if you'd tell me why you want to build a home so far away, I could help you better. I mean, why would someone like you want to live in seclusion?"
Bankotsu blinked, snapping back to attention. "Why? Oh.." he grinned. "I'm... starting a business, and I want my base of operations not to be something people can just happen upon, you know?"
Suki made a face. "But what kind of a turnout would you have, if people can't find you. How will they know about you?"
"By word of mouth," Bankotsu shrugged. "I'm not trying to run a restaurant or anything."
"What are you trying to run?" Suki leaned in, placing her elbows on the table and batting her lashes. Bankotsu frowned at her; she was invading his space.
"An agency sort of, like men for hire," Bankotsu said, sitting back on his knees to move away from her. Suki was a pretty girl, and Bankotsu couldn't deny the slight attraction he felt, but... she was just a girl. He didn't have time for her or anyone else. All girls thought about was marriage and babies; at least that's what his father had told him.
Looking at Suki's flirtatious smile now, Bankotsu was beginning to suspect his father had been right.
"Men for hire? Sounds... intriguing," Suki purred. "And that large man you travel with will be one of your agents?"
Bankotsu nodded.
"And the girl?"
"What girl?" Bankotsu had been watching Suki's fingers walk toward his hand and he was having trouble remembering to snatch it away.
"The tall one, really pretty... the one that stays in your room and never comes out."
Her skin was soft and Bankotsu turned his hand over so he could clutch her fingers to get a better feel. "Jakotsu's not a girl and he's my brother."
Suki's large, black eyes dropped to Bankotsu's hand in hers and sparkled. Bankotsu sighed to himself. Yet another battle lost to lust. He didn't practice celibacy, and pretty faces did stir certain parts of his anatomy, but... He just... He tried not to act on his impulses when he knew he would be staying in one place for longer than a day or two.
Bankotsu didn't want a relationship nor angry fathers chasing him with katanas for stealing their daughters' innocence... which, sorry to say, the girls never truly had. Jakotsu and Suikotsu found Bankotsu's escapades amusing and teased him for days afterwards.
"That's good to know. I thought he was your girlfriend," Suki said softly, leaning in again and this time Bankotsu didn't move away. Her lips were just brushing his when the gruff noise of someone clearing his throat interrupted them. Bankotsu and Suki sprang apart, Suki playing with her food and Bankotsu stuffing that last dumpling into his mouth.
Chewing, he gazed up at the man looming over them innocently, ready to apologize to Touma-san profusely. Touma-san was a big man and looked like he could put up a good fight when it came to his only daughter.
"I hope I haven't approached you at an inappropriate time."
Who the hell was this joker? Bankotsu nearly swallowed the dumpling whole. A tall stranger stood over him, smiling politely with his bald head bowed slightly.
Suki gave a quiet cough and shot Bankotsu a look. "I'll bring you some more dumplings, Bankotsu."
"And some sake, girl, enough for two," the man waved Suki away, not looking at her. Lucky him, if looks could kill tall, bald, and plain would be deader than Buddha.
Bankotsu, by all means, should have been insulted by this man inviting himself to join him and dismissing his female friend, but instead Bankotsu was relieved. He would have done something with Suki he would regret for the next few days, and he'd have to play boyfriend until they left.
"May I join you?" The man was already sitting down across from him, his tiny eyes eager black pearls in his face as he studied Bankotsu in full.
Bankotsu frowned; the man had a very familiar face and feel. "Have we met?"
The man looked taken aback. "Not formally, no. I suppose I should explain myself now. I probably could have done this better, but I don't normally approach people like this..."
He was babbling.
Suki returned, setting Bankotsu's dumplings in front of him with a saucy wink and plopping a bottle of sake down in front of baldy with two small cups stacked together making up the lid. "Enjoy gentlemen."
Baldy scowled after Suki. "Not a very good waitress is she?" He removed the cups, placing one in front of Bankotsu and pouring himself some of the wine. Bankotsu raised a brow at him.
"She's a pretty good waitress to me actually. Now... not to be rude, but what the hell do you want? If this is about my friend monopolizing the bath house...?"
Bankotsu had shoved someone out of the heated bath house the other night when Jakotsu had wanted to bathe. He hadn't gotten a good look at the man; it could be the one sitting before him, but for some reason Bankotsu wanted to think he knew this man from somewhere else.
"No, no, this isn't about that." The man shook his head, looking uncomfortable for the first time since he'd sat down. "It's about... business."
Bankotsu narrowed his eyes. Business? Had the man been listening in on his conversation with Suki? Sneaky little... "Hey! Are you the one that's been following us?"
"I..."
"I ought to kill you right here!" Bankotsu's hand went to the sai in his belt.
"No!" the man objected. "At least, not until you've heard me out. Can I have a few minutes just to talk with you?"
Bankotsu growled, but noticed they now had the attention of the handful of people in the room and two men looked ready to come to Bankotsu's rescue. He almost chuckled that help would go to the wrong party.
"Fine... but talk fast and make it good. I get bored easily." Bankotsu relaxed his posture and put his hands on the table.
The man nodded hastily, gulping his sake and clearing his throat. "I wish to join you, to become a part of your group-- your mercenaries."
Bankotsu blinked. "You what?" How the hell did he know..?
"I want to be your subordinate, Bankotsu. I've been watching you and I like what I see. You're ambitious, you're ruthless, you're strong, and people would follow you to the Underworld, if they thought it would please you. You are going places, Bankotsu; you're going to be somebody, and I want to be somebody with you."
Bankotsu controlled his astonished reaction. He was being praised by a stranger, a stranger that had been watching long enough to know what he was all about. What kind of man worshiped a mercenary? Bankotsu phrased his response carefully, "What makes you think that I should, or better yet, would let you join?"
The man's eyes glittered with hope. "I have skills that I think you'd be interested in."
"Oh?" Bankotsu grabbed his pair of chopsticks in one hand and began fiddling with them. He couldn't quite believe he was still sitting at the table listening to the man. What a strange mood I'm in... perhaps I'm just bored and want to be amused. "You have something that you think will impress me? I'm anxious to know what you can do, Bald One."
The man grinned and once again, Bankotsu felt a wave of familiarity. "Oh, but you already know." Reaching into his pockets the man removed a fist full of something and dumped the glittering mass on the table.
Bankotsu squinted at the sparkly grains against the light wood for a moment before it hit him. The glittery paint on the trees, the mononoke's sparkly robes... "You're..."
"Lord Kira's mononoke," the man finished. "Hai. I couldn't think of anyone better to steal from than that bastard."
Bankotsu stared. The man that humiliated him a few days before was within killing distance, but the desire to finish his work was not there. Something was telling him to let the conversation play out... Opportunity was not a lengthy visitor.
"You got away from me. Not many people are alive to brag about that and they certainly wouldn't brag about it to me."
The "mononoke" looked startled. "You... still wish to kill me?"
Bankotsu smirked wickedly. If I still wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead, man. "No, no Mononoke-san. I wished to learn your secrets, then kill you, but now that you've interested me, I want you to keep talking. The strange weapons, the smoke and cold fire... how did you do it?"
"It's all simple chemistry. I made everything you saw myself, and I have more. I fooled an entire village with stooges that I trained overnight, just imagine what we could do together. Why we could, could conquer Japan!" The man slapped the table in his passion.
A passion that swayed Bankotsu. The fire in his eyes matched Bankotsu's own when he thought of the future. "I'm not out to conquer Japan, but I do want my name known and feared."
"Exactly, and I want my name to be paired with yours. I can't realize my dream on my own; I need someone strong to help me, lead me. Everything I have is yours; I'll be your disciple like I once tried to follow the ways of Buddha..."
"Buddha? Oi, wait... turn your head to the side..." The man's voice trailed off as he frowned in confusion, but did as Bankotsu requested. The skin around both of his eyes was a bit discolored and his lip was a little swollen. Bankotsu had punched the mononoke, but only in one eye... He'd punched a monk in the other.
"You're the monk from the temple! I should have recognized you when I punched you in the village! You have the hardest head I have ever pounded on, and believe me, I have pounded a lot of heads!" Bankotsu gapped at the man. "That's why you told us that shit about giving the mononoke what it wanted!"
Patience really is a virtue, just look at what I've discovered.
The man nodded, smiling nervously. "Yes. I lived in the temple. My name is Odin. I didn't think you'd remember me."
Bankotsu rolled his eyes. "My sore knuckles wouldn't let me forget." He speared a dumpling and studied Odin. "So, you're a monk. A monk that lies, cheats, steals, and wants to be a mercenary. Tell me Odin, have you ever killed a man before?"
Odin didn't blink. "I killed my first man when I was 15. He was nothing more than a lousy criminal and I figured the money in his change purse would be better spent on myself. After the sixth killing, however, I was caught and sentenced to be hanged. A monk vouched for me then, and ever since I've lived in that monastery. Seven years of listening to men preach and insist that I learn and practice the ways of a dead man. At first, I was devoted. I was so grateful to be alive and to have food and shelter... and... a monk's world is filled with books and travels. I read and studied, and often volunteered myself to go on the journeys the older monks made to spread the teachings of Buddha. I met so many different people, encountered so many new things, and made useful connections, especially with the foreigners that come to shore on the coast every now and again. They...made me want more, made me realize I could be more than just a nameless, faceless, holy man who'd die in poverty."
Bankotsu nibbled on the dumpling, watching the emotions play out over Odin's features more than listening to his words. This older, educated man was pleading with him for membership to his band. A man with more resources than Bankotsu could count wanted Bankotsu to be his leader.
How about that; it looked like Bankotsu never should have wasted his time searching for new members. They'd come to him.
He was ready to tell Odin, "yes. I want you in," but that didn't sound very dignified, and besides, he couldn't just do that, not without a trial period or talking to Jakotsu and Suikotsu first.
"I would give my allegiance and everything else I have to offer to you. Make me into a somebody, Bankotsu-sama," Odin admonished, bowing his head and Bankotsu was taken aback.
He was not some sort of god...and... he flushed; people were staring again.
"Odin... Odin, you don't have to bow to me, and you don't have to call me 'lord.' I'm simply Bankotsu, and that's what you'll call me for the next few days."
Odin's head jerked up, his eyes large as he watched Bankotsu anxiously.
"I think you have some qualities that could make you an excellent edition to my team, but I need to test you first. I want to see how well you can get along with my band and... I want you to show me how you breathe fire."
Odin blinked a few times, before smiling, then laughing. "The fire... of...of course, Bankotsu. I'll show you anything you want, and I'm quiet. You won't have to worry about me bothering anybody in your group at all. "
Bankotsu nodded, noticing Suki standing in the corner of the room watching him with a coy smile on her lips.
Oh gods...
"I'll talk it over with the others, and we'll come to meet you here first thing in the morning. You have a room, I take it?"
"Oh yes," Odin said quickly. "If you'd like, we could meet there. That way you can see my tools."
Bankotsu thumbed his braid thoughtfully. Seeing Odin's tools would be nice, but eating breakfast was even better. "No, we'll meet here and afterwards, we'll go to your rooms. So have it tidy for us."
"Yes... Bankotsu. Thank you, Bankotsu." Odin poured himself some more sake and pushed the bottle toward Bankotsu.
Bankotsu caressed the smooth container of wine, then pushed it back toward Odin. Jakotsu would react badly if he returned to the room smelling of liquor, and Bankotsu didn't feel like going through the process of getting the odor off his breath. "Not tonight, Odin."
"Oh," Odin pulled back the bottle. "I suppose it's wise for a leader not to drink."
Bankotsu shrugged and looked at his food pointedly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Odin."
Odin started. "Oh... I'm sorry. I'll leave you to your dinner." The man rose. "What will you call me now? I've noticed all of your unusual names with the same suffixes."
Bankotsu chewed on a chopstick. "You'll be called 'Odin.' Only 'brothers' are named by us. You're not a brother yet, Odin; think of yourself as a... cousin that can be removed if you displease us. Goodnight."
Odin's mouth moved before he bowed slightly and excused himself for the night. Bankotsu was left feeling particularly clever...that was until Suki returned.
"I thought that awful man would never leave." The willowy girl sat down beside him, her leg brushing against his. "Now... where were we?"
Bankotsu crept into the room, smiling at the candle Jakotsu had left burning for him. He kicked off his snow shoes at the door and shuffled across the warm floor to the futon Jakotsu was curled up on. Bankotsu knelt down, reaching out to stroke the side of Jakotsu's face and check his temperature.
"You took a long time getting back. The inn-keeper's daughter must have been in there," Jakotsu murmured. His eyes remained closed, and Bankotsu scowled.
"Yeah, she was." They'd kissed and she'd let him put his hand up her skirts, but that was it. Her small room was right next to her father's and the old man was neither drunk nor sleeping.
"You do not sound pleased, Aniki."
"I didn't get anywhere, but that was good. I didn't need that distraction right now, anyway."
"Hm..." Jakotsu mumbled. "Is Sui still with the horses?"
"Yeah. He had me bring his dinner out there to him and an extra blanket."
"He is going to sleep out there again? Is it truly warm enough?" Jakotsu's eyes opened a bit to look at Bankotsu. "I really do not think anyone would steal from our wagon while we are here."
"It's warm," Bankotsu said. "There's a fire and everything. Hey, do you want me to put more wood in the hearth for you, or are you ok?"
"M' ok," Jakotsu murmured, closing his eyes again. Bankotsu brushed Jakotsu's hair off his forehead and left his hand on his brow.
Much cooler.
He sat on the futon, smiling as Jakotsu made room for him. He swung his legs onto the cot and tucked his feet under the covers. "How's your tummy?"
Jakotsu giggled. "My tummy is fine; how is yours? I am sure you ate everything in the dining hall."
"Nah," Bankotsu laid down beside Jakotsu and rolled onto his side, up one elbow so he could peer down at Jakotsu's profile. "I was too distracted to do that."
"I thought Suki was a disappointment for you."
"Eh, she wasn't the main distraction. I met a guy today..."
"Aniki!" Jakotsu's gray eyes snapped open and he sat up, smacking Bankotsu in the chin. "You..."
"No, no!" Bankotsu rubbed his chin and stretched out, staring up at Jakotsu from his back. "Nothing like that."
Jakotsu pouted and ran a hand through his hair, yelping when his fingers got stuck. "Oh no!" Bankotsu laughed as his friend struggled and finally disentangled his fingers.
"I do believe it's time for a hair brushing, Ja. Stay sitting and I'll get your brush," Bankotsu said, sliding off the futon and going to the small closet they'd put Jakotsu's things in.
"So what about this guy you met, Aniki? Is he cute? Would I like him?" Jakotsu asked.
"I hope you'll like him," Bankotsu said, finding Jakotsu's brush and coming back to the cot. He sat behind Jakotsu on his knees and began sorting through the curly sea of raven chaos. "He asked to join us."
"Join us for what?"
Bankotsu tapped Jakotsu's head lightly. "Silly. He wants to join our group, be a mercenary."
"How does he know about us?" Jakotsu asked. "Ow, do not pull!"
"I'm not, and he's been following us," Bankotsu said, picking apart a tangle. "He's the stalker you kept sensing."
"I told you," Jakotsu muttered. "So, he just approached you and asked? Did you accept him?"
"No... well, not officially. Remember that trial period we talked about when were making up our minds about Sui. I told him we'd do that for him."
"For a stalker? Ow, Aniki!"
"You have too much hair to be tender-headed," Bankotsu grumbled, pulling another snare through the brush. "And yes, let me finish. He was the mononoke we were after. He's the one with the cold fire and the smoke clouds..."
"That got away" Jakotsu snorted, "and was dumb enough to follow you. I am surprised you did not hurt him."
"Oh, I hit him enough, believe me," Bankotsu said, sectioning Jakotsu's hair and brushing from bottom to top. "But overall, what he did out in that clearing was amazing, and he's so smart. I really think we could find a place for him with us. I told him to meet with us in the morning. If you're feeling up to it, I'd like you to be there."
"What do you need me there for, Aniki. If you feel this man is good enough for the group, then the decision is made."
Bankotsu snorted. "I knew you would say that, but..."
"You still want me to meet him?"
"Yeah," Bankotsu said. "It'd be nice, and um... do you think you could be nice?"
"Aniki, the whole point of a trial period is to see how this man will tolerate our behavior within the group right? If I am nice, how will we ever know if he will be able to tolerate us?"
Bankotsu frowned. "That's true... but I don't want you to scare him away with your bitchiness either."
"I am not bitchy," Jakotsu grumbled. "Give me my brush; I will finish my hair myself!" Bankotsu surrendered the brush and Jakotsu climbed off the futon, wobbling as he rose to his feet and tumbling back onto Bankotsu.
"I...think I got up too fast..." Jakotsu moaned.
"Me too." Bankotsu rubbed his friend's shoulders. "Look, you're not a bitch. You're just moody. Here, let me finish your hair. I won't pull anymore... and... you don't have to meet anyone you don't want. But you have to be sure that if I tell this man he can join us, you won't complain about him later. Remember you'll have to live with him... forever."
"If he annoys me, I can always kill him and blame someone else," Jakotsu said back sweetly. Bankotsu pulled at a knot and chuckled at Jakotsu's hiss.
"I'm serious, Jakotsu. If I decide he's in, that's it. You can have a say now and during the rest of the trial phase, if you want, but if you pass it up..."
"I understand, Oo-aniki," Jakotsu said, "and I trust you. If you like the man, do what you must."
Bankotsu put down the brush and lowered his face into Jakotsu's hair for a moment, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Thank you, Jakotsu."
He felt Jakotsu's body sag into his, relaxing. "Aniki?"
"Hmm?"
"Does this one at least have a name?"
Author's Note: Well that's it. Like it? Hate it? Don't care either way? Let me know. Please review!