Shichinin-tai, the Meaning within

Jen "the stampede" Motou

Chapter 3: The Humor of the Situation

(Jakotsu's POV)

I was waiting to hear a scream, a whimper, …but nothing. I looked over to where they had pinned down Bankotsu-sama, and saw that he wasn't fighting them any longer. In fact I was quite startled when I heard…. "Alright, let's go, We got them." And watched one, just merely one of the men pick Bankotsu up and carry him. He wasn't even awake, those bastards must have caused him enough pain to pass out, and for that they will pay with their lives. As the Man carrying our leader approached, each one of us was brought to our feet forcefully. Genkotsu and Suikotsu were fighting the most. I tried to struggle but with my shoulder it proved difficult. "You won't get away with this, you will all pay with your lives." I growled at them, and I heard the man shoving me laugh. "Sure Sure whatever you say, lady." He mocked as he shoved me on a wagon with the rest of what remained of us.

The last one thrown aboard was Bankotsu. I'm sure that would have happened differently if he were awake. The man carelessly walked to the edge of the wagon and tossed him aboard, as if he were throwing a bag of rice. I managed to pull him close, so he at least wasn't displaced there on the floor. I rested Bankotsu-sama's head on my lap, and growled as I saw the pain the adorned his youthful features. However the atmosphere quickly changed as I heard the rest of the Band laughing. We peered through the bars of our cage, and watched the soldiers gathering up our confiscated weaponry. They had managed -somehow- to get Genkotsu's armament into the second wagon. My Jakotsu-tou was carelessly tossed amongst the things, as was Mukotsu's poisons, and Renkotsu's flame. Suikotsu's claws were tossed in with ease as well.

However as for the remaining weapon we all laughed, and teased and taunted, as we watched struggle with none other than Bankotsu's baby—Banryuu. One man reached down for the handle, and attempted to lift it one handed from the ground. When he leaned backwards we all heard a loud crack admit for his back and we laughed. The idiot was attempting it one handed. "Weaklings shouldn't play with a Man's toy!" Suikotsu mocked, causing the group to laugh again. However the soldiers only glared at us. The man tried again, both hands this time. His back admitted a louder crack this time, and he threw out a scream of pain when he fell to his knees. "Having trouble? Maybe you should have a MAN try!" Genkotsu was the one up for mocking this time. Yet again, we just received glares. A larger man approached this time, shoving the other out of the way. "Out of the way, our lord commands we take them now, so we don't have time for your games." He spat and we all snickered when he fell flat on his ass trying to lift Banryuu from its position. He growled and the spat at us, silencing our laughing for the moment. "Quiet all of you! Which one of you rats is the owner of this monstrosity? Which of you wields this weapon? You!" His eyes shifted to Genkotsu who only laughed. "It's not mine!" His eyes shifted to Suikotsu, who in turn laughed as well. "Yeah right! I can't lift that thing!" He growled at us and shouted. "Then who? Which of you wields this sword!" I forced the sleeping Bankotsu to wave his hand by moving his right wrist back and forth. The man's glare intensified, as his eyes shifted downward to Bankotsu-sama. "This is not time to be trying my patience, if you all cooperation, it just might prolong your lives. That brat cannot wield this, send the weapon's owner."
With that our laughter became a roar. We couldn't hold ourselves back, they acquired our help to kill us, and when we honestly told him the weapon's owner he spat us—what kind of irony was that? In the end it took three of them—three of their strongest men to lift Banryuu. This still resulted in glares as we laughed at their weakness. However we all fell silent as the wheels turned and we were on our way to god knows what.