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Sekowari- yes there is quite a bit of misunderstandings, some that will cause alot of conflict. You're in luck, Kagome is going to find out that Kagura is Bankotsu very soon. Thanks for reviewing! I love hearing from you guys.
Skitzoflame- Thanks for reviewing! I hope I get to hear from you again!
Chapter 5- A Misdirected Revenge
"Too bad InuYasha, I think we would've made a great pair. But, I could never be with someone who killed my brother!" Jakotsu yelled and lashed his sword out towards InuYasha again. He felt his blood boiling and the rage within him grew. He would show no mercy to his brother's killer.
InuYasha jumped out of the sword's way and began to run towards Jakotsu; Tetsusaiga poised high in the air. He could hear Kagome's cries from behind him. The desperate tone in her voice told him to come back so he wouldn't get hurt, but he ignored her plea and continued to charge towards Jakotsu. If for anything, he was fighting for Kagome, his friends, and of course, his own pride.
Jakotsu laughed hysterically and lashed his sword towards the hanyou. It was as if he could feel insanity flooding into his mind, and he suddenly found the whole situation funny, yet maddening. "You worthless half-demon!" He hollered as InuYasha again, dodged his sword's deadly path.
InuYasha plunged full force into Jakotsu, and grunted as the human's sword nicked his arm through his hoari. A jolt ran through his body as he locked blades with Jakotsu's sword. "I never killed Bankotsu, but whoever did; stole my victory!" He shouted angrily, staring at Jakotsu between blades with his fangs bared. "To make for that loss of victory, I'll finish you off! Then you and your filthy brother can be together again, in hell!" InuYasha hollered, and with a boost of his demon strength, he threw Jakotsu to the ground with a brute shove.
"You're a liar InuYasha! NO one else would have the guts to kill the leader of The Band of Seven!" Jakotsu retorted as he picked himself up off the ground, a sick grin crossing his lips.
"Really? Thanks for the compliment, but I know one bastard who has the guts to kill anything and anyone; Naraku!" The inu-hanyou shouted and let the tip of his massive sword touch the ground.
"InuYasha! Jakotsu has a jewel shard!" Kagome yelled from where all of InuYasha's companions stood.
Jakotsu watched as the Tetsusaiga's energy whirled around itself, ready for attack. He knew what attack was coming, but he felt no fear. He stood there to fight for his departed brother. "Naraku wouldn't kill Bankotsu, he was one of aniki's allies!" He started towards the hanyou, this time attacking him head on. He didn't plan on missing anymore by lashing his sword out form a distance.
"Looks like Naraku's at a disadvantage, I get to have his jewel shard!" "Wind Scar!" Came the name of the ground-splitting attack that headed towards Jakotsu.
Jakotsu's eyes widened in horror as he saw the blast raging towards him, and knew he couldn't stop it. "Aaaaaaahh!" He screamed out in agony as the attack hit him head on and sent him flying through the air. He hit the ground seconds later, gasping for the air that the fall had knocked out of him. He tried regaining himself, but for the moment all he could see was a bright white light. 'I must've hit my head hard.' He thought and tried to get up. His sight came back and he rose his upper body slightly, then fell back down coughing monotonously.
InuYasha stood in the same spot he had been when he released the wind scar. The dust the attack sent up slowly faded away, and he could see the still form of Jakotsu lying a hundred or so feet away. "Huh, it seems I've finally finished him off." He said to himself and walked towards the human.
Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou stood speechlessly watching their hanyou friend as he neared Jakotsu. "A blow like that would kill any human." Miroku said, breaking the intense silence.
"Wait! I think he's still alive!" Kagome said. She could just barely hear Jakotsu coughing.
"Yeah, but he won't be alive for much longer. The smell of his blood is filling the air." Shippou said. He covered his nose with his arm, the smell of the blood was making his nose curl.
"So, you're not dead after all. I must admit Jakotsu, you certainly are strong for a human, but you're still a human. I can smell your death rising from your blood." InuYasha said coldly. His shadow hovered over Jakotsu. "Would you like me to finish you off painlessly, or leave you be, to die on your own?" He asked, enjoying the smell of his enemy's demise.
Jakotsu coughed up blood, trying to give the hanyou an answer. "Let..me..," he coughed a few more times, "give you...something in return...for...my painless death." He choked out and began to rise to his feet.
"Huh?" InuYasha was confused as to what he meant by giving him something in return. 'What the! He's getting up!' Quickly he held out Tetsusaiga in front of himself defensively.
Jakotsu rose with his back facing InuYasha. He staggered once and then regained his posture.
"Jakotsu." Suikotsu whispered so low it was barely audible. He stood back watching everything that was going on. He hadn't helped his brother, knowing that this fight was his and Jakotsu would feel dishonored if he had interfered. He knew this was a battle to the death, and Jakotsu's revenge for his closest brother's death.
"I can't believe it! Jakotsu is actually standing!" Miroku said. All four of them watched intensely.
'InuYasha be careful.' Kagome's heart was beating fast. She didn't want InuYasha to let his guard down yet.
"InuYasha, this is for...Bankotsu!" Jakotsu yelled and quickly slashed InuYasha right in the middle of his stomach, knocking Tetsusaiga out of his hands. His attack was so fast that it whipped out in a blur.
"Aaaah!" InuYasha screamed out, and grabbed his stomach desperately.
Jakotsu dropped his sword and fell to the ground. He landed on his back, in his own pool of blood and looked down at himself. There was no hope for him as the immense gash running up his front, bled streams of blood. The last thing Jakotsu saw was InuYasha falling to his knees, and then he fell into an eternal darkness.
"InuYasha!" Kagome screamed out all the care she always had for him. She ran out onto the battlefield and headed towards the hanyou's side. "InuYasha, let me look at your wound." She said, lying a hand on his shoulder, trying to find his eyes through his bangs.
"I'll...be fine. Just...go away for a moment." He replied, his voice had a slight crackle to it.
Kagome stepped back hesitantly, hurt by his words. She watched as he slowly began to rise and turn around. His body was still hunched over, but Kagome saw a flash of red in his eyes. She knew what she had to do. Running past InuYasha, she picked up his sword and then ran back to him. "Here." She said softly, and held the sword out towards him.
InuYasha removed a bloody hand to retrieve his sword and began to slowly walk back.
Kagome noticed though, that he wasn't exactly heading for the group. She followed where his eyes were looking, and they were staring directly at Suikotsu. "InuYasha, No! You're too wounded to fight!" She hollered from behind him. But, the hanyou didn't listen and he continued towards Suikotsu.
"Kagome, get back here!" Sango called her.
Knowing that it was hopeless to get InuYasha to stop, Kagome ran back to join her group. "I hate just standing here and doing nothing." She said as she stared at InuYasha.
Suikotsu couldn't help but feel his own fear build up inside him as InuYasha walked towards him. He didn't want to fight, and he knew Bankotsu wouldn't want the rest of his brothers dying just because of him. He'd want them to live. "InuYasha, I do not want to fight you." He said, hoping to see InuYasha stop coming towards him.
"That's the first." Miroku said to Sango and Kagome
"Why not? Don't you want to get revenge now for Jakotsu's death?" Came the cold reply. InuYasha stopped and raised his head to look at Suikotsu.
"No, Bankotsu would want me to live, not give up my life to avenge another brother's death." With that, Suikotsu turned around to leave on the wooded path he came from.
"Too bad, Jakotsu didn't get his revenge on the person that actually killed Bankotsu." InuYasha said emotionlessly.
Suikotsu stopped for a moment and a tear rolled down his cheek when he heard what InuYasha had said. Then, without a word he continued walking and disappeared into the path.
"InuYasha, please. Let me look at your wound." Kagome pleaded as she walked up to his bent body. She hated it when he wouldn't let her help him, and pretended it was only a scratch. He may be able to heal in a shorter period of time than humans, but her antibiotics could still sure help. They could at least make his wound feel slightly better until it fully healed.
InuYasha turned to her and looked into her wandering eyes. "Fine." He said, giving her the okay to go ahead and tend to his wound. He fought with his pride to give into her, and his physical emotions won. He always enjoyed the feel of Kagome's soft fingertips sliding against his skin, and her warm hands rubbing against his back as she wrapped a piece of cloth around him to stop the blood.
Kagome was happy he let her help him out, and tended to his wound without a word.
"InuYasha, so many times you fought with Jakotsu, and the time you kill him is when he thought you killed his brother. I wonder what made it easier this time?" Miroku said, rubbing his chin with his fingers in deep thought.
"Maybe if he didn't talk so much, he wouldn't have been killed so easily." InuYasha said scornfully from his spot on the ground. He lifted his stomach up as Kagome brought the cloth around for the last time, and tied it off.
"InuYasha, if I'm not mistaken; you were talking a lot too." Miroku said, holding his staff at his side as he usually did.
"Shut up!" The hanyou shouted back and slowly lifted himself up; this time a bit less painfully.
Kagome watched him to make sure she secured the bandage well enough. "Poor Jakotsu didn't even fight the right guy, or girl, which ever one it is." She said, gazing over at the body left in its own puddle of blood.
"You're feeling sorry for him!" InuYasha said, flabbergasted by her remark.
"Well, yes. The person closest to him was killed, and little did he know that you weren't his brother's killer. It must have been awful to hear that your own brother had been killed." She said calmly.
"That's our Kagome, always thinking of others, even if they are our enemy. You're so...how could I put this...selfless." Miroku said, placing his hand on Kagome's shoulder with a smile on his face.
"Hey, get your hand off of her monk!" InuYasha hollered. He was in no state to pick a fight with the monk, but he would if he touched Kagome in a perverted way.
"Calm down InuYasha. It was only a friendly pat on the shoulder." Miroku said, moving a foot away from the miko. He loved getting the arrogant hanyou going.
"I'll give you a friendly"
"InuYasha!" Kagome interrupted.
"You wouldn't sit me when I'm badly wounded, would you?" He said, staring at her with wide golden eyes.
"I thought it was only a scratch." Kagome replied, her eye twitching.
InuYasha gulped.
Kagome calmed herself, feeling the rage meter go back down.
"We should get going to the village. The sun is setting already." Miroku said, taking InuYasha's attention away from Kagome.
"Miroku's right, let's go before it gets dark." Sango encouraged.
InuYasha grunted in agreement and let Miroku lead the way. He hung back with Kagome, walking slower than he usually did. He knew if he moved too much that he'd end up making his wound worse, and then it would probably bleed through the bandage.
Kagome walked silently beside the hanyou. She watched him out of the corner of her eye to make sure he was okay.
The rest of the way to the village was silent and peaceful. Not one of them said a word, except Miroku and Sango, whom Kagome could've swore she heard whispering to each other.
"InuYasha, you should go to Kaede and rest. All this walking couldn't have helped that cut." Kagome said. She knew it irritated him when she talked of his battle wounds, but she only was looking out for him and didn't want him to get worse.
"Fine, I'll go to the old hag." He replied, and headed to Kaede's hut.
"Oh, I'm tired." Kagome yawned as she crawled out of the well. The sun had just risen and it was so far a bright day. 'I wonder how Kagura is.' She thought and walked towards her house. 'I'm going to be so tired in school today.' She felt like there was a brick in her head, giving her a headache.
"Good morning Kagome." Her mother greeted her daughter at the door with a warm smile.
"Morning." Kagome replied lifelessly.
"Kagome, are you hurt?" Her mother asked, looking at all the blood on her daughter's uniform.
Kagome looked down at herself. "Oh no. InuYasha had a big fight with someone." She explained, heading towards her room.
"Is he okay?" Her mother asked before her daughter disappeared up the stairs.
"Yes, he is now." She replied and began to walk up the stairs towards her room. Luckily she had three uniforms and could just change into a clean one. It had cost her quite a bit, but she had bought two more uniforms when she started going to the feudal era a lot at the age of fifteen. Having more than one, made it so much easier for her. She got to her room and slowly opened the door. She looked over at Kagura and swore that if looks could kill, she would've fallen dead right then. Kagura was sitting on Kagome's bed with her head hung, and fists down on the bed like an ape would walk. Her face seemed to show anger, annoyance, impatience, and determination.
Bankotsu looked over at the miko, a spark of hope flooding his emotions. He had hoped she would return soon, so that he could get another chance at going back through the well. He knew the well was the way back home, it had to be, InuYasha and Kagome made it so obvious.
"Morning Kagura." She said politely, and headed for her dresser to get a clean uniform.
Bankotsu didn't greet her back; he just intensely stared at her as she crossed the room. He couldn't help but notice the blood stain on the front of her uniform and was very curious to know whose blood it is. It obviously wasn't her, since she shows no signs of pain.
Kagome could see the girl staring at her and started to feel creeped out. 'Awkward.' She thought, suddenly wanting to get her uniform and quickly leave.
"What's all the blood from?" He asked before she left.
"Oh, it was just one of my friends. He got in a fight with his enemy. The blood got on me because I helped bandage his wound up." She explained, smiling as if to tell the girl 'its nothing.'
Bankotsu tried his hardest not to smirk. Inside he grinned and chuckled, knowing her male friend must've been InuYasha. As far as he knew, her only other male friend was that monk, and the monk seemed a lot less violent than InuYasha. "Umm...is he alright?" He asked, trying to sound as if he cared.
"He is now. He jus needs to rest and take it easy." She replied, hoping that the hanyou was at Kaede's resting and not bruting because she was gone.
Bankotsu couldn't help but wonder who InuYasha had fought. He wanted to know who wounded him. "What's his enemy's name?" He asked out of curiosity.
Kagome looked at her, wondering why she had such an interest in her friend's life. She wasn't sure if she should tell her his name, but knew it wasn't like she knew Jakotsu or anything about the feudal era. "He fought a guy named Jakotsu." She replied.
Bankotsu's heart skipped a beat. 'Dammit Jakotsu! You shouldn't fight InuYasha while I'm not there! What if something happened to you?' He talked to himself inwardly. He suddenly feared that his brother might be hurt badly. If he couldn't defeat InuYasha himself, then Jakotsu certainly couldn't. 'At least I know Jakotsu got InuYasha good.' He thought, trying to see a positive side in it. Lifting his head he noticed Kagome was staring at him and quickly thought of something to say that would hide his interest. "Jakotsu huh? That's a different name." He said. 'That was a lame recovery.' He thought.
"Yeah, kinda." Kagome said. "Well, I have to change for school, and so do you. I'm going to use the washroom and then you can after me if you need to okay." She said with a smile and then left the room.
"School. I don't want to go back to that school thing." He said, looking around the room. 'What am I suppose to get changed in?' He wondered, he didn't want to wear another girly uniform thing again.
Within moments his thoughts went back to Jakotsu. He hoped that his brother was alright. 'Why would he even pick a fight with InuYasha when I'm gone?' He wondered. The only time Jakotsu would see InuYasha was when he accidentally ran into him or if he was following Bankotsu. And even then, he would usually just go on about how handsome the hanyou is. 'In order for Jakotsu to fight with InuYasha like that, he'd have to have a good reason.' Bankotsu wished that he could get to go back and see his brother, but he had a feeling that it would be awhile before he gets to go back, unless he did something about it.
"You're still not changed?" Kagome said as she walked back into the room. "You don't want to be late for school." She said, wishing that Kagura would get ready. She just seemed to be there thinking, but not moving.
"Is the bathroom free." Bankotsu asked.
"Yes."
With that, he got off the bed and headed down the stairs.
'What's wrong with this girl?' Kagome wondered.
Bankotsu turned off to the room where they cleaned clothes, and found his clothes clean and hanging from a line. He pulled them down and then went into the bathroom to change into them. 'This is much better." He said to himself. He felt much better in his own baggy clothes than in those tight, skin showing girl's clothes. After washing up, he went back up to Kagome's room and found her packing books into her yellow pack.
"That's not the school uniform." She said, getting irritated that she wouldn't just get ready for school.
"I'm not going to school." He said almost demandingly.
"Why not!" She asked, suddenly not seeing the girl as a sweet, lost soul anymore. She was pretty outspoken for someone that has been without a home.
"Because I don't need to or want to." He replied, crossing his arms.
"But, everyone needs to go to school." Kagome said, trying not to raise her voice from frustration.
"Take me to the well." He ordered. He wasn't fooling around anymore, and he didn't care what she thought of him, or if she found out he was Bankotsu. He just wanted to go back to where he came from.
"What?" She asked, surprised by her demand. Now she was royally confused. 'Why does she want to go to the well so bad? She's pretty much demanding me to take her.'
"You heard me. Take me to the well." He said with a threatening voice.
Kagome stared at her and then decided it was best to obey her. At the moment she looked pretty savage, and Kagome didn't want to get on her bad side. Maybe it was best she found out why Kagura wants to go to the well anyway. "Follow me then." She said coldly and left the room.
Bankotsu smirked and followed the girl down the stairs and out the doors. 'Yes, now I can go back to my brothers. I don't know how they are going to take it though when I try and tell them that my body is a girl.' He thought.
"Here it is." She said, standing by the well and looking at Kagura.
"I want to go through it. How can I get through it?" He asked, looking down into the dark well.
"Through it? You can't go through a well." She lied.
Bankotsu walked over to her and then grabbed her by the shirt. "Don't play dumb with me. I know you and InuYasha go through it, and I know it goes to my world." He said, raising his voice to scare her.
'Who is this girl?' Kagome wondered. 'I guess I have to tell her. She knows what the well does.' "I get through by the jewel shards." She said, holding the pieces that hung on a necklace around her neck.
"But I had a jewel shard...three actually." He said, putting Kagome down and feeling the side of his neck. "They are still there. Are you lying to me!" He asked. "Last time I jumped in the well, it didn't let me through." He said, slightly confused now.
"No, I'm not lying to you. Sometimes if the well doesn't want to let someone through, they just won't get through. Maybe you're meant to stay in this era." She tried explaining, but her thoughts were wondering as to why she had jewel shards.
"No, I'm not. I want you to get me through." He said, suddenly panicking that he might be stuck in this world forever.
"Well, just hold on to me then." She said, getting ready to jump in.
"No problem, any lady that asks me to hold them, I'll sure hold." He said, smirking and putting an arm around Kagome.
"Ewe, um Kagura, are you...?" Kagome asked. She felt gross now thinking that she might have a lesbian hanging off of her.
Bankotsu took a moment to realize what he just said. She didn't know he was Bankotsu. "What? No! Let's just jump in the well okay!" He said, embarrassed at what he said.
"Alright, here it goes." She said and they both jumped into the darkness until the bright blue light would surround them and take them to the past.
AN: Yay, I finished the chapter! Hope you guys liked it. There wasn't as many reviews for the last chapter...so make me feel a little better please and let me know what you guys are thinking. Anyway, I hope that the next update will be posted soon.