BadBoysMistress- hehe, I'm glad you like the story!
I'm-a-loser-and-proud-of-it- haha, I love your name.
Kogas ice kitten- thanks, lol I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well!
Gizmo369- lol, I know I wouldn't want to be hit by Bankotsu.
blueeyedchibi- thank you so much! The plot and idea of this story goes to you!
Lonely Athrun Zala- thank you so much!
Skitzoflame- I always love to see your review!
AN: Hope you all like this chapter! Sorry the update took so long. Now, here is some Bankotsu charm!
Chapter 7- A Promise to Keep
"I'm dead? I don't feel dead." Bankotsu said, looking down at himself humorously.
"Kagome, run for it!" InuYasha yelled. He could see the blood stain on Kagome's shirt and wanted her to get away from Bankotsu. "What did you do to her?" He shouted, baring his fangs.
"Me? Well, me and Kagome here were just getting to know each other." He said, grabbing hold of Kagome's waist before she could get away. He grinned at the irate hanyou.
Kagome winced as the side of her hit Bankotsu. 'I need to get that rock out.' She thought, moving her hand towards her bleeding side.
"Oh, did you need help with that Kagome?" Bankotsu said friendly and looked own at where the rock was lodged.
"Don't touch her! Let her go!" InuYasha shouted. He would have sent a deadly blow at the human already if it weren't for Kagome being in Bankotsu's hold. "She has nothing to do with this! This is between me and you!"
"Don't touch it! I can get it out myself!" Kagome hollered, trying to pull away from his hand.
Bankotsu reached his hand towards her and yanked the rock out of her side. "Oh, but I think Kagome has a lot to do with this." He said, smirking at InuYasha. He held the bloodied rock up in his hand for the hanyou to see. "You kill me, you kill this pretty little thing." He said, holding Kagome out in front of him.
"You bastard! And you were suppose to be dead!" InuYasha said angrily. Now he regretted believing what that newspaper had said. He should've known that Bankotsu couldn't be killed that easily.
Kagome closed her eyes and tears flowed down her face from the pain that shot up her side. Fortunately, the pain lessened after he had pulled out the rock.
"InuYasha, what are you going to do? Stand there staring at me and let Kagome bleed to death?" Bankotsu said maliciously. He dropped the rock beside him.
InuYasha growled. He didn't know what to do. It killed him inside to see Kagome in such pain. He knew Bankotsu was right, if Kagome didn't get something to stop the bleeding soon, then...he didn't want to think about it. He could see the blood flowing down her leg. "What do you want me to do for you to let Kagome go?" He growled deeply.
Bankotsu lifted his eyes like he was thinking. "I want you to tell me where Jakotsu is." He replied. Just thinking that his brother could be hurt made a depressing feeling sweep over him.
"Um, I don't know." InuYasha said. He didn't want to tell Bankotsu that he killed Jakotsu when Kagome was in his grasp.
"Don't play coy with me! You know where he is!" Bankotsu shouted. "Tell me now or I'll kill her!"
'You'll probably kill her even if I tell you.' InuYasha thought. He looked into Kagome's watery brown eyes and decided it would be best to tell Bankotsu the truth before he hurts her more. "I killed your damn brother! He isn't anywhere!" He hollered.
Bankotsu felt his heart stop for a moment, but quickly felt the deepest hatred for InuYasha.
Kagome looked up at Bankotsu and was surprised to see shining tears holding onto the rim of his eyelids. 'So, he's not just a heartless killer. He does have feelings.' She thought, noticing the sudden heartbroken look on his face. Even his hold on her loosened, but for some reason she didn't run.
"InuYasha, I swear on my own life that I will get revenge for my brother's death." He said coldly. He inwardly made a promise to himself, that he wouldn't break. He would've killed InuYasha right then if he had more than just his own hands. 'I wish I had my Banryuu.' He thought.
InuYasha almost flinched from the coldness in Bankotsu's voice. He sounded so serious that InuYasha almost believed that Bankotsu would kill him. "Fine, you can try and kill me after you give Kagome back." He said, wishing Kagome was safe in his arms.
"You took something away that was very dear to me. Now, you can see what it feels like." He said and picked Kagome up. He could feel the blood from her wound get all over his hand. If he was going to let the girl live then he would have to stop the bleeding fast.
Kagome had no will to fight Bankotsu. She felt extremely light headed and dizzy. 'He used the word 'dear?'' She thought and her eyes began to blur. Just before she blacked out, she felt two strong arms lift her up off the ground.
"Hey, you can't take her!" InuYasha shouted. 'No, Kagome!'
Bankotsu turned his back on InuYasha and began to walk towards the forest. "Remember, if you try anything, you'll hurt her also." He said and disappeared into the thick woods.
InuYasha stood staring in the direction that Bankotsu had disappeared. "No, how could I let this happen?" He asked himself. 'I couldn't save her, just like I didn't save Kikyou from Naraku fifty years ago.' He thought despairingly. "Kagome!"
Bankotsu heard InuYasha's painful cry from far behind him. Usually he would've smirked at the hanyou's pain, but he could only think of Jakotsu. 'Jakotsu, I'm so sorry that I wasn't there.' He said inwardly. He hoped that Jakotsu's death had been quick and painless, but he doubted it. No battle with InuYasha would be quick and painless.
'Now, what should I do with her?' He wondered, looking down at the limp girl in his arms. 'She's going to bleed to death if I don't get something to stop it.' He thought and found a small clearing where he could set her down. The blood was all over her skirt and top. 'That was a pretty big rock.'
He glanced around to see if someone was there and then ripped a strip of Kagome's shirt off. She would probably hit him when she wakes since the strip he ripped off made it so her stomach showed, but that didn't really matter right now. "Look, you got your blood all over my clothes." He said to the lifeless form below him. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're just lying there." He said more to himself than to Kagome.
Stretching the piece of clothing, he arched her mid section up and wrapped it around her wound. "This should help." He said and stared down at the girl. 'Why am I saving her? Just moments ago I almost killed her. I know! I'm going to keep her alive so that I can torture InuYasha! InuYasha will know she is with me, and that will drive him crazy.' He thought. 'And one day when I get my Banryuu back, I'll get my revenge.'
"Kagome. Kagome!" Bankotsu hollered while he shook her. "Wake up! I don't want to have to carry you around all day." He said, shaking her again. He watched as her eyes slowly opened.
"Ahh!" Kagome screamed as soon as she seen who was holding her. She kicked her feet and quickly moved away from him. "Where is InuYasha?" She asked, looking all around. 'I'm in a forest?'
"Ha, that coward couldn't even save you. He's probably run off crying." Bankotsu replied with a smirk.
"What did you do to him?" She asked furiously.
"Nothing." He replied truthfully. "Get up, we have to get moving." He ordered.
"I'm not going anywhere with you! Why am I with you anyway?" She hollered and rose to her feet. "Ah! And why is my shirt a lot shorter?" She said, instantly covering the part of her stomach that showed.
"You're with me simply because I kept you. If it wasn't for your shirt, then you would be dead right now." He answered matter of factly. He almost laughed at the way she tried to cover a part of her stomach.
Kagome glanced down at her stomach and noticed that she had a tight band tied around her, and on the one side she could see where the blood from her wound was. 'I guess he's right, but he couldn't even use his own clothes to rip?'
"Come on, you're slowing me down." The impatient assassin said, motioning for her to follow him.
'Hm, where does that sound familiar?' She thought, remembering all the times that InuYasha said that. 'Maybe I should thank him for saving me. No, he's a violent, no-good killer! I shouldn't apologize to him, he's the one that caused this wound!' She said inwardly, making herself angry with him. "Why would I want to follow you?" She asked, pointing her finger at him.
"Aren't you even thankful for me saving you?" He asked, looking back at her.
'It's almost as if he heard my thoughts.' "Why would I thank you! You're the one that caused my wounds!" She yelled, stomping up to him.
"Ah, correction, it was only one wound." He said in a know it all way. "And I did not cause it. It was simply where you let yourself fall, and the rock being there at the time that caused your wound." He said.
"What kind of reasoning is that?" Kagome said, clenching her fists and staring straight up into his face.
Bankotsu looked at her cute, angry face. She was a mere inch away from him and she was practically sticking her face in his. How could he not? Moving an inch forward he locked his lips with hers, and stole a kiss from her. 'She didn't even see it coming.' He thought as she quickly pulled away from him and looked shocked.
Kagome couldn't believe what he just did. For a moment she stood stunned, unknowing what to do next or say next. 'This guy is definitely different than InuYasha.' She thought. InuYasha never did anything sexual to her or even tried, but Bankotsu did it like it was nothing. Pulling herself together, she put her angry face back on. "Hey! Why did you do that?" She said, this time keeping her distance.
"What do you think I am? A monk? If you're standing that close to me, I can't help but kiss you." He said like it was completely normal and crossed his arms.
'Hmph, I happen to know a monk that is the most lecherous person I've ever met. But, I think you might have just showed me that there is worse than Miroku.' Kagome thought. "Just because I'm a woman!" She said. Forgetting instantly to stay away from him, she stomped up to him again.
"Exactly. See you're catching on fast." He said sarcastically. He could only laugh inwardly when he watched her madly stomp up to him again. 'Does she forget that easily?' He wondered.
"Are you saying that I'm an airhead!"
Bankotsu smirked and then leaned in again and stole a small kiss from her soft lips. "Not the term I was thinking, but sure whatever you take it as." He replied.
Kagome backed away again and downed herself for going near him again. What she couldn't understand was why she was getting this feeling in her body that told her to stay close to him. His lips had been so warm, and his face was so sadistic. "You can't keep doing that!"
"Then just don't get so close to me." He said like it was a common sense thing.
Kagome just looked at him. 'He's right. I'll have to make sure I just stay in my own space.' She thought.
"Do you get that close to InuYasha when you're angry with him?" Bankotsu asked her. He could tell she was still in thinking mode.
'Yeah, I do. And InuYasha never acted as if my closeness affected him. He would just yell back at me.' She thought. "Well, yeah." She answered shyly.
"And he didn't do anything?"
"Of course he did, he hollered back at me." She replied.
"What a boy. Unless, he does have feelings for you, and is just good at hiding them." He replied, smirking at her. "But, me I just can't help myself if a pretty woman is around. But, afterwards I just usually have to kill the woman anyway." He said.
"What!" Kagome couldn't believe what he just said. 'He kills the woman that he kissed? He really is an assassin. I don't know if I want to follow him. Then again, what choice do I have? He doesn't seem like he'd hurt me right now.' She said, trying to come to a conclusion in her head.
"Well, Kagome, I am an assassin. A natural born killer." He said proudly. "Now come on, we've wasted enough time just standing here." He said, starting to walk.
'He's says that like he's proud of it. Wait, he is proud of it.' She thought and then started to follow behind him. 'And I can't believe he just kissed me. Twice!' Remembering why, she made sure she kept her distance behind him. "Where exactly are we supposed to be going?" She asked, looking all around. The forest looked slightly familiar to her.
"We're going to see Naraku."
AN: Well, sorry for the long wait guys, it's hard to get things updated quickly when you have a few stories on the go. Anyway I hope you liked this chapter!