A/N: sorry about the long wait, i was having i small case of writer's block, but it appears that i have overcome it, and i will go on with the show. im also sorry if it is too short.
Disclaimer: I know, I know, I don't own the show, but it doesn't hurt to hope?
The Heart of A Miko And The Halberd Of A Mercenary
Ch. 1: Chaste
There was something about the scenery in Japan that seemed to clam the fires within a raging soul, its wavy-like pastures and the rich, thick smell of flowers, one could almost say it was perfect.
Almost.
"Dance Of The Dragon!" The yell pierced through the once serene area, along with the equally deafening torrents that had been summoned.
Hmmm... better not take any chances. He dodges the ensuing chaos to right, pleased at sighting the new clear shot at his objective.
Kagura had never expected him to move so swiftly, especially when against her strongest attack, and surprisingly enough, never saw him heading toward he. It wasn't until after he had begun his charge towards her that she noticed. "What! He avoided it!"
As the blurred figure of Bankotsu drew closer, his raven-haired companion lifted her bow and arrow, aiming precisely at where she believed the heart is at the center of the demon sorceress' chest.
"Ready, Kagome?" he yelled at her.
"Whenever you are!" she replied calmly as she kept her aim steady on Kagura.
The wind mistress looked on in fear as she saw him coming up on her, too fast for her to dodge. What am I going to do!
Almost there... he thought as he homed in with admirable speed. "Now, Kagome!" he said as he started bringing down the halberd upon her.
Kagome simultaneously let go of the arrow, letting the tension propell it forward to the target's center. C'mon, hit 'er... she begged as she waited for the arrow to land.As a surprising note, her skills at archery have not improved much in the last six months she's spent with the merc.
Six months of collecting jewel shards, defeating enemies. SIx months of learning to strust and care for one another. Six months of this new bond.
At the most, to say, it is a rather... akward... bond...
The arrow flew through the air, on an exact path towards the witch as the hallerd was, but before either could reach the intended opponent, a flock of what was obviously Naraku's demons threw themselves in front of Kagura.
"What!" asked a confused Kagome as the halberd and the arrow collided with the demons. The resulting explosion was almost that of a miniature, miniature Second Impact. whoa, didn't expect such a forward Eva reference, didya? O.O The light engulfed and blinded everyone and everything that was in the current vacinity.
"Ahh!" he yelled as he felt the halberd give leeway to the oncoming pain, as he was sent head over heels across the field of grass, landing mere feet from where Kagome stands. He lays there in a disorganized heap, but, miracualously, never let go of his priceless halberd.
"Bankotsu!" she yelled in her utmost concern, "Are you alright?"
She knelt down next to him, carressing his cheek until he finally opened his eyes once more.
He looked around, noticing something was missing. "Where's Kagura?"
Their atention suddenly switshed to where Kagura once stood. Instantly noticing she had abandoned her spot, they both looked skyward as she flew off into the distance on her feather.
"Damnit!" he yelled as he got onto both feet, "She got away again!"
"And we were so close..." added the now slightly discouraged Kagome.
He took no heed of her and kept on with his rambling. "Now what! She escaped and now we have no way to get to Naraku, again!" he pointed an accusing finger at her, "It's all your fault!"
Her disapointment disapated when those words reached her, and it turned into a sudden anger.
She turned to face him, her face red with frustration, "And how did you get to that end!"
He kept his gaze locked on her, a flame flickering within his eyes. "Because!" he yelled, trying to think of a way to finish the sentence, all the while holding his finger fast to her. "Because, it just is!" he exclaimed as he turned away, an attempt not to face her.
Kagome, now, was starting to fume like a boiler. "I swear, you are worse than my little brother!" she yelled through gritted teeth.
He turns around to face her, with, not a look of anger or defiance on his face, but one of wonder and bewilderment, one which totally baffled Kagome.
The anger he held seemed to lessen, but in her voice was still evident. "What's with you now!"
He kept the locked stare at her as he holstered the halberd upon his shoulder. "It's just, you never told me about your brother."
Kagome eyed him questioningly, until she saw the honest sincerity in his gaze. Her anger slowly died down, as her face returned to its normal, soft look.
She stared at him, further studying him. "I haven't?" she aske dumbfoundedly, to his surprise.
He turned back to face her once more. "No, not really, you said you didn't really like talking about them..."
Oh, that's right... she thought to herself, I never did feel like telling him before...
When he first asked, she had hardly gotten the chance to know him, so, naturally, she denied him the opurtunity to let him know her. But, even now, it seems a little akward telling him. After all, he is the one who's kept her from the family for six months and still counting.
"Well," she began, making up her mind, deciding it was alright that he know now, "My brother is younger than me, he's alright, but he can be annoying sometimes, like he always ties to butt into my personal life, and h's always saying I loved InuYasha--"
Before he could let her continue in her babble, Bankotsu began laughing, almost maniacly, at her last statement. "Ha! How ludacris!"
Kagome stared at him, wide-eyed. What's so funny? she thought, He's almost on the verge of tears!
She held in her anger for what seemed to her an eternity, until his laughter became too unbearable. "What's so funny!"
Bankotsu made a few futile attempts to calm down before his laughter began to subside slightly. "It's just... you... and that mutt... together!" He overemphasized those words in a comical voice, making it sound almost like a retort, and just as quickly burts into more laughter.
Oh... so that's what this is... Kagome thought to herself as she felt even more anger build up inside of her. "And! What if I did love him!"
Bankotsu went dead as a fallen leaf at the last remark. Kagome felt a sudden knot of fear build up inside her gut, making her wish she could take back those words. He turned from her direction and began to walk away in silence, with an emotionless expression upon his face.
"Hey!" she yelled in protest, "Where--"
"I'm going back to the castle, do whatever you want," he replied in a low cold voice, the sheer amount of venom within his words were enough to send chills up and down Kagome's spine.
She turned around to grab her bow and arrows from their lodge on the useless stub of an old tree. "Was it something I said?..."
..:later:..
A darkness began to linger over the labyrinth-like castle that Kagome had grown so fond of. Although she had been here for quite a while, it seemed that the endless hallways and corridors always got the better of her.
"This is ridiculous," she managed to insult herself, "Six months, and I still get lost on my way to my room..."
She continued her futile attempt to navigate through the boundless and dead hallways, until she rounded a corner and ran into a rather rigid surface, fumbling with her balance until she finally landed on the floor.
"Oww..." she proclaimed as she landed with a loud thud.
As she looked up from her spot atop the floor, she noticed an outstretched hand in front of her, looking up further to meet with the eyes of Bankotsu.
"Need a hand?"
She looked at it wearily, but after a moment's revision, took it. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," he said as he pulled her up.
What's he doing here? she asked herself, It's the first time I've seen him since earlier, when Kagura escaped.
"Whatcha up to?" she asked him casually.
Before she could react he turned and went off in the other direction, not even bothering to answer her question.
"Hey!" she yelled as she stormed after him, "Get back here!"
He continues his silent walk , not noticing (or simply not caring) about the woman on his heels. He keeps walking for a few moments before the silly pursuit begind to annoy him. What can I possibly do to lose her in the easiest way? he asks himself, contemplating it while he picks up the pace.
Why is he deliberately trying to avoid me? she asks herself, outraged that he could not simply answer her question, only add more speed to the chase.
Hmm... right about... now. He turns the corner sharply, nearly colliding with the outstretched trim of the wall, and before Kagome can follow suit, he quickly breaks into a run.
"What the hell! Get back here!" she yells as she quickly ups her tempo as well.
He rounds another corner, this one with a set of doors. Before he runs any further, he takes the doors and close them together, a barricade in Kagome's way.
Kagome, her mind now racing, ponders over a different route. That bastard! I'll jjust use this hallway and cut him off, she mentally tells herself as she runs down a different hallway.
Bankotsu rounds two more corners, keeping steady with his fast pace. "Maybe I lost her already," he tells himself.
He makes a turn into the hallway at his side, trying to make the route towards him even harder, but instead meets up with a dead end.
"Damn, I'll just take this hallway here--" btu before he can let out the final syllable of his statement, Kagome dashes through the very escape route that he had hoped to use as his only means of escape. With her now in the way, he was blocked, with no exits whatsoever.
Damn this unholy wench... he mentally cursed her.
"Now, tell me why you're purposely avoiding me!" she demands in her utmost serious tone as she steps closer to him.
"I want some alone time, or is that a problem to you!" he spits back angrily as he takes a small step back, his back now firmly against the wall.
"Well you could've told me instead of running off on me like that!" she barked annoyedly.
"You don't have to know everything i do," he responds to her with a hint of frosty bitterness in his voice, "I have privacy, if you didn't know!"
"I know, but, I thought, I mean, that I could trust yu to tell me these kinds of things..." she says almost in whisper, not really wanting to reveal the true meaning behind her actions.
The statement, nonetheless, took Bankotsu aback. Did I just hear her say she trusted me? he asked himself dumbfoundedly.
She stared at his face for a while, until she noticed a bit of... confusion in his eyes? "Is something wrong?"
He forcibly shook off the thought before proceeding to answer her question. "It's nothing, just, leave me alone for a while..." he spoke to her in a commanding, yet soft way.
Kagome stayed silent for a few moments, questioning herself after his last statement. Doesn't he trust me? I thought he did, I really thought he did... She turned around to leave him to himself, but he seemed to notice what she had obviously been trying to hide from him. A small, glistening tear dropped to the ground and spread.
A tear... he thought as he looked at the spreadout tear, Did I cause her pain?
Before he could ask her anything, she broke into a run and turned down the next hallway, without stopping. An overwhelming pain struck him as soon as the dragging sounds of her sobs reached him, from all the way down the corridor.
Damn her... he silently pouted to himself, Why? Why does she have to make me feel so bad and horrible inside?
He walks in the opposite direction of her sobs, the sound so innocent, it hurt his ears to hear what he had caused.
He walks up to the Baryuu that stands on it's side in the hall and takes it from its place, putting it upon his shoulder, as it has been for so long.
"I'll make it up to her later, maybe that will cease this overwhelming feeling of unbearable guilt," he says to himself as a reminder as he walked outside.
"Maybe..." He looks up at the blue, cloud-filled sky. How beautiul... he wanders off into deep thought, concerning the woman he has grown so accustomed to having around, and most importantly, the one watchin him from the very window of the castle...
..:End Chapter:..