The Heart Of A Miko and The Halberd Of A Mercenary

Ch. 2: Humorous Awakenings and Unexpected Visits

Halls. More halls. Halls with curtains and halls with paintings. It was a never ending castle of them. No noise could be detected from within the inner-lays of the structure, adding to the intimidation. Whoever said silence was golden obviously didn't understand the full extent of its meaning. A strong breeze came and went throughout the endless hall, bringing the curtains to reveal a large, cavern-like room.

"I'm starting to think that I'm picking up her stupidity," retorts Bankotsu, as he walks into his room, "I nearly got lost this time."

He sets down the Banryuu next to the wall, but double takes, glancing once more at the wall.

"I could've sworn the walls weren't green…"

Must've been my imagination, he thought as he slowly walked over to the bed in the room.

"All that exercise really wore me out," he says as he draws off his shirt and tosses it next to his halberd, "I really need some rest."

He laid down on the bed. "Yea, a good night's sleep is all I need…" Before he knew it, he had shut his eyes and gone to sleep, failing to notice the slight profile of another person on the sheets….

Daylight broke through the windows of the gargantuan, maze-like castle. Sleep was still evident deep in his eyes, and needed the first fleeting moments of sitting up to readjust to the bright light filtering through the screens.

He yawned loudly, lifting his arms in a big, wide stretch, holding them there for a few seconds. Finally resting back down on the bed, he set them against something next to him, making it wriggle under his touch.

"What the hell?" he said as he fully opened his to take a good look at what it was exactly he had touched.

Kagome stirred slightly, still leaning next to Bankotsu. She slowly opened her eyes as Bankotsu did, stretching her arms wide. She looked up from his chest and saw those two round eyes looking straight back at her.

Oh, it's Kagome, he said as he tried to surrender to sleep once more.

It's just Bankotsu… she said as she let her head fall once more to his chest.

After what seemed an eternity of lying there in a lazy stupor, the past events finally soaked in on them, breaking the hold of sleep on them. They both sat up in unison and yelled at each other.

"What are you doing in my bed!"

Kagome glared at him, her same old fire, evident as ever, in her eyes. "Well, you're the pervert who tried to come in and take advantage of me!"

"Look who's talking!" he shot back at her, "You were the one lying on top of me!"

Kagome's face blushed a deep root red at this remark, realizing his point, and what exactly she had done. "It-it wasn't my fault! It was cold and I moved to the hottest thing next to me!"

Bankotsu smirked at her. "So, after all this time, you finally admit that you think I'm the hottest thing. Took you long enough…" he laughed to himself. She set herself up on that one…

Kagome blushed even more. "Th-that's not what I was saying!" Great, she thought, He's making me look like a fool…

"Is that so? Then why are you blushing so deeply?" he remarked.

"Stop it!" she yelled at him, "You're only making it worse!" Boy, I'm gonna slap him if he doesn't stop…

"Well, that's the point of doing this, isn't it?" he continued laughing at her. This is so priceless…

She moved in towards him, closing the gap between them, and reached out to slap him across the face, but, once again, she was not quick enough. He grabbed her by the wrist before she was bale to reach his face, but he caught her off-balance, falling backwards again on the bed, her landing on him.

Realizing the position they were in, she blushed even more than she had before, and tried desperately to pick herself up from his bare skin. Before she got far, she was pulled down unto his chest once more, but he held her this time.

"It's okay, you can stay like that for a while," he said to her, his tone changing from a deep and harsh one to a reassuring whisper, "I don't mind."

She looked at him, his eyes now glancing skywards at the painted ceiling. "O-okay…" she said as she laid her head down once more.

Hmm… she thought to herself, I guess this is… alright…

Before either knew it, their eyes had silently closed shut, and they both fell asleep once more…

Through the raylit panes of a nearby window, the sun's light shone through the room from the top of the skies. Mid-day had come.

She, for the second time that day, opened her eyes slowly, letting the sunlight's rays shine unto them, fully awakening her. She felt around, and found much to her dismay that Bankotsu had already awakened and left the bed.

"Well, I guess it's time that I wake up as well."

She walks over to where her regular school clothes are, and steadily picks them up and walks into the side-room next to the room, where she proceeded to change into them. She walks out, in all her perky, green glory, and taking one more look at the room, walks off to find the merc.

"I wonder he could be doing right now…" she pondered, recalling the events from earlier in the morning. Almost as if he actually wanted me there with him… she thinks to herself.

She lost her train of thought as she suddenly came up to and bumped into Bankotsu's back. She juggled her balance before she gains complete control once more, and rubs her forehead where she had hit him. But, before she could say anything, he puts his hand to her lips.

"Don't move, there's something else in this hall besides us."

Kagome's heart nearly skips a beat. Something else?...she thought, frightened. "Are you sure?" she asked, "This is the worst place to have to face something else."

Bankotsu takes in what she says. She's right, he thought, A mazelike castle like this only makes it harder on me…

He makes a quick double take, making sure nothing is coming from the side corridors, then slowly starts making his way forward to the end of the hall. Kagome starts coming up from behind, her bow and arrow now secure.

He comes up to the end, lined up on the right, with his back on the wall. Glancing over to the left, he sees nothing. Then he's gonna be on this side, he thought. He turns the corner sharply, bringing his Banryuu in front, his feet planted firmly on this new stance.

"I knew it." he said.

In front of him he saw his adversary, the one he had seen earlier. It was a man of a pretty tall stature, his face hidden under the hood of his cloak. His hair dropped in front of his face with streams of jet black strands. He stands, not moving an inch.

Bankotsu growls at him. "What are you doing here!"

The man lifted his neck, a smirk now visible through his overgrown hair.

"Me?" he said, containing the smirk behind the hood, "I'm here finishing some unfinished business…"

That voice… Bankotsu looked closer, Can it be who I think it is? He inched his way closer, the anticipation of unmasking this familiar stranger overtaking him. He came closer, and closer, and noticed that the man had not bothered moving at all. That's it, he thought, He's dead. In one leap of might, he pounced at the man, his halberd leading the attack.

The mysterious figure watched this happened, and with the keen agility of a leopard, leaps out of the way of the halberd's head. Unfortunately, the halberd caught hold of his cloak, drawing it off of him.

"Heh, thanks for saving me the trouble of searching for you." Bankotsu smirked.

"I'm not always as cold-hearted as I seem," replied Naraku, now fully erect.

Kagome suddenly bursts through the hall in a frenzy, bow and arrow taking aim at her long awaited target.

"Naraku!"

"Ah," he replied, smirk wider than before, "You have yourself a tramp now, do you?"

"You should watch who you run your mouth off to, cowardly bastard," Bankotsu answered harshly.

Naraku makes no move at the threat, but in an instant s holing with laughter, the smirk suddenly turning into one huge grin.

"You look just as pathetic and worthless as the mutt InuYasha did when he was with that girl—"

"Leave her out of this!" Bankotsu yelled in rage, his temper on edge by now, "You worthless son of a bitch!"

"—And you're just as desperately protective. You make a very cute couple," remarked Naraku, his laugh now the only thing in the hall.

Bankotsu was going mad with anger. Worthless son of a bitch! he kept repeating in his mind. So, in his fit, he did the only thing his mind told him to do: Kill.He shifted his halberd into a spear-like stance , and males a running dive at him, Banryuu aimed directly at his heart.

"Die, bastard!" he yells in anger.

He chuckles. "You think I'm that easy?" he remarks as he uses his right hand as a shield, and fends off the halberd.

Bankotsu jumps back and uses the extra push to propel himself back next to Kagome.

"No, on the contrary, I actually think I'm gonna enjoy this challenge." He replied with the grin that had been faced at them since the beginning.

Kagome came up behind him, her mouth up to him. "Like we always do?" she whispered the question into his ear.

"Exactly," replied Bankotsu, unholstering his Banryuu from his shoulder, and repositioning the halberd to point at Naraku.

"This is it, Naraku, it ends now!" he yelled in defiance, and took off, flying through the hall to the end, where his adversary and target were awaiting their demise. He brings himself to a crouch, and launches himself straight at him. He brings the Banryuu up over his head, and swings over to land in his gut, but the shot was parried by his arm once more.

"Ha!" Naraku laughed in amusement, "You really need to try better…"

Though he had parried his blow, Bankotsu held Naraku at a deadlock, his halberd against the demon lord's armored arm.

Bankotsu held at him, both pouring in all they have, until, all of a sudden, Bankotsu started laughing, the grin once more plastered atop of his face.

Naraku wiped his look of confidence and stared angrily at him. "What the hell's so funny!"

"Now!" he yelled as he brought off the Banryuu and dove for the deck of the floor, Kagome still in position behind him. However, what Naraku had not noticed was the fact that she was the one intended to make the kill.

"What!"

Kagome let go of her arrow, flying gracefully and quickly though the air at its target, as Naraku stumbled forward from the complete inbalance he had.

"No!"

The arrow flew straight into his heart, tearing apart his cloak, leaving him there. Then, all at once, he fell to the floor, reverted to nothing more than a pile of misty ash.

Kagome looked at her triumph and cheered. "Yes! We did it!"

"No we didn't" replied Bankotsu gloomily, staring miserably at the pile of ashes on the ground. Within them could be seen the familiar wooden doll, now torn in half.

Kagome walked up to him, them stared at the doll in the pile of ashes. She watched as he shouldered hs halberd and slowly walk off.

"It was only a doll…"

She stared down at the pile of ashes in complete and utter disbelief. It was so real…

End Chapter

AN: so, what did you think? I'd like some comments, if that aint asking too much. So, until next time, Cyaz.