Akiko stared back at them for a minute. "What's wrong?" she asked when no one said anything.
"Don't act like you don't know!" Jakotsu yelled at her.
Suikotsu picked up a folded piece of paper and shoved it into her hands. "Here, this is for you."
Akiko opened it up and read what was written on it:
Akiko,
I would like to know when you are going to kill the Shichinintai. You told me it would not take very long. I trust you are still going to do it. After all, you really seemed like you wanted the eternal life I offered you for when you do it. Get it done quickly.
-Naraku
After reading it she looked up to them again. "You don't really believe this do you? I don't even know Naraku."
Her question was answered by the malevolent glares she was getting by everyone. Even Kageyu.
"Akiko, you've been working for Naraku the entire time?" Bankotsu asked.
"No! I told you, I don't even know this Naraku!"
"I knew we should have never trusted that deceitful bitch," Renkotsu said to Bankotsu in an 'I-told-you-so' way.
"And for your betrayal, you will die!" Jakotsu said as he pulled out Jakotsutou.
Bankotsu stopped him before he could swing is snake-like sword at her. "Wait. Maybe she's telling the truth."
"What?" Everyone else but Akiko yelled.
"I said maybe. For now, Akiko, leave and if Naraku doesn't kill you because you couldn't finish us off, then you can come back."
"But, Bankotsu, I AM telling the truth. I gave you my word that I would not try and get revenge until I helped you finish Naraku off!" The moment she uttered that sentence, she regretted it. It made it sound as if she really was a traitor.
Bankotsu's usual kind look that he gave her was replaced by a cold, glare of hatred. She realized that he mostly didn't believe her. And from what she had heard by Master Kensei, Bankotsu highly valued loyalty. She sighed and turned to leave.
"Akiko, wait," she heard Kageyu say as he ran up to her and followed her out of the inn.
When they were a good distance from the inn, Akiko turned on Kageyu. "Thank you very much for not saying anything!"
"What? You mean when they were accusing you of joining forces with Naraku?"
She gave him an irritated look and said, "Yes, you knew I didn't do anything. How could you not believe me?"
"I'm sorry, Akiko. When they read that letter, I wasn't thinking. I guess I just jumped to conclusions…."
"You think?" she said in a sarcastic, still irate tone.
"I said I was sorry. And at the time I was a little upset that you never once mentioned to me what you were thinking about. Like how concerned you were with death."
"How did you know that?" she asked. She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach.
Kageyu froze in his tracks. "I… I woke up and saw that you were not in the room. After a while when you didn't return, I went out to find you. On the way, I ran into Renkotsu, Mukotsu, and Suikotsu. I think Jakotsu was still sleeping or something… But anyway, we heard what you said. And when that letter mentioned how Naraku promised you eternal life, it made me think that you just didn't tell me or something."
"So, what your saying is, that if you hadn't gone to look for me, no one would have known about the death thing, and I may have been able to explain to everyone that I am not helping Naraku?"
Kageyu did not say anything for a while. "Bankotsu would have known," he said eventually.
Akiko suddenly lost her temper. "How the fuck could you side with them? Even if I was helping Naraku, it would be to get revenge!"
Kageyu looked very taken aback. Without saying anything, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction he was walking with Akiko. She watched slowly walk away with his tail between his legs. Before he was completely out of sight, she could have sworn she heard a sad, muffled "sorry".
It had been hours since Kageyu left Akiko. As a stray cat from a nearby village walked by, she picked it up and examined its eyes. "About noon," she said quietly to herself.
Soon she reached an old abandoned temple. Akiko walked up the stone steps. There was a big hole that covered a few of them. It looked like there had once been a bunch of monks living there. She noticed that the main part of the temple was burned to the ground. In her mind, Akiko wondered if this might have been the work of the Shichinintai.
She sat down on what was left of the outside of the temple, which sat upon a hill. She began to regret what she said to Kageyu. After all, it wasn't necessarily his fault that Renkotsu, Suikotsu, and Mukotsu knew that she talked to Bankotsu. 'I should have never even gone to talk to Bankotsu. I should have just said something to Kageyu. Why did I yell at him? It wasn't his fault,' she kept thinking about how bad she felt until she noticed the sun starting to set.
Figuring she could find some village to stay in for the night, Akiko made her way back down the steps. She was watching the clear summer sky and did not take notice to the vine growing on the steps about half way down. Her foot got caught on it and before she had time to stop catch herself, she was tumbling down the steps. Akiko felt her head connect with the edge of a step. When she hit the bottom of the stone steps, her eyes began to go out of focus and everything went blurry. She tried to get up, but could not move. Akiko felt like she was getting dizzy, then all around her went completely black.
Akiko could not open her eyes. Her whole body felt numb. Off in the distance, she heard people talking. It sounded soft and faint. She could feel something wet beneath her. Struggling with all her might, she opened her eyes. The pain in her head caused them to shut again. She tried once more. This time she managed to keep them open, despite the pain. Her vision was still blurry though
She became more aware of her surroundings. Akiko was lying on some kind of bed. She couldn't see what she was laying on that was wet, but she had a pretty good idea of what it was. Trying her best to sit up, she leaned over onto her side and pushed herself up. She had been sleeping in a puddle of her own blood. Automatically, she reached a hand to the back of her head. There was some type of bandage wrapped around it.
"Oh, you have awakened, have you?" a male voice caughther attention as itdrifted across the small room she was in.
Akiko stared at the man. He had long white hair that came to about his mid-back, deep black eyes, and wore a long pure white kimono. He didn't look like he was very old, perhaps in his late 20s. Akiko figured he was much older though. She assumed he was some kind of demon.
"How are you feeling?" he asked with a sweet smile.
"My head really hurts." The pain that had seared through her head when she first woke up was getting worse by the second.
"I thought so. Here, drink this. It should numb some of the pain." The strange man handed her a cup with a sparkly, transparent blue liquid.
Akiko looked at it and then at him. She had never seen anything that looked like that before.
"It won't hurt you. It's something my species of demon uses. It works for humans too. Besides that it will help the pain, it also helps for recovery after healing."
Akiko sipped the liquid. It didn't taste bad. In fact, it was like drinking water. "What do you mean it helps after healing?"
"I'll explain it to you in a moment. First let me introduce myself. My name is Hishouhato. I am a Pure Demon."
"Pure Demon?"
"Yes, the Pure Demons were a race of demons who lived on Mt. Hakurei. Because they were born there, the barrier did not harm them. One day, something happened. An evil force came there and killed almost all of the Pure Demons. The only ones who survived are me, my wife, and our daughter. Oh, you must meet them!" Hishouhato left the room and returned only a short moment later.
Two demons who looked similar to him came in. One was a woman about the same age as him. She had brown hair even longer than Akiko's. Her eyes were a bright hazel color. She wore a kimono like Hishouhato, except hers was a light green. The other demon was a girl who looked to be about five. She had shoulder length red hair and big blue eyes. Her kimono was shorter than her parents and it was orange and yellow.
"This is Kakeruuma," Hishouhato said motioning toward his wife. "And this is Uzuniji," he put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"What is your name?" Kakeruuma asked. Her voice was soft and melodic like her husband's.
"Akiko."
Kakeruuma smiled as sweetly as Hishouhato did. "What were you doing so deep in the forest by yourself?"
Akiko merely shrugged. She wasn't in the mood to relive what had happened. Let alone tell the story to three complete strangers, who just happened to be demons.
"You don't have to tell us. But it is so good to see you awake. Now we can heal you."
"What does that mean?" she asked again.
"We have the power to heal people. Only they have to be awake or it doesn't work," Uzuniji said in a squeaky little voice.
All three of them sat down around her and held their hands out. A pinkish glow emitted from them and Akiko felt the pain her head leave instantly.
"All done!" Uzuniji giggled. "It really is a good thing we found you. You probably would have died from that injury."
"Thank you very much. But I am sorry to say I do not have anything to pay you with."
Kakeruuma closed her eyes and leaned back some as she said softly, "No need to pay us. In fact, how would you like it if we help you to earn the trust of the Shichinintai again"
"W-what? How did you know about that?"
"When we heal, we see the entire memories of that person," Hishouhato said.
"Oh, I see. …So, you know how to help me?"
MEANWHILE
Bankotsu sat alone thinking about what happened. 'Did Akiko really agree to help Naraku? She did want revenge, but would she actually betray us to do it? What am I thinking? She's a ninja. It's practically her job to do things like that. Besides, Naraku was promising her eternal life. It couldn't have been just a coincidence that she asked me about it. But still… Why do I feel so bad about it? She's the traitor. I shouldn't miss her like this.'
Bankotsu sighed, thinking of the previous night. How he felt so bad for her. 'Akiko, nothing happens when you die. You are gone forever and that's that. There is nothing after death.'
"Bankotsu no Oo-Aniki, you are not still worried about that damn wretch, are you? She betrayed us. Why don't you kill her?" Jakotsu asked innocently
Bankotsu sighed. "Jakotsu, I think she might have been telling the truth. What if Naraku found out that she was helping us and framed her so we'd kill her?"
Jakotsu frowned. "Aniki, you don't love her more than me do you?" Jakotsu asked in a melodramatic tone.
"No, no! I was just saying that- I mean she could be- What if-" He sighed again, but more deeply this time.
Jakotsu hid a smirk from Bankotsu. 'Could he really like her?' he wondered.
A/N: Hope you liked. I should have pt. 2 up by Saturday or Sunday.