Chapter Sixteen: The Death of Akiko and the Birth of Neikotsu

Akiko gathered a bunch of her weapons and prepared herself for their next battle. She wasn't all that worried for it was only a small job- some daimyou wanted to get their enemy's village out of the way. She was actually kind of looking forward to it. Ever since Chouyouma had been with her, she found herself having violent feelings.

She sighed deeply, changing out of kimono and putting on her black ninja outfit with the red trim. She really did look like an assassin of darkness.

"Are you ready yet?" she heard a vague, echo-like voice say.

Chouyouma was floating off the ground right behind her. "Yeah, I'm ready. You're coming with us?" She still wasn't particularly fond of their newest acquaintance.

He shook his head as he said in a distant sort of way, "No, I'm not big on violence. I'll just hang around somewhere until you're done."

"Whatever," she said when something occurred to her. "How long have you been there?"

He gave her a careless smile and shrugged. "I suppose ever since you started changing."

Although Akiko's hangover had pretty much passed, she still was a bit edgy. "Get out," she hissed in a soft, but sinister voice.

Still smiling, the pale, transparent, being floated through the door. After he left, Akiko decided to follow and go search for everyone else. She was frustrated and needed some way to work off the tension. 'Might as well do it by slaughtering some people,'

The battlefield was filled with soldiers. 'Great. That means there will be plenty for me to kill even after all of them are through,' she thought, examining the situation.

"Attack!" Bankotsu shouted and all eight of them charged in to kill the people they were hired to kill.

Akiko wasted no time. She immediately pulled Dohanone out and began slicing up anyone who came in her vicinity. All she could see were the swords being swung at her, and the blood spraying from the wielders' bodies as she was too quick for them. Suddenly, no more people were attacking her. She looked around to see where all the enemies had gone, only to see her comrades smiling at her.

"W-what's wrong?" she asked them blankly.

Jakotsu laughed. "Jeez, you killed more than any of us. We're already done with this part of the battle."

"Yes. And now all we have to do is finish off the rest of their village," Bankotsu's sweet smile had become evil. "Let's move!" Obeying their leader, the Shichinintai headed toward the village; Akiko felt an adrenaline rush. She was really looking forward to massacring some more people.

As they approached the village, some men stood outside it, prepared to fend off those who tried to attack. Akiko quickly pulled out her kunai and threw them at the men. They all hit them dead-on. Some stabbed them through the throat, while others landed in their chests. Either way, they all fell over dead.

The Shichinintai stormed the village, killing everyone in their path. Akiko grabbed random weapons as she ruthlessly murdered the innocent people. She felt a sick kind of pleasure as she watched their slain bodies fall to the ground. Some of them still alive, about to die though, and others who were gone before they even hit the ground. All of them, though, died a sadistic, brutal, and bloody death.

She burst into huts where some of the villagers tried to hide. Unfortunately for them, Akiko found every single one and not caring if they were man, woman, or child, killed them all.

When there was no one left, she realized that she had been laughing. An insane smile still spread across her face. 'What am I doing? I really am turning into Jakotsu. What is wrong with me? Is it because I…' It suddenly dawned on her- she had always been this way. Even before her family was killed. She remembered back to how even as a child, she harbored a feeling of violent hatred toward people.

'But why is it just coming back now? Maybe it had something to do with dying. No… It wasn't that. True, my body died at the hot spring, but my soul died over ten years ago with everything I loved. Perhaps… because I feel love towards someone again, my sadistic side has returned.

'To be honest, I think I like myself this way. At first, I thought my thirst for revenge is what drove me to live. I don't know why I didn't kill myself that day, but I know neither my body, nor soul is still alive.

'So what keeps me here on this earth? It must be because of Bankotsu. That's why I didn't die! It's destined that I be with him. I don't really care about avenging my family- I just want to be with him. Not dying, training to become strong enough to join the Shichinintai, not wanting to kill them. I am destined to become a killer.

'It is settled then. I realize now that I am dead. And so I will remain until I die for good alongside my friends. My soul is filled with anger and hatred, but it is directed toward people in general. My family dying was just what set me off. It is what killed my soul, but enabled it to be free as well.'

"Something wrong?" Bankotsu asked as he saw the odd combination of insanity, happiness, sadness, and lifelessness on her expression as she gazed off into the distance.

"Umm… No, I am fine. Is everyone dead?"

Without answering her question, he smiled normally again and turned to lead her to the rest of their comrades. The walk back was gruesome. Heaps of bodies, clumps of gore, and puddles of blood filled the road.

"We have something to tell you," he said happily.

"And that is?" she asked with uncertainty.

Jakotsu smirked as he said, "We've been watching you, and we've decided that you are finally an actual member of the Shichinintai!"

Akiko, who was still a bit caught up in her discovery about her purpose in life, didn't catch on too quickly. "I thought I was already a member."

"Well," Renkotsu said, "You then were just someone who was an ally of ours. You now are officially one of the Shichinintai."

"Oh. Well, thank you."

Ginkotsu made his usual 'gesh' noises and spoke. "You get a –kotsu name. What do you want it to be?"

Akiko thought about this for a moment. Akkotsu? No, that didn't sound right. She looked at Jakotsutou and Banryuu. Dokotsu? No, that wouldn't work either. She began to think of words that described her.

'I get to start life anew. This is the beginning of what the rest of my life will be like. I need to think up a word that would accurately describe the new me. Wickedness. I like the sound of that. My name can be Neikanhidoku. Hmm… Neikanhidokukotsu. Doesn't exactly roll of the tongue. Eh, what the hell. I'll just make it-'

"Neikotsu. My new name is Neikotsu," she told them.

"Very well, Neikotsu. Welcome to the Shichinintai. Glad to see you've gotten the demonic markings already," Bankotsu said.

"Demonic markings?" She stared at her reflection in a puddle of crimson blood. There on her face were pale blue markings. They started at the bottom of her face and went up her cheeks. Blue markings were on her eyelids and curved on the side of her eyes, which gave her an evil look. She had to admit- she kind of liked being Neikotsu, having these markings, and being evil.

Being nothing more than a dead body, which had a sole purpose to kill, she stood with the others who were like her. She no longer wanted them dead, but instead felt a feeling of love toward all of them.

Neikotsu knew that as far as she was concerned, she never had a past. She was now and forever Neikotsu. Akiko died ten years ago and the girl in between that time was no one at all. Maybe at one time she felt things like remorse or sadness, but from now on, that would not happen.

Author's Note: Damn it! This chapter didn't turn out how I hoped it would. I probably shouldn't have put off writing it for so long. I had the idea quite a while back, but didn't write it down and I think it came out kind of weird. Well anyhow, review and tell me if you think it was good. I may re-write it when I can concentrate better.