Revised Edition with changed/added footage: 8-8-2006
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Chapter 12: Lending a Helping Hand
Bankotsu continued on his way across what remained of the small village, killing off any survivors he came across. Upon seeing a large amount of bodies all in one place, he knew he was nearing Jakotsu's location. Turning around the corner, he spotted who he was looking for and was about to call out when he noticed how his companion sat next to a young soldier.
Biting his lip, Bankotsu turned away, muttering to himself, "I'll just let him finish this alone," And began to turn in the other direction when he heard a slight 'twang' and turned his head sharply in the direction of the sound.
A lone soldier had been hiding on top of one of the few buildings that remained and had fired an arrow directly down what used to be a road through the town. Bankotsu looked to the left. There was Jakotsu, headed cocked slightly as he gazed down at his victim, and then he looked back to the right. The arrow headed straight down the path.
He knew the choices, and turned his back to the arrow, closing his eyes and waiting for it to hit. The arrow hit with a slight 'thunk' and Bankotsu winced. It was either him or Jakotsu. Taking a deep breath and balling his fists, he clutched Banryuu tightly, his knuckles whitening.
In a blur that couldn't be seen unless by a trained eye, he had rushed back, jumped up onto the rooftop and sliced downward- destroying no only the building but the soldier hiding on it.
The building collapsed underneath him, and he leaped down to the ground nearby.
"Keh, you come between me and my men and you don't live, boy," He said using his scythe to end the suffering man's last moments instantaneously.
Reaching around his back, he pulled the arrow out and inspected the blood that was on its tip.
"Damn that went in kind of deep."
As the sounds of the falling debris died off, he heard a faint voice calling out to him.
"Aniki? Bankotsu no oo-aniki, is that you?" Jakotsu yelled, waving happily in his direction.
Slinging the sword back over his shoulder and tossing the arrow aside, he began to walk towards the sitting figure. His eyes narrowed, hoping that the soldier was completely dead. He was definitely not in the mood to deal with that, and the pangs of jealously were beginning to stab at him as badly as the pains from the arrow wound. Stopping, he looked at the distance left between him and Jakotsu.
"Come on, if you've got them all, let's just go," He said sharply.
"I can't stand up. My leg's hurt."
Bankotsu's eyes widened, and he quickly covered the distance between them, "What happened?" He asked kneeling down beside him.
"This little bastard decided to swing a wooden beam into my leg," Jakotsu replied, motioning to the dead body beside him.
Bankotsu reached down, slowly pushing up the pink yukata a little and examining the red and purple bruise that was appearing. He gently wiped off the trail of blood that was there, not seeing the deep blush that was etching itself across Jakotsu's face due to his innocent actions.
He was about to draw his hand away, when Jakotsu stopped him, clasping the hand where it was on his thigh, "Bankotsu, do you have any idea what that's doing to me?"
Blinking innocently, Bankotsu shook his head no.
Grabbing the back of the shorter man's head, Jakotsu leaned forward and kissed him forcefully, Bankotsu's eyes shooting open wide as he struggled to break from Jakotsu's grasp.
When he finally got free and was now a few steps away, he caught his breath and managed to stammer out, "What the hell are you doing that out here for? Do you have any idea who might be watching us?"
The pink-clad warrior quirked his head to the side with a smirk, "Oh, so it's okay when we're all alone then?"
"Jakotsu!" He retorted, face flushed.
"All right, all right. I'll play nice for now, just help me up."
Nodding, Bankotsu walked over and assured that Jakotsutou was strapped securely to Jakotsu's back, before leaning down and flinging him like a bundle of sticks over his shoulder,
"Bankotsu! Watch it!" He exclaimed.
"Can't carry Banryuu if I have you on my back," He said, hoping that Jakotsu didn't notice the arrow wound that he'd slung him over.
The elder Shichinin-tai member narrowed his eyes, "If I held on, you could carry it fine."
Bankotsu propped his weapon against his other shoulder and began to walk, "The others have headed into the forest after the few soldiers we missed. We should be able to catch up with them."
"If you don't hold onto me I'm going to fall!" Jakotsu noted, flailing about, trying to grab onto something to keep himself from sliding off.
Continuing to look ahead as he walked, Bankotsu finally gave into his companion's protests and used his left hand to hold onto him.
"That better?" He asked nonchalantly, slicing a tree from his path as he entered the forest.
With a seductive purr in his voice, Jakotsu replied, "Oh yes, much better. You should do that more often."
"Jakotsu what in the..." He paused, face turning red as he realized he'd placed his hand directly on Jakotsu's bottom.
"Cute isn't it?" Jakotsu said as he winked.
With a frown and nothing more, Bankotsu quickly moved his hand higher to Jakotsu's waist and continued to slice his way through the forest.
"Aww, you're no fun Bankotsu!" Jakotsu pouted, and then with a smirk, looked down. "My turn!" He shouted, reaching down and clamping his hand on the other man's posterior.
Eyes practically popping from his head and face once again red, Bankotsu flung Jakotsu back forward to where he was standing in front of him.
"What?" He asked with a mischievous grin, balancing on his good leg.
"Don't do that!" The shorter man managed to stammer, before turning his head to the side in embarrassment.
Jakotsu winced as he took a step forward, turning Bankotsu back to face him. "Enjoy it too much?"
"Now you better stop this right now, or I'll…"
"You'll what?"
"I'll make you go home with her," Bankotsu replied, pointing over his shoulder.
"Hmm?"
Behind them stood a short old woman, a basket in her hand with some fruits and foods she'd gathered.
"Hello young men, are you new in these parts?"
"We travel," Bankotsu said walking up beside Jakotsu and allowing him to lean against him.
The woman's eyes looked down to the way Jakotsu favored his leg, "Did your friend injure himself?" She addressed Bankotsu.
"Yeah, we got in a bit of a fight and he can't walk very well on it."
"Well, if you come back into town with me, there's a young doctor staying at my house caring for my granddaughter and I'm sure he'd be willing to take a look at it."
The two men exchanged a questioning look before agreeing to go with the woman.
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The old woman led them through the forest to the small hut and was about to go in, when a shadow appeared in the doorway.
"Suikotsu?" They both exclaimed on seeing their missing member standing before them.
The brown-haired man blinked then clutched at his head, as if there was a sharp pain. Finally he brought himself to speak, "Excuse me, but do I know you two?"
"Great, he's fully asleep this time…" Jakotsu muttered.
"Just try and stay calm, we don't want to upset him right now," Bankotsu whispered in reply before speaking up, "You're that doctor called Suikotsu right? You probably don't remember us, but my friend and I had gotten some help from you before."
The innocent face scrunched up as he tried to remember, "Sorry, I guess I've forgotten. What were your names again?"
"Ja…"
Bankotsu quickly cut him off, "It's Jadoku and Bankou." He said, picking words at random that were close to their names.
"Hmm, it does sound sort of familiar. I'm sorry, I have terrible memory."
"What was that all about?" Jakotsu questioned quietly.
"I didn't want our names to trigger something," The braided-man replied, turning back to the other side of their friend. "It was a long time ago, I'm surprised that I remember it so well myself," He said with a laugh, trying to put Suikotsu at ease.
"So what can I do for you?"
"My friend here hurt his leg and there's pain when he tries to walk on it," Bankotsu said, trying to lean Banryuu against the doorframe without Suikotsu seeing it.
"Oh, that sounds like it could be bad. Go ahead and bring him in, if that's all right with you, Ma'am?"
The woman nodded her head in consent and Bankotsu swung Jakotsu down into his arms and carried him into the hut.
Once inside, they saw the young girl sitting up on her futon, weaving a small wreath out of some flowers.
"Are these your friends, Doctor?" The girl asked seeing the two new faces enter.
He smiled and patted her head. "They're just some people that need my help, like you did Kinpa." Turning, he moved a few things out of the way, and cleared a small space on the ground. "If you could lay him down here for now."
Bankotsu nodded and gently sat Jakotsu down.
"Okay, where exactly does it hurt?" The doctor questioned.
Pulling up his yukata slightly, and with satisfaction noting the expression that caused on Bankotsu's face, Jakotsu pointed to his left knee. "Right around here, and down by my foot as well. I landed on it wrong when fighting off…"
He paused as he saw Bankotsu gesturing to him not to mention too much.
"I was fighting off some strange...uh…creature that attacked us in the forest. I jumped to get away, and I guess I hurt myself," He fabricated the story quickly, giving a nervous smile hoping that it wasn't too fictional.
"Was it an oni or something of that sort?" Suikotsu inquired.
"An oni?" Kinpa murmured, weakly scooting over closer to her doctor, "I hope it doesn't come this way. Was it nearby?" She asked, tugging on Jakotsu's sleeve.
Jakotsu narrowed his eyes, "Don't get any romantic ideas, little one. I don't go for your gender."
Bankotsu laughed a bit, kneeling between the little girl and Jakotsu, "Don't worry; we killed whatever it was so it won't hurt you." He said patting her on the head.
She just smiled then and moved over beside Suikotsu, "So how are you going to fix the leg, Doctor?"
"I'll have to see how bad it is first," He replied gently before turning back to the man laid out in front of him. "Okay, I'm going to apply some pressure to see how bad the injury is. Just try and bear it."
Jakotsu nodded, as Suikotsu placed his hands around the knee and began to slowly bend it.
"Shit that hurts!" Jakotsu exclaimed, his hands gripping onto Bankotsu's arm tightly, causing him to wince.
Suikotsu held his hands up in front of him, "Sorry about that, I didn't think it'd be that severe. It seems it got knocked a bit out of place or something. You probably twisted the other area though, try moving that as well."
Nodding, Jakotsu did as told and slowly tried to rotate his ankle. He hissed in pain, once again taking it out on Bankotsu's forearm.
"I'd watch it there, or your friend will have to have his arm bandaged up as well," Suikotsu said with a laugh.
Bankotsu looked flatly to Jakotsu, "Unless my pain is turning you on."
He smirked, "Now where would you get an idea like that?"
Suikotsu blinked, brain beginning to process the implications in that. "I uh…think I'm going to go and find some herbs to help ease your pain. I'll be back in moment," He said, exiting through the small doorway.
"Is he gone?" Bankotsu asked; trying to see how far away the figure was.
"Seems like it. Why?" He asked, seeing Bankotsu turn to the side.
Pulling off his arm-guards, and then the rest of his armor, Bankotsu sat both to the side. He was about to pull his shirt off, when Jakotsu reached over and stopped him.
"It's a little too bold of you to want to do this with a kid and an old woman watching us," He whispered.
Bankotsu frowned, "I got hit with an arrow in my back, I didn't want the blood to upset Suikotsu or I would have dealt with it sooner. What were you thinking?" He asked, knowing all to well what Jakotsu had in mind.
"You're hurt?" Jakotsu stammered, trying to turn and then flinching as he tried to bend his knee.
Bankotsu flung the white shirt off, into Jakotsu's lap, "What does it look like?"
On the back of the shirt, slightly to the left there was a bloodstain and a tear where the arrow had gone through the fabric.
"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" He questioned, somewhat upset that it hadn't been mentioned to him.
"Because then you would worry about it more than your leg. I can still walk with mine," Bankotsu turned to the girl and woman then, offering a slight smile, "If it isn't too much trouble, do you happen to have some sake?"
At that, a hand impacted lightly with the back of his head, "Your back is bleeding and you want sake. That isn't going to stop it any before Suikotsu gets back," Jakotsu reprimanded.
"It won't take that long to wash it off," He said with a shrug.
The woman headed towards the door, "I'll see if one of the neighbors has some young man. Just keep an eye on Kinpa for me while I'm gone."
"Sure thing. Thanks."
"You are completely hopeless," Jakotsu muttered.
"What?" He feigned innocence.
"Here Mister, let me get that cleaned off," The young girl said, struggling to drag the water basin and rag from her bedside over to where Bankotsu sat.
"Why now, that's awfully nice of you."
Jakotsu glared. What was it with all the women having to go after the men he liked?
"Grandma said if we were always nice to everyone that stopped by, that they might help us if we ever get attacked."
His face saddened, knowing that if they didn't root out those soldiers, this village would have to be ransacked. It was then that Bankotsu made a mental note to assure that at least the girl and the old woman were out of the way. A little kindness in this time and age did at least deserve some form of payment.
"Here kid, let me help him. He's my friend." Jakotsu's voice intoned, pulling Bankotsu out of his thoughts.
"But you're hurt too, Miss," The girl replied innocently.
Jakotsu's eye twitched; and he pulled his yukata down, revealing his flat chest, "I'm a guy, damnit!"
Bankotsu stepped between them and placed a hand on the angry man's shoulder, "Calm down, she's just a kid."
The girl blinked, "Wow, you're so pretty Mister."
"See, she gave you a compliment."
Jakotsu grumbled, then whispered to him, "If she lays one hand on you I'm going have to kill her."
"And you say I'm jealous."
"Oh yeah, well…" Jakotsu stopped as a familiar sound rumbled through the air. "Uh oh, Ginkotsu's here."
Grabbing up his shirt and beginning to throw on his armor, Bankotsu headed for the door.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Keep the kid safe, I have to keep Suikotsu out of this!" Bankotsu replied before grabbing Banryuu and running off into the village hoping he could find the innocent doctor before he ended up turning on the people who he'd been caring for.
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