Chapter 21: Thunder Brothers
The Shichinintai arrived just as Bankotsu was scrambling out of the water. Sango coughed and gasped for air. After Bankotsu was sure she was OK, he helped her up and led her over to the others.
He grabbed Banryuu from the bush and headed back to the river. Hiten finally shot out of the water, and Bankotsu got Banryuu ready. He had a score to settle.
Bankotsu smirked. "Do you really think you can beat me without a weapon?" but looked up in confusion as Hiten stared at the clouds. He had a smile from ear to ear on his face.
As if on cue, a crack of thunder filled the sky, followed by an ugly demon flying around on a cloud. It carried a large staff.
As it landed, it threw the staff to Hiten, who caught it with one hand. "There you are brother!" the thing shouted.
"Thanks Monten!" Hiten shouted back. "You were saying?" he smirked at Bankotsu. But he didn't wait for a response. Without warning, he leaped into the sky and flaming wheels appeared on his feet, allowing him to fly.
He shot a lightning bolt at them, and Bankotsu responded with Banryuusen (Dragon Hammer). Hiten easily dodged it. Bankotsu clenched his fists with frustration. How could he defeat Hiten if he couldn't fly? Unless…
He looked back at the others, being sure to watch Hiten from the corner of his eye. He saw Sango, Renkotsu, Jakotsu, Suikotsu, Mukotsu, Ginkotsu, Kyoukotsu, and… Kirara! Perfect.
"Kirara!" he shouted back to her. "I need your help!" The two-tailed feline quickly transformed and ran over him.
Bankotsu hesitated. He'd seen Sango ride her plenty of times, but it still felt awkward. He realized that he had no time because Hiten was preparing to launch another attack.
He got on her back just as Hiten shot a lightning bolt and they flew off. Hiten shot a few more bolts at them, but Kirara dodged them all.
Bankotsu smiled. This would be a lot easier. Kirara would dodge the attacks, while he could focus on fighting.
"Maybe we should help him!" Jakotsu suggested after about 5 minutes of nonstop combat.
There was an evil chuckle behind them. "You wont have time for that." Monten warned. "You'll be too busy fighting me!" He opened his mouth and a large thunderbolt formed. It shot out and headed straight for them. Kyoukotsu stepped in front of them.
"I won't let you hurt my brothers!" he roared, his mighty voice echoing the sky. The loud sound made the ground rumble causing Sango and a few others to lose their balance.
The large beam hit Kyoukotsu right in the stomach. They all stared in horror as the massive body fell backwards. They barely got out of the way when it hit the ground, but it caused them all to go flying.
Sango let out a cry of pain as she hit the ground, causing Bankotsu to look away from his battle. Hiten took advantage of that moment and shot more lightning bolts at him. Bankotsu's concentration went back to his battle. He would just have to trust his brothers to keep her safe.
Renkotsu helped Sango to her feet. Monten chuckled as Kyoukotsu turned to bone. He turned to Jakotsu and Suikotsu, and began walking towards them. His mouth began glowing from a thunderbolt.
Sango acted quickly. She grabbed the Hiraikotsu and threw it at Monten, hard. To her surprise, it sliced him in half as if he wasn't even there. They stared in disbelief as Monten fell to the ground
"Monten!" Hiten cried as he rushed over to his younger brother's side. Tears streamed down his cheek as he mourned over the dead demon. "No Monten, you just can't die!"
After what seemed like an eternity, the Hiraikotsu made it's way back. Hiten watched angrily as Sango caught it smoothly with her hand, the edges glazed with fresh blood.
Hiten slowly rose to his feet. He was disgusted that his brother's blood was stained on that wench's hands. "How dare you!" he snarled at her. "How dare you strike down my younger brother!" he clenched his fists. "I will kill you with my bare hands!"
Renkotsu quickly jumped in front of Sango and spat his fire beer thingy out, creating a line between Hiten and them.
Hiten smirked. "You fools." He chuckled. "Do you honestly think you can beat me with such petty attacks?" He suddenly looked around in alarm realizing that he was completely surrounded by the Shichinintai.
He could see silhouettes of each member of the Shichinintai, and then he saw Bankotsu's shadow. Hiten felt like he was in hell. After a moment, Bankotsu emerged from the flames and stood in front of Hiten.
"Let's finish this." He said in an angry voice. Hiten shot a bolt at him, but Bankotsu easily blocked it with Banryuu. He did a couple of flips until he was floating in the air and raised his halberd. It turned bright yellow and shot a bolt of lightning to the clouds.
"You're not the only one who can use lightning attacks!" he called down to Hiten. "Ryuuraisen! (Dragon Thunder) "
Sango and the others immediately ran into the trees, knowing that Bankotsu couldn't control his lightning. Sango almost made it to safety, but a bolt of lightning struck right behind her, knocking her onto the ground. She fell unconscious. Kirara flew over to her and tried to shield her from the lightning, but was only knocked out herself.
Bankotsu looked nervously down at Sango. He didn't want to hurt her, but if he didn't finish off Hiten, she would most likely die. He looked over at Hiten, who had scratches and bruises all over him, as did Bankotsu.
Bankotsu spun his Banryuu. "Banryuusen!" Hiten was surrounded by flames, dust, and Banryuusen so he couldn't see anything.
Bankotsu dived into the cloud of dust where Hiten was. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, but he quickly swung his Banryuu in that direction. He couldn't see, but he heard a cry of pain and then a thump.
Everything cleared up and Bankotsu could see Hiten's body on the ground covered in blood.
He rushed over to Sango and knelt down beside her. "Sango, I'm so sorry!" he said, gently brushing her hair out of her face. "Please forgive me!"
Gently, he picked up Sango and began walking towards the castle. But he was too weak. He collapsed on the ground and leaned against the tree with Sango still in his arms. He tried his best to stay awake, but his eyes were too heavy and he fell into a deep sleep.
R&R!