"I finally remember: I died once before."
-Suikotsu.
The Darkness Within Our Hearts: Chapter 21 - Web of Life and Death.
"So...warm..." Bankotsu thought feeling the warmth of fire and...something else. "Someone saved...me? But who?" The leader of the Shichinintai slowly opened his midnight blue eyes, to look up at someone he didn't expect. Suddenly Bankotsu had this burning rage and a pain at his side. "It's...that bitch!--" He noticed the girl above him turned her face towards him, and he quickly shut is eyes again, to still appear unconsious to her...
oo.
Rei looked down at Bankotsu again and gently brushed some hair from his face. She noticed a red spot at his side. He was bleeding. "Oh, yeah. I was the one who did that..."
.: Flash Back :.
"Give up and die!" Bankotsu yelled and charged for a final attack.
"Not yet!" Rei thought and moved quickly to the side and pulled out a small mini katana hidden within the sleeve of her kimono, and thrusted it into Bankotsu's back. Bankotsu lost all thought and felt nothing but pain, not able to stop himself, both Rei and Bankotsu fell off the edge to the cliff and fell into deadly cold rushing waters.
.: End Flash Back :.
"I mind as well put these 'miko powers' to good use..." Having some miko powers really was useful, able to heal her wounds quickly and still fight. But right now, fighting doesn't mean anything to her, but...fighting was all her life, it was the thrill that drove her.
She shook her head, as if to clear something out, and then she stretched out her hand over Bankotsu's wound. She chanted in her mind: "Holy light...--!"
"NOW!"
Bankotsu's eyes snapped open and he grabbed Rei's arm and flipped her over on her back and he jumped on top of her, with his hand grasped around her neck. Bankotsu smirked. "You let your guard down...I'm very disappointed in you, samurai-san." Bankotsu said in a mock tone.
Rei grasped Bankotsu's wrist and gagged for some air. And then she forced on a smile. "Is...this what...I get for saving you? Hmph...shitty..."
"Is that sarcasism I here?" Bankotsu tightened his grip around Rei's throat. "That isn't a behavior a young lady should be using...and I never asked you to save me in the first place!"
It was some pretty harsh words she was listening to. "..." But the warm feeling was gone and the thrill to fight again was now back. Rei lifted her leg up and sent it right into Bankotsu's side: hitting his wound. He screamed in pain and moved himself from Rei, both quickly getting up and getting into a fighting stance.
Bankotsu smirked, hiding the pain. "Did you finally gather the courage to KILL me? Or do you plan on chasing after me forever?"
For Rei, it was hard to listen to him mock her, it hurt for some reason. "Why does my chest hurt? It feels like it's...being crushed." Rei seemed...lost in her own thoughts.
"She's distracted." Bankotsu thought and suddenly charged at her. Before Rei realized what was going on, Bankotsu had gotten too close. Shit! Bankotsu tackled her and Rei went flying back and smashed into a tree, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for air as Bankotsu continued his assult and had thrown a punch at her, Rei quickly moved her head from Bankotsu's fists, and his punch caused a hole in the old tree, oventually making it break and fall over...
Rei stumbled back and landed on the ground and crawled into the bushes somewhere to catch her breath. "...!" She was hiding. "Why am I running? And hiding like a coward?"
Bankotsu looked over his surroundings and knew she was near by. "Why do you flee from me? Are you afraid? Afraid that I'll kill you?" Bankotsu called out, knowing she'd hear his mocking calls.
"Heh! Me? Afraid of some low life like you? Don't make me laugh!" Rei called back looking at Bankotsu from her hiden spot, his back was facing her.
"Then come out and fight me...!"
"As you wish!" Rei jumped from her hiding place and kicked Bankotsu in the back, making him tumble forward and almost losing his balance. "You who cross sky and Earth..." Rei started chanting and a blue aura glowed around her, water and wind gathering in her hands...visable to the eye. "...raging waters, gather in my hands and give me power!"
"Shit!" Bankotsu hissed and ran from Rei, gaining some distance and cover from the trees and bushes.
"Demona Crystal!" Rei shot a beam of blue and white, the spell causing her surroundings to turn into ice, and any living creature would freeze and break into peices. But lucky for Bankotsu, he managed to get around her attack.
"Impressive. But since when did you go from samurai to a black mage?" Bankotsu smirked coming from his hiding spot.
Rei shurgged with a smile. "I never was too intersted in using my magic, I've always known how to use them though, but cutting my opponent to peices was much more fun. I guess you can say...this is my reinforcements..."
Bankotsu glared, he was about to say more, but a errie dark voice interupted.
"Mortals...blood...feast...flesh..." It's voice hissed.
"What the hell?" Rei and Bankotsu ignored each other and search for the source of the voice.
"I scense...a Shikon shard. Give it to me!" It screeched and suddenly the field of ice turned into the forest filled with thick webs and dead corpses of demons and humans.
"A spider's trap?" Rei thought in panic. "And we walked right into it!" There was no way out, except for one, but it was being blocked by a giant spider demon, it was the demon that encounter Inuyasha and the others and fleed after Anika's attack, it's body has already regenerated and it's legs had grew back, now...it was hungry. This was the spider's home area.
"Get out of my way, you fat demon!" Bankotsu yelled and ran for the exit, but the spider shot some of it's acid web, making Bankotsu jump away, getting off track.
"There's no escape!" It hissed.
Rei glared at the spider. "If you won't move...then you'll die here and now...!"
The spider turned it's attention to Rei, it seemed amused. "You. I sense a powerful aura within you...one of great power...and once I...eat you, my power shall grow!" It raised it's head high and instead of shooting out an Poisonous Acid web, it shot out a dark purple of mist at Rei. She reactd quickly and covered her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her kimono. Suddenly, Rei's version turned red. What? The spider laughed. "That won't work...my poison slips through the skin and eyes as well...!"
Bankotsu's eyes widened. "Like Mukotsu's poisons...!"
Rei felt herself become weak and unable to stand on her feet, the spider demon shot out thin ropes of web at Rei, the web sticking onto her body, and the spider pulled her in. "I...can't...move! A can...barely...talk..." Rei thought, trying to let her voice out and move her body, it was useless.
"There's not point in resisting my dear...it'll all be over soon..." The demon cackled as it pulled Rei closer in, ready to devour her.And all she could do is watch as she was pulled in, like a fish caught in a net. Helpless and trapped. She was now in the spider's reaching range, it extended it's legs out and held Rei in it's long hairy legs and pulled her in even closer. "You smell delicous, my dear. I can't wait to have dinner with you..." It laughed some more.
Suddenly Bankotsu's voice could be heard but he was no where to be seen. "Hey! Ugly! Letting your eight nasty eyes lay off of me, was a grave mistake!"
"Where did he--" The sounds of something cracking and breaking could be heard. A tall tree broke and fell over, landing on top of the spider's body. "No!" The weight of the tree was sqwishing the demons body. Bankotsu ran over to another tree, and punched it with all his might, powerful as he was, he broke the tree and it also landed on the spider, crushing it's head.
Bankotsu ran over to Rei and scooped her up into his arms and ran from sight, but the spider's legs popping out, it gave a strange twitching reaction, and slashed it's claws across Bankotsu's left shoulder and arm, getting hit from behind. He grunted in pain but told his legs to keep runnning.
oo.
The shichinintai rode on Ginkotsu and the human tank came to a stop. "What's wrong Ginkotsu?" Renkotsu asked. Renkotsu looked ahead and the river only led to a waterfall. "Shit..."
Jakotsu yawned. "No, choice. We'll have to go around..."
Ginkotsu turned his massive body around and went looking for another path, driving away from the river. Still in search for Bankotsu.
oo.
Bankotsu ran til he couldn't run any farther, the wound on his arm was slowing him down, he stopped and placed Rei agaisnt a tree. He breathed in and out with sharp breaths each time. "Shit..." Bankotsu used his right hand and reached over to touch his wound, assmuing that the spiders claws had poison on the end of it, it might explain why he felt so weak. He was poisoned "If only I had my Banryuu here..."
He then turned his attention to Rei, and shook her rather hard. "Hey! Wake up, wench!"
She slowly awoken, and opened her eyes. She wasn't feeling as weak as before, the poison must of only had a paralyzing effect. She got up and looked around. "Where...?"
"Away from that dumbass spider!" He answered quickly. Holding onto his wound, trying to stop the bleeing. "I need a cure..." He mumbled.
Rei knowing she was also poisoned, she needed an antidote as well. "We can find one near by..."
"Take me there...!" Bankotsu demanded.
Rei got up on her feet. "It'll take one day to get there on foot."
One day? Bankotsu wondered if he even had that much time, before the poison spreads completely. "Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way!" Bankotsu noticed Rei's eyes had completely gone blank and she was shaking slightly. Somethings the matter. "What's your problem now?"
She hesitated from a second, she didn't know how to say this but..."I'm...I'm blind...!"
End of Chapter 21.
Aiyanami: Yay! Chapter 21 is finally finished. Sorry I took so long. And thanks for the reviews, they make me so happy hearing how much you guys love my fic. Sorry if this chapter is too short. I'll try my best next time.
Anika: Please review! And look forward to the next chapter of The Darkness Within Our Hearts!
oo.
The Darkness Within Our Hearts: Chapter 21 - Web of Life and Death. Complete!
Date posted: August 13, 2005
Disclaimer: Does not own InuYasha.
Copy Right of author, Rei Aiyanami.