"Psst!"
The sleeping guard began to grumble, shifting his weight on the bed. "Now what?"
"I'm going to kill you," the voice said cheerfully.
Processing the words said to him and the tone used with them, he bolted awake and was about to scream out when a series of blades came rapidly fast, slicing his head, and a few other limbs, clean off.
The smiling man licked some blood off his serpent sword and then grinned cheekily.
"Jakotsu!" Renkotsu hissed angrily. "Just fuckin' kill them! Stop playing around!"
Jakotsu raised one eyebrow and then shook his head. "Pfft! Kiss my ass, Renkotsu! I want to have fun when I'm killing people! Aniki gets the old woman to kill."
Renkotsu frowned. "Shouldn't we be more grateful of that? That we at least have some challenge?"
Jakotsu sat beside the recently murdered man's corpse, cushioning himself on his bed. Hesitantly, he began to speak. "I dunno, Ren. I just have a bad feeling about all of this. Like, I don't know… like we're just pawns on a chessboard or something."
Renkotsu stared blankly at his companion. "Jakotsu, we are pawns. People hire us to kill people they want out of the way and we do just that."
Jakotsu look intently at Renkotsu for a few more seconds, and then turned his head away. No, I don't think it's that…
Where is she?he thought to himself.
He had already dispatched himself from the other two assassins, who where slaughtering all of the sleeping guards, and now was in search for the sleeping quarters of the elder lady the Shichinintai were hired to put to death.
"Sonny, are you looking for me?" a female voice chuckled.
Bankotsu whirled around and spotted a small woman, only slightly taller than Mukotsu, standing in the doorway. Her hair was pulled into a loose gray haired ponytail and her face was aged with wisdom beyond the years. She stood in front of him wearing… priestess garbs? Traditional priestess attire clothed her body; the scarlet hakamas clothed her legs and the white haori covered the top half of her body. By her side, though barely visible, was a long crimson bow and a few arrows clutched tightly in her other hand.
Pushing that thought to the side, he stood up proudly and smiled down at her. "Aren't we smart?" he laughed.
The old woman grinned back at him. "Yes, I do love to consider myself an intelligent woman. Though, I'm afraid, the same can't be said about you."
Bankotsu stopped laughing abruptly and gave her a stern glare. "Are you trying to say I'm stupid?"
Chuckling slightly, she shook her head. "No, I am not implying that you are unintelligent. I knowyou are not."
"Say what, you old sack of shit!" Bankotsu barked heatedly. He raised the heavy halberd easily in one muscular hand.
The old woman merely smiled. "I am somewhat impressed, young man. However, your measly physical strength will never be enough to allow you defeat me, let alone strive on the blood-bathed battlefield of the Warring Era."
Banryuu slightly falter as its owner displayed a small, confused frown. "What did you say, old woman?"
The woman continued to smile that tauntingly evil smile. "The name is not old woman. My forename is Ohana. Ohana Miharu, if you would."
Bankotsu snorted. "I already know your name I just don't give a flying fuck. Now talk to me! What the hell is the Warring Era?"
Barely, Miharu narrowed her eyes. "You mean you know nothing of it yet you fight under the cause of this hell?"
Straightening his back, Bankotsu quickly cracked his knuckles before speaking. "Clarify."
Miharu began to laugh loudly, the silent room suddenly filling with loud, boisterous laughter and the walls ricocheted the noise all around.
"Why, you are stupider than you look, you foolish ass! You have crossed damned territory and because of it, you and all those around you will suffer and pay for your sins!"
"Woman! Shut the hell up! I have no idea what you're talking about! Speak up in normal tone or drop dead!" Bankotsu shouted, lifting Banryuu higher and swinging it towards her face.
Effortlessly, the old woman squat down quickly and Banryuu barely missed her hair.
"Ah, you may be stupid but I have underestimated your skills as a physical fighter," she hummed proudly. "I am glad we have some high-quality warriors out to combat."
"Stop speaking in riddles!" Bankotsu screamed, running forward exceedingly swift and began to swing his oohoko.
The woman began to hop all over the empty hall, evading Banryuu barely each time. Finally, Bankotsu saw an opportunity and took it hastily. As she landed on the ground he dropped Banryuu's blade down on her, using gravity as a back up to add more force.
"You are good," she whistled.
Bankotsu stared in disbelief as his sword, his baby, was being held off by a meager bow, a wooden one at that.
"How the fuck?" he growled, pushing Banryuu down on her more. Evidently, he broke the bow but Miharu flew to the side to dodge the blow.
"Stupid bitch!" Bankotsu barked, charging at her once more.
Staying completely still, she closed her eyes shut and began humming a soft tune to herself. Almost unnoticeably, a light mauve light began to surround her body, flickering angrily as it gave off electric sparks of purple and bounced around her. Quickly, she thrust her arm forward and a huge wave of wind speed was thrown at Bankotsu.
Seeing the on slaughter of the oncoming wind, Banryuu was shoved forward to use as a shield. Almost immediately after, the wind split into two, due to the sword.
"So you're not just some random old hag, huh?"
The woman opened her eyes, which were filled with pure violet light. "You just now realized this, you fool?"
She slashed another round of the fury wind; Bankotsu ran forward and slice through it. Where is she summoning up this much power? I've never felt anything so powerful! It feels almost intimidating…
"Leave at once you ignorant ass!" Objects in the room began to levitate almost immediately after and began rocketing though the air, being hurtled towards Bankotsu.
Bankotsu stabbed Banryuu into the wooden floor and began breaking the incoming objects with his bare fists, smashing each bit to pieces as they came closer.
"Heh!" Bankotsu panted, throwing his arm and strength forward with each punch. "Is this… the best you've got, Granny?"
The mercenary jumped up, swinging his overly exaggerated oohoko in wide circles. He threw it downward and knocked the woman off balance.
He leapt down beside her gracefully. "Got you," he smirked, holding a hand tightly wrapped around her throat.
Pathetic fool does not know when to admit defeat.
Sighing she wrapped her arm around his fist and a mysterious power behind to fill his arm.
Or empty it.
Bankotsu's arm began to numb quickly. "Shit!" Bankotsu tried to move his fingers but they stood straight in place. "Dammit!" he cussed as the spreading began climbing up his body, the numbing already reaching his shoulder.
No.
The old woman opened her eyes, surprise evident in them. "Why?" she asked herself. "Why now?"
The brutal slaying of many shall continue if not otherwise…
Nodding, hesitantly but obediently, the old woman used her enchantment and began to make Bankotsu's fingers curl deep into her esophagus.
Small crystalline tears slid down her face and she smiled. It was the only truly strong yet weak smile Bankotsu had ever seen.
"Please tell her…" she gasped, her breath dieing quickly, "that I did not want this and I'm sorry for her future suffering…" More tears, this time a few crimson colored rivers, slid down her cheek. Her face paled until her body became limp.
Once the body loosened, Bankotsu wrenched his arm away, shaking it a few times to make sure it was still his hand.
"What the fuck was that about?" he muttered to himself. "Old hag's fuckin' senile." Sitting down, a good three feet away from the dead body, he began to wonder. "What exactly did she mean by Warring Era?" Bankotsu sat there and crossed his arms. No good ideas came to him. "Isn't that a subject in history or something?" Shrugging his shoulders he sighed. "Whatever!" Bankotsu stood up and yanked Banryuu from the broken floor. "Time to collect payment and get the fuck out of here."
While stepping out, Bankotsu suddenly halted feeling a minor aura change in the air. A couple of yards across the large room, a few black particles combined and a form began to reappear.
Bankotsu's body instantly went into a defensive pose. Another person, or rather being, was in the room. "Show yourself!"
The particles had already combined and a dark haired man, wrapped up neatly in a snow-white baboon cloak stepped out. Where the particles once floated now was occupied by five flying insects, looking very much like an evolved almost demonic version of a typical killer bee.
The man ignored him and walked up to the old woman's body.
"Dear, dear Miharu, your life was short-lived for a normal woman but too long for the Bearer of Ying and Yang, the Embracer of Light and Darkness. The previous One had died much quicker but did not give me my prize. I hope you will not do the same, otherwise," the man spoke, his lips curling into an evil smile, "your soul will go straight to Hell with the assistance of my Hell Insects." Almost on cue, the insects around the man began to buzz and hum excitedly. "Now give me what I desire."
A flash of his naughty dream came back but Bankotsu shook it off and telling himself that now wasn't the time for that. Instead, he repeated himself in a louder and more commanding voice. "Hey you stupid Monkey Man! What the fuck are you doing?"
The man smiled, giving no indication of Bankotsu's presence. Getting quickly annoyed, Bankotsu growled and swung Banryuu towards the man.
A frown appeared on the man's face but he quickly evaded the oohoko's assault by jumping in the air. "You insolent man I-" the man cut himself off and his face was replaced with a small malicious grin. "You want your payment, Shichinintai leader?"
Bankotsu was startled out of his rage. "You're the man who hired us to kill her?" Bankotsu asked pointing to the woman lying on the floor.
The male gave off a deep, cruel laugh that echoed off the walls in the room.
"Yes, I am. I assume Kagura did a fine job throwing you stupid fools off track; I shall reward her well." The man let out a wicked cackle. "The money for this assignment will be waiting patiently at your home."
Bankotsu's eyes widened. The man's last statement brought up more questions then it solve. Who exactly was this man? Was he even human? Why did he want Miharu dead? How did he know where the Shichinintai resided?
The male ignored Bankotsu's obvious distress and swiftly but quietly approached the deceased Ohana Miharu. He sat silently next to her and raised a scaly, clawed hand. Almost too quick for Bankotsu to see, the demonic arm embedded itself in Miharu's chest. Warm blood oozed out of the woman's new wound. Slowly pulling out of her body, the reptile like dragon hand emerged, a heart in its bloody grasp.
Smiling cruelly, the claw tightened around the muscle and it burst into a bloody mess under the extreme pressure. Expecting to see nothing, Bankotsu was more than taken aback when a small sphere, glowing a brilliant amethyst light, sat in the organ's place.
"My bloody tainted beauty… I have long since felt your absolute power," the man smiled, bring the glass jewel up to his face. "Now I, Naraku, will finally be able to fulfill my destiny." He threw his head back and began laughing the cruelest, evilest, most malicious laugh Bankotsu ever heard.
Naraku, as the man called himself, gave a hard glare when the sphere began to pulse.
Never in Bankotsu's life had he felt so much power; Naraku was right about something. It was definitely absolute power.
To both men's surprise, the jewel pulsed harder and slowly began to evaporate, small indigo particles beginning to float away.
"What the fuck?" Bankotsu heard himself say.
"FUCKING HELL!" Naraku roared, standing up. "YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE ME ONCE AGAIN, YOU DAMNED JEWEL!"
Trying very hard, Naraku tried scooping the particles into his hands, one human hand and one demonic claw scratching at the air. Bankotsu couldn't help but find it humorous.
"Damn you!" Naraku jumped out of the stained glass window, shattering the beautiful art into trillions of glass pieces.
Snapping out of his daze, Bankotsu quickly followed after him, pulling Banryuu from the floor yet again.
Now where did that fucker go? Bankotsu leapt onto a street light, somehow able to balance himself and the overly exaggerated halberd on the thin piece of metal from which the light hung.
The night was overall quiet and dead, as many murder nights were and that helped one particular killer's senses. Bankotsu smiled when he found Naraku, still clothed in his baboon cloak, hopping over a few buildings.
Bankotsu darted after him, once again having fun with the cat and mouse chase game.
His observant eyes diverted from his main goal and spotted something moving on the cold cement floor below him. The trembling figure below caught his eye and he slowed his pace midair. Who's that? he asked himself.
The person kneeling on the sidewalk stopped their shivering for a brief moment before raising their face to meet with his.
Wide familiar chocolate brown met his azure blue eyes and his heart skipped a few beats.
Yep, its a CLIFFIE! Muahahahaha! (Evil laughter brought to you in part by Naraku Industries, adopt your own evil laugh today!) Lol joking. I just always wanted to put that somewhere!
Nah, really you can thank yourselves, the song Give A Reason (aka The opening of Slayers Next. Has a lot of beat and its oneof my fav songs!), and my lovely muses!
Yep! Especially Kagome, who insisted (yes... insisted... rubs aching head) I post this chapter early just for you guys. Kagome, holding an extra large Glico POCKY box and Bankotsu, wearing no shirt... (drools) sat next to me encouraging me the whole way. Kagome popped a CD in and a bunch of music (with lotsa lotsa beat!) began to play! Lol,I hope you liked this chapter! Til next time!
Love all my readers!
SangOtaku6, Kagome, and Bankotsu