Well hey there! Welcome back! Chapter two is gonna be awesome! I bet you guys can't guess how it starts off, now can ya? And yes, in case it wasn't clear in the first chapter, Aikotsu is Kagome. I'll reveal her backstory within due time, and my sister Da_Wolf_Goddess actually got a sneak peak of what I have written so far. (I needed her to check and make sure a nightmare I had written for Aikotsu wasn't too horrific for a kid her age, and so she also got a free sneak peak pass.) In other news, I do have Aikotsu/Kagome's backstory basically completely planned out, I just have to wait for the right moment to really drop it in your laps. I have left small Easter eggs in the chapters though, let's see if you can pick them all up and piece together the puzzle before the big reveal. Now let's get that boring disclaimer out of the way and head right into it!

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, all rights are reserved for Rumiko Takahashi and affiliates.

Chapter two: Growing Up Shichinintai

As Bankotsu soon learned, raising a child is not easy. At all. Every so often, Aikotsu would have fits of screaming and crying that just could not be abated. She'd be sleeping peacefully, and then something would happen and she'd scream and flail her tiny arms at something they could not see.

Tonight, however, seems to be one of Aikotsu's easy nights. She's been silent since they put her down an hour ago, and they let out a quiet sigh of relief, deciding to turn in for the night as well. Unfortunately, that peace doesn't last long.

The boys are awoken during the night to the piercing cry of a child, not unusual for them as of late, sadly. Bankotsu groans, rolling over to try and comfort the toddler...

Only to find her small futon empty. The fitful shrieking gets louder in volume, and Bankotsu immediately shot up from his slumber to see a black silhouette in the dark - making off with a screaming child in their arms. It takes barely a second for him to connect the dots before he's grabbing Banryu and running after the masked figure with fury pulsing through his veins. The child cries louder, and then that familiar barrier surrounds her while thunder cracks loudly and the figure is assaulted by a stream of lightning. Bankotsu dives in and snatches the child out of midair and her cries instantly subsided, the barrier beginning to recede. She's completely unharmed, thankfully. In his arms, the little girl sniffles, her big cheeks, still plump with baby fat, flushed red and her eyes wet with tears. She turns around to bury her face in his chest, prompting the boy to absently rub her back with small, soothing motions. "Suikotsu," Bankotsu summons his older brother who blearily stumbles up. "Find out what this piece of trash wanted with Ai."

The next day, Jakotsu is stuck watching the child again, as Bankotsu and Suikotsu are in the next town over buying rice, a pot and a mortar and stone so they can feed the baby on the go. Suikotsu had been utterly delighted to interrogate the man who had attempted to kidnap Aikotsu, mostly because her screaming had woken him up. While they got next to nothing useful out of the man, torturing him had been the best fun they've had in forever. Jakotsu sighed just thinking about his delicious screams as Suikotsu had used his claws to remove patches of the man's skin one by one. The effeminate man stares down at the child as she picks small flowers with a carefree look on her face. He's learned through experience that weapons cannot harm her, a seemingly subconscious barrier forms around her when it detects danger that protects her from harm, and it seems to be innate, and perhaps self-aware, something that resides deep within her being that needs no prompting from her to activate. So trying to kill her is useless. He could just leave her, he realizes with a grin that contorts the markings on his face. He stands up, watching as the little girl lifts her head to stare at him. "Stay," He orders before stalking off. Aikotsu blinks, but doesn't move and just continues picking flowers, unaware that her bodyguard just abandoned her.

A little over an hour later, Aikotsu has picked a decent amount of flowers, and is now trying to make a flower crown like that one girl a few villages back taught her. Bankotsu was eager to get back to his sister, and had ran ahead of Suikotsu. Bankotsu enters the clearing just in time to see a large figure standing above Aikotsu.

A figure that isn't Jakotsu. "Aikotsu!" He cries, racing forward with adrenaline. Hearing her name, the toddler turns around and begins waving with a laugh and a bright smile at the sight of her big brother. He scoops her up in one arm and points the sharp tip of Banryu at the unknown being, wondering just where in the hell Jakotsu is. "Who are you? And what were you planning on doing with my sister?" He asks dangerously, narrowing his eyes at the strange man in front of him. He's easily taller than him, not that height has ever been a deterrent for Bankotsu, with a head of shockingly red hair and tanned skin with metal plates in place of skin. A large plate covers his right eye, eyebrow, and part of his temple, metal braces nailed into his face that stretch down his forehead to his nose. His left eye is surrounded by a strange blue marking, and he has a strange metal mask that covers his entire lower face. Perhaps he'd seen one too many battles? Bankotsu can't help but wonder. Can he even speak?

"I was wondering why this kid was all on her own." A raspy, gravelly voice intones. Bankotsu looks back up. So the big guy can speak, eh?

"My brother and I were in town, getting some food for her. Our other brother was supposed to be watching her, but, uh...he hates kids." In Bankotsu's arms, Aikotsu is just finishing up her flower crown, having grabbed it while being picked up. Once the final knot is tied, she grins and holds it out for the red-haired guy with the funny mouth. The giant man graciously accepted the gift, and placed it delicately atop his mop of fire-cracker hair. "So, I guess introductions are in order?" Bankotsu says as he finally sees Suikotsu come around the bend and begin to assess the situation. The giant of a man nodded and sat down, which Bankotsu followed, but not before settling Aikotsu on the ground between himself and Suikotsu.

"My name is Bankotsu, this is my brother Suikotsu, and this is our younger sister Aikotsu."

"My name is Gin." The gargantuan man says.

As soon as Bankotsu could make out Jakotsu's silhouette in the distance, he glares with a maniacal grin on his face. He holds Aikotsu up in one arm, holding her arm up. "Say 'bye-bye', Aikotsu! Since big brother Jakotsu left you alone, I'm gonna kill him!" Not knowing what he meant, just that he said 'bye-bye', Aikotsu began to eagerly wave her arm back and forth with furious abandon.

While formidable-looking and seemingly insane at first glance, Gin is actually a nice person. True, he's seen more than enough battles, and clearly bears the scars of them, but he is a truly kind man. Incidentally, Gin ended up being a better babysitter and bodyguard then Jakotsu was, though that was probably because he didn't inherently hate who he was watching over. In fact, Aikotsu took to him as quickly as she had Bankotsu, and he her. Gin absolutely doted on the girl, to the point of spoiling her, treating her as a father would with his child, which seemed oddly natural. He is arguably the oldest in their group, being twenty-four to their thirteen, seven-and-a-half, four-and-a-half, and two-and-a-half. Meanwhile, Gin watched over Aikotsu carefully as Bankotsu chewed into Jakotsu, berating the boy, though older, for abandoning his charge to the mercy of others, mercy that was never guaranteed. Bankotsu was well aware that his brother didn't like their sister, but he hadn't even imagined that his dislike would let him willingly abandon her to her own devices without anyone but her barrier to protect her. They still don't know the origins of the barrier, what it does and how it operates, or for just how long it will continue to provide protection for their helpless sibling.

It was maybe a week after assimilating Gin - also bestowing 'kotsu' onto the end of his name, as they had with Aikotsu - into their slowly growing group that Aikotsu found an orphaned nekomatta kitten and brought it back to their camp, giving her brothers that irrefusable puppy-dog eye look of hers. Ginkotsu had instantly said yes, on the condition that she be responsible for feeding it and taking care of it. Bankotsu took a bit more persuasion, but did eventually relent because of how cute she was. Once the cat was deemed hers, she promptly named it Buyo, and the kitten proceeded to follow her everywhere, like a little duckling. She was very serious about taking care of the kitten, despite her young age, and made sure her kitten always had what it needed, be it food or snuggles.

...

At four and a half years of age, Aikotsu is remarkably intelligent and agile, with reflexes stronger than most children twice her age. This, coupled with her inexplicable barrier, is the only reason Bankotsu and Ginkotsu allow their sister to leave their sight without a chaperon. Buyo is a bit of a lazy cat, preferring to nap in the sun unless given a reason not to. Despite this lackadaisical behavior, he will always be loyal and very protective towards Aikotsu. Today, Aikotsu is foraging for food and herbs, dedicated to the task Sui-nii gave her. They're running low on salve, and need more of a specific herb to make more. Grabbing it straight from the source is better than wasting valuable money on it, so she's happy to do this for him if it saves money that they need.

Tongue poking out between her lips in concentration, Aikotsu pulls on a stubborn root, willing it to give in and just come out! A twig snapping just to her right has her abandoning the stubborn herb, putting all her attention on the possible threat. Maybe she should have brought Gin-nii with her, just to be sure.

What greets her is the oddest man she's ever seen. He's not much taller than Ja-nii, but more...rounded, with white clothes that cover every inch of his body other than his eyes, which are lined with the same kind of stuff that's around Gin-nii's eye, only this man's is red and not blue. He stares at her almost uncomprehendingly, before something changes, and the air charges with an odd energy. Aikotsu is on edge now, cautiously watching the man.

She doubles back as he launches forward, yelping in shock. "What's wrong, little girl? Don't you think I'm handsome?" He sounded serious, if not disgruntled and offended. She says nothing, preparing to take herself out of this encounter, herbs or not. She backs up a bit father, just enough to put a good distance between them, just in case. Sui-nii always says to stay away from people she doesn't know. Ban-nii also says to always carry a knife, but she doesn't like weapons. They hurt people, and she doesn't like hurting people. "Why'd you back away? Don't run away, my dear! It's because you think I'm ugly, isn't it?!" He snarls, and grabs a water canteen, undoing the lid and watching as a dark, acrid smoke fills the area. Immediately, the barrier Aikotsu knows so well springs to life, surrounding her and shielding her. The man is at first shocked by the appearance of the shield, and then grows even further confused when the smoke is blocked from entering the barrier.

A loving voice whispers in her ear, "Run!" They say in warning. "Danger!" Aikotsu takes heed of the warning, though not knowing who the voice is, only to trust it, and races off in the direction of their camp, leaving a poison-smoke filled forest and a disgruntled man in her wake. About halfway there, she bumps into Gin-nii, who immediately swings her up into his arms with a well-practiced maneuver. She quickly and efficiently relocates herself onto his broad back, smiling lightheartedly, having decided to forget the encounter.

"Is lunch ready?" She asks, and receives a nod from her brother. She lets out an exclamation of joy and he carries her back to their camp, unaware of the eyes that follow them from the forest.

The tall man arrives back in their temporary camp, crouching down to let Aikotsu dismount from his large back with a puzzled frown. Bankotsu, who noticed the landing of his sister and her tall red-headed protector, walks up to the black-haired girl with Suikotsu in tow. "You're back early. What happened?" He asks, kneeling down to her level. Aikotsu shrugs and sits down to pet Buyo's fur lovingly.

"I was picking herbs for Sui-nii, and this guy came. He was weird, asked if I thought he was hand...hand..handsome! Yeah!" She smiles, proud that she remembered the word. "He asked if he was handsome, and then he jumped at me. I backed far enough away that he couldn't do anything, but then he got madder and took out a water canteen and opened it. The forest filled with smoke! And my barrier protected me. He seemed confused, and I ran into Gin-nii when I ran away. I had to leave before I could get the herbs. I'm sorry." Aikotsu looks down now, feeling guilty that she failed her job.

Reclined against a tree, Jakotsu snorts. "Sounds like a poison master if you ask me. Maybe an insecure one?" Even though Aikotsu didn't know what insecure meant, she knew she could always just ask Gin-nii or Sui-nii later. The last time she asked what a word meant while Jakotsu was around, he called her stupid. She knows he doesn't like her, and she doesn't really blame him for it, but it still hurts.

Later that day, they are approached by a short man clothed in white. He's stout and clearly surly, but he presents himself with an air of confidence and chipper. Aikotsu isn't exactly fooled, and neither are her brothers. Buyo places himself directly in between the man and Aikotsu, recognizing him as a threat. "My name is Mukotsu. I'm sorry if I startled you, young lady. I was looking for somewhere I could put my expertise to use, and found out that you boys work as mercenaries. I specialize in poison making."

Jakotsu narrows his eyes at the trees in front of him, but doesn't say anything otherwise. After all, Bankotsu makes the rules, and not him. Suikotsu is cautious, as is Ginkotsu, but Bankotsu decides to give him a chance. Aikotsu doesn't say much on the matter, she just edges closer to her brothers. For some reason, she knows something is off, but she doesn't know what that something is. For now they can only wait.

It's hours later, after night has fallen, that Mukotsu slowly opens his eyes, grinning wildly. He sits up noiselessly, glancing around at the boys that surround him. They're all asleep. He grins.

Perfect.

Slowly and quietly, he pulls himself to his feet, making his way over to the young beauty that sleeps beneath a tree. She is fast asleep in her small futon, a white nekomatta with brown and black spots lying next to her with its fluffy tails placed delicately around her. His black eyes are hungry, beady and glazed over, as he stands over her with the pale moon illuminating his back. He is just about to reach out to her, when a venomous voice hisses a warning from behind him. "Touch her and die." He turns around to see Ginkotsu, the metal-sported man with a mop of shockingly red hair, towering over him imposingly, glaring down at him. He's too shocked to even move.

Ginkotsu strides past him, his presence alone enough to shock the smaller man into obedience, and gently picks Aikotsu up, futon and all, before bringing her back to where he was sleeping, Buyo lazily following and plopping down right next to them. "Ai," The giant murmurs in the child's ear, earning a tired whine as she's half-roused, "Bring your barrier up around your brothers." Without further preamble, a pink barrier with a reddish tint forms around Aikotsu and stretches, enveloping the nekomatta, Ginkotsu, and Bankotsu and Jakotsu, who are slightly further away. Then she turns over, snuggling further into his arms, and is once more dead to the world in her own little dreamland. Ginkotsu narrows his one eye at the small man staring at them in shock.

"Try it again and I will kill you myself." The giant man threatens. Mukotsu isn't stupid. He's seen the backpack of saw blades that the red-haired man keeps on him, plus the chain and those wires. He gulps, sitting down against another tree and tries to ignore the stare Ginkotsu is burrowing into his head. If looks could kill, he'd certainly be dead by now.

When Mukotsu rouses around mid-morning, he finds Ginkotsu supervising the young girl as she carefully cleaned Banryu for Bankotsu, a big smile on her face. What's shocking is that she's perfectly at ease around the gargantuan weapon, something that intrigues every single one of the boys. Aikotsu is diligent to carefully wash away any and every speck of blood, bringing the blade to a mirror shine. Meanwhile, Bankotsu vaguely wonders just why in the hell Ginkotsu has been giving Mukotsu death glares ever since morning.

Camp is packed up quickly after breakfast and then they're on the road again, to find a priest for guidance, as Bankotsu tells the stout poison master. Apparently Aikotsu is a very powerful little girl, with innate spiritual talent, and they need a professional to give their opinion.

And what a wonderful idea THAT had been. An hour after leaving the village, Bankotsu still steams in rage as he marches ahead of the rest, Aikotsu curled up in Ginkotsu's arms as she clings to his neck like a lifeline, her cheeks uncomfortably dry from her salty tears. Needless to say, the meeting with the priest HADN'T gone well. Upon discovering just how powerful she was, the priest they had consulted insisted that they give her up and have her live in the village to be properly trained as a priestess. Bankotsu had immediately told the man what he thought of that, with a firm punch to the face, and it had all gone to hell from there. Ginkotsu had instantly swooped up Aikotsu, who had all but dissolved into tears as soon as she grasped the severity of the situation. Now, as their feet stomp the dirt path away from that hell site, Ginkotsu gently rubs his non-robotic arm up and down her back methodically in an attempt to calm her down enough that her barrier recedes.

Bankotsu is still uncomfortably quiet, although he does allow Suikotsu to check up on his shoulder, which a villager had struck as punishment for punching the priest. It ached, and Suikotsu tells him point blank that it's going to leave a nasty bruise, but he still doesn't cry. Bankotsu never cries, Aikotsu realizes. And she was bawling like an infant only an hour ago. None of her brothers cry, and yet she does. Is there something wrong with her? Why is she the only one who cries? Maybe she's weak. That's what Ja-nii always says when he's made to keep watch over her.

They stop for lunch once they feel they're far enough away from the village, and Ginkotsu goes off to hunt. Bankotsu gives his sister a small smile, but he's still too mad to engage much. Jakotsu honestly doesn't care, although he got a sick sense of amusement from Aikotsu's distraught face and her tears, no matter how loud she was. To distract herself, she decides to play for a while. Together with Buyo, they go collect some water from a nearby stream, and some firewood, bringing it back and starting a decent sized fire thanks to Buyo momentarily transforming and using his paws to light the kindling. Once her pot of tea is on the fire and boiling, she brings out her favorite cups that Suikotsu got for her on her birthday. Well, they didn't really know her birthday, so they just made it the day they'd found her. Suikotsu keeps a diligent eye on her and Bankotsu, berating the boy when he strains his muscles too much.

Mukotsu, who had been keeping himself separate from the group, for fear of what the boys would do if Ginkotsu told them what he'd tried to do last night, was shocked to see Aikotsu standing over him, a cup in her hand and a smile on her face. Her smile wasn't the way it usually is, more worn-down, but it was still her smile. "Tea?" She asks, waiting for him to take the cup. He accepts it numbly, watching her settle down and her neko curl up in her lap. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sad because no woman wants me. They all think I'm ugly or weird."

She tilts her head but doesn't interrupt him.

"Only my mother has ever loved me. She's the only woman that's ever loved me, that I've ever respected." He says, taking a sip of the tea. He sighs, feeling an unheard of feeling of peace wash over him.

"I'm sure someone loves you!" She rebukes optimistically. "You just can't lose hope!"

For some strange reason, that look of childlike hope in her eyes makes him feel ten times better.

...

"Hey Toshiro, look!" Aikotsu blinks as she picks up on the whispered call. She squeaks as Jakotsu jostles her shoulder as he passes, hissing at her to get a move on. Ignoring the jibe, she continues to follow at a slow pace while keeping an ear tuned into the gossip. Her brothers, herself, and Mukotsu had stopped in yet another village for a bit of supplies and were only just leaving. Suikotsu had purchased fresh parchment paper and ink along with a brush for her to practice with since she'd run out recently.

"Yeah?"

"Look at that weird guy in white with those other five people. Doesn't he look weird?"

"He's so short."

"And fat." Aikotsu frowns as she hears yet another person join in. She looks ahead of her to where Mukotsu is, and she sees his shoulders are slumped, a stony glare on his face that she can see beneath his mask. Her eyebrows furrow in empathy, feeling horrible that he has to hear these things being said about him.

"What's with his face?"

"He's so ugly!" At this point, she's had enough. She stops short, barely noticing her brothers who also pause, and turns an icy, violent glare on the boys. They stop cold, not used to seeing such a scary look on a kid her age.

"You're so mean!" She yells at them. "Just because he looks different doesn't mean you can be mean and rude! You should be ashamed of yourselves. What if someone said those things about you, huh?!" She storms closer until she's nose and nose with the rude little boys, not even caring that she's a good foot shorter than both of them. "Maybe if someone treated you like you treat him you would understand just how cruel you are. How can you just stand here and insult him like it's nothing? You disgust me." And with this, she stalks right back to her brothers and storms past them, gently leading Mukotsu away with a hand on his arm. All four of her brothers are dumbfounded, silent as they watch her and Mukotsu's figures disappear in the distance. Suikotsu is the first to recover, and he jogs to catch up with his fiery sister and the poison-master, chuckling lowly under his breath. Ginkotsu, Bankotsu and Jakotsu are left to pull up the rear, the first two marvelling over her sudden outburst and the latter one glaring at the little girl's back. He still doesn't like her.

Later, when they stop for dinner, Mukotsu approaches Aikotsu, under the warning eye of her protective red-headed brother. "Aikotsu?" He prompts, waiting for her to turn around. Once she does, he lowers himself into a low bow, his forehead touching the ground. "I want to thank you, for standing up for me back there. Even though what they said is true, you still stood up for me, and I respect that."

The five year old isn't deterred, smiling widely. "I stood up for you because it was the right thing to do, silly! Everyone deserves kindness!" And with this remark, she skips away to let Bankotsu teach her how to drop kick, Buyo lazily padding along behind her. Ginkotsu stares at him from the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry for what I tried to do, Ginkotsu. I think I'm starting to realize that I'm very sick." He admits, feeling humbled. What he knows now will affect his future, for better or worse is his decision.

"Just never try that ever again."

"I think I'm going to start praying and trying to work towards becoming a better person."

"I think that's a good idea."

And the red-headed man and the poison-master observe as Bankotsu teaches his sister how to do a drop kick. It's around dinner time when they are approached by another man, or rather a young boy who appears to have been a monk or priest. Aikotsu pauses, Buyo climbing into her lap. His head is shaved, with purple markings stretching up his face from his cheeks to just above his eyebrows along with a dragon-face-like mark on his forehead. "Hello," He begins, bowing low to the group. "My name is Renkotsu. I heard the commotion in the village today, and thought I might be of use. See, I trained as a monk under a very powerful priestess and I picked up quite a few things. I'd be willing to teach your sister in exchange for letting me accompany you. I'm a skilled spiritualist and I have combat experience. Also, my teacher, the priestess Sakura, doesn't take children in order to teach them, so you could still stay with your sister while she learns."

"And just where is this village?" Suikotsu asks as he hands his sister her bowl of stew. She takes it gingerly and starts slurping it down right away, only slowing down when he tells her she'll choke otherwise. Renkotsu isn't deterred, and continues on without preamble.

"Just due North. It shouldn't be more than a day or two's travel from here, if I had to guess."

The boys all share a look between themselves, struggling to make a decision. Aikotsu is clearly talented, but she needs guidance and proper training. Plus, due to her utter abhorrence for any form of weapon or violence in general, training her has been stagnant to say the least. All they've managed to teach her is evasive maneuvers and blocking techniques. Bankotsu knows that she has to learn how to protect herself, because they won't always be around to save the day, and she needs to know how to hold her own. They haven't raised this precious little ray of sunshine since toddler-hood for her to die because she can't protect herself when they're not there. "What about when we travel? Sometimes we take up mercenary jobs when money's tight. Ai, she isn't fond of violence, and we honestly don't want her to see it either. It's not like we can just bring her along to every mercenary job we get." The six-and-two-quarters boy asks.

Renkotsu pauses, deep in thought for several moments. Aikotsu knows they're talking about her, but doesn't care enough to actually engage, merely sneaking Buyo pieces of meat from her stew when she thinks Suikotsu isn't looking. "Well, there's a demon slayer's village not too far from Lady Sakura's village. They could probably watch your sister, and they may even be able to teach her a few things." The bald boy states, idly accepting a bowl of stew from Suikotsu and thanking him.

The boys are still on the fence about the whole issue, and then Aikotsu and Bankotsu lock eyes. The bond between the two of them is the strongest out of all her brothers, and he can see her young life flash in his eyes. His resolve steels.

She'll be able to protect herself if she trains, right? She won't like it, but you always have to do things you don't like. That's just how life is. He breaks the connection and looks to Renkotsu instead. "We'll do it. We'll go to this Lady Sakura's village. But if this ends up not going well, we will kill you." Renkotsu nods, expecting an answer like that.

For now, all they can do is eat dinner, the six of them forming and strengthening bonds. Aikotsu notices that Renkotsu and Gin-nii seem to be getting along well, like Ban-nii and Ja-nii. She looks down at Buyo in her lap, and then to Mukotsu, and smiles. Maybe she just got two new brothers.

AND CHAPTER TWO IS FINALLY DONE

I have been working on this nightmare chapter for god knows how long. But it's been a long, wild ride, and I'm finishing this at like 8 PM on New Years night. So Happy New Year present to me? Let's go 2020, I hope you won't be as much of a bitch to me as the past eleven years have been.

Join me in chapter three, we're picking up speed!

-FH19