Bankotsu laid on the porch watching the cloud roll by. It's been weeks since Riza disappeared. Not even a single trace of her was found.
"Damn. Should have kissed her." He mumbled to himself.
"Kiss who?" A sweet voice spoke.
Orihime leans over him, staring at his face.
"Huh? Oh! No one princess." He grinned.
"Oh." She says deflated.
He took a second to look over her. She had a sad look on her face.
"Were you expecting me to say you, Princess?" He teases.
"You're teasing me! O-of course I wasn't expecting me.." she mumbled, a deep blush on her face.
He reached over to her and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She stared at him, her blush deepened.
"If you want a kiss, I'll gladly give you one." He leaned in, brushing his lips against hers.
She moaned softly into his lips. She imagined for so long how his lips would feel on hers. She kissed him back with all of her might. Her small hands clutched his hoari. His hand rested her her thigh while the other cupped her face.
He pulled away. A small smirk on his face.
"Happy?" He asked winking at her.
"Yes. It was just as I hoped." She says shyly.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"That was my first kiss.. and I would like for you to be my first for everything." She clutched her kimono tightly.
"Big brother! We're all ready!" Jakotsu called out from the distance.
"Ah, well I have to get going. Next time I'm here, I'll be your first. I'll make you feel things you've never felt before." He kissed her once more before turning around and waving goodbye.
"So what did the French woman want?" Renkotsu asked.
"A good lay." He responded with a smug smirk.
His men laughed with him. He chuckled and looked up at the sky. He hoped to see her soon.
"I'm looking for Bankotsu." A voice spoke from behind them.
Bankotsu turns to look at the person. A young boy stood staring at them with hard purple eyes. His hair was Snow White with fox ears. His outfit was a plain black and red kimono. His fox tail matched his hair.
"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" Bankotsu spat.
"I have this for you." He walks up and hands him a rolled up letter.
"It's from Riza." He said before disappearing.
Bankotsu looked at the letter, he lifted it up to his nose. He could smell a sweet scent coming from the paper. His heart raced. She wrote him a letter and sprayed perfume on it. When a woman did this it was usually a love letter.
He gulped and with a red face he opened the letter.
Monsieur Mercenaire,
Come to the inn 15 miles down this road and meet with me. We have things to discuss.
Love,
Riza
The letter was short and straight to the point yet he couldn't calm his racing heart.
"Let's go." He commanded.
"What did the letter say?" Renkotsu asked.
"She wants to meet with us." He answered.
"Does she want peace or war?"
"Only one way to find out."
The group walked down the forest road and came across an old inn.
An elderly woman was sweeping the porch. She had a serene look to her. She looked up and smiled as the mercenaries stepped up to her.
"Welcome! You men must be tired from battle. Please come and enjoy our restaurant and inn!" The woman smiled.
Bankotsu smiled back.
"Actually I'm looking for a young woman. A blonde girl with a strange accent."
"Oh! You must me monster Mercern? Is that correct?"
Bankotsu frown comically.
"No. I'm Bankotsu. These are my brothers."
"Oh I'm so sorry!" She bowed. "She requested that you and only you meet her for dinner in her room just down the hall. Same time, sunset."
Bankotsu's face went red and he nodded.
He turned to face his men and groaned slapping his face with both hands.
"Shit. I can't be alone with that fucking woman.."
Bankotsu walked down a darkened hallway. He wore a plain dark blue yukata and his hair in a ponytail.
He reached her room. He could smell the sweet scent of honey and roses. A scent that intoxicated him.
He opened the door without knocking and looked inside. The room was empty except for the table that sat in the center of the room filled with fresh cooked food.
He walked in and examined the room. Her belongings sat gracefully in the corner of the room. A mirror with few cosmetics sat next to her stuff.
He caught glimpse of her dual wielding blades hidden under her soft white chemise confirming he was in the correct room.
He lifted up her dress to his nose and inhaled the sweet scent of her. His cock jumped as he smelled her dress.
"You're early." Riza announces as she closes the door behind her.
"Yep. Lady told me sunset so here I am, at sunset." He says dropping the dress and turning to face her.
His eyes went wide as his gaze landed on her.
Her wet hair pinned up in a bun and a towel wrapped around her body. Droplets of water ran down her rosy pale skin.
"Sorry, seems I dozed off in the hot spring." She giggled.
"My chemise, if you please." She walked up to him and extended her hand.
Bankotsu nodded and handed her the dress. Her fingers brushed against his and he quickly took notice of the electricity coursing through him.
"Turn around please."
With a red face he turned facing the wall, huffing and puffing.
Riza slipped into her white dress, smoothing it out.
"Okay. Shall we eat?"
They sat down and loaded their plates. Bankotsu was hesitant but pushed the thought away when Riza filled her plate after him.
"So, What do you want?" He asked, speaking first.
She looked up at him through her lashes and set her utensil down.
"I would like to make amends with you. We got off on the wrong foot last time we spoke."
"That usually happens when you threaten someone."
"I would like for us to be friends. My employer sees you as a threat, and he should. But I see you as an opportunity, someone who can be beneficial."
"I'm not going to be your damn puppet." He growled.
"Puppet? No, Monsieur! You've got it all wrong! I would want for us to be able to help each other out. Especially when someone is in trouble." She scooped the warm fluffy rice into her mouth.
Her smile was of pure delight for the food.
"So good!" She giggled.
Bankotsu thought it over as they ate together in silence.
"So you think I can be beneficial? My men as well?" He asked finishing his soup.
"Yes! Each of you have your own strength and work well together. I think you can be of great use!" She smiled big.
"Well I think you can go to hell. This is stupid, you think we can be friends? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You're lucky I don't hop over this table and strangle you! You first come to me, fight me and my men than you taunt me at that lord's castle and now you try to win me over? Not to mention the way you escaped us. You set the whole shit up didn't you?!" He slammed his fist on the table.
He stood quickly ready to leave but suddenly felt light headed.
Riza stayed sitting, watching with a small smile on her pouty pink lips.
He took a step and stumbled. His vision faded in and out and his head pounded.
"What the fuck? What did you...do..?" He glared and Riza before falling to his knees, holding onto the small table to keep him sitting up.
"As I said, you and your men will be of great use." She said as she drank from a little vile before smiling a beautifully wicked smile.
Bankotsu fell over and everything went black.
In the dining hall the main innkeeper watched as the mercenaries tried to keep from passing out.
"Now, now dearies. Don't fight it." The elderly woman smiled before a dark purple cloud surrounded her and she transformed into Mamoru.
"Why you...little...runt..." Jakotsu groaned before collapsing with his brothers.
Bankotsu groaned. His head felt heavy and pounded with the worst hangover he had ever experienced.
His hands were bounded behind his back and the sounds of multiple people talking rang in his ears.
"You better not be wrong about these men, Riza. Are you sure they're good fighters?" A man asked.
"Oui. Each man is stronger than normal. Put a weapon in their hands and that strength multiplies." Riza spoke.
"Alright. Guards, remove their covers." The man commanded.
The guards removed each of the mercenaries' hoods. Bankotsu kept his eyes closed for a second before opening them. His vision took a second to adjust. He and his men were on their knees with their hands tied together. He looked around and realized he was in the throne room of a lord he had never met before.
The lord was a fat bald man. His dark beady eyes stared down on them as if they were ants.
"Untie me or I'll kill every single cocksucker in this room." He demanded.
"Oh! He's got some fire to him!" The lord clapped.
"Now for my payment." Riza leaned in.
"I brought them, so I should get a good price." She winked.
"Not so fast. I haven't seen them fight so they could be terrible. Tell you what, here's half and I'll give you the other half afterwards." The lord states.
"That's fine, my lord." She smiled.
"Did you do that little snap thing? I feel the youngest one will have the biggest bite." The lord asked Riza.
"Yes my lord. The others are not to worry about. It's him that you do." She says taking her payment.
"Riza! You conniving cunt! You'll pay for this." Bankotsu growled.
"Really? Seems I already got paid." She teases tossing her bag of gold coins in her hand.
With a smirk she begins to walk away angering Bankotsu.
The young leader bashed against the two guards holding him down and bolted towards her. She smiled as he got close and lifted her hand and snapped.
Bankotsu fell by her feet. Electricity shocked him, a cry of pain escaped his throat.
"See, my lord? He's a fighter." She smirked and walked out of the room. The two guards picked up an unconscious Bankotsu and took him and his men to the jail cells under the castle.
"Bankotsu? Bankotsu! Wake up!" Jakotsu kicked his feet causing him to awaken with a jolt.
"What the fuck happened?" He groaned rubbing his head.
He looked down and saw cuffs on his wrists.
"What the hell?" He says lifting his arm to get a better look.
"The innkeeper poisoned us." Renkotsu tells him.
"Not the innkeeper. Riza." He confirmed.
"Damn. She got us good." Suikotsu sighed.
Bankotsu couldn't stop himself from smirking. She had completely blind sided them. She was quite clever.
"So what do you thinks going to happen now?" Jakotsu asked.
"No idea. But we'll break out of here, I'm sure of it."
The men waited for hours upon hours. They were sure a day or two have passed.
"My, you all look so miserable." Riza's voice chimes, startling all of them.
"You bitch!" Bankotsu charged at the cell gate between them.
"Now now! Calm down. Let me explain." She put her hands up in surrender.
She walked up to the cell door and wrapped her slim fingers around the bars pressing her body into it.
Bankotsu held onto the bar to keep himself from trying to strangle her. He was infuriated and infatuated at the same time.
"Look, I am a smart girl. I like to think I'm pretty clever but sometimes I can be in way over my head. I made a deal with this lord. I present him with a team of great fighters for him to bet on and if you all die, my head will come off my shoulders." She explained best she could.
"So you made a bet that you could find a strong team that will win some battle or you will die?" Bankotsu raised a brow.
"Ah, yes! You see I love gambling. It really is such a rush." She giggled slapping her cheeks.
"And if we don't fight?" He questioned.
"Than we both die." Her tone serious.
"You know, this isn't the way to make friends." He said, an annoyed vein throbbed on his temple.
"One fight is all I ask." She smiled sweetly.
"What do we get if one of us wins your little bet?" Renkotsu asked.
"Freedom." She smiled.
"Not good enough." Bankotsu said.
"Freedom is as good as it gets." She raised a brow. "What would you want instead?"
"Half of what you make from this little gamble of yours."
"Half?!" Riza exclaimed.
Bankotsu looked at her with an aggravated look.
"Okay, okay. I'll give you half, just give me a good fight." She reaches her hand into the cell.
He hesitatingly looked at her hand, his men, her again and shook her hand.
After another day in the cell Bankotsu and only him were taken from the prison and escorted into an arena.
People screamed and cheered. He could hear at least 15 women beg for him to impregnate them.
"Oh boy." He groaned.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you all for coming to watch this fight! We have here a new fighter! This young man will face against the powerful Ushi-Oni! Will this monster take another life or will the young man be the first to defeat the powerful yokai?! Bring out the man's weapon!" The announcer demanded.
Three strong men entered the pit carrying Banryu. Each man red in the face trying to hold the great halberd.
Riza sat next to the lord as they watched. Bankotsu, with a blank expression walked over to the men and lifted the sword with one hand.
"Wow! My lord, you can't tell me he isn't strong! Those three big men struggled with that sword yet he lifts it as if it were light as a feather. Amazing.." Riza cooed, resting her head in her hands as she leaned forward.
"Riza, is this the leader you were talking about?" Katsu spoke. She turned to see him. His white and red hoari left open to show off his toned chest. A gesture that Riza was over.
"Yes. This is Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven." She smiled proudly.
Katsu clenched his jaw. A jealous rage began to brew as he took notice of how excited Riza was to see the man fight.
A large metal door opened slowly. A demonic roar echoed from the darkness within.
"Here comes the demon! Get ready! And fight!" The announcer called.
The Ushi-Oni ran out at full speed charging straight for Bankotsu. The monster was incredibly large with the body of a spider with six legs and the head of an ox.
Bankotsu smirked and positioned himself, ready to fight.
His eyesight landed straight on Riza. She was smiling, he could tell she was anxious to see him fight. Anxious or aroused. Either was good enough for him.
"Here we go." He said.