I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters, but I do own the rights to the story of The Unbreakable Can Break and any OC that may or may not appear.

Chapter 9

The flash of lightning blinded the eyes of the two figures walking through the clearing. One, two, three, four… then the deafening thunder rolled in and Kagome let out a breath. Four miles away, good. The unease in the her stomach eased a minuscule amount. Ever since her confrontation with Bankotsu, Kagome could not get rid of the haze of questions over her thoughts. Although she had gotten over the fact that the leader of the Band of Seven was back, what she couldn't grasp in her hazy mind was how. How could he come back with out the help of a jewel shard or two? How did he get his halberd after it was destroyed at Mt. Hakurei? And another thing if he did manage to come back as Kikyo had, why hadn't he been dead to the touch? In fact he seemed incredibly alive and warm…

Kagome blushed as she remembered his body against hers, the way his skin gave way to pressure, and his lips on hers. She could still feel his touch that left trails of fire on her neck, tingle teasingly. His actions and reactions during the kiss made him feel more human then she was ready to admit. As long as she could trick herself into thinking that he is just another corps like Kikyo, she could feel hate for him and might be able to escape.

Another flash of lightning lit up the sky making her blink. One, two, three…Again the loud boom trampled the ear drums of Kagome and Bankotsu. It's getting closer, is he going to drive us through the storm? That would be her luck, to get stuck in the rain with him when she was still…still… flustered?

Damn him, why couldn't he just leave me on the forest floor or kill me? Well that was an interesting thought, why didn't he kill her or at least attack the village? Bankotsu didn't seem like the type to plan out his revenge, in fact he has proven his straight forward tactics more times then she could count. Planning wasn't Bankotsu's strong suit. It was almost like someone was leading him on. How ironic that would be if the strong leader had somehow become the lead. Of course in battles it was obvious why he would be in charge. Even Inuyasha had said something about Bankotsu being a beautiful fighter.

"It's like he never thinks before he attacks, it just happens. Almost like he knows exactly how things will work and where he will be all the time. If I didn't know better I would think he was trained by Sesshomaru," The memory of that chuckling voice in her mind brought back the pain in her chest. First her Grandpa, now her friends: what will be next?

The lightning flashed again but Kagome didn't count until the thunder, instead she just looked at the man that had torn her away from everything. She half expected and evil aura to permeate from him. But as it turned out, not even the upcoming storm's strong winds could loosen any evil demonic aura, not even from Banryuu. What are you?

Bankotsu noticed the rapid approaching storm with ease. A little water wouldn't kill them but it would be easier to find shelter then traveling with a fever. As he looked for shelter discreetly he noticed how the girl beside him would focus whenever the lightning flashed and let out a breath when the thunder would grace the clearing they were in. Strange. But nothing about this girl was very normal, by what she had said and had done. She knows of a woman named Kikyo who apparently had come back to life but not quite. And her choice of friends; a half demon, a fox cub, the very rare demon slayer, and, well the monk was nothing too odd seeing as she was a priestess, but that hand he had had a sinister feeling like Naraku. Also her defiance that was very uncommon among women. She was strange but like every other woman she was soft and reactionary with the right king of stimulus.

As his thoughts spiraled downward he felt her eyes on his face, but he resisted looking into them. When he had her against the old oak he couldn't help but get lost in those eyes because they had open like a window to her mind, like they had, before they had became dull again. Those open eyes had the power to make him feel like she was searching his soul but they would never leave that greasy violated feeling he normally felt when people looked at him when he would question them.

The lightning lit the sky up again but this time it revealed a small hut over by the hillside. That'll do for now. Bankotsu grabbed Kagome's arm and steered her towards their destination. Once inside the small one roomed hut the two looked around. The hut had a dirt floor covered with thatch to prevent the draft that always seemed to find the way up an unsuspecting victim's leg, a small fire pit with a supply of fire wood, a rusty pump, and a few old chipped mugs.

"Wow," the hushed whisper was drowned out by the sudden down pour of rain on the roof. Before Bankotsu could ask what had Kagome at awe, she had walked over to the fire wood and began hauling it over to the pit. But before she got two steps away with a log in her arms Bankotsu snatched the wood out of her grip in grabbed a few more logs, then turned to her.

"Grab those cups," he said inclining his head to the few in the corner. She didn't nod or show any signs that she had heard him, but none the less she left the fire building to Bankotsu. After a little digging in the thatch, Kagome was able to uncover a bowl, a pair of chop sticks, and a tea pot along with a little tin of tea and dried meat. Looking back over her shoulder Kagome saw Bankotsu stand up from the pile of wood that he had manage to light a fire and turn towards her.

Grabbing her findings she carted them over to the fire, and this time when Bankotsu tried to grab a part of her load, Kagome twisted out of reach and walked over to the fire smirking to herself. Seeing her evasion Bankotsu smiled and walked up behind her, just to find her ignoring his presence. Two can play it that way Kagome. When she reached for the small ceramic tea pot absent mindedly her hand met his resting on the pot's handle. The warmth of his hand reminded her painfully that he was there.

Without saying a word Bankotsu manage to get his hand out from underneath hers then wrap it around both her hand and the handle trapping her with him, all the while acting oblivious to her at all. He continued to pick up the tea pot with her hand and walk over to the small rusty pump, which Kagome had no choice but to tag along. He pumped the water out of the well until the cool liquid came out the spout. Then he proceeded to filling the teapot while holding both of their hands steady. Still ignoring her presence so near him he walked back, with her in tow, to the fire. But when she thought they were going to both put the pot in the fire to warm the water, he let go of her hand and the pot.

Accustom to him holding the weight of the pot she was not ready for the full weight of the water and incidentally let it pour all over her. The water was cold and breathtaking when it hit her. She gasped and he chuckled. But, to the surprise of Bankotsu, Kagome did not scream, yell, or accuse him of it. No, instead she went back to the pump, filled the tea pot, and placed it in the fire, without saying a word.

Bankotsu shook his head and walked around the fire and sat across from her. He took out Banryuu and his wet stone to sharpen his halberd. He had just begun to run the stone over the blade of his last and closest friend when he noticed the movement of the girl across from him.

Kagome had waited until Bankotsu had his attention on another task before she had taken off her first layer. But she had waited too long and the water had soaked right through her under shirt. Sighing she got up and hung one layer on a peg that looked like to have been used to hold up a scroll at one point. She decided against shedding her other layers and left her now soaked undershirt on as she turned to make her way back to the fire.

Bankotsu watched her as she shed her first shirt to reveal a tighter sleeveless black shirt that clung to her curves due to the wet state it was in. And he watched as she moved about the hut, memorized by her suddle calm movements, as if they were loud and showy. Nothing could have torn his eyes away from her not until he was ready, which conveniently was when she turned around to sit next to the fire. Bankotsu turned his attention back to his blade and the stone in his hand thinking about the night before.

He had never really meant to kiss her, just frighten her. But the last comment she made had his purely male instincts take over and he did it. It turned out to not be a disaster, he got her compliance and her cooperation, but it did nothing for his confused feelings for this girl. It just didn't make sense, first he was filled with so much rage that he was so close to slitting her throat then the next moment there he was kissing her with all the passion he could muster. His pride said it was to make a point but his emotions said different.

He had been carful to hide his emotional distress from the girl all that night and all morning. He kept himself in check by first entertaining his brain with trivial things like the color of the birds he saw, then when that wasn't enough he would go over battle strategies. His activities that keep him from focusing on his emotions quickly dwindled down to counting his steps. By the time they reach the clearing he was at Two million, five thousand-twenty-three and grateful for the approaching storm that forced him to make adjustments to his tasks like finding shelter.

Bankotsu sat there and kept sharpening even though he had worn down one side of his wet stone. Kagome noticed his absent minded focus and took the opportunity to eat out of the one bowl. She had made tea and drank her share down to the dregs and pouring the rest into another chipped mug for Bankotsu. For dinner she had tried to soften the dried meat by boiling it, but it was still as hard as it was when she had found it in the tin. So she ate her share and again filled the bowl for Bankotsu. When Bankotsu didn't notice that the food was ready, Kagome sighed and picked the sad excuse for a meal and walked around the fire.

When Kagome placed the bowl and mug in front of Bankotsu, he blinked once then looked at what she had put in front of him. Almost shocked but not daring to show it, he looked up at her but she was already across the fire. A small smirk appeared on his face, as he took up the chop stick. Kagome laid down facing the wall and ignored Bankotsu as he ate the meal she had given him. The two spent the night with minds that were occupied with thoughts of each other but neither would speak of those thoughts all night.

I belive I have been way inspired by something but I am not quite sure what yet. That or I need a break while I finished school. The world may never know. Anyway a song that fits with this chapter would be The Other Side by the one and only Patrick Droney another would be Sleepwalking by Erin McCarthy