So...this is the FINAL CHAPTER of my Shichinintai story. It's been fun. Now, just remember...I own NOTHING! It all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Bankotsu, Jakotsu, Shichinintai). Just enjoy and be wary of violence, language, and slight shonen-ai/yaoi.

-Farewell from Erbby

"Is he drunk?" Bankotsu heard Suikotsu say from above.

"Pretty much, Ō-Aniki got a bit excited last night and went all out," Jakotsu said, laughing.

"How juvenile," Renkotsu said.

"Aw, come one, Renkotsu, don't tell me you don't like an occasional sake," Jakotsu said.

Bankotsu tried to open his heavy eyelids, but failed. Not only his eyelids, but his entire body felt heavy. There also seemed to be a slight breeze through the air.

"Yeah, but at least I don't embarrass myself like he does. What possessed him to strip down, anyway," Renkotsu said.

Suddenly, Bankotsu's body became as light as air and he jolted from the ground. Opening his eyes, he saw his comrades staring at him. He looked down and saw that his body was almost completely exposed, with the exception of a white sheet covering him.

"What…happened," he asked, trying to remember the events of the previous night, but all attempts lead to a head ache.

Jakotsu laughed. "You just got a bit excited, found some sake, and put on a little show for some of us," he said, reaching his hand out.

"Really," Bankotsu said, resting his head in his right hand.

Jakotsu smiled and nodded. "Come on, Ō-Aniki, you're a bit too young to be drinking too much. Let me help you up."

Bankotsu took Jakotsu's hand and held the white sheet where around his waist. "Where're my clothes," he asked.

"We got 'em, don't worry," Suikotsu said.

Jakotsu helped his Ō-Aniki onto his back. "Where should we go?"

"I don't know, wherever. Just make sure no one sees me like this, it's embarrassing," Bankotsu said, lying on Jakotsu's back. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened last night, for the scent of Jakotsu seemed strangely nostalgic.

"So, this is the village affiliated with that army?" Bankotsu said, staring down the mountain.

"Yes, Ō-Aniki, and it seems that they know of our presence," Renkotsu said, pointing to men ready to fight.

Bankotsu laughed under his breath. "Well, if Akimaru-sama wants us to fight them, we might as well fight. Brothers, let's go!"

The Shichinintai charged towards the village and attacked the anxious army. As per usual, the seven men destroyed the entire one hundred plus strong army prepared to fight. Then they attacked the village. Akimaru, the daimyo the Shichinintai were serving today, told them that many of the villagers were spies and that the entire village must be burnt down.

"Which homes should I burn, Ō-Aniki," Renkotsu said.

"All of them. Not one should be left standing," he said. He turned his head to attack a villager, only to see one of his comrades lying on the ground. "Suikotsu," he yelled, slicing the villager in half. He ran to his comrade and stared into his eyes. They seemed different than usual. Suikotsu looked like his was going to burst into an uncontrollable rage.

"Jakotsu, get over here," Bankotsu screamed.

Jakotsu ran towards his brother as to which he was ordered. "What is it, Bankotsu Ō-Aniki?"

"Take Suikotsu away from here. He looks like he's going to snap," he said, and returned to his fighting station.

Jakotsu nodded at Bankotsu's back and held Suikotsu over his shoulder. "Let's get you out of here," he said. He looked at Suikotsu's face, which was covered in beads of sweat. His eyes were wide and were scanning the area like crazy.

Jakotsu ran into the nearby grouping of trees and sat Suikotsu down. Suikotsu seemed to have calmed down and was breathing steadily. "What happened to you back there," Jakotsu said.

Suikotsu looked up at the sky and laughed. "I guess a part of me wanted to come out," he said in a tone strange to Jakotsu's ears. It was calm and almost gentle, very unlike the Suikotsu of the Shichinintai that Jakotsu knew.

"What are you talking about," Jakotsu asked, leaning into Suikotsu.

Suikotsu shook his head and brought his sight to the ground. "Do you have any weaknesses, Jakotsu?"

Jakotsu was taken aback. Of course he did, every human has a weakness. "Well, yeah, I suppose," he said, unsure of at what Suikotsu was trying to get.

"Those children…I just couldn't do it," Suikotsu softly said.

Jakotsu leaned in even closer to Suikotsu. His voice was so quiet and meek, and his face was soft and almost innocent.

"My weakness…is a child. I just can't help but grow soft when I see a child. There was a small group of them, and I almost attacked them. I almost…killed them," Suikotsu said, starting to tear. "There was so much fear in their eyes and I almost killed them. But my weakness kicked in…giving them a chance to get back into their home."

Suikotsu went silent. Jakotsu kept a steady stare on his friend. He felt that the story wasn't over with.

"Renkotsu-Aniki…burnt down all of the homes," Suikotsu finally said. Jakotsu leaned back and let out a snicker.

"Yeah, I got a weakness," he said. "But my problem is a bit bigger than yours."

Suikotsu looked at Jakotsu, his murderous nature returning. "What," he said.

Jakotsu closed his eyes and fell back onto the ground. He opened his eyes and stared at the stars above his head. "My weakness…is Ō-Aniki."

Jakotsu's memory took him to a time right before the formation of the Shichinintai. He and Bankotsu were still searching for members, and Bankotsu hadn't been corrupted yet; he still loved Jakotsu more than anything.

"So, what kind of people should we have in this group, Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu asked.

Bankotsu laughed. "Strong men, of course. We can't form a mercenary group without exceptionally strong men," he said.

Jakotsu suddenly saw someone in the distance, a young man. Blocking the sun out of his eyes, Jakotsu placed his handed above his brow to get a better look. "Oh, how about him, Ō-Aniki! He looks like a good specimen," he said, licking his lips. He started towards the man, but then felt a pull on his sleeve. He looked back to see Bankotsu's brooding face.

"What's he good for," Bankotsu said.

Jakotsu smiled and laughed at his companion. "Ō-Aniki, is that jealousy that I hear?"

Bankotsu took Jakotsu into him and gave him a deep kiss. "It's not jealousy. I just don't want you to flock to someone else," he said, leaning his head on Jakotsu's shoulder.

Jakotsu placed his hand on Bankotsu's head. "Yes it is, Ō-Aniki, but I'll forgive you."

"He's completely absorbed by this idea of strength and power, I'm afraid that he sometimes forgets about us," Jakotsu said and paused for a while. "But, you know, Suikotsu," he started again.

Suikotsu looked over. "What?"

Jakotsu giggled and stood up, his head to the sky. "I'm happy that he's finally found his niche. If he's happy, then so am I," he looked down at Suikotsu and smiled.

Suikotsu returned the gesture, and they walked back to the battle grounds.

The village sweep was a success, but oddly, Akimaru-sama was not there to pay the Shichinintai. Instead, the group brushed off the lack of payment and decided to hang around under a nearby cliff with some sake.

"What a day," Bankotsu said, sighing after much conversation with his comrades.

Suddenly, a herd of footsteps approached the group. Renkotsu stood from his seat on the ground.

"Looks like someone wants to fight us," he said, smirking.

Bankotsu threw his head back and stood up, grabbing the hilt of his Banryuu. "Don't they know that I'm tired," he said sighing. Suddenly, he smiled and was about to approach the enemy, until another herd of footsteps came from the other direction.

"Ō-Aniki," Suikotsu shouted.

Bankotsu turned his head, and saw, not one, but three other armies. "What is this," he said.

"Shichinintai," said the head samurai of the largest army, which was standing atop the cliff. "It is time to end your reign of blood and terror."

"What," Bankotsu said, looking around. This wasn't the first time they were out numbered; the Shichinintai always fought large armies. But this wasn't a battle; it was an ambush.

"Fire," the samurai shouted, and a storm of arrows shot towards the Shichinintai.

Running away, the Shichinintai amazingly evaded every single arrow. "Where are we going to go, Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu asked.

"The mountain up north," he said, pointing. The rest of the group nodded and followed Bankotsu up the slope through the flock of arrows.

The Shichinintai made it to the snowy mountain, but the four armies were close behind and eventually caught up enough to take down and kill Kyoukotsu with many blows of arrows to his head.

"Shit," Bankotsu said.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said from behind him. "I can't keep running."

"Damn it, Jakotsu," he responded. "We can't die here. We have to keep on running." Bankotsu quickened his pace, but to no avail. The armies had caught up to the remaining six murders; they each were shot in the back with arrows. The Shichinintai fell to the ground and the head samurai approached the Bankotsu. The other samurai in the armies subdued the rest of the Shichinintai.

"No more running, Bankotsu. Your days of murder are over," he said. He smirked with his next sentence. "And just to add to your suffering, we will kill each of your comrades before your very eyes."

Bankotsu's eyes widened as two large men grabbed hold of Ginkotsu and Mukotsu. He saw as swords came down to their necks. Remarkably, Ginkotsu's head came off cleanly, like Mukotsu's.

"Ginkotsu!" Renkotsu screamed. "You bastards," he said, as a man came towards him with a sword. His eyes widened with fear. "N-no, I don't want to die! Don't kill me!"

"Well, maybe you should've thought twice before joining this group," the man said.

"No, it's not my fault! I was threatened to join! I don't deserve death," he screamed, the sword flying down to his neck. Suddenly, his cries were silenced.

Bankotsu stared at Renkotsu's headless body. "Coward," he whispered to himself. The next brother to be executed was Suikotsu. Bankotsu watched him struggle and then kept a firm stare when his head fell to the ground. He closed his eyes in mourning.

"You seem quite somber," the head samurai said to Bankotsu.

He gave a small chuckle. "I'm watching the lives of my comrades suddenly end, and I know that there's no more hope for me. What else would you expect?"

The head samurai kept a stern look on the young leader and then gestured for Jakotsu's death.

The man holding Jakotsu bent him down over the snow. "Hey, be gentle," Jakotsu said, smiling. The swordsman approached him and he looked over at Bankotsu, smiling. "Good-bye, Ō-Aniki. It's been fun," he said, loud enough for Bankotsu's ears. He closed his eyes, prepared for his end.

Bankotsu watched in horror as he realized, not only did he just witness the death of his closest friend, but his lover as well. "No, Jakotsu," he screamed. He started to struggle, angry at Jakotsu's demise.

The head samurai looked at Bankotsu, surprised. "Why do you mourn his death more than the others," he asked.

Bankotsu looked up at him, anger filling every pore on his face. He stared into the samurai's eyes for a long time before letting his head fall. "Just get this over with. I have no reason to live anymore," he said.

The samurai held out his hand, waiting for the sword. He grasped the hilt and held it above Bankotsu's head. "Now, Bankotsu of the Shichinintai, I will end your pathetic life of cruel and heartless murder," he said.

Bankotsu looked up, watching the sword fall down to his neck and screamed.

The slice was quick and painless; Bankotsu and the rest of the Shichinintai were dead. They lived a life of blood and violence, but also of love. Only Renkotsu knew of the actual love that his Ō-Aniki shared with Jakotsu, but he didn't understand the meaning behind it. In death, the Shichinintai would wait ten years, before they got the chance to experience life once more, under the control of a youkai named Naraku.

THE END

There...it's fianlly over after A YEAR AND A HALF! I hope you enjoyed it. If so, review...now I can work on my Death Note Fanfic...I'M COMIN', MELLO-BABY!