Okay, that last chapter, I felt I wasn't getting into the 'bratty' character like I should have. So, I'm gonna do a lot better now! Not that I know what I'm going to do yet... Anyway, enjoy!

"Itai!" The brat cried out again.

She held her hand to her chest, having burned herself again.

Over the past few days, we'd had her doing little chores for us.

Right now, she's trying to cook without burning herself again, and she's been screaming, and crying over it the whole time.

I'm surprised she hasn't cut herself yet. Clumsy as she is, it probably won't be long before that happens, either.

I sighed, pulling the pot top off for her.

"The least you could do is stop screaming when you hurt yourself." I said. "I mean, really. Is it that much of a surprise once you've done it for the hundredth time?"

She glared at me.

"Start dishing it up, already." I said.

I backed up a bit, giving her space to work.

As usual, she nearly spilled it on purpose many times. Whether she was actually being clumsy with her anger, or showing off to get me irritated, too, I don't know.

But, either way, she was already beginning to make me lose my patience.

Once we were done eating, she quickly gathered up the dishes, and started toward the river, not even bothering to wait on me.

Fantastic. She's in a bad mood.

"Renkotsu, go with her." I said.

He looked at me.

"Make a complaint, and I'll stick you with keeping an eye on her for the rest of the day, too." I said.

Renkotsu lowered his head.

"Hai, Oaniki." He said.

With that, he left to catch up with her.

I did not want to deal with that brat today. Her behavior'd gotten better since I cut down the youkai before it could get to her.

That meant she ate, and dealt with having someone follow her when she went off on her own.

She was still noisy, and whined about everything. I was usually the one to deal with this.

It's about time someone else dealt with her...

Mori-hime's POV:

I knelt down beside the pond, and began scrubbing at the pots and bowls I'd been given.

"Ridiculous... I am a princess..." I muttered. "Just as soon as I get home, I'll see them all hang!"

"Is that so?" came a voice.

I looked over my shoulder.

One of the 'kotsu' brothers had been sent to oversee my work. The only name I could remember, of all of them, was Bankotsu, the one who'd captured me in the first place.

All I knew about the others was that their names were also 'something-or-other-kotsu' names.

"Better not let your tongue slip like that. Oaniki might hear you." He said.

I scoffed, and turned back to what I was doing.

I sat there, scrubbing at that pot, pretending it was Bankotsu's face, and my hand was a rock.

About then, an odd question crossed my mind. I was reluctant to ask, but, I had to know, so, I sort of cast my eyes back at him.

"You're brother with the metal body... just how did he come to be?" I asked.

I already had an idea, but, it was rather ridiculous, and couldn't possibly be right.

The man looked at me, seeming a bit surprised at me.

"Hmm. It was a rather awful story, the one he told." He said. "He tells us that his older brother worked with lots of guns, and other machinery, and learned how to make a lot of them... One day, he thought he'd figured out how to make invincible bodies of metal, and used Ginkotsu to test his theory... For the most part, he was right, I suppose. Ginkotsu could not move, nor speak when we found him. I had to learn how to fix him before he was able to move for himself."

I gave that a little bit of thought.

"How did he turn his body into a machine?" I asked.

The man sighed in irritation.

"I keep forgetting how completely ignorant you are." He said. "His brother severed the original parts of his body, and replaced them with machines. He was executed before he could finish. Ginkotsu would've died, if we hadn't been there."

I leered at being called ignorant.

But, to hear what the metal man had gone through... And his brother put him through it...

Weren't these men brothers? Now that I was thinking about it, they didn't look alike at all.

So... these brothers weren't actually brothers at all? But they called each other brothers?

I shook my head, and then held it firmly between my hands.

"I don't understand!" I cried out. "Forget I ever asked! I should've known better!"

With that, I quickly went back to washing the dishes.

To my surprise, he made no immediate comment. I heard a shifting sound behind me.

"What's not to understand?" He asked. "Did I not put it simply enough? Need I go into further detail? I think you'd complain more if I told you in perfect detail."

He was... so patient. It was obvious that I'd irritated him. Why was he so calm with me?

I looked back at him.

"His brother did that to him... aren't you his brother?" I asked. "Aren't all the members of your group brothers?"

The man stared at me for a moment, as though this was basic knowledge, and he was waiting on me to say 'I was kidding'.

I said nothing, of course. I was completely serious.

That man sighed, and cast his eyes over in the direction of the rest of the group.

"Not by blood." He said. "The truth is, we've just been together for so long we can't help but consider each other family."

They consider each other family? Simply because they've been together so long? How is that possible?

I slowly turned back to the dishes, my mind in a new path of questions as I began scrubbing at one of the bowls.

"Stupid wench." The man went on. "There's no way you'd understand. Not until you've had a friend like that."

For once, I didn't really notice his comment. Not at first, anyway.

For a moment, I was stuck in thought, somehow remembering distant feelings... something I lost some time ago... And something painful... Very painful...

I shook my head, trying to shake off that pain.

"Ne, which 'kotsu' are you?" I asked.

"Baka!" He growled. "I'm Renkotsu!"

I turned to glare at him.

"Well, Renkotsu, I'll have you know, I am not stupid!" I snapped. "I was curious about the people holding me captive was all!"

I turned back to the dishes, and quickly began scrubbing at them once more.

Bankotsu's POV:

It was a long time before they came back.

When I finally saw them, I was a bit surprised to see that the brat was only complaining to herself about how sore her hands were.

What had Renkotsu done?

He immediately caught up with me, obviously tired of being near her.

So, apparently, she had been the same kind of troublesome she always was...

That night, she wasn't quite so noisy while preparing dinner. She even seemed a little less clumsy.

"It's about time you got the hang of this." I said. "I was beginning to think I'd never hear the end of your screaming."

She shot me a brief glare, before she accidentally dipped her finger into the hot pot, and cried out in pain once more.

When she finally stopped whining, and finished up dinner, something very strange happened.

As she hand Renkotsu and Ginkotsu their bowls, she seemed to be particularly careful not to spill, and nodded her head as she backed away.

Renkotsu must've told her the story of the time he'd used princesses as cannon balls. There's no way she was being the slightest bit polite without being threatened somehow.

And yet... she didn't seem scared.

Later, after she finished washing the dishes, she sat against a tree, facing Renkotsu and Ginkotsu as she fell asleep.

I watched her. She had to be trying to make me lower my guard. There's no way this brat was capable of being polite on her own.

Then, I saw it. She grimaced, and began tossing and turning in her sleep.

Renkotsu'd threatened her after all.

Good. I can sleep in peace tonight...

Itai - Ow!

Hai - Yes.

Oaniki - Older brother.

Ne - Hey (call for attention).

Baka - Stupid / Idiot / Fool.

Maybe it's a smidge early for this? Nah, it's good. I like it this way. Please, review!