Chapter 4 finally!
Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Inuyasha, only the OC's and the plot.
~Stars of The Moon~
Chapter 4
"Oh, no."
"Hikari? Are you okay?" Hikari heard Kagome's voice say.
She couldn't get the massacre out of her head. All the people who died, those who were burned with their family... and the men who did it. She shook her head to get some of the pictures out of her mind. She looked up at her friends with serious eyes.
"We have to get moving."
Shippou jumped onto her shoulder. "Huh? Why? Don't you know who did this?"
She turned to him, "That's not important right now. What's more important is to get these villagers to safety." She stood up, "If we've got time, we'll check the other damaged areas."
"Alright then, let's go," said Inuyasha. Sango took the child from Kagome and placed him on Kirara. Kagome got on Inuyasha's back, and Hikari, Miroku, and Kohaku got ready to run. They ran out of the village, and started heading for the party-crazed town.
As they ran, Hikari had a worried look on her face. Everyone was getting worried. Kagome wispered to Inuyasha, "Say, Inuyasha, why didn't you ask her what was wrong back there? I mean, knowing you, you probably would have forced her to say who did the killing."
"Yeah, I guess I should have, but... There was just something in her voice that made her sound like there was no time for that. Hikari just looked pretty worrired, and I won't force her when she looks like that."
"Everyone, stop!"
Everyone turned around at Hikari's voice. She had stopped running.
"What's wrong, Hikari?" Miroku asked when everyone had stopped running as well.
She frowned, "I'm sensing the other damaged villages, and I think I need to take a closer look at them. Inuysha, follow me." By using her demonic features from her blades, she jumped up a tree branch, with Inuyasha right behind her. They continued jumping until they got to tip of the tree. Once Hikari got there, she closed her eyes and sent her aura going wide.
Inuyasha waited for her to say something. He jumped when he saw her eyes shoot open. She looked at him with her shocked eyes, "You have to get to the village as soon as you can. NOW."
"What? Why?"
She tried to explain as fast as she can, "There's a damaged village north from here. It's dead aura is old from early this morning. Let's say about an hour before dawn. Then there's another village, a little bit more to the south from there, and it was attacked at at dawn. And the last village, the one we just came across, was attacked an hour after dawn. It was a little bit more to the south than the village from before, do you understand?"
"Uhhh... Let's say I do..."
She slapped her forehead. "Don't you get it, you stupid dog? It's forming a trail! The assassins were going from north to south! Which means that the next victims are the villagers we just saved!"
Inuyasha looked confused for a moment, when he understood. Now his eyes went wide, "WHAT? Then we have to get moving!"
Hikari sighed, "Finally. Inuyasha, you go with the others and reach the village as fast as you can. The murderers are already on their way there, so you have to hurry. They're going to get there in about 30 minutes. Get all the villagers to safety. I'm going to stay here with Shippou to look at see if there are any survivors in the villages, and if I have time, I'll come over to the village and help you guys out. Can you do that?"
"Errr..."
"Oh, nevermind! I'm sure Kagome's going to do the right things anyway. Now hurry up! Go!" She jumped off the tree, did a little flip in the air, and landed. When Inuyasha was down, Hikari was already running off towards the north with Shippou on her shoulder.
The others were just staring at her, "What was that all about?" Kohaku asked.
"I'm not too sure either, but we have to get going. I'll explain everthing on the way to the village."
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Hikari, where are we going? I thought you said we're going to the other villages?" Shippou asked a few minuted after leaving the others. As soon as their friends were out of sight, and that they were far enough, Hikari made a U-turn and went south, to where Inuyasha was heading. Shippou wondered what was going on.
"I told Inuyasha I'd go and search for survivors from the massacres."
"Yeah, but aren't they north of here? We're going the wrong way."
"I know that. But honestly, Shippou, if there were survivors, and that I sensed them, I'd go get them, right?" Her expression fell a little, and she sighed, "Well, apparently, I can't sense any living soul in any of the villages."
"Oh." The little fox demon paused, "So what are we going to do?"
Hikari didn't answer immediatly. "... I figured we'd go after the killers and take a closer look at them. They're not far ahead."
Shippou's eyes went wide and he cried, "WHAT? But-but, I'm too young for this sort of stuff! And-and... What if we get caught?"
Hikari had to clamp his mouth with her hand to shut him up, "I said 'take a closer look at them'. I never said we're going to show ourselves and yell out, 'Hey, you! Stop right there, or you'll feel our wrath!'. We're just going to hide somewhere and listen to what their next plans are."
Shippou clamed down, "Oh... I see... But since we already know their plan, why bother going after them?"
"I... I wasn't sure if the aura I sensed back there was right. Before I could see them, Sango startled me, and I couldn't see them properly. So I need to make sure if it's really them."
"Okay, but why bother bringing me along?"
Hikari smiled and winked at him, "I know that if they ever attack us, you can fly away and tell Inuyasha everything. Let's just say you're my secret messager."
Shippou blinked, "Well, that makes sense. If you chose Kirara, they already know that there's something wrong because she's big and noticable. But I'm small so they won't notice me."
Hikari wispered, "All right, they're a few meters ahead, so no talking from now on. Oh, and Shippou..." She stopped running, "You know that your old enemies are coming back. So don't be surprised if it's one of them."
"But you already know everyone we ever met. You searched in Kagome's memories one time, and you should know if it's someone we know. So who is it?"
Hikari didn't answer him. She hopped into a tree and she made sure she was completly camouflaged in the leaves before she stood still. Hikari and Shippou heard voices and footsteps coming their way.
Shippou wispered one last thing to Hikari's ear, "If we ever get killed, I blaming you for our deaths."
She wispered back with a smile, "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I can take'em all down." After that, they remained completly immoblised. The footsteps were getting louder and louder, and the voices, clearer and clearer. When she saw the forms of the murderers, Hikari's eyes widened and she immediatly clamped her hand on Shippou's mouth without warning. She made sure he was looking the other way. But she also made sure that his ears were alert.
"Say, Big Brother, what are we gonna do now?" An all too familiar voice said. Shippou eyes widened in surprise and fear and he started to shake his body violently under Hikari's grasp. She did her best to hold him down and to stop him from screaming for his life. She listened carefuly to the conversation down there.
Another voice ruff spoke, "Yeah, I mean, other than killing everything we come across - not that I'm complaining though. But what do we do other than that?"
Some other man, who had voice a slight bit softer than the other, spoke in his turn, "Suikotsu's right. The Lords these days don't hire mercenaries, let alone the Band of Seven. If they hear that we've been resurrected again, they'll just try to hunt us down and kill us like they did before."
"Relax, Renkotsu. I know that as well as you do," said a carefree voice. Like the other voices, this one was familiar to Shippou and Hikari. Far too familiar for their liking.
"So then, what are we going to do?" Hikari and Shippou jumped when they heard the loudest roar of all the other men.
There was a pause, until the first voice Hikari heard spoke again, in a hopeful tone. "Are we going to get Inuyasha?"
Most of the men flinched at that name. Inuyasha was the one they were sent to kill the last time they were 'alive'. Renkotsu growled at his friend, "If you want to get yourself killed, Jakotsu, then you can go. I value my life more than ever now, and I don't count on getting killed again."
Jakotsu gave him a dirty glare, and almost growled at the trusty brother he once thought he was. Hikari could now see all of their forms, and her breath caught in her throat. "It's just as I thought... They're alive, and without the jewel shards this time!"
The carefree voice spoke again, this time, a little more serious, "Enough! To answer your question, we are not going after Inuyasha."
Jakotsu wined, "What? But Bankotsu, you know how much I-"
"'Want those little ears of his!' We know already!" Suikotsu groaned and Bankotsu chuckled.
"I never said that we're not going to kill him. I'm just saying that we're not going after him. Let's just relax for the time being." Bankotsu said as he stretched his arms.
Everyon stayed silent, until an old voice spoke, "Ah, so you want Inuyasha to come to us, instead of us coming to him."
Bankotsu smiled, "Yeah, I just thought that'd make things... better. I'm not counting on getting revenge so soon. I'm going to enjoy this time of life we have."
"Still, we might never find Inuyasha because of that."
Bankotsu turned to his second-in-command, "What do you mean?"
"Before, Naraku was the one to guide us to him," Renkotsu stated, "But now, we don't even know who resurrected us or why. And Inuyasha can't smell us, since we don't smell like graveyard dirt anymore. He won't reconise our scents."
Hikari gasped, "That's right! They don't have any sacred jewel shards in them anymore so Kagome won't be able to sense them either!"
"What was that?" Suikotsu's voice alerted his brothers.
Realising what she just did, Hikari had to clamp her own mouth now, "Oh shit! Hikari, you idiot, you just blew your cover!"
"Something's up there!"
Jakotsu swiped his sword at the tree Hikari was sitting on, but it was already too late. Hikari immediatly started running away from the Band of Seven by jumping from branch to branch.
The Band of Seven narrowed their eyes at the now sabotaged tree. "There was something there, alright. It must have escaped somehow." Jakotsu mumbled.
"Probably. Let's just hope that it isn't any harm." Renkotsu turned to Bankotsu, "Should we get moving?"
Bankotsu just stared at the tree and didn't say anything.
"Big Brother?"
He snapped out of his thoughts, "Oh, right. Well, next stop, the closest village we could find." Everyone smirked.
*O*~*O*~*O*
"That was close," Shippou said when Hikari stopped running away. Hikari did a flip in the air as she landed on the ground. She was panting heavily and her eyes were wide. During the whole conversation, Shippou couldn't see anything, but he heard every word. "Now what do we do? We know that the Band of Seven did the killing."
Hikari took a few deep breaths, "Now, Shippou, I want you to fly to Inuyasha, and tell him that they're coming to the village. I've got a plan, so listen carefuly. I want you to protect the villagers - put them anywhere you want, rope them up if you have to - but don't let the Band of Seven get to them.
"Then, when the village is deserted, tell Inuyasha and the others to hide in some of the closest houses from the village's entrance. We're going to do a surprise attack. The Band of Seven's aura has become much stronger than before, like the other enemies you've already encountered. So you can't attack them from head-on, or you're dead, got it?" Shippou nodded.
"You're going to be seven against six. I won't be there, and someone's gotta make sure the villagers won't get hurt. They've got the advantage. So be careful. I don't want to see anyone dead, got that?" Hikari paused, "God, I sound like some over-protective mother!"
"Alright, but what will you do? Are you going to distract them or something?" Shippou hopped off her shoulder.
"Something like that. I'm just going to see if they're going to change course. If they do, then, I'll run to you guys and tell where they're heading next."
"Wow, you're really organised, aren't you?"
Hikari winked at him, "You know it. Now, hurry! We don't have much time left!"
Shippou hopped into the air, "See ya later, Hikari! Transform!" And he went flying in his little pink ballon form.
Hikari turned around to run, but she suddenly stopped and turned to flying Shippou, "Oh yeah! Shippou! One last thing!"
He turned around, "What? Anything else?"
"Yeah! Don't tell Inuyasha that it's the Band of Seven immediatly! If you do that, you're only going to make him panic! Just say that a pack of... somethings are heading your way!"
"Oh! Umm... Okay!"
Hikari watched Shippou fly away, "Alright, let's get down to buisness." She concentrated her aura to where the Band of Seven was, and tracked them down. "Time to see what's really happening." She ran to their direction.
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" Shippou arrived at the village and was searchng for his friends. There weren't any villagers anywhere, so Inuyasha must have already hidden them somewhere. Shippou was looking for his friends everywhere. "Inuyasha, where are you...? Ah! There you are!"
Inuyasha and Kagome looked up to see Shippou flying towards them. "Shippou! You're here!" Kagome caught him as he jumped into her hands. "So, did you find anyone alive?" Kagome said in a sad tone.
Shippou shook his head, "No... But we did find who killed everyone. It's-" He stopped when he remembered what Hikari had said before.
"It's..." Inuyasha urged him to continued.
"Ummm... Well, all I know is that..." He stopped again, and thought of his words carefuly, "They're pretty strong, even though they're not much, and... They all have really great weapons, and..."
Inuyasha was getting annoyed, and couldn't stand having to guess, "Listen, Shippou, this isn't a game of charades, this is serious! You seem to know a lot about them, so spill it out already!"
"I-I ummm..."
"Stop forcing him so much!" Kagome sighed, "If he can't remember what Hikari said to him, it's not his fault!"
"Y-Yeah! That's right! I'm just a kid, remember?"
Inuyasha grunted, "Whatever. Did Hikari tell you anything else?"
"Yeah, umm... Oh right! She said that we should do a surprise attack at the enemy. We should all hide in some of the closest huts to the entrance, and when they show up, we attack!" Shippou said with a satisfied look on his face.
"If you remembered that, then why couldn't you remember what she said about the enemies?" Inuyasha mumbled under his breath.
Shippou looked around him, "By the way... Where's everyone else? I mean, Sango, Miroku and the others?"
"They're all gone getting the villagers to safety. As soon as they're done, they're coming back. Ah, here they are now!" Kagome said as she saw her friends coming towards her. She waved to them, when she noticed that Kohaku was missing. "Hey! Sango, where's Kohaku?"
Sango replied, "He's with the villagers to protect them. He's trying to calm them down too."
Shippou flinched, "I'll go and take his place! I'm no use here against the enemies, but Kohaku can take better care of them instead of me. So I'll be right back!" And with that, he bolted off.
Everyone stared at him. Miroku asked Inuyasha and Kagome, "What happened to him? Usually he'd always try to stay and fight."
Inuyasha shook his head, "I don't know... But if he reacted that way when he heard that Kohaku wasn't here, then that must mean that the killers are stronger than we think." He turned to look at everyone. "We're going to stick with Hikari's plan. We'll stay hidden in some of the huts, and when the murderes show up, we'll pounce on'em. That okay?" The rest of them nodded.
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Dammit, now what?" Hikari was following the Band of Seven for a while now, and so far, she couldn't do anything but watch them walk and talk about their kills. She shivered every time they would say somethings like that. She knew that she had to stop them from getting to the village, but what could she do?
"I can try knocking down a tree on someone... Naw, Kyoukotsu's only going to lift it up. But then, they'll have to wait and look at his injuried to make sure he's not going to die again... Then again, they might decide to leave him behind, being the heartless mercenaries they are... ARRGGGGHHHH This is like having to make Miroku confess that he isn't a pervert! What can I do?"
"Look, there's the village."
Hikari did her best not to gasp this time. "I was so stuck in my thoughts, I didn't sense the village's aura nearby! Well, the least I can do is see if the others are in for the surprise attack." She closed her eyes and saw her friends in their own huts, waiting for the enemy's arrival. She inwardly smiled, "Perfect."
"Alright, men, are you ready?" Bankotsu turned to his brothers. They all smirked and Bankotsu smiled, "Let's go have some fun."
Hikari looked at Bankotsu and remembered her dream. "That wasn't a dream I had there, that was a memory." She smiled and bounded off to the aura of where the villagers were left. She was going to have to check if they were okay. And for a moment - just a moment - she thought that Bankotsu saw her right before she left.
*O*~*O*~*O*
Bankotsu smiled, "Let's go have some fun."
He spotted something - or somone - from the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned to see who it was. For a moment, he could have sworn it was a woman, but there was only a little gust of wind. He felt like as if he was being watched ever since the last battle he and his brothers had. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, though - he felt a little... happy. But just a little.
There was that one time when he and his brothers heard a gasp coming from the top of the trees. "But Jakotsu just had to destroy the tree, didn't he?" That gasp was familiar to him. And he might have known who was there, if only if that person didn't run away so quickly.
While his brothers got their weapons ready, he took off the cloth which was covering Banryuu. Ever since he's been resurrected, he was wondering how it was full again. The last time he saw Banryuu, it was shattered to pieces. But it didn't bother him that much. He's just glad he got his 'companion' back. He looked over at his brothers.
Mukotsu was taking out the bottles of poison he needed. Suikotsu started sharpening his claws against a tree. Ginkotsu had stayed in his tank form, so Renkotsu had to be the one to check Ginkotsu's canons, all the while taking out his own weapon and his fire gourd. Jakotsu took out Jakotsuto and was in his dreaming state. Probably wondering if he'll ever see Inuyasha again. Kyokotsu was just standing there, looking at his brothers, since he didn't have anything to do.
When Bankotsu saw that everyone was really ready, he announced, "Alright, time to move!" He started walking to the village, and the rest of his brthers followed from behind.
When they arrived to the village, Bankotsu came to a halt. The others understood why. The village was completly deserted.
After a long pause, Jakotsu spoke, "Well, it's either that someone else came here before us and killed everyone, or it's just that everyone deserted this dump because it sucked."
Renkotsu frowned, "Or it's just that everyone's hiding somewhere. What do you think, Big Brother?"
Before Bankotsu could even answer, a loud roar sounded from one of the houses. "Kagome! Let me GO! Let me at 'em!"
Some of the Band of Seven chuckled, until they recognized the voice. Jakotsu eyes widened in recognition and he gasped, "Could it be? Inuyasha?"
"WIND SCAR!" Inuyasha bursted out of the hut with his sword. Kagome was next to him, holding her head between her arms. He growled at them, "The Band of Seven, huh? I should've known."
Bankotsu smiled, "Ah, Inuyasha, long time no see."
Jakotsu immediatly started squealing and running to the hanyou, "Inuyasha, oh, how I've missed you!"
Inuyasha flinched, and took a step back. His left eye was twitching, "Oh no... Not... Not you again!"
"Oh, you remembered me!"
Renkotsu groaned, "Jakotsu, enough already. You're not going to take Inuyasha, may we remind you."
"What?" He turned to Bankotsu, who started walking towards Inuyasha and him. Jakotsu wined, "But Bankostu, You know that-"
"You want those fuzzy ears of his, we all know. But I'm going to be the one taking Inuyasha's life." Jakotsu pouted. Bankotsu looked around him, "So where are your other little friends, Inuyasha? I'm sure that they'd like to join in all the fun too."
And just then, Miroku, Sango and Kirara made their apperance. Inuyasha looked at his friends, and back to the Shichinintai. "Damn. We're outnumbered... Where's Kohaku and Hikari? Shouldn't those two be here by now? Unless Shippou didn't find Kohaku, I understand that... But Hikari should be here!"
"So then, now that everyone's here, I guess we should start our little battle." Bankotsu said as he brought down Banryuu and prepared to attack. "And this will probably be your last, so I hope you're going to make this fun."
Inuyasha just snorted, "Oh, I will. But apparently it won't be my last. Even if we are outnumbered, that doesn't mean you'll win." Seeing Bankotsu's frowned expression, he smirked and continued, "I haven't been doing nothing during these past six months, Bankotsu. Testusaiga's gotten stronger, much stronger than before, and you'll probably die in a few seconds."
Bankotsu raised a brow, "Is that so?"
Inuyasha grinned, "I know so. I've-"
BOOM!
He was completly unprepared for the attack. Before Inuyasha could finish his sentence, Renkotsu shot a canon at him, blasting the area around him. Inuyasha took Kagome and jumped out of the way just in time. "That's what you get for being so full of yourself!" Renkotsu growled.
Inuyasha let Kagome down, and got Testussaiga ready. "I guess I'll just use Meidou Zangetsuha to get rid of them. They don't have any jewel shards in them anymore, so I can kill them that way, I suppose."
Kagome nodded, "Yeah, but just make sure that-"
Jakotsuto's blades came at them, and Inuyasha had to hop away again. The Band of Seven didn't even give Inuyasha a chance to attack. Whenever he landed, he would always be greeted with a blade coming towards him, fits, or blows of a canon. They always seemed to be coming after him.
Inuyasha was panting, and just before Bankotsu delivered an attak, Hiraikotsu came in to protect the hanyou. "Inuyasha! Are you okay?" Miroku called from behind.
Of course, Inuyasha didn't get a chance to answer, and he had to jump out of the way.
Renkotsu frowned, "Alright, instead of going after one of them, why don't we go after all of them, Ginkotsu."
Ginkotsu responded in his metallic voice. "Gersh!"
Since Bankotsu was out fighting Inuyasha, Renkotsu had to take the commands right now, "Suikotsu, go after the monk. After all, you have a score to settle with him." Suikotsu nodded, and started walking to Miroku, all the while trying to hide himself.
"Mukotsu," The second-in-command continued, "You go to the cat demon after Jakotsu takes care of the demon slayer."
He saw Jakotsu flinch at his orders. The cross-dresser opened his mouth to whine about it, as usual, but the glare Renkotsu gave him silenced him. Jakotsu pouted, and when Sango was about to launch Hiraikotsu for a second time, he prevented the attack with his own sword. Sango gave him a dirty look, remembering the last battle they had long ago, and Jakotsu went after her. He was able to get Sango far from Kirara, and Mukotsu got his poison ready.
"Ginkotsu, you're going to help Bankotsu, and I'll go after Kagome." He turned to the giant man behind him. "Kyoukotsu, if anyone's in danger, you'll be the one to help him out, got it?" Kyoukotsu just grunted, clearly unhappy with his orders.
Renkotsu got off Ginkotsu, drank a little from his gourd, and blasted out some fire at Kagome. The miko was unprepared, since she was watching Inuyasha's battle, and she got burned on the side of her left arm. She cried out in pain, which alerted everyone around her.
Inuyasha growled at Bankotsu, "Great. This might take a little longer than I thought."
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Kohaku!" Shippou called his friend. He found Kohaku surrounded by a pack of young village girls, and Shippou could tell that he was going to die chocking anytime soon. Kohaku had just enough energy to look up. When he saw Shippou, he sighed in relief, and jumped out of the circle of girls. The girls were distracted for a moment, so he took this chance to run to Shippou.
"What's wrong?" He asked when he and Shippou were alone, without any villagers around them.
"You have to go and help Inuyasha!"
"What?" Kohaku was surprised, "But he's always the one who wants to battle!"
"I know it's wierd coming out of me, but I won't be any use out there! You're-" Just then, the loud sound of canon rand through the forest, and Kohaku and Shippou heard the villagers cry in fear.
"Ohh, nevermind!" Shippou was getting nervous, "The battle's already starten! You go out there, and I'll take your place. There's no time to explain!"
Kohaku stood there for a moment, confused, but he pushed away the bad feeling in his gut. He nodded to Shippou and ran off to the battle.
When he left, Shippou sighed, and headed to the villagers. They were all starting to panic by now.
"We're all going to die!"
"What about our home?"
"Mom, I'm scared!"
"Buddah, save us!"
"Don't worry everyone, I'm here to protect you!" Shippou said in his mighty voice. Well... It didn't sound mighty at all. But the important thing is that he tried, right? "My friends will kill whoever's out there, and you'll get back home in no time!"
The villagers all stared at him for a moment, until they all burted into tears.
"Now what do we do?"
"We're done for!"
"But I'm too young to die!"
"And I'm too old to die!"
"We had a nice guardian before, now we have this little squirt!"
"How long will our suffering last?"
Shippou sweat dropped, "Boy, this is going to be harder than I thought."
"Shippou!" A voice wispered to him from the bushes.
The little fox demon turned to the bushes, then at the people, and snuck away fromt the crying crowd. "Is it Kohaku? Did he come back to change his mind? Oh, no! Then what will I do? It was already bad enough that-"
The moment he approached the bushes, he was pulled in by force. He let out a little yell, but a hand silenced him.
"Be quiet! I don't want the villagers hearing you!"
Shippou calmed down. "Hikari!"
When Hikari removed her hand from his mouth, Shippou wispered, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Inuyasha?"
Hikari sighed, "I know, but I had to make sure that the villagers were okay. So, do you know what happened so far?"
Shippou cocked his head to one side, "I'm not sure, really, I just heard a loud bang, so the battle must have started."
The young healer closed her eyes, and placed the palm of her hand on the ground. "Probably checking what's really going on," Shippou guessed.
After a while, her eyes shot open in shock. She hopped up, not caring if the villagers saw her or not. "I'm off to help. Something's bad, and they really need all the help they can get." And she ran off.
"Some small conversation that was." Shippou narrowed his eyes. He felt something poking his cheek, and he slapped it. Shippou saw in his hands...
... Myouga.
"What are you doing here, Myouga?" He asked when the flea when he regained consiousness (when Myouga regained consiousness, not Shippou).
"Oh, I'm just here too see what's going on, nothing special really. So what is wrong? I don't see Master Inuyasha anywhere, or anybody else. Did they finally decide to abandon you?"
Shippou was taken aback. He cried out, "What do you mean, they finally decided to abandon me? I'm as helpful as anyone, unlike you!"
Myouga had to cover his ears, "I was just joking around, don't worry. But you didn't answer my question yet."
Shippou sighed, "Well, it's a long story, but I guess I'll have enough time to explain everything..."
*O*~*O*~*O*
When Sango heard Kagome's cry, she whipped around to see what was going on. Jakotsu took this chance to deliver a blow, and even if Sango blocked the attack, she was out of balace, and she recieved a blow on her shoulder. She stood there, holding her wound, and braced herself for another attack.
Jakotsu yawned, "Honestly, why do I always have to get stuck with the woman? And one that doesn't even know how to fight properly?"
Sango snarled, and shot Hiraikotsu at him. While that kept him busy for a moment, she glanced at Miroku, who was trying to block the attacks coming from Suikotsu. She knew how Kagome and Inuyasha were. Inuyasha and Bankotsu were shooting 'Wind Scars' and 'Dragon Hammers' at each other. You could just hear them through the whole crowd.
"Damn half-demon, go to hell!"
"I'll send you back to where you belong, you rotten corpse!"
"Nice comeback. But I'm alive and well this time!"
"It was just a matter of speach, you retard!"
Sango sighed at the two bickering and thought about her miko friend. "Kagome's in danger with Renkotsu as an opponent... If only if I was able to reach her!"
She couldn't spot Kirara anywhere. Then, she saw her feline friend with the poison master. She was holding him down with one of her large paws. She looked like she was doing well, but Sango could see that Kirara had some poison inside her, ans she could tell that her friend is having a though time. "They've gotten stronger alright... Just like those other old enemies we came across. We might not be able to keep this up for much longer."
Kohaku arrived at the scene of the battle, and he was shocked to see his friends getting beaten up. What shocked him the most though, was the Band of Seven. He remembered them from his past with Naraku. He felt uncomfortable just remembering those days.
"This isn't the time to be thinking about things like that." He saw Kyoukotsu from the corner of his eye. The overgrown man was just standing there, doing nothing. He seemed pretty bored. "Then let's give him something to do, shall we?" He chuckled, and took out his weapon.
He remembered that time he sliced Kyoukotsu hand off because he tried to take his jewel shard away. It was like slicing clothing. Thanks to the power of the jewel, Kyoukotsu recovered in a second. "But this time, he doesn't have a jewel shard." He launched his weapon, and hit Kyoukotsu's chest, barely missing his heart. He cried out in pain, and Kohaku grabbed the object, and went for the large man again.
The Band of Seven all looked at the boy, and their eyes widened. "Kohaku!"
Bankotsu looked at the boy, "What's he doing with Inuyasha? Does that mean... Naraku's dead?"
Inuyasha saw that Bankotsu was distracted, and so he ran at him, and launched another 'Wind Scar'. This one sent Banryuu flying to the roof of a tiny temple, and Bankotsu fell to the ground. The others around them didn't take any notice, they were busy themselves. Before Bankotsu could get up, Inuyasha was already in front of him, holding Tetsusaiga to the young mercenary's neck.
Inuyasha stared at his opponent. "Sorry, Bankotsu. But I win again. Too bad you couldn't live any longer." Bankotsu growled at him in hatred, when he saw something shine from above him...
*O*~*O*~*O*
Hikari stared at the battle going on down below. She was up on a tree again, looking at her friends and her enemies fight. Kagome and some other friends were injured badly, and so were the Band of Seven. Yet they all conitnued their fight. She looked over at the two leaders who didn't take any notice of this.
She growled at them and bared her teeth, "How could they be so... clueless and stupid? Their friends are in danger, and what the hell do they do about it? I know that they have confidence in them, but come on! Kagome's burned and she can barely move, Inuyasha, snap out of it!"
She heard Kyoukotsu's cry of pain, but didn't pay any attention to it. She was focused on the two people in front of her. Bankotsu turned his head to see his brother, and Inuyasha had taken this moment of distraction to send his Wind Scar. Banryuu flew to the roof of the temple which was right next to Hikari, and she knew that the battle was over. Inuyasha had his Tetsusaiga at Bankotsu's throat. Just then, from the corner of her eye, Hikari saw that Kagome had tripped over one of her fallen arrows, and Renkotsu was about to deliver the final blow.
Hikari's eyes went wide. She knew that she had to react quickly. She looked at Banryuu, then at Inuyasha and Bankotsu. "I got only one shot at this, so I'd better do this right."
She jumped to where Banryuu was, took out her demonic blades, and, when she was certain that she would get her target, lifted her blades to shoot them.
She heard Inuyasha say, "Sorry, Bankotsu. But I win again. Too bad you couldn't live longer."
She felt that same anger coming back, and she yelled, "Inuyasha, Bankotsu, That's enough!"
When the two men looked up, she launched both of her blades at Inuyasha and Bankotsu, and Inuyasha hopped away just in time. All the attention was on her now. The Band of Seven and the Inutachi stared at what was going on.
Renkotsu stopped what he was doing, and Kagome was safe. Hikari sighed, "Good. She's alright. Now, I guess I'll have to deal with these two." She looked down at Inuyasha and Bankotsu.
The half demon looked at the healer in anger, "Hikari? What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Hearing that name, Bankotsu froze. "Hikari?" He bolted up, and looked at the feminine silhouette. He stared in surprise, "Is it really...?" He had to know.
"Hikari? Hikari, is that you?"
Despite the anger she felt before, and because of his happy little childish voice, she couldn't help but smile at him, "Hi, Bankotsu. Been a while, huh?"
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Wait, what?" Inuyasha stared at Bankotsu, then at Hikari and back. Everyone was just as confused as he was. But most of the Band of Seven were just staring at Hikari because of her beauty on the sunlight. Their mouthes dropped a little. Just a little.
Hikari saw this and groaned, "Aw, crap, I knew I should have brought something ugly to wear. Honestly, why are men just so... lustful? I'll never understand."
Inuyasha was growling again, "Alright, Hikari, get your ass down here, and explain!"
The healer rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Well, geez, I'm sorry mother. I didn't mean to get you mad and all." She looked at Bankotsu, who still had that happy smile on his face, and softly smiled back. She then looked over at Banryuu, which was right next to her now. She glanced at everyone, and walked over to the giant halberd.
She picked it up with a hand.
In that instant, the jaws of the whole Band of Seven dropped, and their eyes bounced out of their heads. Well, everyone, except Ginkotsu and Bankotsu. Ginkotsu didn't have a jaw that could fall off, but his eyes did go wide. Bankotsu didn't react. Kagome and Sango inwardly giggled at their stupid expressions.
Hikari jumped off the roof, and as usual, did a flip in the air and landed in front of the two leaders. She turned to Bankotsu and her eyes softened. "I believe this belongs to you." She said as she handed him Banryuu.
Inuyasha couldn't hold the questions in anymore. He yelled at Hikari, "Alright, what the hell is going on? First, you attack me, and now-"
"Will you quit your yapping, already? It's giving me a headache." said Hikari in her calm voice.
Inuyasha was taken aback. "Wha... what?"
Hikari sighed and turned to look at him. "Look, I need to talk with Bankotsu for a moment. I'll explain everything later."
And Inuyasha bursted out again. "The FUCK you won't! You are so-"
"Inuyasha..." Hikari said in a warning tone. It was the same tone Kagome would use before 'sitting' him. Inuyasha took a step back. She gave him a glare that could probably make a man run away and scream for his dead mother. It froze the blood in the men's veines. It made Inuyasha and the Band of Seven flinch and shiver.
Then, with a joyful voice and a cute smile, she continued, "I'd appreciate talking to Bankotsu for a while, if you may."
Inuyasha was trembling. "Uhh... umm..." And before she could give him another glare, he quickly answered, "Okay..."
"Finally." She inwardly growled. "Oh, and Inuyasha..." She said before she left with Bankotsu at her side, "I don't want to see another member of the Band of Seven harmed while I'm gone, got it?"
"Same goes for you men!" Bankotsu said to his comrades. And before anyone can whine about it (*ahem, Jakotsu and Inuyasha*), they both ran off into the forest.
Kagome stared at them, "Inuyasha's right, though. What is going on?"
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Alright, I guess that's enough with the running." Hikari said when she knew no one could follow them. She turned around, "So then, Bankotsu, explain to me-" She stopped when she saw the way he was staring at her.
His eyes were soft, and his face was clam. Hikari could swear that he would give her a giant bear hug any moment now. Bankotsu observed her from head to toe. "You really changed, haven't you?"
Hikari rolled her eyes, "What do you expect after six months of not seeing you?"
Bankotsu chuckled, "Changed physicaly, not mentaly. So... what have you been doing for the time I was gone?"
She sighed, "You know this isn't the time to talk about that. And I'm going to ask the questions for now."
"Well, you can always look into my memories to get your answers."
"Cocky attitude as always, I see."
"You know it." He smirked.
Hikari smiled. Then, she remembred to get serious, "So you don't have any idea of who resurrected you? Or why?"
The mercenary shook his head. "Nope. I only woke up with my brothers around me, and before you ask, yes, I found Banryuu with me. And if I don't know who resurrected me, I don't know why." Then, his mind difted to Kohaku, "Tell me, is Naraku still alive? I mean, that ninja kid-"
"Kohaku. He's a demon slayer."
"Whatever. He used to serve Naraku, right?"
Hikari looked up at the sky. "He used to, yes. And yes, Naraku is dead. Inuyasha and his gang killed him about two months ago."
He growled at Inuyasha's name. "Speaking of that mutt, what are you doing with him?"
Hikari didn't say anything, and she stood there, looking up at the now darkening sky. "I'm... helping him and his friends."
"What do you mean by helping?"
She paused. Bankotsu was still waiting impatiently. "Well?"
"... It's complicated..."
"Then explain. We've got all the time we have. Inuyasha can wait, and so can my brothers."
"... Alright, fine." She sighed. You know that Naraku's dead now, but Inuyasha can't rest. He's got bigger problems." She glanced at Bankotsu to make sure that he followed. "His previous enemies are coming back to life, such as you. We don't know who's resurrecting them, or why. But we all think that it's Naraku. Naraku fooled Inuyasha once by faking his death, and if this is another one of his traps, we won't be surprised."
"You keep on saying 'we' because you're with them, aren't you? What buisness do you have in this mess?" Bankotsu knew very well the answer.
Hikari flinched a little, "You know very well why I have to. I have buisness with Naraku too, may I remind you."
Bankotsu frowned, "Yeah, but why stick with them? The last time I saw you, you were on your own, and you were fine with that."
"I know, but... I've got a feeling that they need me know. I feel like as if this involves me too, and that I'm supposed to be in this mess with them. So I've decided that I'll see what's going on. And I'm not leaving them until I find out who's responsible for this."
Bankotsu remained silent, deep in thought. "So she's hanging out with Inutrasha now... That means that she's my enemy now, doesn't it?"
"What? Of course not!" Hikari's surprised voice made him jump. When he calmed down, she said in a more calm tone, "Did you already forget that I could read your mind?"
"Ummm... A little?"
She took a deep breath. "We'd better head back to the others. They're all getting pretty impatient, and if they wait anymore, they'll probably start killing each other again." She took his hand and started walking to the small town, where two groups of enemies twitching impatiently for Hikari and Bankotsu to return.
Bankotsu wanted to start a conversation, "So you're really going to stay with them?"
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I have to. To protect them, help them, and whatever. By the way, I never would have expected you to bring Renkotsu along. I mean, after what he did to Jakotsu, I would have thought that-"
"You're right, but I decided to give him a second chance. If I find a new member, than maybe I can replace him somehow... or kill him. I don't trust him that much yet, and I'll wait till he finally proves his loyalty to me. Again."
He remembered about that last day he and Hikari had together. "I guess I kept my promise, huh?"
Hikari nodded. "But I never would have expected that you'd come... like this."
"Yeah, me either... so... really, what have you been doing when I was gone?"
Hikari narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you really that desperate to know if I found another man?"
He blushed furiously, "W-what? O-of course n-not! I-I was just-"
Hikari laughed, "You don't need to explain yourself, I guess it's just normal when you're a guy." She looked ahead of her, "When a man goes to war, or goes away, it's pretty normal to wonder if his... uhh..."
Bankotsu gave her an encouraging and teasing look. She blushed and mumbled, "I can't believe I'm saying this... Why did I even bring this up?"
She was talking normaly again, but Bankotsu could clearly see that the blush on her face didn't leave. "It's pretty normal to wonder if his..."- Hikari forced the word out -"...woman has moved on or found another love. There I said it. Happy now?"
Bankotsu chuckled, which made Hikari blush even more. "So... you're not interested in anyone else other than me?"
Hikari frowned, "Stop being so full of yourself. If I survived without a man whom I loved for more than half of my life, than I can survive six months."
Bankotsu continued to tease her, "That still didn't answer my question."
Hikari groaned, "You really haven't changed at all."
"Yup, that's me. Now then...?"
"Alright, alright, you got me." She turned to look at him. "I might still-"
She froze. She whipped around again, "We're here. And I'm pretty sure that Inuyasha could hear us by now."
Bankotsu growled in annoyance, "Dammit! Why does this always happen when the good part comes in?"
Seeing how Bankotsu was getting pissed off, Hikari comforted him by putting her hand on his shoulder. "Ah, Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that we're gonna bump into each other soon. I mean, with Jakotsu's whining, and Inuyasha's... umm... smelling, I've got a feeling that this won't be the last time we see each other."
The young mercenary clamed down and looked at the healer. Her gaze would always remind him of the times they had together. It was always so warm and soft to him, no matter what emotion it showed. "Well, expect when she's pissed off. Then, it's fiery and 'powerful'. And scary."
"Alright, so I guess I'll see you later. But first..." He grabbed her chin between his fingers, and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. Hikari's eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks grow hot. Almost immediatly after the kiss, Bankotsu ran off to his comrades, leaving Hikari frozen to the spot.
She forced herself to place a finger on her lips. "So he still feels the same way? I might have thought by now that he'd forgotten all about me..." She smiled and blushed. "Well, he always was full of surprises."
When she heard Inuyasha's loud, 'You bastard, what the hell did you do with her?', she groaned, slapped her forehead, and raced to her friends. She could picture Bankotsu with his cocky smirk, and Inuyasha with Tetsusaiga in his hands. The only thing that prevented him from attacking Bankotsu was probably the rest of the Inutachi, who were literally splattering his body.
Hikari sighed. "Yes, you're still full of surprises, Bankotsu."
I'm getting pretty proud of myself, really. ^^ But then again, maybe I shouldn't be. I don't know if this is making much sense to you, so don't be afraid to ask. Or... you could try to wait for the next chapters :P
I might be editing a few stuff later, so it may take a while before I update again.
~FoxRain7~