Ugh. I've been so busy with my science and history projects. Oh, well, at least they're finished now.
Disclaimer: I've already written it tons (8) times for this story, but I'll just say it again. I do not own Inuyasha.
~Stars of The Moon~
Chapter 8
Hikari ran to Inuyasha, Kohaku and Kirara. According to her instincts, they should be just about ahead.
She should have knew that this would happen. This is the way how Bankotsu wanted her to suffer. By taking down her friends one by one. She just didn't expect this to happen so soon.
Kohaku must have been up on a tree, and Kirara was in the sky, both searching for anything mysterious or suspicious in the surroundings. Inuyasha was on all fours when Hikari found him. He was sniffing like as if he wanted to know the scent of every single piece of dirt in the clearing. When he seemes to have finished, he jumped up and growled, "Dammit! Where could she have gone?"
"Can you catch her scent?" Hikari asked as she appeared.
The half demon spoke through his teeth. "No. I don't know what happened last night, but I know that somehow, Kagome's scent is gone. Either her kidnappers masked her scent or either they damaged my nose so that I can't smell her. And in either cases, I won't be able to find her!"
Kohaku and Kirara came to join them. "Hikari, have you tried searching for some auras?" Kohaku asked.
She shook her head "I was waiting for you guys to meet up with me. Let's go back to Sango and see if she found anything. And if she didn't, it's always good to check if there's still tracks of the kidnapper's auras."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Inuyasha exclaimed. He was the first to run off, and he was followed by Kirara and Kohaku soon after. Hikari was the only one left behind.
She couldn't tell them that she knew who kidnapped Kagome. They're going too know soon, but she didn't want them to know right now. And anyways, they wouldn't understand why the Band of Seven woud steal her. If Hikari told them about her mettings with the mercenaries, Inuyasha will surely kill her.
She had to think about what she was going to say before telling them the truth.
But inside, she felt that she was slightly betraying them by not telling them everything that happened. If she told them that Kyoukotsu was dead, that would make them relax a little bit more, knowing that one of their enemies are dead again.
She decided to put the pain in her stomach aside and move on to their current situation.
Kagome was captured.
The Band of Seven took her.
Why? Because they wanted to make Hikari pay for the death of their brother.
But...
Hikari rushed to her friends as fast as she could. If she was late, Inuyasha would probably yell at her for being so slow and not being caring enough. After all, she was their only hope left of finding their miko friend. When she ran, her mind wasn't on the fact that she should reach their friends.
There should have been another reason to why they took Kagome.
But what other cause could there be?
Hikari had this feeling... that the answer she would soon get wasn't going to be good. At all.
*O*~*O*~*O*
"This way!" Hikari announced as she ran past Inuyasha and her friends. "Kagome's aura continues here!"
She decided that she won't tell them that she felt Bankotsu's aura back in camp. She'll tell them that he might have hid his aura once she gains some sort of proof that he was here, or that he was the one who really kidnapped Kagome.
Not that she really needed proof, though. Knowing that he was there when Kagome was kidnapped was proof enough.
"It's just a little further... Kagome didn't know that she was being captured..." she thought. "I can't imagine how she'll react when she sees that she's been sleeping next to mercenaries for the whole night. More precisely, the Band of Seven."
She came to a halt when she realised that Kagome's aura was starting to fade. The Shichinintai must have started to mask her aura by then. Hikari still continued running, and when she couldn't felt anything other than the life around her, she stopped. She found something odd.
A letter was pinned to a tree with a sharp stick.
When Hikari looked around, she couldn't find her friends. "Maybe I went a little too fast for them? Oh well, it doesn't matter. They're going to catch up anyways."
She pulled out the stick that pinned the letter gently, making sure that she didn't rip anything. She opened it and ran over the words quickly. She wasn't surprised to see that it was Renkotsu's writing.
When she had finished reading the letter, she felt something building up in her. Her teeth clenched and she did her best to control herself from riping the paper in hundreds of tiny pieces. This feeling didn't feel like anything she had felt for a very, very long time.
She recognied it as rage.
This is what she's been so worried about. She got her answer. And just as she guessed, it wasn't good.
The anger in her eyes flared and the paper trembled under her grasp. "How... dare they..."
At that moment, Inuyasha came into sight. He stopped in his tracks when he saw how Hikari's expression looked. "Hikari? Hey, what's going on?" The rest of the group was right behind him.
Without looking at her friends, she help up the letter. She snarled through her teeth, "Read."
Inuyasha seemed too shocked to take the letter from her hand, so Miroku took it instead. He read it out loud, "We already know that you're reading this, Inuyasha. You may not know who we are, but Hikari surely knows.
"You should have noticed by now that your woman is gone. If you want to save her, you will show up tonight, when the moon is at its highest level. Walk up the river from here. That's where you'll find us. But in return for the girl, you're going to have to give us a little something. And you already know what we want. So we won't bother saying it.
"You'd better make up your mind quickly, or you won't see your woman again. At least, not in this world. If you try anything suspicious when we meet, you can already say goodbye to your precious friend."
"Those bastards," Inuyasha growled. "So Kagome really was captured."
"It appears so," Miroku confirmed. "And from more than just one person."
"But what do they mean by 'make up your mind quickly'?" Kohaku wondered out loud.
"Before asking any more questions, we should ask Hikari who wrote it." Inuyasha turned around and faced the healer. "So? Who is it?"
"Who else could it be?" she snapped.
They all looked at each other to see if any of them had the answer. Nobody seemed to know, so they all looked at her.
"Who is it?" Inuyasha repeated.
Hikari took a deep breath to calm herself down, and she spoke, "The Band of Seven. That's who."
All of their eyes widened. "But why would they steal Kagome?" Sango asked in a thoughtful tone. "Wouldn't they have taken her sooner? All this time, they've been staying out of sight, and it's now that they show up?"
Hikari sighed. "Actually... They did show up..." It was time to put her plan into action.
"What? When?" Inuyasha raged.
"You didn't meet them, but I did. When we were in a village, Bankotsu found me and wanted to talk to me. He told me that Kyoukotsu was dying from the wound Kohaku gave him. He asked me to help him, but I refused. Then, a few days later, he came back to me.
"But this time, it was a warning. He told me that Kyoukotsu was dead, and that he blamed me for it. He swore to me that he'd make me pay somehow. I guess this is how he wants me to suffer."
It was alright as long as some of the events were true, right? Even if some were lies, it was still okay as long as she doesn't lie completly... Hikari couldn't tell if what she was doing was right or wrong.
"That makes sense..." Sango mumbled. "So Kyoukotsu's dead?"
Hikari nodded. "Yeah."
"That's good news," said Miroku.
"Can't we just get back to the problem?" Inuyasha said in an impatient tone. "So the Band of Seven captured Kagome. They want something in return. And what exactly is that? Do you have any ideas of what they might want, Hikari?"
Her expression suddenly changed back into the anger she had when they found her. Only this time, she looked even angrier. She growled, "What else would they want?"
Since nobody answered, she spoke in such a cold and unususal voice that it made them shiver. "They want me."
*O*~*O*~*O*
Kagome groaned as she felt pain on the top of her head. "Ugh, my head..."
She opened her left eye slightly, expecting to see Shippou sleeping soundlessly next to her. She realised in shock that he wasn't there. In fact, she wasn't even in her sleeping bag. "Wha... What happened?"
She sat up and looked around. Both of her eyes were wide open. This didn't look anything like the place she slept the night before. Sure, if the group decided to change spots without waking her up, she could have easily accepted that. But right now, she couldn't find any of her friends.
Now, she was nervous. "W-where am I? Why isn't anyone here? I don't remember being here, and I'm sure that we didn't move or anything..."
As panic began to rise up in her, she called out to anyone who she thought was there. "Shippou? Sango? Miroku? Inuyasha?"
She heard a voice say behind her, "Ah, so you're finally awake. About damn time."
Kagome froze. That voice...
It sounded so familiar... And then she remembered to it belonged to.
She slowly turned around to see if her mind wasn't playing her tricks. Her eyes went wide as she chocked down a gasp. The one thing she managed to say came out as a whisper. "Bankotsu."
The young mercenary smirked as he took a step forward. The light reflected from his huge halberd blinded Kagome. "That's me. Look, try not to scream, will ya? My ears already hurt from Jakotsu's yelling."
Kagome frowned and braced herself in case he attacked her. Of course, she wasn't scared. She's been in this situation far too many times. Kidnapped, threatened, and tied up for a reason she never knew. In the end, Inuyasha will always come for her and save her. And even if he didn't get there in time, she can always defend herself with her spiritual powers or her bow and arrows...
... ?
She jumped up. "Oh, crap!"
She looked around her and reached behind her back to see if her weapon was there. "I must have left my bow and arrows back with the others!"
"You women really have to learn to keep your stuff on you at all times," Bankotsu snickered. "They might actually come in handy one day."
The miko got onto a defensive stance. She learned how to easily dodge attacks from Hikari, so if Bankotsu planned on killing her, she might as well live a few seconds or minutes longer. She wasn't going down without a fight.
Bankotsu was impressed with this girl's confidence and courage. "At least she isn't weak like some other women. She's got some guts so look at me that way."
"You brought me here, didn't you?" Kagome asked the man defiantly.
He smiled and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "And what makes you say that?"
"I'm not with my friends and I found myself here with you instead. There's no way that I could've got here by being carried by the wind. And you said that I'm finally awake, so you were waiting for me to wake up, weren't you?"
He smirked. "Ah, you're pretty smart, aren't you? Well, to answer your question, yes, I brought you here. And apparently, you're going to have to stay here for a while. Well, only until tonight."
Kagome frowned. She didn't like how this was heading. But she still kept her calm. "And why... tonight?"
He sighed. Sure, she was smart, but sometimes asking pertinent questions had a limit. "Since you're asking so many questions, I'll just say everything at once. You're going to have to stay here until tonight because that's when your friends will arrive to get you.
"I've sent them a letter telling them everything they need to do to get you back in their group. I've decided to make a little exchange... Just a little something for your freedom."
"Now," he said suddenly, "Since I've answered your questions, I have a little something to ask you too."
Kagome started feeling uneasy. Now, she was starting to panick. The words came out slowly from her mouth. "What... do you... want... from me?"
"Nothing secret, don't worry," he said as he got closer to her until he was able to grab her chin between his fingers. Kagome didn't flich from his look and glared at him. "I'm only going to say this once. What do you know about the one who resurrected us?"
The miko's eyes widened in surprise. This is all he wanted? Didn't he get everything he wanted from Hikari?
As if he had read her mind, he added, "Hikari wasn't with you all this time. You know more about the clues you found than she does."
She gulped. He wasn't lying. Out of all the members of the Inutachi, she and Inuyasha were the only people who knew most of their past enemies. It seemed logical that they took her instead of Inuyasha. She asked herself how he had gotten that information... Or was it just his luck?
"So?"
His forcing glare made her say what she knew. "W-we don't know much about him... or her, but we know that some people who has been resurrected smell like lavender flowers! That's all we know!"
She saw Bankotsu flinch a little. Maybe he didn't believe her. And that wasn't enough information. She closed her eyes, preparing for the worst, but before he could say anything, they heard Jakotsu's voice. "Big Brother? Hey, Bankotsu!"
Bankotsu let Kagome go and turned to his friend. When the cross dresser saw Kagome, he snorted, "Oh. The woman's awake."
She did her best to keep herself back from yelling at the man that she had a name. Did he really call all the girls 'woman'?
The leader turned his back to her and said to Jakotsu, "Is everyone else up?"
When the man nodded, he added, "Good. I'll meet you and the others there."
Jakotsu took off, and Bankotsu was about to go after him, but Kagome had one last question to ask him. "Wait! What are you going to do if my friends don't come?"
She heard him smirk. "Oh, we'll just... do something about you. That's all. I'll come and get you later. Until then, don't try to run away. You know that it's useless."
As Kagome watched the leader of the mercenaries go away, she shivered. She didn't like the sound of that idea.
*O*~*O*~*O*
That night (evening)...
The healer and the demon slayer were taking a bath in the river. Hikari used her powers to make the water warmer so that they won't get cold, and she made a wall between the two girls and the men to make sure that a certain perverted monk won't peek.
The sun was slowly setting below the horizon for the night and in the sky was a beautiful mix of orange, blue, and pink colors. Half of the sky was dark and full of stars, and the other half would be bright with the orange light of the sun.
Ever since they've recieved the letter, Inuyasha demanded that they go right away to save Kagome. The others agreed as well, but they all knew that even if they got to the right location, they won't meet the Band of Seven till night time.
During all that time, they didn't know what to do. They can continue their journey a little further, but just for a little while, since they couldn't stay too far from the river. And they couldn't split up because Inuyasha suspected that the Shichinintai might attack them when they finally got their hands on what they wanted.
Hikari's mind was so full of questions. She didn't understand why he took Kagome instead of taking her right away. She couldn't sense their or Kagome's aura, and she felt comlpletly lost. What if Bankotsu wanted to do something with her? What will he do with her? Harm her? Kill her? Wait, isn't that like the same thing?
She was going nuts.
"Hikari?"
She jumped when she heard Sango's voice. "Yes? What is it?"
Sango seemed embarassed. Her cheeks were getting red. "I was just wondering... what is your relationship... with Bankotsu?"
This sudden question sent Hikari completly unbalanced. She stumbled into the water and came out with a gasp. "Wha... What did you say?"
The demon slayer's cheeks just seemed getting redder and redder. "Oh, never mind. It sounds really stupid."
Hikari didn't say anytihng for a while, and she sighed. "Do you really want to know?"
Her friend didn't say anything, but her aura told Hikari everything. She breathed in some air and said, "I'll be honest with you. When I met him, he wasn't the nicest guy in the world, but he didn't look as cruel as I would've thought that he'd be. But after a while, I grew to understand his pain... His pain of losing people precious to him. And then... we grew to understand each other."
"Okay, but I mean other than that," Sango interrupted. Hikari looked confused, so she explained, "I mean how you feel about him. About how he acts around you. How you act around him..."
The L. Healer blushed and looked down. "Oh... that... right..."
Sango was waiting for an answer. And she wasn't going to let anything slide. Hikari knew that. So she said with the blush never leaving from her face, "I... I guess that I like him... Of course I do... but somtimes... he's just really... oh, I don't know... annoying and..."
The demon slayer cut her off again. "Hikari, usually, you're always the light-headed one, but now, you're just some other embarassed girl. Can't you just talk normally, the way you usually talk to me?"
Hikari sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll start again."
She took a deep breath. "The days go by, and we grow closer to each other. Sometimes, my heart would beat faster when he's closer to me, to the point where our bodies touch,"-she heard Sango gasp that time- "But sometimes, when he's really ticking me off, I don't feel anything like that at all. It made me go crazy.
"Nobody else made me feel this way. I didn't know where I was going. And somehow, when it came to this kind of stuff, he was always one step ahead of me. He was perfectly clam, no regret or anything in his eyes.
"Our last day together was different. I felt closer to him than I've ever been, and my heart was crushed when he left. I knew that he was going to die in the first place, but I didn't think that losing him would hurt me as much as it did."
When she finished talking, she asked, "Why did you ask me that? Is there something you might want to know?"
Sango shook her head. "Just curious. And Kagome's been wondering about it too. You know her, always looking for some interresting things. She was willing to ask you, and so was I, but... Since you're going to leave soon, I guess I might as well get the infomation."
Hikari nodded. "That explains a lot... Maybe I should have told you sooner about it."
"It's alright. At least I can tell Kagome about it."
They remained quiet for the rest of the time they were in the water. It was clear that they were going to exchange Hikari for Kagome. Inuyasha and the others tried to convince Hikari to not go, but she wouldn't change her mind no matter what.
Inuyasha insisted that they make out a plan to save Kagome, and to prevent Hikari from being taken away, but Hikari immediatly rejected that idea.
"There's no way I'm going to let blood be spilled tonight," she said, "If someone dies or gets hurt because of me, I'll never forgive myself. It's already bad enough that Kagome's been kidnapped. They know that we might try something sneaky, so we can't take any chances. If we do anything, Kagome will die."
She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt tonight. Her sacrifice will probably be one of the most greatests' she's ever done, but this sacrifice might just send her straight to hell.
She stood up and got her closes on. Her blue kimono blended in well with the darkness of the night. She wore it and made sure that her dragon necklace was shown. She picked up her blades from the ground and placed them in their shethes, behind her back.
Sango's always wondered why that necklace of hers was so special. Even back when they were kids, she brought it everywhere with her. She decided that it might have been best to keep her mouth shut. After all, it might have been a present from her mother or father.
"Say, Hikari..." She started. She wasn't going to ask her about the necklace. Just something else.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Why do you think... Bankotsu took Kagome?"
Hikari clenched her teeth. She didn't know how many times she's done that in the same day. "I don't know any more than you do. I don't know why he took Kagome right away instead of taking me instead if they wanted me in the first place. It just doesn't make any sense..." she trailed off.
Sango nodded. "And why were you so mad that Bankotsu wanted you into his group...? Sorry, I sound annoying, don't I?"
She smiled. "No, not at all. I... I guess I felt really pissed off that he'd try to force me into his group. I mean, come on! He can't just say that, one day, I belong to him! It just sounds so possesif! And how dare he try to order me around! I refuse to take orders from him or anyone else!"
"Now, that's a lot of information," Sango stated.
Hikari could sense the curiousity coming from Sango's aura. She wanted to ask one more question, but she didn't want to sound like a nuisance. Hikari inwardly smiled. "You haven't changed at all, Sango."
She sighed. She knew that she wouldn't be able to keep the secrets for too long.
So why not reveal one?
"Sango?"
The demon slayer's head jolted up. "Yes? What is it?"
Hikari could see the impatience in her eyes. She would have giggled if what she was going to tell her wasn't so serious. "Can you keep a secret?"
Her friend blinked. "Well... That depends on what the secret's about..."
She nodded. "Good point. I'll say it anyways, since I'm sure that you really want to know."
She saw Sango blush, but she didn't hear her complaining. The healer started, "It's about... the time when Bankotsu asked me for his help to heal Kyoukotsu. I told you that I declined his request, but... I lied. I decided to help him."
Sango gasped, but she continued, "But I knew that it would take more than a day for Kyoukotsu to heal. So for the time I left you... I was out there helping him. But in the end, I guess that all my efforts were in vain...
"I think that that's the real reason why Bankotsu took Kagome. Not to make me pay for not accepting his request, but because I couldn't help Kyoukotsu. But I'm sure that once we switch Kagome for me, they're going to make me go through hell without even trying. That's karma for you, I guess."
She turned to look at Sango who seemes completly shocked. Hikari's eyes were pleading. "Please, don't tell Inuyasha or anyone about this. I know that you're going to tell Kagome about this, so I won't bother asking you to not say anything to her. I understand that you're going to hate me, but please...?"
Sango smiled. She hasn't seen this side of Hikari in a very long time. These days, she looked so sure of herself, so confident and strong, and looked like she didn't need anyone's help. "But I guess that there's still a little bit of the young girl I knew inside you, Hikari."
"It's alright," she answered. "I'm not mad at you. You told me the truth, so it's fine."
Hikari blinked in surprise, and she warmly smiled. She didn't say anything, but her mind felt like as if it was saying everything she felt. She didn't know how people can be as forgiving as this...
When they were both out of the water and back to camp, the moon was already showing itself above the trees. But it still wasn't time to get Kagome. Hikari gathered everyone in a circle for a meeting.
"We need to talk about what you're going to do when I'm gone," she said when they've all settled down.
"We don't need to," said Inuyasha. "We come after you as soon as the day passes by."
Hikari shook her head. "No. You can't come after me. That's not as important as finding out if Naraku is alive or not. You'll continue your way to Kaede's place, explain everything, and stay there for a while to get ready. After that, you'll continue searching for any clues about the ressurected demons. It's as simple as that."
"What about you?" Kohaku asked. "We can't just leave you with the Band of Seven."
She frowned and bit her bottom lip. "I know. So how about you come searching for me... about a week after you've left the village?"
"But you'd already be miles away by then!" Shipou exclaimed.
"I know that too. But you can't come searching for me so quickly. You know that the Band of Seven is stronger now. Once you find me, you know that there's going to be a battle. And even if they're a number down, they can still take you on. So I want you all to train for a while before coming after me."
"Then why don't you start searching for us?" Miroku proposed. "That would make things much easier. You can sneak away one night and search for us. Or maybe run away from them while they're busy."
Hikari lowered her gaze. "That won't work."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"
She explained, "I won't be able to sneak away one night because there's going to be someone keeping watch. I know positive that they're going to do that. And I can't just leave them as simply as you think. If I leave them, and if they figure it out, the only way they're going to try to get me back is by attacking me and knocking me out. Even if I am pretty strong, I can't take all of them at once. And there's no guarantee that I'll get out of it without any scratches."
The half demon growled in frustration. "This is useless! Isn't there anything we can do?"
Miroku shook his head. "Afraid not."
Hikari looked up at the sky. "It's going to be time soon... I'd better get ready." She turned back to her friends and looked into each of their eyes, "You all know what to do after I'm gone now. There might not be anything good coming out of this, but I'm asking you do to this for me."
Her eyes were dead serious. "Promise me that, the next time we meet, you'll have more information about our enemy. You may not find much, and you're going to have to be patient for answers. But you should at least come up with a few clues. Of course, I'll do my best too."
They all nodded with the same serious expression on their faces.
*O*~*O*~*O*
"Dammit," Suikotsu growled. "Why aren't they here yet?"
"Because it's not time yet," Renkotsu stated. "Just take the pain of having a woman like her around just a little longer. Her friends will be here soon."
Ginkotsu agreed. "Gersh!"
Kagome wanted to yell out 'I'm still here, you know!', but she decided that it was best to keep her mouth shut. After all, she didn't want to die right before her friends showed up.
She was going to be looked over by Renkotsu, Suikotsu and Ginkotsu while she waited for her friends to arrive. The other members of the Shichinintai were waiting not far from there for certain reasons.
She was positive that this day might have been one of the worst days she's ever lived through.
Not that anything interreseting happened, though. Nobody really talked to her. Nobody, except Bankotsu.
Of course, he had to talk to her, since he was the one giving her the food. Sometimes, he'd ask questions, or have a small talk with her, but that was all. Most of the time, he'd ask about Hikari or some other things about Kagome.
"He didn't seem all that bad... In fact, he seemed pretty nice..." was all that she could think of.
And the food?
Disgusting.
Horrible.
It made her sick to her stomach.
Kagome didn't know if it was because she felt so uncomfortable around the Shichinintai that it tasted weird, or because Renkotsu might have over cooked the meat.
Okay, so her day wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She was just really surprised how the Band of Seven sucked at cooking anything.
Some members of the Band of Seven were kept back from escorting Kagome to her friends. Bankotsu kept Jakotsu in to make sure that he wasn't going to jump on Inuyasha and he kept Mukotsu because he knew that he'd just stare at Kagome or Hikari if he was ever in the same clearing or room as the girls.
And the leader? Renkotsu didn't exactly know why he stayed back, but something told him that it was because their leader didn't want to face Hikari just yet. Probably because the moment she'd lay eyes on him, she'd kill him with a single glare.
He thought back to when Bankotsu announced the plan.
FLASHBACK
"Bankotsu, where, just where did you get that idea from?" Jakotsu whinned.
Bankotsu shrugged. "I just got it. That's all. It seems wise, doesn't it?"
Everyone remained silent, and finally, Suikotsu grumbled, "No, it doesn't. Not at all."
Their leader sighed. "Okay, I know that it sounds wierd and-"
"It sounds completly insane!" Jakotsu suddenly exclaimed. "What use is she, anyways? She killed Kyoukotsu, so what good would it do if she stayed with us? She's useless!"
Bankotsu groaned. "Look, first of all, she didn't kill Kyoukotsu. He was just too weak to survive."
"So you're defending her?" Renkotsu reproached.
"Who said that I was?" He retorted. "I'm saying that Kyoukotsu just didn't have enough life in him to move on. Even with the power which was given to us, he was still weak."
"So why couldn't we just leave him behind when we had the chance?" Renkotsu growled.
Bankotsu stiffined. His words came out very slowly. "Because, back then, I would have thought that he was stronger. Apparently, it seems that I was wrong. But the rest of us still have hope of surviving. But just to make sure that we'll be fine, we'll keep a legendary healer around to heal us.
"And besides," he added, "With her on our side, Inuyasha loses a member of his team. He also loses his greatest tracker and a person who can heal his wounds. If we have Hikari, we can also search for the one who resurrected us. After all, that's why she joined them."
Everyone flinched. That's true. They needed to search for the one who resurrected them. If Naraku was still alive, what would they do? And what if he wasn't? This girl was able to give them the answers. But was it really worh it? Wouldn't it have been best to not know who brought them back from the dead?
But they knew that it would be pointless to argue with their leader. And they didn't like this idea. They hated it.
Renkotsu seemes to have taken it a slight bit easier than the others. For one thing, Kyoukotsu was the weakest in their group, so of course, he wouldn't have survived. Maybe it was too late by the time Hikari started to treat him.
And he wanted to stay alive. He refused to die a thrid time. Never mind his brothers, his life was the most important.
"He's the plan," Bankotsu explained. "Yesterday, I learned that Inuyasha isn't too far from here. So we'll do the kidnapping tonight. First off, I don't want to steal Hikari right away. I need a few answers first, so we'll take the priestess."
"You mean the girl with the vile and strange clothing?" Jakotsu asked as he wrinkled his nose.
Bankotsu sighed. Jakotsu just had to add some more details, didn't he? "Yes, her. We're going to hide our scent so that Inuyasha doesn't track us, but we're going to make sure that trakcs of our aura are left behind for Hikari. She'll sense it and at the end of the track, we'll leave a little message telling them everything we want."
"An exchange?" Ginkotsu's metallic voice said.
Their leader nodded. "Yes. The priestess for a legendary healer. But we're not going to write that down."
"Huh?" Jakotsu was the first to react. "Then how do they know what you want? What if they show up with someone's head instead of the woman?"
"That'll be even better," Bankotsu answered in an amused tone. "But no, I'm sure that they won't show up with something like that."
"How can you be so sure?" wheezed Mukotsu.
Bankotsu smirked. "Oh, I know. That's all."
END FLASHBACK
And here they were, waiting for Inuyasha and his friends to arrive.
Suikotsu seemed to be getting impatient. Kagome and Renkotsu can tell from the way he's been intently staring in front of him ever since they arrived. Every once in a while, he'd scowl or groan. Now that was getting annoying.
Renkotsu sighed. "Suikotsu, calm down. We know that being patient isn't your strongest point, but just try to wait a little longer, will you?"
The doctor growled. "I can't help it. If they don't arrive soon, I'll kill the girl and get back to camp."
Kagome froze and looked down. This was getting serious. Didn't they care if Inuyasha decided to change his mind if he found her dead? The half demon would never give what they wanted if he ever figured out that...
She shook her head. No. Inuyasha would arrive. She was sure of it.
She decided to keep her mind away from that subject and thought about what they wanted. Nobody told her what it really was. One good example she could think of was Inuyasha's life, but... No, of course, that didn't make any sense. Bankotsu wasn't stupid enough to request something that absurd.
Although, it would make sense if...
"No! Stop it!" She screamed to herself. "There's no way that they'd ask for that! Sure, they want Inuyasha dead, but I'm sure that they'd try to take him down in a real fight, not because of me! Mercenaries are too proud for that kind of stuff!"
But what else could there be? Kagome couldn't think of anything they wanted other the death of the one who killed them a second time. They already know that they can't get any jewel shards since they don't exist anymore. And Bankotsu already asked her for clues of what she and her friends found out about the one who ressurected their old enemies.
So what could it possibly be?
*O*~*O*~*O*
"We're almost there..." Hikari thought as she ran ahead of the Inutachi.
"Can you smell anything Inuyasha?" She asked over her shoulder.
"If I could, I'd be the one leading and I'd already be there!" He exclaimed.
Hikari rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, so I shouldn't have asked."
She glanced down next to her and stared at the water. The moon's light and the tress were reflected from the water. The tiny waves danced with the rocks and the sound of the water shoothed her soul. She felt so relaxed and calm.
But it was all over when she rembered why she was running in the first place. She sighed. Will she ever see something this beautiful again?
She searched for Kagome's aura. Yes, her friend was right ahead. Along with Suikotsu, Renkotsu, and Ginkotsu. It seems that the rest of the band was held back. She felt releaved that Bankotsu wasn't there. But at the same time, she felt troubled.
Kagome was calm. Her aura was relaxed, but not too relaxed. Sure she felt a little scared, being with the mercenaries all by herself, but she was getting along better than how any other woman would have been.
Then, all of a sudden, Hikari felt Kagome's aura beginning to panick. Kagome's heart started beating faster and faster. Hikairi started running a little faster, and Inuyasha and Kirara had a bad time catching up. The dog demon yelled, "Hey! I know that we're in a rush, but wait for us!"
The L. Healer didn't listen. She was too busy keeping track of her friend's aura. She didn't know what was going on, but she could tell that she had to get there fast. She couldn't read Kagome's mind since she wasn't with her face to face.
And then, in one sudden burst, Hikari felt an enormous terror shoot right through her.
Kagome's terror.
Forgetting about the rest of her friends, she bolted off and ran as fast as she could to the miko and the mercenaries. She heard Miroku yell, "Hey, Hikari-" But she took no notice of it.
If she wasn't there in a few seconds... She knew that Kagome would die.
*O*~*O*~*O*
Kagome sighed. All this thinking was making her dizzy. She figured that it would be best for her to just stay put and wait.
Then again, that's what she's been doing from the start.
Suikotsu was starting to look more and more impatient, and Kagome knew that eventually, he'll burst. She trembled at the thought. She just hoped that that 'eventually' won't happen.
Renkotsu wondered why his leader would send out Suikotsu. If Bankotsu sent Renkotsu and Ginkotsu, it would have been fine too. After all, the bald man was the wisest of the group, and Ginkotsu was his best friend.
Bankotsu knew very well that Suikotsu can easily get impatient. And if the doctor/mercenary wasn't satisfied, he would kill without hesitation. That is, unless, his doctor side interfeared with his kill. But anyways, bringing him along wasn't the best idea.
It was probably because their leader didn't trust Renkotsu enough to leave him alone yet. Even being left with Ginkotsu wasn't very wise, since the metal monster would probably follow his friend wherever he went.
Everyone kept quiet. Nobody wanted to talk or say anything until Inuyasha arrived.
Then...
Suikotsu roared, "Dammit, I can't stand this!"
Kagome jumped. Her eyes widened. Uh oh... this can't be good. She glanced at Renkotsu. Wasn't he going to do something aboput this? He said, "Suikotsu. Be patient and be quiet. Your voice will lead Inuyasha straight towards us. That's not what we want, remember?"
"What?" Kagome shifted her gaze from Renkotsu to Suikotsu and back. "What do they mean 'that's not what we want'? They requested an exchange, so don't they need Inuyasha for that? Then why is he saying that they want exactly the opposite? This isn't right..." she thought.
"I'm at my limit," Suikotsu retorted. "I say we kill the girl once and for all. We wasted our time making sure that she stays alive here, and they don't arrive! And we don't know if they will arrive! Let's put her out of her misery and get back to camp!"
Kagome gasped. Suikotsu was already armed with his claws and taking menacing steps towards her. She was frozen and even if she could run, she would never be able to over run him. She heard Renkotsu yell, "Suikotsu, stop this now! Big Brother will kill you if-"
It was too late. The doctor had his claws right over the girl's head. So this is how it was supposed to end? She never imagined that she would be killed this way. What about the hunt for the resurrector? What about her friends and family?
She hated being the weakest. She could use her spiritual powers, but good would that do? Back him away a little, but then he'd just get angrier. Either way, she was going to die. She thought, "If only I was stronger..."
Her friends' faces came into her mind. "Everyone... I'm sorry..."
Her heart beated faster and faster from the terror that she felt.
The claws were closing in on her on slow motion.
And she closed her eyes shut as she prepared for the impact.
She felt the wind fly over her head.
And after a few seconds, nothing happened.
She told herself that she should open her eyes to see what was going on, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She heard Suikotsu's voice. But this time, it wasn't as hostile as it was before. He was surprised. "What? How did you..."
Kagome slowly opened her eyes. And just when she saw a glimer of what was in front of her, they bursted open.
Hikari was blocking Suikotsu's claws with her blade. She was crouching down because of Suikotsu's strength on her sword. She snarled, "And just what do you think you're doing?"
*O*~*O*~*O*
Suikotsu jumped back and Hikari glared at him. She said, "I recall you saying that you'll return Kagome to us. You didn't go back on your word, did you?"
He didn't answer. He was still shocked from her appearance. In fact, so was Renkotsu and Ginkotsu.
"She's fast," Renkotsu thought. "Nobody saw her running in to save her friend."
Hikari looked over her shoulder and whispered, "Kagome? You okay?"
The miko slowly nodded, still unsure of what just happened. "I'm... fine."
Inuyasha and his friends decided to show up then. "Hikari! Why did you-"
When they saw that she had her sword unshethed, they took out their weapons as well. The dog demon started running towards the healer and the miko. "Kagome!"
Kagome's eyes beamed. "Inuyasha!" (A/N: Sigh. I just find it so annoying how they always call each others names everytime they get back together. Seriously. But I'm just going to try to make it sound realistic.)
And just when he was a few meters away from the girls, a wall of flame bursted out of nowhere and forced Inuyasha to back away. When it disappeared, Inuyasha glared at Renkotsu. "Why you..."
"Ah, ah, ah," Renkotsu said as he shook his finger. "What about the conditions we talked about?"
Inuyasha growled and Hikari called, "Never mind him, Inuyasha, just do what he wants!"
His ears lied on the back of his head as he backed away. Renkotsu lowered his gourd and said, "Now, that's better."
Hikari glared at him. "You've got what you wanted now. So leave Kagome and my friends out of this."
"Well, then," he smirked. "It seems that Big Brother was right. You knew what we wanted from the start, didn't you?"
The girl didn't answer. She sighed and whispered to Kagome again, "Kagome, go to Inuyasha and the others. Go before the Band of Seven changes their mind."
Kagome nodded. "But what about you? What are you going to give them?"
Yet again, she didn't answer. She repeated, "Get moving, Kagome."
The miko stood up and walked towards her friends. She rushed the last few steps and fell into Inuyasha's arms. He asked, "You okay? Did they hurt you?"
She shook her head. "I could have been killed, but Hikari arrived just in time to stop them. But the rest of the day was pretty boring."
"Boring? How can you say that being held captive by mercenaries is boring? You should have bene terrified and praying to stay alive! Did you know how worried sick we were? We spent the whole day doing nothing because you weren't by our side!"
Kagome blinked. "Did he just say what I think he just said?"
"Kagome!"
Shippou jumped into her arms and weeped, "I missed you!"
She smiled. The little fox buried his head in her chest as she patted his head. "I'm fine, Shippou. It's going to be okay."
Everyone turned their attention on Hikari, who was now standing up and putting away her sword. Kagome still didn't understand why she didn't fall back either. "She isn't planing on taking them on her own, is she?" she thought in horror. "There's no way that she'll be able to take them all! Unless Inuyasha and Sango help her, of course..."
Hikari started walking towards Renkotsu. The second in command flinched a little, but relaxed when she stopped. She turned around to glance at her friends one last time.
Kagome gasped. She understood now once she saw how the girl's eyes looked. "It can't be... They wouldn't have..."
Hikari's eyes were filled with sadness. She answered Kagome's questioning look by shaking her head from side to side. "Sorry," was the only word she said.
"Alright, our job here is done," Renkotsu announced as he thought that he had given enough time for everyone to say goodbye. "Get on," he signaled to Suikotsu and Hikari.
The doctor hopped on Ginkotsu's tank-like body and stood next to his brother, but Hikari hesitated before going on the opposite side of where the brothers were standing.
Kagome watched in horror as Hikari and the Band of Seven disappeared from her sight, leaving only Ginkotsu's tracks behind. She needed some answers. She turned back to Inuyasha and asked, "Inuyasha... What does the Band of Seven want? What did they want from us?"
Hikari looked down at her feet. Ginkotsu's metal body felt so odd... It felt like the ground was rumbling and shaking, preparing to break at any moment. Hikari was an expert when it came to balance, but she tried her very best to keep herself from not falling off the metal monster.
She could still feel her friends auras, but they were slowly fading away. Instead, it was replaced with the Band of Seven's aura, which was getting clearer and clearer. She hated this feeling. She can already imagine Bankotsu's smirking face, laughing at her misery.
This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be with her friends and reaching Kaede's village with them. But no- the Band of Seven just had to ruin it all.
She thought back to when Bankotsu asked for her help with Kyoukotsu. Would it have been best to let it down? But then, wouldn't the story have went the way she imagined it? That after she abandonned Bankotsu, and after Kyoukotsu had died, Bankotsu will hate her to death.
Either way, she would still find herself in this situation.
She looked up as she felt the auras getting closer. She could hear Jakotsu's complaining and sighed. Soon, very soon, she was going to live a real nightmare.
What had she gotten herself into?
And there you have it :)
Alright, so this wasn't the BEST chapter I've written. But in the next chapter, you'll see more of the Shichinintai, and more of what happened when Kagome was around the Band of Seven. That's for sure :)
~FoxRain7~