A Reason to Live
Chapter Five
The Immortal
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
"What the fuck do you mean you promised him," Inuyasha snapped, a small vein becoming visible on his forehead. "Sango are you insane? You know just how dangerous he is."
"When did you promise him that," Miroku asked, keeping his staff in a defensive position.
"What does it matter," Sango asked. "I just did. I don't know why, but he seems different now."
"He is no different now then he was when I beat him last time," Inuyasha snorted. Normally Bankotsu would have protested, but he was glad that Inuyasha was underestimating him.
"Inuyasha," Kikyo called, gaining the half-demons attention. "You should let Bankotsu go. He has not harmed anyone that I know of."
"Fine," Inuyasha hissed, anger lacing his voice. "But should he hurt anyone, I am holding you responsible for it Sango. Kikyo, you should keep an eye on him."
"You know Inuyasha," Bankotsu began. "I was planning on killing you along with Naraku, but it was the slayer who changed my mind for now. So I will make you a deal. As long as the slayer stays safe, I won't come after you, but if you allow harm to come to her, I will kill you along with Naraku."
"You don't have to worry about that," Inuyasha spat. "I don't allow people to hurt my friends."
"Well I guess I shall be taking my leave now," Bankotsu said as he suddenly stretched. "I need to go find another lead to Naraku's location."
"You can't leave yet," Miroku stated. "How do we know you won't attack any mortals if we let you leave?"
"What does it matter to you monk," Bankotsu asked in a bored tone. "It's not like you could stop me if I wanted to."
"Is that so," Miroku questioned in a challenging tone.
"Ok enough," Sango interjected. "Let's just stop all of this senseless fighting."
"Not all fighting is senseless," Bankotsu exclaimed while staring deep into Sango's eyes. "Sometimes, fighting is necessary."
"Well right now is not one of those times," Sango retorted, looking gazes with the mercenary. "If anything, we all need to talk things out. I mean we have the same goal, and that is to defeat Naraku, so why can't we all help each other."
"YOU WANT ME TO WORK WITH HIM," both Inuyasha and Bankotsu yelled in unison. "AND WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH WORKING WITH ME!?!"
"SIT BOY," Kagome yelled over the two men, and instantly Inuyasha was sent face first into the ground. "That is enough."
"Damn it," Inuyasha exclaimed in pain. "He started it!"
"And I am ending it," Kagome shouted, causing the half-demon to cringe. "I agree with Sango. We all want to see Naraku defeated, and we could always use all of the help we can get. That goes for you as well Kikyo." Turning to look at her fellow priestess, Kagome was shocked to see that Kikyo was no longer amongst their ranks. "Where is Kikyo?"
"Oh she slipped away when Sango started on about senseless fighting and what-not," Bankotsu replied.
"And you didn't say anything why," Inuyasha hissed in a low voice.
"Chill out Fido," Bankotsu said waving his hands in front of him. "I don't think she wanted to stick around to hear our bickering."
"Which way did she go," Inuyasha asked.
"She slipped back into the wooded area from whence she came," Bankotsu answered in a mocking voice.
"Damn it," Inuyasha whispered to himself.
"As a matter of fact, I think I should be going as well," Bankotsu supplied as he lifted Banryuu from the ground, and set it on his shoulder.
"Wait Bankotsu," Sango called. "You should join up with us."
"Sorry to let you down, but I am traveling alone this time," Bankotsu responded. "However, I will be seeing you around."
"When," Sango asked.
"Sooner then you think," Bankotsu replied before disappearing into the same wooded area as Kikyo.
"You have a lot of explaining to do," Inuyasha stated in a low hiss.
'This is going to be a long day,' Sango said to herself.
The smell of blood lingered in the air, causing Inuyasha to become increasingly alert. "Something bad happened here," Inuyasha said to the rest of his group. "This entire village was massacred, but by who?"
"You don't think it was Bankotsu do you," Sango questioned the half-demon.
"No," Inuyasha replied. "I can't pick up his scent, but I must admit that it does have a similar texture to his."
"What do you mean," Kagome asked.
"Well, you know how when you smell something hot, you can feel the heat almost," Inuyasha questioned. "Well for me, each scent I come across has a distinct texture. Sometimes, family members have a similar texture."
"Help me," a weak voice called from a pile of rubble. The voice was so soft that Inuyasha was the only one, who could hear it, and even so he had trouble hearing it.
"Who is there," Inuyasha yelled as he rushed into the destroyed village. "Keep speaking."
"Over here," the voice called once more. This time it was a little louder then before, and Inuyasha was able to pinpoint the exact location that it was coming from.
"Just hang in there," Inuyasha yelled. Soon Inuyasha found the voice, and dug the small child out of a pile of rubble. "What happened to this village?"
"Oh the poor child," Kagome exclaimed as she ushered the rest of the group close. "Are you ok sweetie?"
"What happened here," Miroku asked.
"That is not important right now," Kagome supplied. "We need to give this boy some medical attention."
"Kagome," Inuyasha said in a solemn voice. "He is bleeding internally. There is nothing we can do for him, except wait to see if he pulls through."
"It was an Immortal," the boy coughed out. "He could not be beaten. Any cut he was dealt, almost instantly disappeared. It was horrible."
"What is an Immortal," Inuyasha questioned aloud.
"They are a group of humans, who have learned the secret art of Immortality," Sango answered. "They are said to be so in touch with nature and magic, that they can feed off of the very Earth, and will retain their youthful appearance."
"Are they really immortal," Inuyasha asked.
"No," Sango answered in a determined voice. "They can be killed in a battle, but they will not die due to old age or illness."
"Anything else you can tell us," Kagome asked.
"Yeah. Because of their age, Immortals are incredibly skilled in all forms of combat," Sango replied as her head hung to the ground. "In fact, they are the ones who taught the demon slayers how to fight, and how to use the bones of demons to make weapons. Normally, the immortals are the most peaceful of all people."
"Hold on," Inuyasha exclaimed as he sniffed the air again. "That smell. The one that resembles Bankotsu's, it is nearby." Without waiting for anyone to speak, Inuyasha dashed after the odor.
The grass made a slushing noise underneath his black boots. His cloak dragged behind him, lightly swaying in any gentle breezes. The hood of his cloak was drawn around his face, hiding his appearance from anyone who might have dared to look at him. The clanging sound of his sword slapping against his outer thigh was the only sound that came to his ears at the moment. All was well with the world. He had slaughtered a village, and now he was walking down a worn trail with no one to bother him. Oh how he hated to be bothered. The constant chattering, that mortals felt they needed to fill their pointless existence, was enough to give him a migraine. Of course, when he felt pain, he made sure that someone else could also feel his pain, but even he had to admit that he did not feel nearly the same amount of pain that any of his unlucky victims felt. Sure, the screaming and begging for mercy also frustrated him to no end, but it was worth it to hear the last of their breaths leave their bodies, surrounding him in sweet sweet silence.
Suddenly the sound of feet hitting the ground at an extremely fast pace caught his attention. Turning back from whence he came, the cloaked man focused his eyes at the silver and red blur heading his way. "Uninvited company," the man supplied in a dry tone. "How annoying this day has turned out to be."
Soon Inuyasha stopped directly in front of the cloaked man, and gave a deep sniff. Yes, this was the man who had massacred the village. The scent of blood also radiated from the cloaked figure, confirming Inuyasha's assumption. "Who are you, and why did you slaughter that village back there," Inuyasha demanded as he grabbed the hilt of Tetsusaiga. "Answer me now damn it!"
"Why don't you ask a little nicer you annoying mutt," the cloaked man sneered. Instantly the man stuck his right hand into his cloak, and ran his finger over the half moon edge of the hilt. "Actually, scratch that. Don't bother asking, because I do not speak to disgusting half-breeds as yourself."
"Watch it pal," Inuyasha hissed. Thoughts of his childhood flashed through his minds eyes, but he was able to clear his mind, and focused back on the cloaked man. "Now answer me, before I have to hurt you."
"You hurt me," the cloaked man laughed. "You must be a jester of some sort. Surely you don't truly believe that filth like you could even lay a scratch on me do you?"
"Just watch me," Inuyasha roared in anger, but the cloaked figure appeared directly in front of Inuyasha so fast, that it caught Inuyasha off guard. "What the hell?" Inuyasha tried to back away from the man, but the cloaked man was able to follow Inuyasha's every move.
"How do you plan on defeating me, when you can't even draw your sword," the man taunted. Before Inuyasha could respond, the man slammed a gloved hand into the side of Inuyasha's face. The blow caused Inuyasha to fly backwards a few feet, before he landed on his back. Reaching up with a clawed hand, Inuyasha felt a line of blood trickling down the side of his mouth.
"You shouldn't have done that," Inuyasha snapped. "Blades of Blood!!!" As Inuyasha flung the blood, it turned into a razor sharp blade, which the cloaked figure was able to block, at the expense of his cloak.
"That was a close one," the man exclaimed with his back towards Inuyasha. Turning around, the man allowed Inuyasha to look at his face. The man's face looked exactly like Bankotsu's, minus the star in the middle of the forehead. The man's eyes were also different, a deep crimson color, which now glared daggers at the half-demon before them. His hair was a short cropped black with stray locks sticking out in the front. He was wearing an all black outfit, consisting of a sleeveless shirt, and a pair of silken pants, which were tucked into the black boots.
"You look just like Bankotsu," Inuyasha muttered aloud.
"You know of my little brother," the man sneered.
"Are you one of the Band of Seven," Inuyasha asked as he scrambled to his feet.
"I am afraid I don't know what you are talking about," the man snapped angrily. "Now where is Bankotsu?"
"Why the hell do you care," Inuyasha spat.
"Because I must kill him," the man replied with a smirk. "Once I have killed him, I shall grind his bones, and make a blade out of him, just like I did our poor father." Suddenly the man pulled out the crimson sword that hung on his left side.
"What the fuck are you talking about," Inuyasha snapped in disbelief.
"Annihilate him Soukatsui," the man said as he slashed at a still stunned Inuyasha. However, Inuyasha was still able to jump out of the way of the crimson blade despite his shock. "What's wrong half-demon? Don't tell me you are so stricken with fear that you won't even fight now! To think I was hoping you would be able to give me a challenge. I guess I will just have to wait until I fight Bankotsu to unleash the true potential of Soukatsui."
A/N: Well that is chapter five. For those of you that don't know or understand yet, the cloaked stranger is Bankotsu's younger brother Hakai. As for his father's bones being forged into his sword, that will be explained in the next chapter, as well as the first encounter between the brothers. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and to answer a question left in a review by my biggest fan, Sedusa, I don't know exactly how many chapters are going to be in this story, but I will say that this story is no where near complete. Once again, thank you to all of my faithful reviewers. You are the reason that writing as this pace is such an easy task for me. I hope to keep putting out at least one chapter a day for the next two weeks, but should I take a day off, please don't hurt me. Ok I'm just rambling now. Oh and by the way, we got the air conditioner fixed, so I may just write the next chapter tonight, and put it on before I go to bed. I am in such a good mood. Damn it, there I go rambling again. R&R Please!!!