Author's Note: Okay, I think this is the last chapter. I mean I want to write more, but since I wrote this story three years ago it's hard for me to jump ack into it, but I'll see. Thanks again for the reviews and being patient...I suck at updating.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...besides I would rather have Bankotsu instead...:p
Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga clashed against Bankotsu's Banryuu repeatedly as they were now locked in an intense battle. Jakotsu had just shown up dragging his large halberd and they wasted no time to start their long overdue battle.
"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha yelled.
Bankotsu smirked and counter-attacked. "Dragon Thunder!" he yelled.
The two attacks clashed and cancelled each other out. Inuyasha growled in anger and Bankotsu simply smirked in amusement. Sango and the others entered the scene finally catching up to Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, are you all right?" Miroku asked, running with Sango by his side. The hanyou ignored him and continued his battle with the Shichinintai leader. 'Things are already getting heated around here.' he thought.
Sango scanned the area for her dear friend, but she was nowhere to be found. "Miroku, they're hiding Kagome somewhere, should search for her?" she asked.
Miroku shook his head. "That would've been a good idea, but..." There was no need to finish his sentence, for Sango knew what he was referring to.
Jakotsu and Suikotsu stalked towards the two with malevolence displayed on their faces. Suikotsu let out a low chuckle. "Jakotsu, I'll handle the monk and you take the girl." Suikotsu said.
Jakotsu's mouth gaped open in shock. When did Suikotsu start ordering him around, he was the third in command. "But...that's not...it's just-." he was interrupted.
"Yeah, it's not fair, it's not fair. Let's get this over with already." Sango said with boredom as she lifted her weapon. Miroku and Suikotsu were already clashing in their battle and now it was time for them to start.
Jakotsu grunted in frustration and he unsheathed his Jakotsutou. "Wench, you will not make a mockery of me!" he yelled as he threw his trick sword in her direction.
Bankotsu yelled as he slammed his Banryuu down onto Inuyasha's guard. The impact sent Inuyasha sliding back a few feet while trying to keep his balance. He gritted his teeth in anger. "You damn bastard!" he cursed.
Bankotsu glared at him with a callous expression. This was as far as he was going to get, he wouldn't allow him anywhere near Kagome. "Come on Inuyasha, you're going to have to do a lot better than that if you plan to rescue Kagome." he mocked.
He had enough of this. He had let it slide before, but he was mentioning Kagome's name too many times for comfort. "You keep her name out of your filthy mouth, Bankotsu!" Inuyasha seethed.
He was making him upset, but he truly wanted to piss him off. Bankotsu laughed a little. "What's wrong? Are you jealous? Kagome doesn't need a half-breed like you, Inuyasha. Naraku told me that you still hold feelings for that dead priestess, Kikyo, and that you're only using Kagome as a stand-in." he said with his trademark smirk.
It was official, he was extremely pissed now. He had been patient, but this time he went too far. "You son of a bitch!!! I'm gonna rip your fucking head off!!!" he screamed angrily as he charged at him. He skidded to a stop and jumped out of the way as an explosion occurred between Bankotsu and himself. Inuyasha covered his face with the sleeve of his fire rat kimono and waited for the smoke to clear. 'Those other bastards arrived already, shit!' he cursed. The battles between Suikotsu, Miroku, Jakotsu, and Sango were halted as well.
Kouga came to and slowly stood up and he had missed a good chunk of the action. "What the hell..." he muttered. He looked around and he noticed that there was a lot of smoke clouding the area.
Bankotsu was nearly hit with the blast as well until he jumped out of the way at the last minute. What the hell was going on? 'What the hell...' he thought. After a few long seconds the smoke finally cleared revealing the culprit. Bankotsu's eyes widened before the narrowed into a deadly glare. "What the hell are you doing, Renkotsu!?" he yelled.
The second in command of the Shichinintai stood on the human tank, known as Ginkotsu, with a evil grin plastered on his face. He crossed his arms and glared down at his soon to be ex-leader, Bankotsu. "What ever do you mean big brother? I'm just initiating the plan you devised." His smile grew more sinister and he reached behind himself and brought forward Kagome, who was out-of-view before. His hand gripped her neck tightly, forcing her to gasp for small breaths.
"Kagome!" Miroku, Sango, and Kouga yelled in unison.
Inuyasha gritted his teeth in anger. He gripped his prized sword tighter and yelled, "Renkotsu you bastard, let her go or I'll..." he was interrupted.
"Renkotsu, I see that you're finally showing your true colors. I knew you were a traitor all along! You won't get away with this alive!" he yelled, pointing his large halberd in his direction. Jakotsu and Suikotsu ran over to him and joined him by his side.
"Big brother, what are we going to do!?" Suikotsu asked. He was somewhat confused, but he knew that he was still loyal to his leader.
Jakotsu was slack-jawed as he observed the situation. Was Renkotsu watching him all along? He as well, would never leave Bankotsu's side. He was more loyal to him than anyone. "This is really messed up!" he commented.
Renkotsu laughed and tightened his grip on Kagome's throat. "Oh really, what of your wench, Inuyasha...and Bankotsu." he slipped in with a sly smile.
Miroku was baffled by his last comment, but Sango remained calm. She was the only one that knew what was really going on, or did she? Miroku glanced over to her in confusion. "Uh, Sango, are we missing something?" he asked in confusion.
Sango simply shook her head. 'We've got to do something.' she thought.
Inuyasha was growling audibly. Did Renkotsu just refer to Kagome as Bankotsu's wench? "Let her go you damn freak!!!" He took a few steps forward, ready to attack at any given moment.
Kouga clenched his fists tightly and growled in anger as well. "You bastards!!!"
"Why Inuyasha, I just thought that you wanted to know the truth." Renkotsu started. "Bankotsu here has been taking 'good' care of Kagome so she was never harmed...only defiled!" he laughed cruelly.
Inuyasha's heart began beating harder and he was speechless. It didn't take a scholar to figure out what he was hinting. 'K-Kagome...is this true...no...it's not your fault...he raped you.' he rationalized. His angry glare then shifted over to Bankotsu in a flash. "You motherfucker!!! I'm going to send you and your whole damn group to hell!!!" he yelled in a rage. His eyes were tinting red unbeknownst to himself.
Kouga pretended that he didn't hear that, he only studied Inuyasha's reaction. 'Hmph, he's pissed.' he thought.
Bankotsu glanced over at the angry hanyou before returning his attention to Renkotsu. He had more than one reason to kill Renkotsu. Of course he knew that Inuyasha was going to find out sooner or later, but he wanted to be the one to tell him. Renkotsu had no right. "Let go of Kagome, Renkotsu. Are you that much of a coward that you have to hide behind a woman? Let's settle this once and for all." he challenged.
Renkotsu glared at him. If he threw Kagome to the side he'd be killed for sure. She was his only means for escaping with his life. "She's coming with me. She'll be useful to find the shards. Once I have enough, I'll get rid of her."
"I'm getting tired of this!!!" Jakotsu yelled as he slung his Jakotsutou in Renkotsu's direction. The strike forced Renkotsu to jump down from Ginkotsu, but he still had Kagome in his clutches. He glared at Jakotsu for a brief he dodged another strike from his sword. He was barely dodging Jakotsu's attacks so he figured that he'd have to abandon the wench for a while. He roughly threw Kagome to the side and she hit the ground coughing and gasping for air.
Bankotsu glared at Renkotsu with pure hatred and resentment, but his priority was getting Kagome out of danger. He quickly sprinted in the direction of Kagome, but a blur of red entered his field of vision. Inuyasha quickly threw a punch and Bankotsu quickly side-stepped avoiding the blow by an inch. "Get out of my way half demon!" he yelled as he swung his Banryuu at him, forcing him to jump away from him.
"Bankotsu." Inuyasha said his name as if it were dripping with poison. "I'll kill you for what you did to Kagome!" he stated.
"I don't have time for this! Kagome's in danger as we speak and she'll be killed if she's in the way of this battle." Bankotsu said.
Miroku held his staff tightly and Sango did the same with her Hiraikotsu. "Sango, I don't know exactly what's going on, but we have to help somehow." he said. Sango nodded in agreement. So far, Jakotsu and Renkotsu were battling, Inuyasha and Bankotsu were giving each other death glares, and Suikotsu and Kouga were glaring at each other, ready to fight at any moment.
Sango gasped when she saw Ginkotsu pointing his cannons in their direction and fired. "Kirara!" she called. The large, two-tailed cat raced over to her mistress and scooped both her and Miroku onto her back. Once they were in the air they continued dodging the blasts from Ginkotsu.
Jakotsu continued slicing his sword at Renkotsu, not giving him a chance to pull out any of his own tricks. "How dare you betray big brother! I'll slice your head off you treacherous bastard." he yelled.
Renkotsu quickly rolled to the side and missed another one of Jakotsu's attacks. He quickly pointed his hand out to Jakotsu and sent his wire threads towards him and watched as they coiled around his body. "Burn in hell, Jakotsu!" he laughed. He was seconds away from setting Jakotsu ablaze until a fairly large rock connected with his skull. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees while clutching his head, which had a warm crimson liquid trickling from it.
Jakotsu looked over in the direction where the rock came from and he saw Kagome on her knees breathing heavily with anger. 'Kagome?' he thought in confusion. He wasted no time in getting himself unraveled from the metal threads while Renkotsu was out of commission. "Let's finish this!" he yelled.
Renkotsu ignored Jakotsu and glared at the young priestess. "You little bitch!" he hissed in anger as he redirected his fire wires at her
Kagome screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for her end. She then felt someone run into her, pushing her out of the way. She hissed in pain as she hit the ground roughly and shortly after she opened up her eyes. She gasped when she saw Jakotsu moving off of her. 'He...saved my life?' Kagome thought.
Jakotsu stood up and glanced behind him. "You better get out of here, Kagome!" he yelled. She nodded and got onto her feet and started running away.
Kouga glared at Suikotsu and he did the same. "Well, you got the first move." Kouga said and he held his fists up.
Suikotsu grunted in frustration. "I don't have time for you!" he said as he jumped away from Kouga and made his way over to Jakotsu to lend him a hand.
"Hey!" Kouga said. Usually he would've went after him, but things were getting so confusing that he decided to take no action. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" he questioned aloud. He then looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Kagome running in no particular direction. "Kagome!" he called as he quickly made his way over to her using the power of the shards in his legs.
'What am I going to do? I have to stop this fighting somehow, but should I join Inuyasha...or Bankotsu?' She kept running until a figure skidded in front of her. 'Kouga!' she thought. She felt a tinge of guilt run through her, after all she did rat him out to the band of seven. "Kouga." she said with feigned happiness.
Kouga clasped Kagome's hands in his own and held them tightly. "My dear Kagome, are you all right?" he asked with pure worry. She simply nodded her head. "Let me get you out of danger." he said as he began to scoop her into his arms.
Kagome didn't know where she wanted to go, but she knew it wasn't with Kouga. He would keep her out of the way of helping Bankotsu and Inuyasha. "No, Kouga! I have to help somehow!" she protested.
"What?!" Kouga gasped. "Kagome, don't worry about this, we can handle it. Take refuge somewhere and don't come out until it's safe." he said.
She grunted in frustration. "That's how I got kidnaped by the lunatic in the first place! I'm going to stop all of this madness and you'd better not stand in my way!" she yelled at Kouga.
Kouga stared at her in shock as she ran off. After he snapped out of his stupor he said, "Whoa, I love a woman who takes charge." He watched as the girl of his dreams ran to make a change in the world.
"Get out of the way you damn half-breed!" Bankotsu yelled as he kicked Inuyasha square in his abdomen. "I said we can finish this later! Surprisingly, there is someone else I'd rather kill more than you!"
Inuyasha growled as he began to stand up once more. "Don't worry. I'll kill you first then I'll kill Renkotsu and the others so you can all have one big party in hell!" he retorted. He lifted his Tetsusaiga once more and it began to whirl with wind.
Bankotsu wasted no time to lift his Banryuu. "Ha! It's your funeral!" His halberd began to glow an ominously red color.
"Stoooppp!!!" A girl's voice cried, capturing the attention of the two men who were seconds away from killing each other. Kagome staggered up to them breathing heavily. She looked at Inuyasha who was staring at her with mixed emotions and her heart dropped. She then shifted her gaze over to Bankotsu who held a blank expression over his features. She had nothing to say so she remained silent.
Inuyasha took a few steps towards Kagome. "Kagome..are you all right...I'm sorry that I wasn't here to protect you. Just let me avenge your pain and suffering and I'll take you back home." he offered with a sincere look in his eyes.
Kagome bit her lip and shook her head. "No, I'm fine." she said timidly. 'Just tell him what's going on Kagome...he'll understand, right?' she thought.
He knew that she was suffering inside, that's why it was imperative that he kill Bankotsu. "Kagome stand back while I take care of Bankotsu." he ordered as he pushed her behind him and pointed his sword at him.
On instinct, Bankotsu lifted his halberd again. "Well, come on!" he urged. He refused to show the pain that he was feeling. After all he and Kagome had been through she finally decided to go back with the mutt. Maybe if he killed Inuyasha the only person she could run to was back to him, ruling out Kouga, which was very unlikely. To his surprise Kagome threw herself in front of him to prevent Inuyasha from attacking him. 'Kagome? What are you doing?' he thought.
Kagome shook her head furiously. "No!!! Don't kill him Inuyasha!!!" she cried. "I...Bankotsu and I are together...we're in love and I promised him that I'd help him find the rest of the jewel shards!" At this point she was completely broken down. She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands. Bankotsu stabbed his halberd into the ground and knelt down to comfort Kagome.
Silence. Everything had went quiet for him. He couldn't hear the cannons firing, the battle cries of his friends...nothing. His amber eyes went wide and his mouth was slightly gaped open. Inuyasha were standing so still that he mimicked a statue. He didn't want to believe it, but Kagome wasn't lying, she never lied when she was crying. 'What? I can't...no I won't believe this. It's not true.' his thoughts eventually kicked in. His chest began to tighten and he kept his eyes open, for if he blinked stray tears would escape his eyes. Finally he took a deep breath as he sheathed his sword, turned away, and took a few steps away before...
"Inuyasha!" Kagome's sobbing voice called. "Please, I'm sorry...I didn't mean for this to happen...I!" she cried.
Inuyasha's fists tightened as he whipped around. "Shut up, Kagome!!! I don't won't to hear you, speak to you, or see you ever again!!! How could you do this to the others...and me. You are completely worthless and you're nothing but a filthy..." he was interrupted.
"You better shut your damn mouth, Inuyasha!" Bankotsu threatened with a death glare gleaming in his eyes.
"Fuck you!" Inuyasha spat angrily, getting ready to unsheath his sword once more.
"Sit boy." Kagome uttered sadly. She turned away as he was sent crashing into the ground. She stood up slowly and kept her eyes to the ground.
Bankotsu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay Kagome?" he asked.
Kagome looked up at him with puffy eyes. "Yeah." she said quietly.
"Good," he paused as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "I have to take care of something, but I promise I'll return." he said, while pulling his giant halberd from the dirt and hoisting it onto his shoulder. Suikotsu and Jakotsu were keeping Renkotsu busy, but it was time to finish the job.
Inuyasha sneered at both Kagome and Bankotsu. Though he was torn inside and heartbroken, he would never let it show. He got up and dusted himself off. For a while, he and Kagome only stared at each other, not saying a single word. It was as if the were speaking to each other with their eyes. If so, Kagome would be saying, 'Sorry', and he would be saying, 'So am I.' It was only a matter of time before she finally stop putting up with him. Every time he secretly met with Kikyo, he thought about how it would hurt Kagome, yet, he kept doing it. He never learned from his mistakes. If Kagome were to leave him for someone else, he would rather it be someone other than Bankotsu, that he could not forgive.
"How long?" Inuyasha said in a stern voice.
Kagome looked over to the said, fearful of telling Inuyasha the truth. 'Inuyasha, promise that you won't be upset with me.' she thought sadly.
"Look at me, Kagome!" he yelled. "How long have you...been seeing that creep?!"
Kagome sighed sadly and decided to tell him everything. "It started when the band of seven first kidnaped me. It was a mistake, but I never expected to see him again, at least in a close encounter." she revealed.
Inuyasha stared at her in shock for a brief moment. 'She fell in love with him before we even encountered him. How could I have not noticed what was going on?' he thought. "I...Kagome..." he sighed, when he couldn't get his thoughts straight.
"Inuyasha!!!" Sango yelled. Kirara landed on the ground to too far from them and let both Miroku and Sango off.
Inuyasha broke his attention away from Kagome and looked at his two friends. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, dully.
Miroku nodded. "We evaded Ginkotsu's attacks, but we're sort of confused." he said.
"Who are we supposed to be fighting? It seems that Renkotsu is a traitor amongst the band of seven and the others are preoccupied with killing him. What should we do?" she asked.
Just then Kouga sped over to them standing next to Kagome. He looked over to her in confusion. "What's going on? Kagome?" he said.
Inuyasha glared. "Leave her the hell alone, Kouga!" he snapped.
"What's the matter dog-face? I was just asking if she was alright." Kouga defended.
Kagome put on a small smile. "I'm okay. Let's find a way to help out." she suggested.
Miroku stared at her questioningly. "You mean help as in...help the band of seven?" he asked in confusion.
"Yeah, what?" Kouga added.
Sango stared at Kagome with sad eyes. From the looks of it, it seemed that she was crying, she must've told Inuyasha the truth. "I don't know, Kagome, I think we should stay out of their business." she said.
Inuyasha had broken his silence by saying. "No, let her do what she wants. She's a big girl." he said bitterly before turning away from the group and jumping off. He had to get as far away as he could from Kagome and Bankotsu. Something was boiling within that was driving him crazy.
Kagome looked at the fleeing hanyou and sighed. 'Inuyasha...' She snapped out of her thoughts when Miroku placed his hand on her shoulder.
He smiled warmly. "Kagome, I really don't know what's going on, but we'll help you if that's what you truly want." he assured.
Kagome nodded her head with a smile. She hadn't noticed it, but Miroku was almost like a changed man. Before she could hardly take him seriously as a monk but now his personality truly reflected it. Kagome stiffened as she felt his hand moving down from her shoulder and further down her back. 'Spoke too soon.'
Sango growled as she slammed her hiraikotsu over the perverted monk's head. "Honestly Miroku, you never give up do you? We've got other things to attend to!" she snapped. She whistled for Kirara to join her by her side and immediately mounted on her back once she did. "Let's see what we can do!" she said before taking off.
Kouga, who had been silent for the last few minutes, had finally pitched in his thoughts. "These guys are bad and I don't think we should help them, but for you, Kagome, I will." he pledged as he clasped her hands in his.
Kagome laughed nervously. "Um...thanks, Kouga." She turned her head towards all of the racket and sighed. "We better get a move on." she said.
Jakotsu slung his sword towards Renkotsu, hoping to strike him. They had been comrades for so long that he had all of his moves down. 'Damn! I keep missing him...it's no use!' he thought.
Renkotsu laughed as he hoisted his cannon over his shoulder. "See, Jakotsu, I told you that you were the weakest link in this group! Even if you do stay with Bankotsu you'll only be a burden to him!" he cruelly insulted.
The effeminate man grunted as he clenched his fists in anger. "Damn you!" he cursed. He struck his sword at the bald man repeatedly.
In the midst of this, Suikotsu charged Renkotsu while Jakotsu kept him busy. He sliced his claws at him and struck him in the chest, leaving bloody gashes. Renkotsu stumbled backwards and grasped his bloody chest in pain. Suikotsu stalked towards him dangerously. "It's not over yet, Renkotsu!" he yelled fiercely.
The bald man laughed. "No, it's not." he said. He pulled out a round bomb and hurled it towards him.
Suikotsu jumped out of the way as quickly as possible, but the blast still scathed him. Jakotsu gasped as he ran over to his fallen comrade. "Suikotsu! Hang in there!" he yelled. Just as he was about to reach him, another blast cut him off. He was blown back a few feet and suffered from a few injuries, but his major concern was Suikotsu. 'Damn you...Renkotsu!'
Renkotsu laughed as she lifted up his large cannon once more. "It's time that I bid you both farewell!"
"Hiraikotsu!" a woman screamed. The large boomerang sliced towards the traitorous man and knocked his large gun from his grasp before he fired it.
He gritted his teeth in anger. "Ginkotsu, fire!" he yelled over ti the tank man. When his orders were ignored he looked over to his comrade only to experience more disappointment. The monk and that wolf demon were jumping around Ginkotsu, distracting him from causing any real damage. "You bastards will pay!"
"Not as much as you will, Renkotsu!" a man yelled.
Renkotsu looked in the direction of the voice and sneered as Bankotsu approached him. 'Damn it all!" he cursed.
Jakotsu smiled. 'Bankotsu...I didn't think we'd pull it off without you.' he thought. He sat up slowly despite the pain shooting throughout his body. The blast must've hit him after all. He looked over to Suikotsu and noticed that he was sitting up as well. It looked as though everyone was okay.
Sango landed beside Jakotsu and glared at him. "Are you okay?" she asked angrily.
He sneered. "Screw you, wench!" he yelled.
Sango rolled her eyes. "I only helped you because Kagome asked me to!" she snapped.
Jakotsu's expression fell from angry to shocked. "Kagome..." he muttered. 'She's...helping us?'
Renkotsu backed away from his former leader in fear. He had used the last of his bombs and the woman had destroyed his gun. He didn't even have enough tonic for his fire wire trick...he was screwed. He smirked as he backed away from him. "Bankotsu, do you honestly think that by killing me all your problems would be solved. You still have to worry about Naraku and the jewel shards!" he yelled. He was known for being manipulative, but he didn't think it was going to bail him out of this situation.
Bankotsu laughed. "Come on, Renkotsu, your little mind games won't work. Besides, killing you would be lifting a lot of problems from my shoulder. You're as good as dead." he said. He charged towards his former comrade, ready to cut him down until...
"RENKOTSU!!!" a loud voice entered the atmosphere. Ginkotsu ignored the two men who were trying to distract him and turned his guns towards Bankotsu and fired.
"Bankotsu!!!" Kagome screamed as she ran across the battlefield towards the aforementioned man.
"No Kagome!!!" Kouga screamed as she charged towards her with all of his might to get her out of the way of the blast. He quickly scooped her up and dove into some nearby bushes.
The blast landed between the two men, blasting them in separate directions. Bankotsu lifted his Banryuu to shield him from most of the blast, but he was still blown several feet back. 'Damn, I completely forgot about Ginkotsu. He's a traitor...' he thought in the midst of all this.
"Bankotsu!!!" Jakotsu and Suikotsu yelled.
The others in the area only waited until the blast subsided to see the outcome. Kagome scrambled to her feet and ran in the direction she last saw Bankotsu standing in. 'Please be okay...' her mind pleaded.
Kouga sprung to his feet and watched as Kagome disappeared into the smoky area. 'Does she like danger?!' he thought. He ran in the same direction to see what was going on.
Jakotsu slowly pushed himself from the dirt despite the pain rushing throughout his body. 'What the hell was that?' he thought. His eyes widened once he remembered that the blast was aimed for Bankotsu. He stood up slowly and scanned the still smoky area. "Bankotsu! Bankotsu!" he yelled frantically. His cries were matched by another's voice.
"Bankotsu! Bankotsu!!!" Kagome cried, searching the area for the Shichinintai leader. Her heart began racing within her chest when she found no sign of him. 'Oh, please...be all right, Bankotsu. I can't lose you now, you're the only one I have left...' she thought sadly, sinking down to her knees.
Just then Kouga arrived by her side. "Kagome, they could be around here somewhere, let's go." he said. He gently grabbed her arm to try to help her up, but she was as stiff as a board. "Kagome, come on!" Kouga urged.
Kagome closed her eyes and stray tears began to flood from her eyes. She tightened her fists in her lap as she shook her head. "He's dead, isn't he?" she asked.
Kouga's eyes widened. "Kagome..." was all he managed to say.
The smoke began to clear and everyone seemed to be recovering from the blast. Miroku and Sango ran across the battlefield to give their friend some support. The monk halted to a stop when he noticed two participants of the battle were missing. "Damn, it seems that Renkotsu and Ginkotsu escaped!" he said.
"That must've been their plan all along." Sango added. Sango searched the area for a certain someone. "It seems that Bankotsu has gone missing as well." she said. 'Oh, Kagome.' she thought sadly.
Jakotsu ran around calling out Bankotsu's name ever so often. He was getting very worried and scared. 'No...Bankotsu! Where the hell are you? You can't be dead!' he thought. His eyes wandered over to Kagome, who was on her knees crying with her friends surrounding her. 'It can't be true...he's not gone!' his mind protested. He jumped when he felt someone rest their hand on his shoulder.
Suikotsu could sense that his comrade was in distress. Their leader was missing at the moment and he shared a pain similar to his, but Jakotsu was closer to Bankotsu than he was. "We must be strong in times like this, Jakotsu." he said sympathetically.
"How can I be strong if Bankotsu's dead!!!" he cried out. He felt like he would breakdown completely. There was no more of the band of seven and there was no way he and Suikotsu could carry the group alone.
Kagome continued to sob. She wanted to stop crying, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. 'Stop crying, Kagome...I'm embarrassing myself. They probably think I'm weak, especially since I'm crying over the enemy.' she thought. She continued to cry.
Sango knelt down and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kagome." she said sadly. It hurt her to see her friend like this, but it was the result of a forbidden love that could never truly flourish. For a long time, they all remained silent.
"Geez, I can't believe not a single one of you has faith in me!" A voice yelled out over the silent battlefield.
Her heart skipped a beat and her weeping finally ceased. The two faithful members looked over in the direction where the voice came from. Jakotsu eyes widened with glee. Suikotsu smirked, he never doubted the fact that he was still alive. Kagome stood up slowly and stared at the young warrior from across the battlefield. 'Bankotsu! You're alive!" her mind screamed in happiness. She began to cry again, but this time it was from relief and happiness. Unconsciously, her feet began to carry her in the direction of the Shichinintai leader.
Sango and Miroku glanced at each for a brief moment before looking back over to Kagome. In a sense they were both happy that Bankotsu was alive for Kagome's sake, but there were some things they would have to set straight with them before things went any further. Kouga, however, wasn't pleased with this at all. Jakotsu and Suikotsu ran over to their leader as well.
Kagome was only a few feet from him, but her mind told her to run to him instead. Bankotsu smiled when the girl dashed towards him and threw her arms around him. He returned the embraced lovingly as he whispered into her ear, "I told you I'd come back to you." he assured.
Kagome let out a small laugh as tears continued to stream from her eyes. "You do...keep your promises." she said. She pulled away from him for a brief second and stared into his beautiful azure eyes. Bankotsu stared back into her amazing chocolate eyes as he lowered his face towards hers. He was a inch away from her lips when someone's voice broke his concentration.
"So I guess you just don't care about us anymore!" Jakotsu whined. Suikotsu just remained silent.
Bankotsu reluctantly left Kagome's embrace and walked over to his two remaining comrades. "Come on now, Jakostu! Of course I still care about you guys!" he explained.
Jakotsu turned his nose up into the air. "Hmph! Yeah right! I guess risking my life to help you wasn't enough, huh?" he said with a childish pout. "Go, go run along to that...woman!" He squealed when he was put into a quick headlock and noogied mercilessly.
"Stop being such a brat, Jakotsu! You know I care about you guys...You're my damn family, my brothers!" he said. Suikotsu slapped his hand down on Bankotsu's shoulder and gave him a respectful nod.
"It's good to have you back, Big Brother." he said.
Bankotsu let go of Jakotsu and the three of them stood in a circle. "As of now, we are the only ones left...you guys are the only ones I trust." he said. Jakostu squealed as he latched onto him with happiness.
Sango and Miroku approached the trio with stern looks on their faces. Sango stepped up. "Sorry to break this up, but we have matters to discuss." she said.
Jakotsu sneered. "Get away wench!"
Suikotsu looked over to his leader and asked, "What are we going to do with them?"
Bankotsu turned towards the monk and the demon slayer with question. "What the hell do you mean?" He began to approach them, but a green and white blur dash in front of him.
"Wait!" she said. "What they're trying to say is..."
"We don't trust you!" Kouga's voice broke in.
Jakotsu and Suikotsu readied themselves for battle. Bankotsu glared at Sango, Miroku, and Kouga. "Do you guys really wanna start with us now?" he said dangerously.
"Hey! Stop it!" Kagome yelled, standing between the two opposing groups. "Let's settle this like civilized people. Just don't fight each other, okay?" she said, trying to reason with them. "Look, we all helped each in a way, remember? Sango...Miroku, they could've killed me long ago, but they didn't. Bankotsu, Jakotsu, and Suikotsu, Sango and Miroku helped you guys even if it went against everything they stood for and they helped because I asked and they cared about my feelings. Now, I can't have you guys fighting each after we've been through so much so let's try to start over with a clean slate." Kagome said.
The two groups though for a moment. Miroku sighed, "This is hard, but I have a suggestion. If you guys no longer collaborate with Naraku...I guess we can consider being...nice to each other."
Sango nodded. "Right, Naraku is only using you for his benefit and he will kill you once you served your purpose. You guys have killed a lot of innocent people and that I can't forgive." she paused. Kagome looked at her sympathetically. "But, I guess if you've kept Kagome alive this long...you can't be all that bad." she finished.
Bankotsu thought for a while as well. "Well men, I have to admit that they are right. I've had my suspicions about Naraku for a while, but our need for the jewels surpass any other." he paused. He caught a glimpse of Kagome's pleading, puppy dog eyes and he smiled slightly. "But, I guess that we'll just have to defend the ones we have...as long as you don't get in the way of our other plans." he said.
"Fine." Miroku and Sango grumbled.
"What!?" Kouga yelled. "I guess I'll just have to kill Naraku myself since you two have joined forces. I'll have to consider you guys my enemies now!" he said sternly.
"Kouga, just drop it! You're not helping the situation! Didn't you hear a word they've said!?" Kagome yelled.
Kouga softened his expression and remained silent.
Bankotsu glanced at the others for a second and figured they've come to terms. "Well, now that it's settled...let's celebrate with some sake!" he declared.
Suikotsu and Jakotsu sighed. "I guess some things are still the same."
Nightfall fell upon them sooner than they expected and with each passing moment the raucous events that occurred earlier now became an afterthought. For a moment, everything seemed to be resolved. They had nothing to fret over, save for Naraku and of course a very angry and jealous hanyou by the name of, Inuyasha, but other than that all was well. After enjoying a dinner of fish roasted to perfection, Kagome decided to turn in for the night. They were still residing in the same abandoned castle, but it would be the last night they spent in it, they had to relocate. Besides, the band of seven never stayed in one place too long and a change of scenery was something they all sought out after they had grown tired of the same place.
Kagome walked the halls of the empty castle, lost in thought as usual. For the moment she was blissful about her decision to stay with Bankotsu, but the people she hurt in the process would always weigh heavily in her mind. 'I know Inuyasha isn't happy with this, but...it's what I wanted and I deserve to be happy...at least for now.' she thought solemnly.
She continued musing on some things, but she was snapped from her reverie when she bumped into someone. She gasped and looked up. 'Oh no...'
"Damn it wench! Watch where you're going!?" Jakotsu snapped. His hair was wet and he obviously returned from the bath house.
"Watch where you're going!" she retorted. She smiled triumphantly when the effeminate mercenary stormed off mumbling under his breath. She continued walking and figured that she as well would take a bath before retreating to bed. After all she was covered in dirt and grime from her travels.
After searching for the bath house for a few moments she finally stumbled upon a door which had steam seeping out from between the cracks. She clasped her hands together in delight. "Yay! Finally! I was about to give up on it." Kagome knelt down and slipped off her socks and shoes so that she wouldn't track dirt into the room.
Inside the room there was a small indoor hot spring inside. The original occupants of the castle were wise to choose such a location, the princess of the castle must've been really pampered...before she was killed. Kagome cast the grim thoughts aside and headed over to the hot spring. She undressed herself and neatly folded her uniform. She had to wash it out before she could wear it again anyway. She slipped down into the water slowly and sighed with comfort when she was completely submerged by the soothing water.
'Ahh...this feels like heaven. I'm glad that I can finally unwind like this. Today was rough, but it's all over now. I'm glad the others decided to accept my choice...well everyone except Inuyasha...' Kagome sighed heavily as her thoughts trailed over to the hanyou. Of course she was upset that things turned out the way they did for him, but for once in a long time she was actually happy. Now everything was even, she could be happy with Bankotsu while Inuyasha could prance along with Kikyo without regrets, that is if he ever had any. 'This is the first time that the thought of Inuyasha and Kikyo being together doesn't make my heartache. I'm glad that I was able to move on.' she thought happily.
Kagome submerged her head under water and plopped back up a few seconds later. She whipped around when she heard the door slide close. She was shocked and relieved at the same time when she realized who it was. As always, her face turned red. "W-what are you doing, Bankotsu?!" she yelped. She had to admit the guy had a way of sneaking up on her. Within one minute of entering the room he was already getting undressed.
Bankotsu stared at her innocently as he said, "What do you mean? Jakotsu told me that you were headed to the bath so I decided to join you. Something wrong?" He couldn't help but to let his famous smirk grace his features when her face turned even redder.
Kagome turned away from him to hide her flushed face. Every time it came down to this she always got so nervous. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach stirring about once again. Before she knew it he climbed into the hot spring with her acting completely natural. 'Well he's certainly comfortable being naked around people.' she thought.
Bankotsu settled down into the water comfortably and looked over to Kagome. She was on the other side of the 6 foot wide hot spring with her arms crossed over her chest nervously. 'Geez, she's still shy! I thought she'd be comfortable with me by now.' he mused. "Hey Kagome, you know the drill. I don't like being isolated." he said calmly, resting with his hands crossed behind his head.
Kagome, with little hesitation, moved closer to him without acquiesce. Once she was close enough Bankotsu immediately draped his arm around her and pulled her even closer to him. The butterflies became even more excited now that their nude bodies were touching. 'Relax...breath...' She looked over to him and smiled. She noticed that he had taken his braid down and it cascaded over his shoulders in beautiful obsidian waves.
"You took your hair down by yourself?" she asked, making small conversation. She was trying to prevent her mind from straying to anything naughty.
"Huh? Nah, Jakotsu did. He always likes playing with my hair and stuff. He has a fit if he finds one knot." he said with a laugh.
Kagome laughed softly and slowly rested her head on Bankotsu's shoulder, feeling more comfortable around him. Bankotsu snuggled her even closer. 'I'm so happy whenever I'm with him, but it won't be like this for long. I bet Renkotsu will come back for us...and I can't forget about Naraku! He'll take the shards from them and...kill them. Bankotsu...' she thought sadly. A small gasp escaped her mouth after the horrid thoughts crossed her mind.
Bankotsu looked over to her. "Hey, what's wrong? You look worried about something."
Kagome laughed sheepishly. "It's nothing." she lied. 'I definitely have to learn how not to be so obvious.'
Bankotsu stared at her for a moment. Of course he could tell that she was lying, an innocent girl like her was far from mastering the art of deception. "Come on now, I can clearly see it in your face, now spill." he urged.
She sighed softly. "I'm just worried about you. I mean, everything seems fine now, but what happens when Naraku returns? He's merciless and he only uses people for his own benefit! He'll come back for the jewel shards and you'll die. I don't want that to happen..." she revealed. Her voice became weaker at the end of her statement and her eyes became glassy.
Bankotsu stared at her in awe. She had given those issues more thought than he had, and it was his neck on the line. Was she truly worried about his well being that the thought of him being endangered scared her? He felt exactly the same about her. "To tell you the truth, I didn't give that much thought." A smug smile then appeared on his lips. "I guess you can say that I'm not that worried about Naraku or anyone else who's out to get me." he said boldly.
"Bankotsu..." Kagome couldn't believe how laid back he could be especially about Naraku. "I don't think you understand. Naraku is pure evil and he's always scheming something. If you're no longer on his side then you're as good as dead. What will you do?" she asked. She was really serious about this matter, but she didn't want to seem too paranoid.
"I still say you're too worried. I know the consequences for my actions and I'm ready to accept any challenge. We came this far and I'm not gonna get scared now. I'll do whatever it takes to survive and to keep you by my side, Kagome." he declared valiantly.
Her heart began beating wildly from his words. Bankotsu was very powerful and he could take on anyone the only thing Naraku had was his dastardly schemes and evil tricks. She would constantly pray that things turned out for the better. She turned to face him with a small smile and tears of joy spilling from her eyes. She gently rested her head on his chest and melted into his arms as he embraced her. "Thank you..." was all she said in a low voice.
Bankotsu stroked her wet hair with his hand and held her tightly. Kagome parted from him slightly and gazed into his azure eyes with her lovely chocolate orbs. She slowly leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his. The contact of their lips was electrifying and he was surprised that she once again took the initiative to make the first move.
Kagome moaned slightly as Bankotsu deepened the kiss. She parted her lips slowly and allowed him to explore her with his tongue. His hands slipped down her back and he pulled her even closer to him until there was no space between their naked forms. His kisses began trailing down to her neck and his roamed and explored her body tentatively. Kagome could feel her body aching at its core and she craved even more from him. "Take me now..." she whispered into his ear in a low wanton voice.
Before Bankotsu could react a loud, intruding knock could be heard from the door. Bankotsu intended on ignoring it until the pounding continued on. "Damn it!" he growled in annoyance. "What is it?!" he yelled to the door.
"Big brother, I would like to use the bathing facilities if that is alright. I'm ready to retire in for the night." Suikotsu asked in a calm steady voice.
"Bathe in the morning! What's the rush?!" Bankotsu yelled back. He didn't want anymore interruptions and he desperately wanted to tend to Kagome's needs and his own.
"Big brother, I am covered in three days worth of dirt and blood. Trust me, I need to bathe tonight." he responded.
Bankotsu was about to send him away for good until Kagome placed her hand on his shoulder. She as well was a little upset that they had to postpone their 'play', but she didn't want to be rude to Suikotsu either. "Bankotsu, it's okay, we can have fun later. Let him use the bath." she suggested.
Bankotsu was about to retort but then he decided to listen to her. He sighed. "Okay, just wait five more minutes, Suikotsu, I'll be out!" he yelled back to Suikotsu..
Kagome climbed out of the small hot spring and began dressing herself. She was in long enough, besides her skin was beginning to prune. Once she finished dressing, she turned to Bankotsu, who was still relaxing in the spring. "Well, goodnight." she said with a small bow.
Bankotsu watched as she was going to turn to leave. "Hey! You weren't thinking of leaving without giving me a good night kiss, were you?" he said in a sexy voice.
Kagome turned to face him and smiled slightly she padded over to the spring and knelt down and leaned over until she was face to face with him. She leaned her forehead against his and kept it there for a moment. She closed her eyes as Bankotsu caressed her cheek with his hand and planted a firm kiss upon her lips.
Bankotsu parted from her lips and whispered, "I love you, Kagome."
Kagome's heart pounded in her chest and she smiled. "I love you too , Bankotsu." she replied. She gave him another chaste kiss on the lips before standing up and preparing to leave. "Good night." she called to him once more.
Bankotsu closed his eyes and rested his head on the edge of the spring with a visible blush spread across his cheeks. He exhaled slowly to recover from the emotions that ran through him.
Another loud knock broke the silence." Big brother!"
"Alright already!" he said in frustration and he gathered his clothing and prepared to leave.
Later that night, he found himself outside sitting on the porch since he was unable to sleep. He usually enjoyed staying up late to drink sake with Jakotsu, but he had gone to sleep long ago. Bankotsu sat perfectly still as he watched rustling leaves of the trees dance around gently from the warm spring breeze.
'But what happens when Naraku returns? I'm just worried about you.'
Kagome's words had been replaying in his head ever since. He wasn't too worried about Naraku, but the fact that she was did worry him. She and the others had much more experience in handling Naraku, but then again Inuyasha wasn't much of an opponent for anyone and somehow he always seemed to get lucky. 'Hmph. Inuyasha just has luck on his side. Naraku would have a much harder time dealing with us.' he reassured himself with a firm smirk.
A strange, but familiar feeling washed over him. He stood erect on the porch and quickly surveyed the area . "Damn it, he's acting faster than I expected." he cursed aloud. Suddenly something entered his peripheral vision. "A saimyousho? Hmph! It figures that he'd send you to spy on me!"
The insect buzzed about for a moment as if it were communicating with him. Bankotsu scoffed. "Whatever, tell Naraku that I'm through with his little plans. I'll do whatever the hell I want you hear!" he declared sternly.
With that said the insect flew off into the night.
Bankotsu seated himself back onto the porch and crossed his arms. It was inevitable that Naraku would eventually find out about his betrayal, but he longed to have his freedom from the wretched half demon. A second chance at life shouldn't be wasted and he was going to spend it takings orders from a cowardly demon. He could come for his shards if he wanted, but he would be damned if he succeeded in getting them. He had too much to live for now.
'Kagome...' he thought. He would do anything to keep her safe and to make her happy. He didn't want her to have any regrets about choosing to stay with him. He had to do everything in his power to preserve his life, he didn't want Kagome to be sad because of him.
'If anything...I have to stay alive for you.' Bankotsu thought solemnly with resolve.
Author's Note: Darn it! I always have a bad habit of ending every story I right with a cliffhanger. Why didn't I post this story up three years ago? Now that I reread the end I do want to continue it, but I would need some more inspiration. I'll need to shack up at my cousins house and watch old episodes of Inuyasha on tape.:p Anyway thanks for sticking with my story for this long and giving me some lovely reviews. I hope you enjoyed it!:)
