"B-b-but, Big Brother!" stuttered the twitchy Mukotsu, "Such a menial task is not worth your valuable time, I humbly request that you allow me to deal with this trifle of a concern" Mukotsu grinned slimily before going into a deep bow of exaggerated subservience. Kagome had to withhold a gag at the thought of the toad-like thing watching her bathe. As if reading her thoughts, Mukotsu slipped a sly glance towards Kagome from his bow and licked his lips ominously. Kagome involuntarily shifted closer towards Bankotsu.

"How thoughtful Mukotsu," Bankotsu said pityingly, it's a shame that you're not as attractive as you are dedicated." He did not notice how Mukotsu's eyes began watering as Bankotsu unintentionally struck his biggest insecurity.

Newly humbled, Mukotsu retreated and withdrew from Bankotsu's presence.

Kagome released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. For better or for worse, it did give her some comfort that until Bankotsu decided to kill her, he wouldn't allow anyone else to do so first.

"Kyoukotsu," Bankotsu called, continuing with his orders. The largest of the Shichinintai snapped to attention and lumbered over to his leaders' side.

"Yes?" the giant mercenary asked obediently.

Bankotsu relayed his orders with the cool demeanor of a seasoned general, "You will accompany us. Go ahead, like a good chap. I'll meet you." Bankotsu gave a tight-lipped smile as he nodded to Kyoukotsu in dismissal.

Kyoukotsu's large stature broke the serene stillness of the forest. The sounds of his large footsteps were synchronous with the cracking of tree trunks and the shrieking of fleeing birds. Soon the largest Shichinintai was out of sight, fallen trees and crushed foliage lying in the wake of his destructive stride.

"What? Why him?" Suikotsu said with a growl, his fists flexing.

Bankotsu waved off the question with a gesture, eyes closed in impatience.

"Not to worry," Bankotsu replied; his tone biting, the danger evident to all. His eyes opened to rest on Kagome as he continued, "I have my reasons."

Bankotsu's gaze quickly cut back over towards the clawed man, his eyes a slit and silent threat.

"Of course" a chastened Suikotsu hastily replied, his palms open and up in submission.

Bankotsu replaced his glare with a frosty smile that held no good humor. Kagome tensed. She was so very glad not to be on the receiving end of Bankotsu's ire. Her throat and the back of her neck tingled in recent memory of when she had been just a few hours before.

...

They had been walking for what felt like hours. The sun had already begun its descent from the sky towards the horizon. It sent long shadows stretching across Kagome and her captor as the light of the dying day filtered through the trees.

"Here' Bankotsu unexpectedly broke the silence; halting in place, palm outstretched. In his hand, he held a strange and fleshy fruit that she had never seen before.

Kagome eyed its contents with distrust.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need a fruit to do it" he said annoyance.

Kagome never took her eyes off from him, but snatched the fruit from him and ate it greedily.

'This doesn't change a thing' Kagome thought to herself.

Finally, they approached a small clearing. A waft of steam rose into the air and Kagome was thrilled at their luck—it was a hot spring! The colors of the oncoming sunset reflected in the steaming pool of water. The oranges and purples ran together creating a muddied brown that made Kagome think of dried blood. She ignored how closely the color resembled the spattering of droplets on the color of the kimono she wore.

Kagome no longer felt like celebrating their discovery.

She stood in front of the hot spring, eyes absently locked onto the water as her mind wandered deep in thought. She had planned on Jakotsu being the one to escort her—and was crestfallen when Bankotsu volunteered. Jakotsu, reviling her womanhood, would have given her a wider berth than the others would have. He would've given her the best chances at escape. But with Bankotsu here in his stead, her hopes of finding freedom were dashed.

Therein lied another conundrum: Was she to bath under Bankotsu's intense blue-eyed gaze? She had few qualms about disrobing in front of the likes of Jakotsu, confident he wouldn't ogle her. Bankotsu, on the other hand, was quite a different story...

"Strip" he commanded, suddenly broke the silence between them. His voice breaking Kagome out of her reverie.

Kagome's mouth parted in preparation to protest, but her mind had blanked in surprise. It took a few moments before Kagome regained use of her words.

"What did you say?" She was convinced that she must have something crazy in her ear, otherwise, she could've sworn that he had told her to take her clothes off in front of him.

Bankotsu's expression soured with impatience, he was not a man used to having to repeat himself.

"Strip. Now." He said again. His words were clipped, leaving no room for argument. As much as Kagome wanted to protest, his unwavering blue eyes warned her that if she did, she would regret it.

"Why?" she challenged, the words shooting out of her mouth against her better judgment.

Instead of lashing out, as Kagome expected he would, Bankotsu simply cocked his head to one side in surprised amusement.

"Oh?" he said in a tone of realization, "So we're doing this the hard way then"

It wasn't a question.

A determined glint entered his eye as he leisurely made his way towards Kagome.

Kagome shrank back as he approached, but it was futile: there was nowhere for her to go. He crossed his arms over his muscular chest, looming over her small frame. Peering down at her with an eyebrow cocked, his eyes sparkled with unknown intent.

"Why?" he repeated after Kagome, his tone soft but mocking. He looked into her warm brown eyes as she breathlessly awaited to see what Bankotsu would do next.

He slowly grabbed her by the waist, one callused hand on either side of her hips. Giving them a slight squeeze the nearly made her knees buckle, he gently pulled her against himself.

His chiseled chest smashed into her trembling own and though Kagome tried to arch away, Bankotsu's grip restricted any kind of movement. The best she could manage was to wriggle against him, where she felt every hard and lean plane of his torso.

Leaning forward, Bankotsu's lips grazed her cheek as he did. He gave a small chuckle that sent shivers down her spine and left her tingling out of her fingers.

He spoke. His tone was surprisingly gentle as he crooned his words into her ear. Despite their softness, it did little to hide the ever-lurking promise of death that he carried.

"Why?" Bankotsu repeated once again but more pointedly, "Because unless you want me to tear your clothes off myself—" he gave a forceful tug to emphasize his point, causing the thin and worn out fabric to tear audibly, "—you better do it when I tell you to"

He backed away then, slowly removing his grasp on Kagome. His smile had an edge this time, and Kagome read the message behind his touch loud and clear: She was trapped—in all ways. Whether it was physically within his grip or as simply his prisoner, she could not escape him.

Unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had rattled her, Kagome gave an indignant huff. even though she recognized that this was yet another battle she could not win.

Turning away to disrobe, she slid the ill-gotten kimono off her shoulders. She paused, clasped hands at her breasts reluctant to let the fabric go and reveal all of her.

With her nerves firing on all ends she turned to glance behind her, only to see Bankotsu's watching her with unwavering focus. He wore an expression of mild amusement, one that Kagome was becoming increasingly familiar with. Bankotsu's watched her squirm in discomfort under his gaze and he delighted in it.

Their eyes locked, Bankotsu's expression then became one of feigned innocence as Kagome's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"Yes?" he asked, grin widening.

Kagome groaned in aggravation. He made no effort to hide his enjoyment in manipulating her to react which infuriated Kagome to no end. Weary of Bankotsu's usual games, she stamped her feet indignantly.

"Can you turn around?" she snapped "I'll do as you ask, but I see no reason why you need to watch."

Bankotsu, still smiling, said nothing. Perturbed at first by his silence, Kagome quickly saw it as an opportunity to perhaps do some manipulating of her own.

"That is unless you want to watch me undress," she purred, her expression one of triumph. She cast a coy look over her bare shoulders before continuing with half-lidded eyes

"Perhaps you find me more captivating than you previously insisted. In that case, I wouldn't dream of depriving you of the pleasure"

She made a motion as if she were to open her robe and awaited Bankotsu's reaction. To her disappointment, he seemed wholly unaffected. He now cradled his head in his hand, watching her with curious regard.

Cursing inwardly, Kagome had hoped that all males were as simple and easy to manipulate as InuYasha who would have been blushing and sputtering by now.

Bankotsu cocked his head to the other side, watching her flush with embarrassment. Sporting the widest grin Kagome had ever seen him wear, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Believe me, if I wanted to do anything, you wouldn't have a chance of 'depriving' me." his eyes and tone stony.

"Now take. The clothes. Off."

Kagome quivered at the quiet intensity. Yet another battle was lost. It seemed she was destined to lose even more of what precious little dignity she had left. Kagome turned away, now facing the water. Though she couldn't see him, she could feel his unwavering gaze burning into her back as she began to undress.

Pulling the last bit of clothing over her head, she stood in her naked glory blushing from head to toe. Daring a glance backward, she peeked over her shoulder, to find Bankotsu's eyes still on her. Whipping her head forward in discomfort, she plunged her body into the steamy water temporarily shielding her nude self from his penetrating stare.

As she rose back to the surface, she wiped the water and hair from her face to take another cautious peek towards Bankotsu. To her surprise, he was no longer standing there. Kagome's initial feeling of relief quickly turned to one of apprehension: An enemy you can't see is far more dangerous than an enemy you can.

Her head swiveled nervously but aside from the trees that surrounded her, there seemed to be naught a trace of the vicious Shichinintai leader nor his beloved Banryu. Kagome let out a long sigh, she wasn't sure how much longer her harrowed nerves could take this. Still, to be truly alone was a blissful respite from the uncertainty and fear she was constantly subject to in Bankotsu's presence.

Allowing herself to relax, she soon realized that Bankotsu wasn't the only thing missing, her clothes were gone as well.

. . .

Bankotsu and Kyoukotsu were together at the edge of the forest. The giant sat, hunched over as Bankotsu relayed his plan.

"Yes, Big Brother?" Kyoukotsu asked submissively.

Bankotsu's expression was calculating "What I want you to do" he handed the large mercenary a bundle of crumpled fabric "Is to take this and get the scent all around our area. I want this place to reek of Kagome"

"But if you're here…who's watching the girl?" asked Kyoukotsu.

"Never you mind Kyoukotsu, it's all under control," Bankotsu said with a rascally grin, "Don't forget now, reek okay?" trusting that he would follow out his orders to the death, Bankotsu disappeared once again.

. . .

Kagome wasn't sure how much time had passed since Bankotsu had disappeared, her only indication was that only a sliver of the sun remained visible. Dusk was ending, and nighttime would soon fall.

In her solitude, she had been entertaining the idea of making her escape. She was hesitant, however, as there were a couple of practical matters that stood in her way. Besides the fact that her clothes seemed to be indisposed at the moment, there was then the matter that she would be escaping nude. She had no direction in which to run in and she wouldn't know what to do if she did get away.

She sighed, frustrated by her own uncertainty. Birds screeched and cawed in the distance; leave rustled; the soft chirp of insects hummed in the evening air. No footsteps though, that of human or demon—she could feel it.

With each passing minute, Kagome grew bolder. Her worries seemed petty and irrelevant when the possibility of escape seemed so near. Feeling foolishly confident, Kagome raised herself out of the water, preparing to make her escape.

Suddenly she heard a rustling in one of the nearby bushes. Kagome froze, she wasn't armed, she didn't know where she was, and she was naked.

"Oh ho, my pretty, all clean are we?" said a bodiless voice. Her discomfort was immediate. The voice alone was enough to give her goosebumps but there was a sinister intention behind the speaker's tone that made it immediately clear that they meant her ill.

"Oh please, don't stop on my account" the voice purred, "You really are a sight to see."

Kagome's face contorted in disgust. Her arms shot up to cover herself.

"Alright you creep," she yelled, her words loud and deliberate, "Where are you and what do you want?"

She eyed the trees around her, eyes slowly scanning back and forth for the slightest hint of movement.

She waited a beat. Nothing.

Making a mad dash for the nearest cover of foliage, the voice rang out again.

"I don't think so my dear" the voice crooned with a sinister chuckle. As the words echoed around Kagome, a sudden choke of black smoke slowly sifted into view.

Kagome wheezed, dropped to her knees mid-step after inhaling a lungful of the poisonous fog. Her eyes were burning and her throat was raw when the smoke finally cleared. Before her stood a short and stocky man. His face was wide, his eyes bulging—and she knew exactly who it was. It was Mukotsu, the sniveling member of the Shichinintai who specialized in poisons.

"Come, my dear," he said, bending down on a knee to be level with Kagome. Forcefully taking hold of one of her hands, he pleaded. "Come away with me, I'll take you from here and you can be my beautiful bride. You'll be happy, I promise."

Kagome's face contorted in horror.

"Nope!" she shouted in reply. Whatever Mukotsu was expecting, it wasn't that.

Taking advantage of his surprise at her outburst, she hit him with her free hand which caused him to release her captive one. Scrambling to her feet, Kagome ran, not caring what direction as long as it was away from him. She did not get far before another coughing spell rendered her brought her to her knees.

Mukotsu walked over to her slowly, his anger at her rejection bringing his fury to its boiling point.

"Why you ungrateful little—I could save you from this. From him" Mukotsu was gesturing wildly, referring to the leader of the Shichinintai. He continued on, the words of his rant slurring together as he became increasingly excited. "You will!" he insisted, "You will be my bride! You can learn to love me despite my ugliness."

"No!" yelled Kagome again. He made another motion to grab her that Kagome tried to avoid but slowed down by her wheezing cough, he caught her easily.

Restraining both wrists, he was much stronger than Kagome had anticipated. She thrashed wildly trying to fight him off.

To Kagome's dismay, his grip was unshakable. She could do little else than struggle against him as he began to slowly drag her towards the edge of the treeline.

They were almost in the thick of the trees when Kagome suddenly felt Mukotsu's grip loosen. Seizing the opportunity to shake off her would-be abductor, she yanked her arms away as hard as she could. The force wrenched her wrists from his grasp, setting her free once again.

But her feeling of triumph was short-lived as the momentum of her movement seemed to have caused Mukotsu's body to fall in her direction. His body slumped forward onto hers and she staggered back under the unexpected weight. Suddenly, Kagome realized a growing feeling of warmth on her abdomen. It startled her.

Regaining her footing, she was able to push Mukotsu's body off. To her surprise, he seemed unable to right himself. His body was limp, careening back from the force of her shove. Mukotsu tottered on unsteady feet, swaying with a pained expression on his face.

It was then that Kagome gingerly touched her stomach; she couldn't comprehend the sensation she had felt. She brought her now-stained fingers up for examination; her face blanched at the familiar sight.

Blood.

Her eyes snapped back to Mukotsu. He was still in the same spot as before but the expression on his face had only become more agonized. A small gurgle bubbled in his throat before the top half of his body slipped away, leaving only his small, stubby legs standing without a torso.

Kagome stared after his fallen figure, horrified. Glancing at the remnants of a body now cut in two, she promptly doubled over throwing up the little in her belly.

With shaky hands on even shakier knees, Kagome forced herself to look up even though she still felt extremely unwell. She looked over to her right, eyes sweeping over the now mutilated figure and looking for her savior.

There stood Bankotsu; arm outstretched, Banryu held aloft in the finished position of its strike.

Kagome gaped at him as the dust settled around them. A swirl of emotions hit her at once but shock prevented her vocal cords from making a sound. She looked into Bankotsu's eyes, searching for the right words—or any words at all—to say. His eyes squarely met hers and for a seemingly endless moment, she was lost in pools of deepest blue.

She retched again.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she righted herself once more. She eyed the man that stood before her but Banktosu still said nothing.

It was the most somber than she had ever seen him. His eyes downcast, Bankotsu stoically cast Banryu into the dirt. He knelt down beside the pieces of his old friend, head shaking in disappointment.

"It didn't have to be like this." he said softly.

Kagome watched in discomfort; she felt like she was watching something very private and that she had no right to witness.

Bankotsu reached out towards the body, his expression was one of determined reluctance. Bankotsu deftly plucked the jewel shard from Mukotsu's throat and within seconds, Mukotsu's flesh disintegrated. All that was left behind was a gray skeleton whose mouth was permanently contorted into a scream.

Bankotsu tucked the shard inside his robe, giving it a reverent pat before rising to his feet.

His face was steely, expressionless but still, he said nothing—and Kagome certainly wasn't going to be the one to break this uncomfortable silence. Once again, she had witnessed first-hand how lethal the man who would determine her fate truly was.

Bankotsu spared once last glance at the sliced body of his former comrade. Viewing his gristly handiwork, he gave a sad nod of acceptance. He then turned his attention to Kagome, his usual lightheartedness returning.

"Well now," he said, his eyes raking over her figure, "I can see why Mukotsu wanted you to himself"

Up until this point, Kagome was so stunned that had forgotten about her vulnerable state. Kagome quickly gathered herself enough to attempt to reclaim some modestly. In her mind, however, she was still reeling from the events of the past few minutes, including Bankotsu's seeming one-eighty of his mood. With the other members of the Shichinintai, he always seemed upbeat, lighthearted—naive even.

Earlier, when she and her group had first encountered the Shichinintai—before she was captured—she had often wondered how this young boy, he seemed barely any older than herself, had become the leader of Feudal era Japan's most notorious killers. But having him watched him slain a man he considered his brother with nary a hesitation or outburst of remorse, she could see why.

Kagome was pulled from her thoughts when Bankotsu let out a low whistle of admiration, one that Kagome promptly met with a seething glare. She realized, to her horror, that having watched his little exchange with the now-dead Mukotsu, she had been feelings inklings of sympathy for him. She watched his eyes blatantly roamed over her figure, cocky grin in place, and she sharply chided herself. Such human feelings were too good to waste on the likes of him.

Squeezing her arms more tightly to her body, her eyes widened as she heard and felt the sickening squelch of the last remnants of Mukotu's life essence.

"Oh no" she stammered, her body trembling with the onset of another wave of nausea.

Kagome cautiously removed the arm covering her breasts feeling the thick, sticky wetness as it clung to her. Its coppery scent wafted up in waves and threatened to have her double over once more.

"I think I can solve this problem here," Bankotsu said mischievously.

Without another word he moved forward, scooping Kagome in his arms with ease. One strong arm snaked across her shoulders as another took hold of her thighs. Kagome lay bloodied and cradled against his chest and for a brief moment, Kagome was glad to give her legs some respite.

The relief was short-lived, however, as after a few steps Bankotsu unceremoniously dumped her into the water.

She gasped when she rose to the surface—more from shock than a lack of oxygen. Looking up at him with a look of incredulous, she found herself even more furious when his only response was to shrug and gave her his usual smirk.

She opened her mouth to unleash her rage upon him when he held up a hand, halting her mid-curse.

"Here," he said with a quick wave of his hand before tossing something Kagome's way. He seemed to be in quite the giving mood today, she noted.

A small square of rough fabric floated onto Kagome's head, temporarily obscuring her vision. Quickly snatching the fabric from over her eyes, Kagome examined it. She then turned a suspicious gaze back towards Bankotsu, warier than ever.

He rolled his eyes at her distrust.

"It's a washcloth," he said with pretend exasperation. His eyes were alight and his expression twinkled with amusement as he walked away.

"It's a shame though," he called after Kagome, who had promptly turned her back to him, "I've never seen a woman who looked so good in blood."

Yay! I updated! It's a July miracle! I just randomly broke out of my funk and then started writing like a fiend. Actually, I had over half of this chapter already written, but I decided that it was too lighthearted so I erased it and started again. To –WhiteStars- just wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you when I wrote this *wink* (Remember that review you sent me for the first chapter?). But I'm not forgetting everyone else, thanks so much for reviewing the last chapter! I was just so touched by all the favorites this story has gotten even though I haven't updated in about, half a year ^_^ You guys would rock my socks if I was wearing any! Toodles!

Edited March 2021