InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Case of Double Personality ❯ A Mercenary's Choice ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter VII: A Mercenary's Choice

 

 

 

The Shichinintai enjoyed a well-deserved break from Naraku's service.

 

 

Sure, fighting Inuyasha and his rag tag group was a lot of fun, but it got boring sometimes. All the hanyou did was launch the same attacks over and over again, Bankotsu thought.

 

Inuyasha would try to slash him with his sword, get knocked back, hit a tree or a wall and the scene would repeat for five or six times until someone intervened.

 

The leader of the Shichinintai sighed deeply.

 

Where were the days when they used to slaughter entire armies? Gone. As well as a part of his seven men army.

 

Kyokotsu and Ginkotsu died, killed by the prince of the wolf demon pack, that Kouga guy.

 

Mukotsu met his end at the hand of Inuyasha's full demon brother, Sesshoumaru. The dog demon was a conceited prick, but, nonetheless, a terrible enemy to face.

 

And last, but not least, Suikotsu died at the hand of the undead Miko, Kikyou.

 

 

That Naraku sure had a way of making friends, he thought with a smile.

 

 

Now there were only three of them left: Renkotsu, Jakotsu and himself. They were the strongest three actually, but Jakotsu was the only one he could really trust. Renkotsu was to cunning for his own good.

 

 

Bankotsu sighed again, watching a butterfly fly around his Banryuu. Shaking off an invisible bug, he got up and started walking away, toward the forest.

 

 

“Bankotsu-no-oo-aniki! Where are you going?” He heard Jakotsu's voice.

 

 

“I'm taking a walk. Take care of Banryuu for me.” He answered, pointing to his giant halberd.

 

 

He didn't wait for Jakotsu's answer. He said it as a request, but his requests were obeyed as orders. Sometimes he felt the need to be alone.

 

 

 

ooooOOoooo

 

 

It was far from dawn when Naraku's scent hit Sesshoumaru's sensitive nose. He quickly got up and took a high leap in the direction the scent was coming from.

 

 

Kumiko let out a small yawn and turned to the other side, not noticing the taiyoukai's departure.

 

Still, something else disturbed her peaceful slumber as she felt a distinct pulse: The Call of the Shikon. A pair of dark eyes opened in the night, but they were not Kumiko's.

 

Midoriko got up slowly, keeping all her senses alert to the faint pulse. It was stil far away, but it got closer.

 

 

“A youkai must have it.” She thought, grabbing her sword and heading in the shard's direction.

 

 

The calling was getting stronger as she advanced into the forest. Oddly enough she didn't feel any youki...

 

 

”The target must be out of the range of my senses.” She said to herself, walking faster.

 

 

Now the feeling was so close it was almost palpable, the shard bearer was just beyond some bushes and she still didn't feel any youki.

 

 

“Could it have been found by a human? But that's impossible, all the youkai in this forest would have attacked him by now...” She thought, being more worried by the absence of youki than by its presence.

 

 

In a few seconds, what appeared to be a young man stepped out of the bushes. He was undoubtedly human, but he had a very strange aura...And the Shikon shard located in his neck was pitch black.

 

 

“Oh? A woman?” He spoke. “All alone in the forest at night...”

 

 

She paid no attention to his words as she concentrated on the man's strange aura. He didn't have the aura of a living person...It was dark and damp and it somehow reminded her of a grave...

 

 

“That's it! This man does not belong in the world of the living! The shard keeps him alive!” She thought, eying the strange man.

 

 

He approached her slowly, his dark blue eyes analyzing her from head to toe.

 

 

Midoriko placed a firm hand on the hilt of her sword:

 

 

“Why do you hold on to this world when you do not belong in it?” She asked coldly.

 

 

He seemed taken aback by her question and stopped a few feet away from her.

 

 

“So you're a Miko...” He said, more to himself than to her.

 

 

“You didn't answer my question.” She said sharply.

 

 

“Hmph. You believe that a spiritual life awaits you after death. Well it doesn't. There is no after life, no heaven and hell. There is nothing after you die.” He said, dark blue orbs piercing through her eyes.

 

 

“There is reincarnation, if you allow your soul enough time. It is only after many reincarnations that your soul is ready to proceed to the after life and reside in heaven or, in your case, hell.” She informed him coldly.

 

 

“What could you possibly know about it, except the crap they teach you in your Miko training? I've been there.” Bankotsu said, narrowing his eyes.

 

 

“I've been there too.” She answered. “This body holds the reincarnation of my former soul.”

 

 

“Bull shit. Everyone knows you can't remember your past life when you reincarnate.”

 

 

Midoriko was losing what little patience she had:

 

”I don't care if you believe me or not. It doesn't matter anyway, because I'm sending you back to your grave.” She said, pulling out her sword.

 

 

Bankotsu couldn't refrain from bursting into laughs. A woman killing the leader of the Shichinintai? What was she thinking?

 

 

Driven to the edge by his laughter, she charged, slicing the air where Bankotsu's neck should have been. If he hadn't moved rapidly, he would have been dead.

 

 

“Not bad...” He thought, jumping to the side to avoid another attack from the strange woman.

 

 

She was quite skilled with the sword, an unusual ability for a Miko. From what he knew, they only used bows.

 

 

He made no move to attack yet, determined to see just how good she really was.

 

 

His agility was extraordinary, Midoriko thought angrily, while trying to slash him. And on top of that, the bastard was smiling...

 

 

“Enough playing.” She said, raising her sword in a horizontal position.

 

 

A wave of purple light burst out of her weapon, and, even thought Bankotsu jumped to avoid it, it still caught his arm.

 

 

The leader of the Shichinintai felt his skin and flesh dissolve, leaving only the bone. It looked worse than it actually was, as he had experienced it before. His arm regenerated instantly thanks to the Shikon shard.

 

 

Midoriko knitted her brows at the sight of the man's arm becoming whole again.

 

 

“The Shikon sure is useful.” He grinned, taking a high leap to land right behind the Miko.

 

 

She turned around quickly, but his hand caught her wrist and twisted it until she dropped the sword.

 

His other hand caught her left wrist and pinned her against a tree. She found herself unable to move from his iron grip and narrowed her eyes, breathing hard.

 

Her purifying energy had almost no effect on him and her weapon lied on the ground, a few feat away. A thousand thoughts went through her mind as she looked death in the eye, but the most painful one was that along with her an innocent girl would die as well.

 

 

She wished for Sesshoumaru to come, but he was far away, she could detect a youki as strong as his from many kilometers away.

 

 

“Have I become so weak, that I seek the help of a demon?” She said to herself, immediately suppressing the shameful thought.

 

She would not give him the satisfaction to see her become weak. With that in mind, she raised her eyes to meet his, her face as calm as ever.

 

 

Bankotsu held the strange Miko in an iron grip, expecting to hear her beg for life. Instead, a pair of fearless dark eyes sustained his gaze. He allowed himself a moment to contemplate the face of the woman he was about to kill.

 

Her eyes burned with anger, contrasting beautifully with her pale, ivory skin. Golden bangs enframed her face and fell down her shoulders.

 

 

“What an unusual color of hair...” He found himself thinking.

 

 

Her cold voice made him snap back to reality:

 

 

“What are you waiting for? Finish me.”

 

 

He gazed into her eyes, unsure of what to do. She was expecting death so leisurely that there was no fun in killing her. She was a fine woman, it would be a waste...She was fearless and powerful as well...

 

 

More arguments in favor of keeping her alive gathered in Bankotsu's mind as he looked at her.

 

 

“What's your name, Miko?” He asked suddenly.

 

 

She stared at him in astonishment, unsure of what to answer.

 

 

“Midoriko.” She said finally.

 

 

“Midoriko? The Miko who created the sacred jewel?” Bankotsu asked distrustfully.

 

 

“Will I always be remembered for my mistake...” She thought miserably as she nodded.

 

 

Bankotsu gave her statement some thought. It was said that Midoriko used to fight with a sword and he had never seen another Miko do it...She said that she was a reincarnated soul, so it could be possible.

 

She wasn't lying to keep her life as she had so bluntly asked him to finish her earlier.

 

 

Thinking hard always gave him headaches and it never lead to anything anyway so he decided to believe her.

 

 

But wait, there was still something unclear...she had attacked him, not the other way around...Did she want she Shikon shard?

 

”Why did you attack me? For the shard?” He gave voice to his thoughts.

 

 

“No, because you didn't agree with my after life theory.” She mocked. “Of course that for the shard!”

 

“Well get in line lady...” He spoke in the same mocking tone.

 

 

“Could you just kill me and get it over with? I can't stand to hear you talk anymore.” She declared, sustaining his gaze.

 

 

Bankotsu remained silent for a few moments and then slowly released her wrists.

 

 

“Not today.” He spoke, turning away from her.

 

 

Midoriko rubbed her wrists and took hold of her sword with an astonished expression. He was walking away and letting her live? Just like that?

 

 

“I will find you!” She shouted after him.

 

 

“Just ask for Bankotsu of the Shichinintai.” He let her know, with his back on her.

 

 

“I'll take the Shikon shard from your neck when we meet again!”

 

He was out of her visual range as his voice rang in the silent night.

 

”I'm looking forward to it.”

 

 

Dictionary:

 

 

Shichinintai = Band of Seven

 

 

Banryuu = Bankotsu's giant halberd

 

 

The way Jakotsu addresses Bankotsu (Bankotsu-no-oo-aniki) can be translated as “big brother” (because the Shichinintai considered themselves brothers) and, since Bankotsu is the youngest of them, it's used to suggest his authority over them, his leadership if you will.

 

 

 

 

A/N:

 

 

Reviewer response:

 

 

Shikiori: Or Mian, how should I call you? :) Happy B-day! Better late than never, huh? :) You sure bought lots of stuff...I missed the anime convention because I had no idea there was going to be one. And a lot of my friends knew...but they thought I knew too and didn't tell me and...I can't believe I missed it. Anime's not that big in my country yet so they didn't advertise about it that much. Oh well. I'm still suffering from that and you reopened my wounds :( So you've got stripes on your wrist like Sesshy, huh? And I thought the posters I have with him make me an obsessed fangirl :) I meant that in a good way. I'm glad you like the story and thanks for the long review! I love long reviews :)