InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bankotsu's Greatest Challenge ❯ First Obsacle ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is copyrighted to the amazing Rumiko Takahashi!

Bankotsu's Greatest Challenge

Chapter 3: First Obstacle!

Before going to sleep last night Kagome and company finished helping Kaede gather all the medicinal herbs she would need for awhile.

"Be sure to put the baskets in their proper places." Kaede ordered. "Patients will be showing up soon."

Kagome retrieved and placed a few baskets on a shelf. A loud knock sounded on the hut.

"Come on in," Kaede opened the door.

An elderly man entered the hut dragging an unconscious younger man. The younger had slashed all over his body.

Kaede looked the patient over. "Lay him down over there." She pointed to a pile of blankets.

"Miroku, bring me the pain-relieving herbs."

The monk did as told and brought Kaede the basket.

"Boil some water and place the herbs into the cup.

Kaede flushed the wounds with lemon juice to disinfect them. She pulled out a needle made from a small demon bone and pulled out several horse tail hairs. Kaede thread the horse hair through the needle and then sewed the deepest gash on the man's chest.

Fresh blood oozed from the wound. As the scent wafted to Kagome's nose she clapped a hand over her mouth and ran out the door. Once outside she bent over heaving the contents of her stomach.

Sango placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Easy Kagome take slow deep breaths."

Kagome tried to do as her friend instructed. Once her stomach stopped roiling she sighed and wiped her sleeve across her lips. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Sango nodded. "Why don't you go find Inuyasha and keep him company a while."

The young priestess nodded. "Okay." She walked off and found Inuyasha outside talking to a villager. Inuyasha's expression was grim.

'Uh oh, I know that look.' Kagome's breath hitched. "What's going on, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome as she approached, then turned back to the man. "This gentleman was just saying something about a nearby village being destroyed."

Kagome eyes grew wide. "How?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Nobody knows for certain. Some say it was the work of demons, but others say it was the newly resurrected Shichinintai."

"What?" Inuyasha started pacing with his hands behind his back. "Damn those bastards."

"They were mercenaries who - "

Inuyasha snorted. "I know damn well who they are. Those filthy scum are still causing trouble? Two of them sent back to the grave don't seem to have changed them at all." He clenched his fists. "Damn them!"

The villager's eyes went wide as saucers and he slowly backed away from the raving hanyou.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered.

Inuyasha looked at the frightened village man and then dropped his gaze to his feet, scuffing the dirt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My friends and I have been trying to defeat the Shichinintai since they were revived. I hate hearing about innocent people suffering by their hand."

Kagome's eyes dulled and she said softly, "They're so brutal."

"Well, good luck to you," the man turned and ran away.

Kagome turned to her friend. "So what do you think, Inuyasha?"

"With powerful demons popping out of nowhere, we can't leave the village unprotected. We will have to defeat whoever is behind the demon surge first."

Kagome nodded. "I agree."

"Let's get back to Kaede's"

They turned to walk back to Kaede's and heard a shrill scream coming from up ahead. They ran back towards the hut.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called. He and Sango had heard the scream as well and rushed over to Inuyasha. Kirara was right behind them in her larger form.

"Something's going on." Inuyasha drew and transformed Tetsusaiga. "Kagome, get back inside the hut with Kaede and the wounded."

'His leg hasn't healed yet? What is going on?' Kagome ran into Kaede's hut. 'Inuyasha, please be safe.'

Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango wasted no time in finding out what was going on. A demon popped up right in front of Inuyasha. 'Man this thing is even uglier than the last one.' It looked like a mutated goat.

"Where are all these filthy vermin coming from?" Inuyasha clenched a fist and shook it at the sky. "Damn it all!"

Inuyasha leaped into the air, landing behind the demon. He hacked its backside, but the demon sustained no damage. 'Not even a scratch? What does it have some kind of protective armor or something?'

After a few whacks it grabbed hold of the half-demon with its thumb and forefinger, dangling him in the air before tossing him to the ground.

"Inuyasha!" Sango's automatically positioned her Hiraikotsu ready for battle.

"Stay back!" Inuyasha slowly got to his feet. 'Damnit the wound on my leg has reopened.'

"Inuyasha, you cannot fight much longer in your condition. Move away!" Miroku warned raising his hand in front of him.

Inuyasha snorted. "You stay out of this Miroku." He raised Tetsusaiga above his head. "Wind - "

The demon grabbed hold of his sword and knocked it away. It landed at the base of a nearby tree too far for Inuyasha to retrieve. 'Fine I'll use my claws then.'

The ugly goat hybrid did not let its guard down one bit. With a swipe of its hand, Inuyasha was on the ground again. Its spiked hoof slashed at his chest causing blood to splatter with every strike.

"We've got to do something, Miroku!" Sango tossed her weapon. It sailed towards the goat hybrid causing it to jump away from Inuyasha and snarl with foam dripping from its mouth.

"I've got it!" Miroku undid his prayer beads and planted his feet in a horse stance. "Wind Tunnel!"

The demon tried to anchor itself to a tree, but the Wind Tunnel was too powerful. Its spiked hooves ripped from the bark of the tree and the demon was sucked into the void.

Miroku closed his hand and wrapped the beads in place. He shook his stinging hand. "At least that's over."

Sango was knelt down beside Inuyasha. Her eyes wide with shock stared at Miroku. "He's unconscious."

'That was some kind of demon hybrid.' He frowned. "Another ridiculously strong demon popped out of nowhere and injured Inuyasha." He shook his head. 'It makes no sense.' He bent down carefully lifting his friend. "Let's get him back to Kaede."

Miroku draped Inuyasha over Kirara's back. She walked rather than flew, because the half-demon was in terrible shape.

Kagome's eyes widened and filled with moisture as she ran over to them. "What happened?" She moved Inuyasha's matted hair and tried to look him over for injuries.

Kaede frowned. "Oh dear, get him inside quickly." She turned to the emotional priestess. "Kagome, ye need to pull yourself together because I will need ye to assist me."

Kagome nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Kirara walked inside the hut, where Miroku lay Inuyasha down on the pile of blankets.

"Poor Inuyasha," Shippou moaned. "He's always so stubborn."

Kagome knelt beside his left side and began running a warm washcloth over his forehead. "Are you certain he will be okay?"

Kaede flushed out his wounds. "Ye forget he is a hanyou and has a faster healing ability then we humans."

Kagome's brows knit. "But his leg still hasn't healed either."

Kaede looked over his leg. "That is strange." She went back to tending his chest wounds and sewed the deepest ones shut.

Sango placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome rubbed a paste of medicinal herbs on Inuyasha's wound after Kaede had sewn it up. "Miroku help me lift him."

Miroku did as asked.

Kagome wrapped a bandage she had brought from her era around his chest.

Once he was all patched up Kaede decided to place extra gauze on his wounded area, to keep the blood seeping through to a minimum.

Miroku covered him with a blanket and lit some spiritual incense for relaxing.

Inuyasha was bound to be a little out of it when he woke up and the incense was for calming the spirit.

'Inuyasha,' Kagome's repeatedly bathed his brow. 'Why is all of this happening?'

XOXOXO:

Bankotsu woke up and knocked on Jakotsu's door.

Jakotsu grumbled. "What is it?" as he yanked the door open. He blinked at Bankotsu and blushed. "Um, sorry. I thought you were – "

Bankotsu waved it off. "I've come to ask a favor of you."

Jakotsu blinked. "Sure Bank, you know I'd do anything for you."

Bankotsu smiled. "We both know convincing Kagome isn't going to be easy… I figured I'd take along a few kimonos for her to show her my sincerity."

Jakotsu sighed. "And naturally you chose mine."

Bankotsu grinned. "Because I know you only take the best of them."

Jakotsu huffed. "Fine go ahead. But you can't have anything with butterflies on it or any of my lavender ones."

Bankotsu chuckled. "Thanks Ja."

Jakotsu sighed heavily. "Do you really have to marry her?"

Bankotsu snorted. "Hai and I'm not looking forward to it anymore than you are." He searched through the kimonos and picked up three that looked like they would fit her. He tossed them over his shoulder. "Don't worry Ja, I'll get you some to replace them."

Jakotsu sat in front of his mirror and fixed his hair. "Yeah sure," he waved Bankotsu out of his room and placed his butterfly hairpin in to hold his hair right. He pilfered through his stack of kimonos and packed three into his small bag.

Bankotsu chuckled and walked back to his room where he finished preparing for the trip. He packed a small bag and picked up his Banryu. He walked into the dining room where breakfast was sitting on the table.

Jakotsu, Suikotsu, and Renkotsu walked into the room placing their bags next to their chairs.

"Eat up men; we have a long day ahead of us." Bankotsu ate his food not really tasting anything. 'When Naraku first brought me back he told me about a small village not far away from Inuyasha Forest. Well check there first.'

Thirty minutes later they were on Ginkotsu as he plowed across the path leading to the Inuyasha forest.

Jakotsu jumped up, grabbing the handle of his Jakotsuo. "There is a demon, up ahead!" He hopped down from Ginkotsu.

"Stop, Jakotsu! This one is mine. The rest of you, stay put." Bankotsu stood as Ginkotsu came to a jolting stop, knocking Renkotsu off his platform.

Renkotsu straightened himself up, dusting off his clothes. 'Damn, when do I get a closer seat to the middle?

Pouting Jakotsu walked back over to the others. 'I better get first shot at the next one.'

Bankotsu took off after the demon. 'Hm, nothing too strong, it's just a bird demon. When am I going to get a decent opponent?' Bankotsu approached the demon.

It flapped its massive wings trying to blow him away.

He stabbed Banryu into the earthen soil and held on as the wind passed him. Bankotsu chuckled. "I see you'd like to be finished off quickly."

The bird screeched in reply forcing Bankotsu to cover his ears and stumble back.

"Not going to play fair, eh?" He smirked. "Then neither will I." He raised Banryu high into the air, slicing down in one fluid motion. "Dragon Hammer!" He sent the flash of blinding purple light straight at the demon.

Bankotsu shook his head. "That was over much too quickly. I need a real opponent." He turned and started walking back to his friends.

The dragon hammer attack usually wasted any demon it came into contact with, but today was different. The bird demon only had a large gash on its back. Slowly it snuck up behind the mercenary. It screeched forcing him to slap his hands over his ears. It flapped its wings and sent Bankotsu flying into a tree. He grunted as his head collided with the tree and then his unconscious body dropped to the ground.

"What was that loud thud?" Jakotsu leapt off the metal machine. "I'm going to look for Bankotsu!"

Suikotsu's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? He told us to stay put!"

Jakotsu ignored him and continued running in the direction Bankotsu had gone. 'He's been gone way to long.'

"Let's go follow Jakotsu." Suikotsu sighed. 'Something must have happened.'

Jakotsu came upon Bankotsu and saw the aftermath of the Dragon Hammer. His eyes bulged when he saw the bird demon preparing to eat his leader. Jakotsuo flew at the demon. "Get away from him!"

The bird hopped back and screeched.

"Hey, bird brain, over here!" Renkotsu shouted. The bird spun around, right into a solid wall of flames. The bird screeched as the flames consumed it reducing it to ashes.

"Bankotsu, wake up!" Jakotsu shook his friend gently with tears filling his eyes.

'His is barely recognizable under all the dirt and blood.' Suikotsu knelt down placing two fingers on his throat. "He's still alive, just knocked out. I don't understand something, though…"

"Gesh?" Ginkotsu grunted.

"Why is it that Renkotsu's fire killed the demon when Bankotsu's Dragon Hammer could not?"

'That is strange.' Renkotsu sighed. "The day you find something instead of water that can overpower fire, you let me know."

Suikotsu frowned. "Let's get him back to the castle."

Jakotsu sighed. "What about that village Kagome is in?"

"It's much closer." Renkotsu added.

Suikotsu snarled. "And how do you expect us to convince them we're not looking for a battle? Without Bankotsu, we might as well let them slay us."

"Kagome seems to carry some unusual medical stuff. There must be something she can use." Jakotsu's lower lip trembled. "We have to do something or big brother will die." Tears streamed from his eyes.

Suikotsu huffed and carried Bankotsu over to Ginkotsu.

Jakotsu wailed. "Suikotsu help me!" he was trying to drag Banryu over to the tank like member.

Suikotsu rolled his eyes. "Come on Renkotsu."

Renkotsu grunted and the three of them managed to drag the large weapon near the tank. "On three… one, two, heave!"

Panting the trio barely managed to get the large weapon laid next to it's owner.

They climbed onto the tank and sighed.

Renkotsu frowned. 'What is going on?' He tapped Ginkotsu's cannon. "Take us to the village near Inuyasha forest. "

"Gesh." he replied rolling off.

Suikotsu sighed and placed a wet cloth on his leader's forehead. 'If we're going to do any persuading, we must first convince them that we have no intentions of fighting… which will prove difficult considering how much Inuyasha hates us.' He stared at his leader and frowned at how weak the pulse was growing. 'I just hope they will help him.'

XOXOXO:

A/N: So that's chapter three. But why are all the demons so strong and why are the Inutachi and Bankotsu barely able to fight them? Why is Inuyasha healing so slowly? You'll have to read on to find out.
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