InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Miko's Love Story. ❯ A Showdown and Beginning To Bond ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own or make profit from the Inuyasha series Copyrights to Inuyasha and Characters belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

I only own the plot, and story line to this story. There. I said it. (sighs)

Thank you everyone for sticking with me!

A HUGE Thank you to Schwarz Stein for being such a good friend!

Thank you SangOtaku6 again for being such a wonderful writing coach! :)

Chapter Three:

A Showdown and Beginning to bond:

Bankotsu stepped protectively in front of Kagome and held the angry wolf prince's gaze. He smirked and informed him, "That is none of your business, wolf boy. Oh and she is my girl now. " He grinned at the pure anger on the wolf demons face.

With an outraged face, Kouga roared, "What?" and began growling low in his chest.

Bankotsu smirked wider. "You heard me, wolf. Kagome is with me." He stared down the wolf, eyes challenging him to just try and take her away.

Watching them argue, Kagome stood there thinking, 'Oh no. Damn. There is one way to settle this hopefully without bloodshed… I just hope Bankotsu doesn't let this go to his head. And that Inuyasha doesn't go nuts.'

Not wishing for this to turn physical and thinking quickly, Kagome took a deep fortifying breath and stepped beside Bankotsu. She met the angry wolf's eyes. "He's telling the truth, Kouga."

Kouga's intense glare turned to her and he demanded, "How the hell could you fall for a murderer like him?"

Spine stiffening, Kagome held Kouga's gaze. "I have told you before Kouga, you are a powerful ally and a great friend, but I will never see you as anything more than a friend."

Feeling slighted, Kouga insisted, "Kagome, you are my woman! I made my intentions known a long time ago."

Bankotsu glared at the wolf. "Well she is mine now! See these rings?" he held up his and Kagome's left hands for the wolf to see. 'Ha! Take that you stupid wolf!' he thought smugly.

Kouga's eyes narrowed further at the matching metal bands and he scoffed, "So what. What the hell are they, anyway?" He was not one bit happy with this announcement.

Blushing at the contact between them, Kagome explained, "In human culture when a man and woman exchange vows and rings, they are married."

Kouga frowned in confusion. "What does 'married' mean?"

Miroku calmly explained, "Married means the same thing as mated." He watched the wolf's eyes widen. "Those rings are the same thing as the demon mating mark. In other words, Kagome now belongs to Bankotsu and he to her."

Clenching his fists to keep from punching something, preferably the arrogant human's face, Kouga roared, "What?" He glared at Inuyasha and demanded, "How the hell could you allow this to happen dog shit!"

Inuyasha glared at the wolf. "Obviously I had no say in it or it never would have happened!" His grip tightened on his sword. 'How dare this mangy wolf think I'd allow something like this to take place?'

Kouga sniffed the air deeply and declared, "She is still unclaimed, you may have marked her, but you have yet to mate her," glaring hatefully at the mercenary leader.

Kagome blushed furiously and stated, "He is waiting until we feel the time is right."

Bankotsu stood there looking serious on the outside, but on the inside he was shocked. 'So she is a virgin after all. That would explain her blushing and her hesitancy. Hm, this is getting to be even more entertaining.

He snapped back to reality as her felt her move closer to him, noticing that she was beginning to fidget with her fingers. He guessed she must be growing even more uncomfortable, most likely due to the damn wolf. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side, sending the wolf a clear message - Hands off!

Kagome placed her hand on his arm in silent thanks.

Sango looked at Kouga and added seriously, "She is now married to Bankotsu, and you are going to have to learn to accept that, Kouga."

Kouga snarled. "This isn't over yet. She hasn't bed him yet, so as far as I am concerned she is still un-mated. You marked her but it isn't finalized until she is mated." He sent his own challenging glare to the man holding 'his' woman.

Kagome's eyes widened before narrowing. Her jaw clenched. "Kouga, you can't do this! I chose to be with Bankotsu. You can't force me to be with you." She glared at the wolf.

Kouga looked directly into her eyes and argued, "You are too good for him Kagome, and I will not allow this."

Kagome's back stiffened and her hand balled into a fist by her side.

Bankotsu glared at the demon and informed him, "You have no say in it. You heard it from her own mouth - she chose me." He was getting tired of this wolf thinking he had a say in Kagome's life.

Inuyasha glared from Bankotsu to Kouga and stated, "Kouga, you can't touch her. Even demon laws state that once a female is marked no other male can touch her."

Pacing, Kouga demanded, "How the hell can you be so calm about this?" Just thinking about his Kagome tied to a murderer like Bankotsu turned his stomach.

Inuyasha flexed his claws. "Do I look calm to you? I am not any happier about this then you are! But we both know damn well the laws are very clear. Neither of us can have her now."

Bankotsu smirked inwardly at Inuyasha's comment, yet on the outside he glared at the wolf hatefully. "If you come anywhere near my wife again, I will kill you!" he ground out through clenched teeth, while holding out Banryu in a threatening manner directed towards the wolf.

Kouga snarled angrily and glared into Kagome's eyes as. "Until you have actually bed him, I will continue to come for you." He just couldn't believe his Kagome would fall for a heartless mercenary.

Bankotsu flexed his Banryu in a threatening manner. "If you do, I will kill you, wolf. No one takes what is mine and lives. I will not allow you or anyone else to threaten my woman either."

Growing tired of the arguing, Kagome held up her bow and notched an arrow. She stood in front of Bankotsu and stared at the wolf. "I don't want to have to use this, Kouga, but I will if you continue to threaten me and Bankotsu."

She watched his eyes widened in disbelief. "I chose to be with him, and he with me." Her brown eyes showed sadness at Kouga's actions and determination to stay with Bankotsu.

Kouga's eyes narrowed at the arrow, and then locked on Kagome. He stared her dead in the eye. "Is this truly what you want, Kagome?" He prayed she was joking, that this was some horrific nightmare.

Kagome held his gaze sadness and determination in her eyes. "Yes Kouga, can you cannot accept that I feel nothing but friendship for you, and that I love someone else?" She tilted her chin p a fraction. "Go back to Ayame and keep your promise. I only feel for you as a friend."

Kouga's eyes widened in shock and then filled with sadness. He replied, heartbroken, "Very well, if this is truly what you wish, then I shall take my leave."

He glared at Bankotsu and warned, dead serious, "You had better take care of her and make her happy."

Kouga took one last longing filled look at the woman he loved and with that he whirl winded off at a frightening speed, kicking up dust everywhere.

Kagome dropped to her knees from relief and her eyes filled with tears at the thought that Kouga probably would hate her now.

Bankotsu suddenly became overwhelmed with the urge to comfort her. He sighed heavily and bent down beside her to place a soothing hand on her head as one might to comfort a frightened child, as he tried clumsily to comfort her.

Bankotsu knelt down and reached out a hand to settle upon her head trying to comfort her. 'Damn, I hope she stops soon, I'm not so good at trying to comfort women. I never have been! It makes me nervous...But for some reason I can't stand to see her crying.' He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat.

She surprised him and even herself by burying her head on his chest and crying.

His eyes widened in shock. After recovering from it, he wrapped his arms around the weeping girl and held her to his chest while she continued to cry.

Inuyasha scowled, feeling jealous and angry. "I am going to the woods for a little bit," he said, before he bounded off away from the others, fighting the urge to give in to his intense desire to rip the mercenary apart.

The others looked on at the unexpected embrace between the Miko and Mercenary in shock, taking several quite moments to soak in the unexpected sight.

Deciding to comfort her friend, Sango approached them and placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome, I am sure Kouga will understand once he calms down."

Kagome sobbed and looked up, saying sadly, "I'm not so sure Sango. He looked at both me and Bankotsu with anger in his eyes." Her tender heart squeezed painfully at the memory of the look in her friend's blue eyes.

Slightly scared Shippo spoke up. "It was different than when he and Inuyasha fight, too. This time Kouga was really mad."

"Why is that wolf so important anyway?" Bankotsu grumbled, not looking into Kagome's eyes but instead behind her.

Kagome stared into his eyes. "Kouga is, or at least was, my friend. Now though, I don't know any more." Sadness still tinged her voice.

In an unusual show of kindness Bankotsu gently cupped her face and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "If he is a real friend, than he would have been happy for you." He stood up and held out a hand to help her up as he finished, "Only time will tell."

Grateful for the kindness he'd just shown her, she accepted his offer placing her slender hand into his warm stronger hand.

He effortlessly lifted her to her feet. He looked around and didn't see Inuyasha. "Where did Inuyasha go?"

Miroku answered evenly, "Into the woods, most likely to work off some frustration."

Bankotsu nodded. "We should keep going. He can catch up when he's ready."

Kagome nodded. "Okay, come on guys, let's go."

Everyone set off on foot this time.

Ten minutes after they continued down the path, Inuyasha ran out of the trees and caught up to them, walking beside Kagome again.

She questioned, "Hey Inuyasha, why did you take off?"

Inuyasha grunted shoving his hands into the sleeves of his fire rat haori. "I needed time to think."

Everyone continued on in silence until the sun began setting.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

At sunset Bankotsu stopped and announced evenly, "We are camping here for the night."

Everyone nodded and the others began setting up camp.

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Bankotsu stood off to the side.

Bankotsu faced his men. "Ja and Ren, you go hunt and make sure you bring back something good." Thinking he added, "Collect some berries and nuts while you're at it."

They nodded and took off to do as they had been bid.

Bankotsu faced Miroku and Sango. "You two go get the water, and plenty of it."

Miroku nodded. He and Sango left as well.

Bankotsu turned to Kagome. "Let's go get some fire wood."

She nodded and they went around side by side collecting wood until both had an arm load of fire wood, then returned to the camp and dropped the wood on the ground by where the fire would be built.

Bankotsu began showing Kagome how to dig a fire pit.

Inuyasha sat with his back against a somewhat flat boulder and eyed them carefully. He still didn't trust the teenage male alone with Kagome.

Jakotsu and Renkotsu returned with a big boar and a bucket full of nuts and berries.

Jakotsu slung the boar on the ground. Huffing his own unhappiness, he began cutting it up.

Sango and Miroku returned with plenty of water and deposited it on the ground by the fire.

Taking two sticks and rubbing them together Bankotsu started the fire.

Kagome, who'd been awed by how fast he started the fire and without even a match, pulled out a pot and filed it with water and herbs.

Jakotsu rinsed and added the meat.

Everyone sat around the fire and quietly waited for the stew to cook.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After the stew finished and was dished up, everyone ate their fill.

Bankotsu and Kagome sat side by side with their backs against a boulder and Bankotsu took out his Banryu to give it a good polishing.

Kagome watched as he polished his weapon. "Where did you get that weapon from anyway?" She'd always wondered but been too afraid to ask.

Bankotsu replied evenly, "It was made for me by a friend of my father."

Kagome blinked. "Oh okay."

Bankotsu stared at her clothes a minute. "Why do you dress so strangely?" He added with a frown of disapproval, "Your kimono in much shorter than normal."

Kagome blushed. "Well, its customary length in my village."

Bankotsu's brow rose. "Where is this village of yours?" He was now curious.

Kagome answered cryptically, "It's very far from here."

Bankotsu wondered why she was being so evasive, but decided to drop it for now. Instead he suggested, "You should get some sleep while you can, we are leaving before the sun rises."

Kagome replied, "I can't sleep. Normally I would lay in my sleeping bag, but I - " She stopped before she committed a blunder.

Bankotsu guessed amused, "You are not comfortable with me enough to sleep like normal, is that it?"

She blushed embarrassed that he'd read her so easily and nodded.

Bankotsu stared her dead in the eye. "I may be a killer Kagome, but even I will not force myself on an unwilling woman!" He chastised, "Even mercenaries have some honor."

She nodded that she understood. She tilted her head to the side. "How would you normally sleep?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "Normally I would be patrolling the area, then settle against a tree after the guys had gone to sleep."

Kagome frowned. "Isn't sleeping while sitting up uncomfortable?" She was pretty sure it would be.

"Not as much as sleeping on the hard ground," Bankotsu answered with amusement in his voice. Having finished his task, he recovered his Banryu and propped it against his shoulder like Inuyasha had done with his sword.

Kagome shivered a little as she felt a cool breeze and pulled out her sleeping bag to cover with.

Bankotsu noticed this and queried, "Are you feeling cold?"

Kagome replied, "A little." She thought longingly, 'Some hot chocolate would come in handy about now. Why do I never remember until after I leave to pack warmer clothes?'

Bankotsu moved one arm so it was around her and pulled her into his side. "Better?" he asked, looking down at the girl beside him.

She blushed at how close their bodies were and nodded as her body felt his heat radiating towards her.

Bankotsu also grew a bit conscious of how close they were to each other. Normally he wouldn't have care one iota, but for some reason he didn't like seeing her uncomfortable. He sighed. "Good, now get some sleep."

Kagome yawned and drifted into a warm sleep.

Inuyasha wasn't happy about this but knew he couldn't do anything without hurting Kagome, so he settled for glaring at Bankotsu and growling lowly in his throat.

Everyone else had settled into sleep for the night.

After a while Inuyasha and Bankotsu had both nodded off into a light sleep.

After everyone was asleep Midoriko appeared and looked over at the two sleeping by the tree. She felt bad for the position the two teens had been thrust into with Naraku's curse. She whispered, "I will do what I can for you, child."

She began chanting and a luminous glow formed around Bankotsu and Kagome's bodies, as she continued chanting the light grew brighter. After she finished chanting the light slowly faded away.

"I have done what I can for you two, the rest is up to you," Midoriko's ghost whispered, and then her ghost faded into the night.

Author's Note: Okay guys and gals there is the improved chapter three. Please remember to read and review thanks.