InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bankotsu's Sensual Lessons ❯ Bankotsu's Mysterious Vixen Conclusion ( Chapter 10 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: kittyb78 
The conclusion to Bankotsu's Mysterious Vixen Mini Saga.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.28.2010 | Updated On: 02.23.2011 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 767 | Status: Completed
The conclusion to Bankotsu's Mysterious Vixen Mini Saga.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.28.2010 | Updated On: 02.23.2011 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 767 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters. They are the sole property of their wonderfully talented created Rumiko Takahashi. I am simply using them for my own twisted enjoyment. I do however own my naughty plot lines. XD
A/N: Sadly this will be the final arch in the Bankotsu's Mysterious Vixen Saga. However... we will get back to the random one-shots. :P
--
Bankotsu's Mysterious Vixen Pt V:
The next morning, Bankotsu stared at the woman beside him and rolled over claiming her lips in a long deep kiss, as if committing her taste to memory. When he pulled back, both were breathless.
He smirked at her as he stood and slipped into his fondushi.
Her eyes watched him closely as he dressed. She stared into his striking eyes. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
He grinned. "As much fun as this has been, I've never been able to stay in one place for long. I need to feel the wind in my hair and the adrenaline rush of battle in my veins."
He half expected her to cling to him begging him not to leave her, most women usually did, no matter how tiresome that got.
Instead she surprised him by simply nodding. "I figured as much." She turned her back to him and started dressing.
He frowned and tilted his head to the side watching her naked backside as she dressed. 'What no begging for me to stay?' He watched her step into her hakamas. He smiled remembering how soft her skin was. Her spine stiffened after she pulled her haori on and tied the obi in place.
She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath before turning to face him. Her eyes were dry. "Will you be stopping by again in the future?"
He sent her a sheepish grin. "Well, I never know what my future holds. The truth is, I never really think about it." He shrugged casually.
She nodded. "You're not the type to settle down either, are you?"
He snorted. "Hell no!" and watched her shoulders sag.
"Guess I'll have to find someone else then," she muttered under her breath, not realizing she had spoken out loud.
His eyes narrowed and he stepped over, snatching her by the elbow. He growled, "If I find out another man has so much as touched your face, I'll come back and slit him from his neck to his toes!"
She glared at him. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my days alone."
His hand snagged her hair and yanked her hair back. His mouth fused to hers in a searing kiss. He ignored her feeble attempts to free herself and continued kissing her until she went pliant in his arms and kissed him back.
He pulled back and stared directly into her eyes, holding her stare. He sighed. "I'll stop by when I can."
She stared at him confused.
He stepped back and stabbed a finger towards her, shaking it. "You had better be waiting for me." His face turned red with anger. "If I find out that you have been unfaithful to me in any way, I'll hunt him down, and string him up by his balls."
Watching her eyes widen and seeing her flinch, he smirked evilly. "I'll even make you watch while I torment your lover." His eyes glazed over with malice as he told her exactly what he would do. "I'll start by castrating him, and then choking him with his own intestines."
Laughing gleefully he took a menacing step towards her. "Then when I'm finished with him, I will remind you exactly why no other man will ever satisfy you like I do. I'll have you screaming out my name, writhing underneath me and keep you there until I've had my fill."
Her jaw dropped and she stared at him. "You're not serious!"
He pinned her with a deathly glare and growled, "You don't want to test me on this."
His voice and the look he was sending her were so deadly that she visibly shivered. 'He's crazy enough to actually do something like that too. I don't want to go back to spending my life alone anymore... but I don't want to be responsible for anyone else dying again either...'
'I won't be responsible for another man's untimely death.' Her heart ached as she pushed the guilt of her fiance's death at the hands of the Daimyo's eldest son aside.
After a few deep breaths, she met his steady gaze. "You can't expect me to waste my life waiting for you to 'just drop by' again. That isn't fair to me."
Teeth clenched, he snorted. "You still had better not get too attached to him. Because, I you had better be available whenever I do stop by."
She glared at him defiantly. "I'm not a whore! You can't just decide to visit and then walk away again, expecting me to stay available for when you get the urge to stop by!"
Bankotsu growled, "I meant it Michiko. You're my woman and I had better not find even so much as a whisper of an attachment to any other man."
She glared at him. "What gives you the right to dictate what I can and can't do anyway?"
He snatched her by the waist and kissed her dominantly, backing her against the cabin and pinned her body with his own heavier one.
He pulled back to stare into her eyes. "Because no other man will be able to satisfy you like I do."
His mouth feasted on her neck making her moan. "When you are with other men, you will think back on our nights together. Remembering how my hands ran over your body, making you whimper those cute little noises you make."
He demonstrated by using his hands to roam her body possessively and his mouth kissed her passionately.
He moved over to nip her earlobe and whispered huskily, "You will remember the feeling of my dick moving inside of you, filling you to capacity, making your mind and body melt," His fingers shoved her hakamas down and slipped between her folds, working their magic.
She closed her eyes and her breath hitched as his naughty fingers teased her relentlessly. Whimpers fell from her lips, like he knew they would. She sighed heavily and lowered her head to his shoulder, holding him to her while he body moved in tune with him. 'How is it that he can do this to me?'
His free hand shoved his hakamas down and he spread her legs wide, draping them over his arms. His strong arms held her open to him. He pushed his steel like erection inside of her soaked opening and burned her with his body heat, making steam rise from their skin as he showed her exactly what he meant.
She panted and her fingers dug into his biceps through his haori. 'Why did I have to get involved with a guy like him?' It was no use trying to fool herself... In just the few short days and night they had spent together, she'd gone and fallen hard for him. She'd given him everything she had to give.
Thinking quickly became impossible as he swept her away into a fiery storm of passion, so intense that it scorched into her very soul, branding her in a way no other man ever had or would.
Feeling the same ferocious storm consume his soul, Bankotsu continued slamming as deep as he could inside of her, driving the desperation of their coupling even higher, until neither of them could think - only feel.
He closed his eyes, reveling in the way that her inner walls gripped him possessively, as if they would never let him go. He loved the little mewling sounds she made, as she dug her nails into his flesh. It filled him with immense pride and boosted his already large ego even higher.
His mouth ravaged hers as their bodies danced and they shared a shattering climax. The passion between them was like tidal waves crashing against the rocks.
The two lovers clung to each other as if they were the others' only lifeline, while the waves of desire slowly ebbed like a tide fading away.
His chest rumbled in pleasure at the tingling still in his scrotum as his seed spewed forth saturating her womb.
Her inner muscles milked him dry as their orgasms slowly receded; their shuddering breaths began to slow to a more normal pace.
He lowered her legs and slowly slipped out of her, puffing his chest with pride as she whimpered disappointment, due to his withdraw.
He forced her chin up and stared into her eyes. "Face it Michiko, you are mine in a way no other man will ever be able to claim."
Her lower lip trembled and she nodded, tears clinging to her eyelashes.
Bankotsu smirked. "No other will ever make you feel like this." His lips brushed against hers, teasing them. Unable to deny him, she opened her lips granting him access to her mouth. He kissed her passionately and then pulled back.
He pulled up his fondushi and hakamas and knelt before her. Supporting her by his arms around her waist, he proceeded to lick their combined juices from her sweet petals until there wasn't a single drop left.
He rose up and kissed her again, forcing her to taste what they were together. As if in a trance, she kissed him back.
He pulled back to stare into her eyes. "No other man can ever replace me."
She nodded and pulled her hakamas back in place. "Do I at least get to know your name?"
"It's Bankotsu," he replied cockily.
"Bankotsu," She whispered trying it out.
His finger traced her swollen lips slowly, enjoying the fact that he'd been the one who caused her face to flush with such passion. "I like the way it sounds coming from your pretty lips."
She blushed.
"Say it again," he commanded huskily, tracing his finger down to her collar bone and cupping her breast, through her haori.
A shiver of desire ran through her as she felt the warmth of his hand settle upon her breast, over her heart. "Bankotsu," She moaned as if still in the throes of passion.
He smirked and lightly squeezed it. "Good girl."
Feeling that old restlessness kick in harder, he lifted Banryu onto his shoulder and winked. "Remember now, I'm the only man who will be able to fully satisfy you." He turned walking into the sunrise.
With a heavy heart and the realization that he was right echoing in her mind, she stood there watching as he walked away.
When he was gone, she sighed heavily steeling herself for the lonely night ahead.
--
Three days later, she was out by the river hanging her laundry on the line to dry, when a bone chilling breeze blew past her and an unexplainable heavy feeling settled in her heart.
A vision of the braid haired, blue eyed youth being shot with arrows filled her mind. She watched his shocked face, as he saw one of the warriors with him get hit by the vollies of arrows, from the surrounding armies.
She cried out in horror as a couple arrows lodged deep in his right thigh.
Stark fear gripped her soul and she clutched a hand to her chest, over her rapidly beating heart. The vision faded and she stared around confused. 'What was that?'
She was startled out of her thoughts, when a messenger ran up to her. "The Daimyo bids thee come and watch milady, for the ruthless Schichinatai, which have long been troubling these and the surrounding lands, have at last been caught. They are to be executed at sunset, and his lordship requests your presence."
'No!' She dropped her bed furs and ran toward the village five miles away, as if the devil were nipping at her heels. Fear rushed through her veins, urging her to go faster. 'He can't die, he just can't!'
When she finally got there, she bent over panting heavily, feeling as if her lungs might burst. She stood there a few minutes to regain her breath, and then made her way through the crowd, trying to avoid the Daimyo's son's notice.
She pushed her way through to the front of the crowd and gaped. Seven men had been led to the center of the village with thick iron chains tied around their arms and upper bodies.
One particular stood out above all the rest to her. It was the man who had tenderly cradled her in his arms only four nights prior and then wildly taken her the day of his departure.
She watched horrified as he was placed next to a wrought iron stand.
Resigned piercing blue eyes slowly scanned the crowd that had gathered to watch their executions.
The General cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. "These men are guilty of numerous, heinous crimes against the country. All of you here today, shall serve as witnesses to their execution!"
He stepped down off his horse and drew his sword from its sheathe. "You men have been declared too dangerous to let live, and are guilty of inhumane atrocities against the people of these lands."
He grinned. "As General of these lands, I am to be the one to carry out your sentences." Raising his sword high into the air, he began chopping off their heads one by one, staring with the beastly mountain of a man, who had been staked to the ground by at least a dozen chains.
Bankotsu glanced over at Jakotsu and sighed. He said, "Well Ja, it was fun while it lasted."
Jakotsu stared at his leader and smiled. "Hai Big brother, it was." He went back to listening to the deaths of his comrades, as the sounds of heads hitting the ground filled his ears, he winced.
He turned back to his best friend. "Perhaps we will meet again and continue our fun in the next life?"
"Yeah, that would be nice, eh Ja?" Bankotsu's eyes hinted at sadness. His heart weighed heavily with just a bit of regret for having unknowingly led his men into an unexpected ambush.
He sighed heavily, trying to think of something happier. Unbidden his thoughts turned to the woman he'd left behind only a short time ago.
She had been different from all of the other women he'd bed in his life. From the very beginning something had been different about her.
Whenever he held her in his arms, he'd felt a deep abiding calmness settle around him. It was almost as if nothing could bother him while they were together.
That was nice of course, and she had a certain feistiness to her that no other woman he'd bed had ever exhibited. She had a great body too. But, what he really missed the most about her was... her voice.
Listening to her sing lifted his soul, making him feel less like a killer and more like a man. He couldn't remember having ever heard a more beautiful sound than her voice drifting on the wind.
Sadly though as nice as it had all been, it still wasn't enough to quiet the restlessness that always invaded him whenever he was complacent. It never failed. He would get comfortable and then boom the urge to travel would kick in again.
'I suppose I was doomed to be a wanderer all of my days?' He silently damned the never ending restlessness that had driven him to leave her arms and travel once again. 'Oh well, at least the guys and I had fun wiping out one more village.'
Her face filled his mind, from when she was singing by the river. 'If only I could have seen her, and heard her voice one last time.' He thought wistfully.
His eyes again scanned the crowd, landing on the beautiful vixen he had spent his last amorous nights with. His heart leapt as their eyes locked. 'Michiko,' He thought feeling temporarily elated as memories of their nights together promptly filled his mind.
A deep sadness filled her eyes as she watched the man next to him get forced to his knees and the sword raise above his neck.
The thud of his fallen comrade's head hitting the ground, jarred Bankotsu from his revere of those steamy nights.
The General's rough hand forced the warrior to his knees. His eyes remained locked to lady whom he had longed to see just once more. He noticed her straight shoulders and the defiant tilt of her chin as she watched the proceedings.
"Have you anything to say before the sentence is carried out?" The general demanded gruffly.
A smug smirk slid across the mercenaries lips. "I'm watching you." He declared cockily, staring at his enchantress.
Her eyes widened and she bit her lip. A hand shakily covered her lips to hold in a gasp, taking care not to give away her presence to the Daimyo's son. Her head nodded slowly, signaling that she had understood.
"Whatever," The general scoffed as he forced Bankotsu's head down and raised his sword into the air.
Bankotsu closed his eyes silently accepting his death.
Her lip trembled and she watched things moving as if in slow motion. The blade was brought down with a heavy jerk, severing her lover's head from his body. His body fell over to the side and his head rolled over by stopping by her feet, smirking up at her with his eyes closed.
Her eyes filled with tears and her body shook as the crowd screamed jumping back. She tore her eyes from the grisly sight of the blood oozing from his neck. Her stomach roiled as she ran back through the crowd, with tears flowing down her cheeks.
She ran all the way home trying to force the gruesome sight of the execution from her mind and collapsed into a sobbing heap near her cabin. She curled into a fetal position and cried her heart out feeling as if her heart had been broken in two and a piece of her soul was now missing. She felt more alone than ever before.
--
Four years later:
Michiko walked hand in hand with a toddler towards the river and gently bathed her.
"Mama, tell me about daddy." The child stared up at her with striking blue eyes.
She smiled down at her little Angel. "Well Koneko, to be honest, I didn't really know him all that well."
The little girl stared at her, eyes wide with confusion. "How come?"
She smiled. "Well baby, he just popped into my life, stayed a while, and then popped out again."
"Did you love him?"
She sighed. "Yes, thought I didn't know it until after he left."
"Why not?"
She gave the girl a small smile. "It was... complicated."
"How so?"
Michiko answered, "Well we didn't really have enough time to know each other like we should have."
Earnest blue eyes stared at her. "What can you tell me about him?"
"Well, he was a strong and handsome warrior." She lathered the girl's black hair up and continued, "And he liked to live life carefree, not worrying about what tomorrow would bring. He lived each moment as it came."
The little girl smiled at her mother. "Was he nice?"
Michiko smiled. "Hai sometimes he was very sweet, and at other times he had a real bad temper." Poking her daughter's nose, she added, "He was a lot like you actually."
The little girl giggled and batted the finger away.
Michiko carefully rinsed her daughter's hair and then dried the girl off, and helped her dress in the little white hakamas and haori she'd made for her.
"Where is he?" She watched as her mother's face turned sad.
"Well sweetie, he's... not around anymore."
The girl frowned. "Why not?"
Michiko sighed heavily. She wasn't going to lie to her daughter. She was determined that their daughter would know the man he truly was. Good and bad.
"He wasn't always a good person honey. In fact he did some really bad things and eventually they caught up to him."
Koneko pursed her lips deep in thought. She sighed heavily and slipped her arms around her mother's leg. "Do you regret meeting him?"
Michiko placed a hand on top of the little girl's head as she remembered his parting words. "No baby, I don't, I never could."
"Why?"
Michiko hugged her daughter. "Because he gave me the most precious gift in the world."
"Really? What was that?"
"You baby, he gave me you."
Koneko said sadly. "I miss him."
Michiko nodded. "Me too baby."
She smiled at her daughter as she remembered his final words. "But you know what? Even though he's gone now, he's always watching over us."
"Really?"
She nodded.
Koneko's bright smile crossed her tiny lips and she nodded hugging her mother tightly.
Michiko kissed her cheek. "Now, are you ready to help me weed out the garden?"
Michiko laughed and watched her daughter feeling truly happy for the first time in her life. Since her little Angel had been born, she had poured every ounce of her energy into raising the tyke, not even worrying about anything but her daughter's happiness. She'd turned down another man saying she already felt complete and wished him happiness with finding a new woman.
She knelt beside the garden and began weeding it. Her face turned towards the trees and she gasped as an ethereal figure wearing pristine white hakamas and a haori, casually leaned against an ethereal Banryu, cocking one hip and smirking cockily at her.
Her heart fluttered and for a brief second she felt elated. She closed her eyes, inhaling a deep breath, to quiet the butterflies in her stomach, and rubbed her eyes. She looked again and sighed heavily, seeing nothing.
Feeling bereft, she thought, 'It must have been my imagination.'
--
A/N: Well, that's it for this little mini saga. I hope everyone enjoyed it. The next chapter will return us to the random one-shots.
A/N: Sadly this will be the final arch in the Bankotsu's Mysterious Vixen Saga. However... we will get back to the random one-shots. :P
--
Bankotsu's Mysterious Vixen Pt V:
The next morning, Bankotsu stared at the woman beside him and rolled over claiming her lips in a long deep kiss, as if committing her taste to memory. When he pulled back, both were breathless.
He smirked at her as he stood and slipped into his fondushi.
Her eyes watched him closely as he dressed. She stared into his striking eyes. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
He grinned. "As much fun as this has been, I've never been able to stay in one place for long. I need to feel the wind in my hair and the adrenaline rush of battle in my veins."
He half expected her to cling to him begging him not to leave her, most women usually did, no matter how tiresome that got.
Instead she surprised him by simply nodding. "I figured as much." She turned her back to him and started dressing.
He frowned and tilted his head to the side watching her naked backside as she dressed. 'What no begging for me to stay?' He watched her step into her hakamas. He smiled remembering how soft her skin was. Her spine stiffened after she pulled her haori on and tied the obi in place.
She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath before turning to face him. Her eyes were dry. "Will you be stopping by again in the future?"
He sent her a sheepish grin. "Well, I never know what my future holds. The truth is, I never really think about it." He shrugged casually.
She nodded. "You're not the type to settle down either, are you?"
He snorted. "Hell no!" and watched her shoulders sag.
"Guess I'll have to find someone else then," she muttered under her breath, not realizing she had spoken out loud.
His eyes narrowed and he stepped over, snatching her by the elbow. He growled, "If I find out another man has so much as touched your face, I'll come back and slit him from his neck to his toes!"
She glared at him. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my days alone."
His hand snagged her hair and yanked her hair back. His mouth fused to hers in a searing kiss. He ignored her feeble attempts to free herself and continued kissing her until she went pliant in his arms and kissed him back.
He pulled back and stared directly into her eyes, holding her stare. He sighed. "I'll stop by when I can."
She stared at him confused.
He stepped back and stabbed a finger towards her, shaking it. "You had better be waiting for me." His face turned red with anger. "If I find out that you have been unfaithful to me in any way, I'll hunt him down, and string him up by his balls."
Watching her eyes widen and seeing her flinch, he smirked evilly. "I'll even make you watch while I torment your lover." His eyes glazed over with malice as he told her exactly what he would do. "I'll start by castrating him, and then choking him with his own intestines."
Laughing gleefully he took a menacing step towards her. "Then when I'm finished with him, I will remind you exactly why no other man will ever satisfy you like I do. I'll have you screaming out my name, writhing underneath me and keep you there until I've had my fill."
Her jaw dropped and she stared at him. "You're not serious!"
He pinned her with a deathly glare and growled, "You don't want to test me on this."
His voice and the look he was sending her were so deadly that she visibly shivered. 'He's crazy enough to actually do something like that too. I don't want to go back to spending my life alone anymore... but I don't want to be responsible for anyone else dying again either...'
'I won't be responsible for another man's untimely death.' Her heart ached as she pushed the guilt of her fiance's death at the hands of the Daimyo's eldest son aside.
After a few deep breaths, she met his steady gaze. "You can't expect me to waste my life waiting for you to 'just drop by' again. That isn't fair to me."
Teeth clenched, he snorted. "You still had better not get too attached to him. Because, I you had better be available whenever I do stop by."
She glared at him defiantly. "I'm not a whore! You can't just decide to visit and then walk away again, expecting me to stay available for when you get the urge to stop by!"
Bankotsu growled, "I meant it Michiko. You're my woman and I had better not find even so much as a whisper of an attachment to any other man."
She glared at him. "What gives you the right to dictate what I can and can't do anyway?"
He snatched her by the waist and kissed her dominantly, backing her against the cabin and pinned her body with his own heavier one.
He pulled back to stare into her eyes. "Because no other man will be able to satisfy you like I do."
His mouth feasted on her neck making her moan. "When you are with other men, you will think back on our nights together. Remembering how my hands ran over your body, making you whimper those cute little noises you make."
He demonstrated by using his hands to roam her body possessively and his mouth kissed her passionately.
He moved over to nip her earlobe and whispered huskily, "You will remember the feeling of my dick moving inside of you, filling you to capacity, making your mind and body melt," His fingers shoved her hakamas down and slipped between her folds, working their magic.
She closed her eyes and her breath hitched as his naughty fingers teased her relentlessly. Whimpers fell from her lips, like he knew they would. She sighed heavily and lowered her head to his shoulder, holding him to her while he body moved in tune with him. 'How is it that he can do this to me?'
His free hand shoved his hakamas down and he spread her legs wide, draping them over his arms. His strong arms held her open to him. He pushed his steel like erection inside of her soaked opening and burned her with his body heat, making steam rise from their skin as he showed her exactly what he meant.
She panted and her fingers dug into his biceps through his haori. 'Why did I have to get involved with a guy like him?' It was no use trying to fool herself... In just the few short days and night they had spent together, she'd gone and fallen hard for him. She'd given him everything she had to give.
Thinking quickly became impossible as he swept her away into a fiery storm of passion, so intense that it scorched into her very soul, branding her in a way no other man ever had or would.
Feeling the same ferocious storm consume his soul, Bankotsu continued slamming as deep as he could inside of her, driving the desperation of their coupling even higher, until neither of them could think - only feel.
He closed his eyes, reveling in the way that her inner walls gripped him possessively, as if they would never let him go. He loved the little mewling sounds she made, as she dug her nails into his flesh. It filled him with immense pride and boosted his already large ego even higher.
His mouth ravaged hers as their bodies danced and they shared a shattering climax. The passion between them was like tidal waves crashing against the rocks.
The two lovers clung to each other as if they were the others' only lifeline, while the waves of desire slowly ebbed like a tide fading away.
His chest rumbled in pleasure at the tingling still in his scrotum as his seed spewed forth saturating her womb.
Her inner muscles milked him dry as their orgasms slowly receded; their shuddering breaths began to slow to a more normal pace.
He lowered her legs and slowly slipped out of her, puffing his chest with pride as she whimpered disappointment, due to his withdraw.
He forced her chin up and stared into her eyes. "Face it Michiko, you are mine in a way no other man will ever be able to claim."
Her lower lip trembled and she nodded, tears clinging to her eyelashes.
Bankotsu smirked. "No other will ever make you feel like this." His lips brushed against hers, teasing them. Unable to deny him, she opened her lips granting him access to her mouth. He kissed her passionately and then pulled back.
He pulled up his fondushi and hakamas and knelt before her. Supporting her by his arms around her waist, he proceeded to lick their combined juices from her sweet petals until there wasn't a single drop left.
He rose up and kissed her again, forcing her to taste what they were together. As if in a trance, she kissed him back.
He pulled back to stare into her eyes. "No other man can ever replace me."
She nodded and pulled her hakamas back in place. "Do I at least get to know your name?"
"It's Bankotsu," he replied cockily.
"Bankotsu," She whispered trying it out.
His finger traced her swollen lips slowly, enjoying the fact that he'd been the one who caused her face to flush with such passion. "I like the way it sounds coming from your pretty lips."
She blushed.
"Say it again," he commanded huskily, tracing his finger down to her collar bone and cupping her breast, through her haori.
A shiver of desire ran through her as she felt the warmth of his hand settle upon her breast, over her heart. "Bankotsu," She moaned as if still in the throes of passion.
He smirked and lightly squeezed it. "Good girl."
Feeling that old restlessness kick in harder, he lifted Banryu onto his shoulder and winked. "Remember now, I'm the only man who will be able to fully satisfy you." He turned walking into the sunrise.
With a heavy heart and the realization that he was right echoing in her mind, she stood there watching as he walked away.
When he was gone, she sighed heavily steeling herself for the lonely night ahead.
--
Three days later, she was out by the river hanging her laundry on the line to dry, when a bone chilling breeze blew past her and an unexplainable heavy feeling settled in her heart.
A vision of the braid haired, blue eyed youth being shot with arrows filled her mind. She watched his shocked face, as he saw one of the warriors with him get hit by the vollies of arrows, from the surrounding armies.
She cried out in horror as a couple arrows lodged deep in his right thigh.
Stark fear gripped her soul and she clutched a hand to her chest, over her rapidly beating heart. The vision faded and she stared around confused. 'What was that?'
She was startled out of her thoughts, when a messenger ran up to her. "The Daimyo bids thee come and watch milady, for the ruthless Schichinatai, which have long been troubling these and the surrounding lands, have at last been caught. They are to be executed at sunset, and his lordship requests your presence."
'No!' She dropped her bed furs and ran toward the village five miles away, as if the devil were nipping at her heels. Fear rushed through her veins, urging her to go faster. 'He can't die, he just can't!'
When she finally got there, she bent over panting heavily, feeling as if her lungs might burst. She stood there a few minutes to regain her breath, and then made her way through the crowd, trying to avoid the Daimyo's son's notice.
She pushed her way through to the front of the crowd and gaped. Seven men had been led to the center of the village with thick iron chains tied around their arms and upper bodies.
One particular stood out above all the rest to her. It was the man who had tenderly cradled her in his arms only four nights prior and then wildly taken her the day of his departure.
She watched horrified as he was placed next to a wrought iron stand.
Resigned piercing blue eyes slowly scanned the crowd that had gathered to watch their executions.
The General cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. "These men are guilty of numerous, heinous crimes against the country. All of you here today, shall serve as witnesses to their execution!"
He stepped down off his horse and drew his sword from its sheathe. "You men have been declared too dangerous to let live, and are guilty of inhumane atrocities against the people of these lands."
He grinned. "As General of these lands, I am to be the one to carry out your sentences." Raising his sword high into the air, he began chopping off their heads one by one, staring with the beastly mountain of a man, who had been staked to the ground by at least a dozen chains.
Bankotsu glanced over at Jakotsu and sighed. He said, "Well Ja, it was fun while it lasted."
Jakotsu stared at his leader and smiled. "Hai Big brother, it was." He went back to listening to the deaths of his comrades, as the sounds of heads hitting the ground filled his ears, he winced.
He turned back to his best friend. "Perhaps we will meet again and continue our fun in the next life?"
"Yeah, that would be nice, eh Ja?" Bankotsu's eyes hinted at sadness. His heart weighed heavily with just a bit of regret for having unknowingly led his men into an unexpected ambush.
He sighed heavily, trying to think of something happier. Unbidden his thoughts turned to the woman he'd left behind only a short time ago.
She had been different from all of the other women he'd bed in his life. From the very beginning something had been different about her.
Whenever he held her in his arms, he'd felt a deep abiding calmness settle around him. It was almost as if nothing could bother him while they were together.
That was nice of course, and she had a certain feistiness to her that no other woman he'd bed had ever exhibited. She had a great body too. But, what he really missed the most about her was... her voice.
Listening to her sing lifted his soul, making him feel less like a killer and more like a man. He couldn't remember having ever heard a more beautiful sound than her voice drifting on the wind.
Sadly though as nice as it had all been, it still wasn't enough to quiet the restlessness that always invaded him whenever he was complacent. It never failed. He would get comfortable and then boom the urge to travel would kick in again.
'I suppose I was doomed to be a wanderer all of my days?' He silently damned the never ending restlessness that had driven him to leave her arms and travel once again. 'Oh well, at least the guys and I had fun wiping out one more village.'
Her face filled his mind, from when she was singing by the river. 'If only I could have seen her, and heard her voice one last time.' He thought wistfully.
His eyes again scanned the crowd, landing on the beautiful vixen he had spent his last amorous nights with. His heart leapt as their eyes locked. 'Michiko,' He thought feeling temporarily elated as memories of their nights together promptly filled his mind.
A deep sadness filled her eyes as she watched the man next to him get forced to his knees and the sword raise above his neck.
The thud of his fallen comrade's head hitting the ground, jarred Bankotsu from his revere of those steamy nights.
The General's rough hand forced the warrior to his knees. His eyes remained locked to lady whom he had longed to see just once more. He noticed her straight shoulders and the defiant tilt of her chin as she watched the proceedings.
"Have you anything to say before the sentence is carried out?" The general demanded gruffly.
A smug smirk slid across the mercenaries lips. "I'm watching you." He declared cockily, staring at his enchantress.
Her eyes widened and she bit her lip. A hand shakily covered her lips to hold in a gasp, taking care not to give away her presence to the Daimyo's son. Her head nodded slowly, signaling that she had understood.
"Whatever," The general scoffed as he forced Bankotsu's head down and raised his sword into the air.
Bankotsu closed his eyes silently accepting his death.
Her lip trembled and she watched things moving as if in slow motion. The blade was brought down with a heavy jerk, severing her lover's head from his body. His body fell over to the side and his head rolled over by stopping by her feet, smirking up at her with his eyes closed.
Her eyes filled with tears and her body shook as the crowd screamed jumping back. She tore her eyes from the grisly sight of the blood oozing from his neck. Her stomach roiled as she ran back through the crowd, with tears flowing down her cheeks.
She ran all the way home trying to force the gruesome sight of the execution from her mind and collapsed into a sobbing heap near her cabin. She curled into a fetal position and cried her heart out feeling as if her heart had been broken in two and a piece of her soul was now missing. She felt more alone than ever before.
--
Four years later:
Michiko walked hand in hand with a toddler towards the river and gently bathed her.
"Mama, tell me about daddy." The child stared up at her with striking blue eyes.
She smiled down at her little Angel. "Well Koneko, to be honest, I didn't really know him all that well."
The little girl stared at her, eyes wide with confusion. "How come?"
She smiled. "Well baby, he just popped into my life, stayed a while, and then popped out again."
"Did you love him?"
She sighed. "Yes, thought I didn't know it until after he left."
"Why not?"
She gave the girl a small smile. "It was... complicated."
"How so?"
Michiko answered, "Well we didn't really have enough time to know each other like we should have."
Earnest blue eyes stared at her. "What can you tell me about him?"
"Well, he was a strong and handsome warrior." She lathered the girl's black hair up and continued, "And he liked to live life carefree, not worrying about what tomorrow would bring. He lived each moment as it came."
The little girl smiled at her mother. "Was he nice?"
Michiko smiled. "Hai sometimes he was very sweet, and at other times he had a real bad temper." Poking her daughter's nose, she added, "He was a lot like you actually."
The little girl giggled and batted the finger away.
Michiko carefully rinsed her daughter's hair and then dried the girl off, and helped her dress in the little white hakamas and haori she'd made for her.
"Where is he?" She watched as her mother's face turned sad.
"Well sweetie, he's... not around anymore."
The girl frowned. "Why not?"
Michiko sighed heavily. She wasn't going to lie to her daughter. She was determined that their daughter would know the man he truly was. Good and bad.
"He wasn't always a good person honey. In fact he did some really bad things and eventually they caught up to him."
Koneko pursed her lips deep in thought. She sighed heavily and slipped her arms around her mother's leg. "Do you regret meeting him?"
Michiko placed a hand on top of the little girl's head as she remembered his parting words. "No baby, I don't, I never could."
"Why?"
Michiko hugged her daughter. "Because he gave me the most precious gift in the world."
"Really? What was that?"
"You baby, he gave me you."
Koneko said sadly. "I miss him."
Michiko nodded. "Me too baby."
She smiled at her daughter as she remembered his final words. "But you know what? Even though he's gone now, he's always watching over us."
"Really?"
She nodded.
Koneko's bright smile crossed her tiny lips and she nodded hugging her mother tightly.
Michiko kissed her cheek. "Now, are you ready to help me weed out the garden?"
Michiko laughed and watched her daughter feeling truly happy for the first time in her life. Since her little Angel had been born, she had poured every ounce of her energy into raising the tyke, not even worrying about anything but her daughter's happiness. She'd turned down another man saying she already felt complete and wished him happiness with finding a new woman.
She knelt beside the garden and began weeding it. Her face turned towards the trees and she gasped as an ethereal figure wearing pristine white hakamas and a haori, casually leaned against an ethereal Banryu, cocking one hip and smirking cockily at her.
Her heart fluttered and for a brief second she felt elated. She closed her eyes, inhaling a deep breath, to quiet the butterflies in her stomach, and rubbed her eyes. She looked again and sighed heavily, seeing nothing.
Feeling bereft, she thought, 'It must have been my imagination.'
--
A/N: Well, that's it for this little mini saga. I hope everyone enjoyed it. The next chapter will return us to the random one-shots.