InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My Enemy, My Friend ❯ Chapter Nine ( Chapter 9 )

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

Disclaimer: I make no money from this story and own none of the characters. Nor do I own the fandom. I only own my little plot line.

XOXOXO:

Chapter Nine:

A week later Bankotsu held Kagome's hand as they rounded down the dark corridor. She walked behind him holding out a small torch.

"Are you sure this cave is safe?" She shivered as she felt a drop of sweat run down her spine.

Bankotsu chuckled. "Anyone who enters this place without knowing exactly what path to follow will end up rotting in one of many dead ends or pits."

She stopped and stared at him with wide eyes.

He smiled. "It's perfectly safe because you're with me Kagome."

She titled her head to the side. "You do know how to get wherever it is we're going right?"

Bankotsu nodded. "I alone know the path. Trust me I memorized it. When I was younger Sensei beat the path into me, not literally but you get the picture." He chuckled fondly.

She nodded and bit her lip allowing him to tug her by the hand again. "Where exactly are we going anyways?"

He grinned. "You'll see." He led her around another twist and into another cavern. He inhaled the dusty aroma of the cave and grinned. "I guarantee no one will be around to interrupt our trip once we get to our destination. No one but I know this place even exists, because Sensei was the last of his kin and he never married."

Kagome's hand tightened around his and she bit her lip. 'There better be a hot spring wherever it is we are going.' Her eyes spotted light spilling into the cave and she sighed. 'Finally this must be the exit.' She inhaled deeply the minute they exited the cave.

'She's going to love this place and it's perfect for what we need.' His chest swelled and he smirked as he rounded the last turn and headed towards the exit.

She gasped as her eyes drank in the lush grassy fifteen acres with 30foot high stone walls and what appeared to be guard towers on three sides. They were several large fruit and nut trees sprinkled throughout the area. There was a small log cabin located in the middle of the acreage.

She stared at him. "Wow, this place is beautiful."

Bankotsu smirked. "Hai it's a tranquil place, that's why Sensei loved it so much. Sensei Tadao entrusted this place to me after I finished learning from him. Shortly after teaching me everything he knew he died from old age."

He inclined his head indicating the cabin. "It holds three big rooms. One for sleeping in, one for hand to hand combat training in and one for bathing in. The bathing room has a wooden slide door that we can lift to allow the hot spring water to flow into a three and a half foot deep circular pit, for private bathing in"

She grinned. "So there is a hot spring?"

He chuckled. "Hai, it's on the right side of the cabin. Sensei made the sliding door and room mostly for winter bathing times, but I figured you'd want a private bathing spot."

She smiled. 'He's very thoughtful when he wants to be.'

"Behind the trees on the left side is a natural cold spring." He grinned. "I remember when Sensei first started training me he had me lug huge buckets of water from the spring for cooking and cleaning with."

She blinked. "You grew up around here then?"

He snorted. "Iie, I grew up in a small backwater village a few days trip from here."

She frowned. "I didn't mean to upset you."

He sighed. "You didn't I just try not to think about how I grew up or where."

She placed a hand on his arm. "If you ever do feel like telling about it, I'll listen."

He blinked. "You really want to know, eh?"

She nodded. "You know about how and where I grew up."

He sighed heavily. "I'll warn you now it isn't pretty."

She stared him dead in the eye. "When you're willing to let me I'd like to learn about your past."

He nodded and his words tinged with long buried bitterness. "Very well then, my mother died when I was nine and I never even knew my father."

He stared into her eyes. "After she died, I grew up in the streets. I fought and clawed for what little I managed to find to eat. I watched the soldiers training everyday and noticed how they had everyone's respect."

Her brows knitted and she nodded for him to continue.

He laughed bitterly. "I was a tough little shit because I had to be. Eventually I got tired of being kicked for stealing food so I could eat and I started kicking back."

He took a deep breath and spoke in a tone devoid of emotion. "At only ten I killed two of my bullies and licked their blood from my hands." He smirked remembering the metallic tang of the red liquid. "After that I was cast from the village, banished. I crossed the lands surviving out of sheer stubbornness and by eating whatever animals I could find and kill."

He grinned. "I killed my first boar with a spear I made right after being cast from the village. He licked his lips. "To this day boar meat is my favorite meal."

"By the time I turned fourteen I had earned a reputation for being completely merciless and ruthless, especially in battle." He smirked. "Most of the soldiers ran in fear when they saw me walking by." His eyes held pure pride at his accomplishment.

'Poor guy, he really did have a hard life.' She blinked and whispered, "I can't even imagine what it would have been like living on the streets from such a tender age."

He shrugged halfheartedly. "I survived."

She nodded. "Tell me about your Sensei? He seems important to you."

Bankotsu blinked and nodded. Pure adoration and respect were in his voice. "Sensei Tadao is one of very few people I held and still hold high respect for."

She smiled. "Was he nice?"

Bankotsu smiled sadly. "He was generous but very strict. He found me freezing in the woods outside these walls when I was eleven. He took me and made a deal with me. If I would do the chores he no longer could such as cleaning the cabin and lugging the water and chopping the wood, he would teach me all I wanted to know about fighting unarmed and with a sword."

Her jaw dropped. "He's the one who taught you everything you know?"

Bankotsu chuckled. "About hand to hand combat and sword play yes, but I already knew a little from growing up on the streets."

She blinked.

Bankotsu grinned. "He taught me how to add even more power to my punches and kicks and how to condition my body to withstand even the toughest strikes and most weather conditions."

She blinked and asked, "Obviously this place is special to you, so why did you bring me here?"

"To train you," Bankotsu smirked.

She gasped. "Tr… train me?"

He chuckled. "Relax miko. I'm not going to teach you the art of killing."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped. "What are you going to do then?"

Bankotsu sent her a boyish grin and his eyes sparkled. "I'm going to train you so you can defend yourself from anymore bandits who try to take advantage of you and I'm going to teach you a variety of weapons for self defense."

Her eyes widened. 'Somehow I don't think that training with him is going to be easy.' She swallowed against the tightness in her throat.

Bankotsu's voice was strict. "We will start with endurance and strength training." His eyes twinkled with mischief and he led her by the hand over to the cabin. 'This is going to be fun.'

XOXOXO:

White triangular ears twitched as they picked up what the villagers were whispering about amongst themselves when the Inutachi, minus Kagome, entered the village.

Thin drawn lips curled back into a snarl. Inuyasha's face darkened as he started pacing. 'I just can't believe that Kagome would actually stoop so low as to travel with the enemy.' He snorted. 'There must be a mistake.'

Anger coursed through his veins as he snatched up one of the villagers and bared his fangs. "Are you absolutely certain that the girl you just described was traveling with Bankotsu of the Shichinintai?"

At the mention of Bankotsu's name the villager's face turned ashen and his body trembled even more. The villager swallowed and nodded his head vigorously. "Hai, you can't mistake that man. He is a devil."

Inuyasha scowled and snorted. "She must have been forced to go with him?"

The man vehemently shook his head side to side. "Iie, they arrived together and stayed at the inn together for several days. Plus she was hugging him just before they left after paying me for the armor and weapons."

Inuyasha growled and saliva dripped from his fangs. He held up his claws. "If I find out that you're lying to us, I'll come back and personally shred you limb from limb."

Sango stared at the hanyou and her voice was commanding. "Inuyasha, release him. Can't you see that poor man is scared out of his wits?"

Inuyasha's nose scrunched and he shook his head, tossing the man to the ground. He muttered under his breath. "Kagome wouldn't dare." His eyes narrowed and he glared out to the land before them.

She caught a bloody green and white mess sticking out of the man's trash can. She snatched up the clothes and looked them over.

Miroku sighed. "Those are Kagome's school clothes alright."

"Miroku," Sango bit her lip and crushed the clothes to her aching chest.

Miroku placed an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry Sango; remember the man said she walked away so obviously she wasn't hurt when they left."

She nodded and tightened her grip on the blood covered ratted clothes. "You're right." She clenched her jaw and turned her back to them, staring out at the land. 'Where are you Kagome?'

Shippo glared at Inuyasha. "This is your fault! Kagome would still be with us if you hadn't shattered her well!"

Inuyasha gripped his sword. "Why you…"

Miroku sighed heavily and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Inuyasha, I understand that you're upset by this, but you don't have to threaten the villagers."

He scooped up the trembling kitsune who broke into tears. "Shh Shippo she will be okay."

Shippo buried his face in the monk's chest and whimpered. "He won't hurt her will he?"

Sango said flatly, "Iie Shippo. They seem to be friendly from what the blacksmith said." She rubbed his back a moment.

"So my reincarnation finally shows her true colors." Kikyo wore a cold smile.

Sango walked over and punched Kikyo in the mouth. "You'd be wise to shut the hell up!" She spun around and walked to the village exit. Her nostrils flared and her knuckles turned white.

Kikyo blinked and held her clay mouth. 'She actually hit me.'

Inuyasha barked. "Oi Sango, don't you touch her again!" His eyes widened and he fell silent at the furious gaze the slayer sent him.

Sango sighed heavily and clenched her jaw. "Standing here isn't doing us any good." With that she walked off carrying her heavy weapon in one hand and the torn clothes of her dearest friend in the other. 'Kagome, I hope Bankotsu is at least being civil to you.'

XOXOXO:

A/N: That's it for chapter nine. I debated for many hours on how much of Ban's past I would put into this chapter… I hope it wasn't too much at once. If it was then I apologize. As always I'd love to hear your opinions and any input you have. XD

P.S. The Japanese name Tadao translates to Loyal Man. I kind of like the irony of Bankotsu's teacher's name being such and Bankotsu's which translates to Barbarian or Thousand Lives. :D