Thanks for the reviews, everyone:D Hopefully, chapter two doesn't disappoint.

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, why would I be writing English fanfics?

'How could I have not given him THAT!' Bankotsu mentally slapped himself. He couldn't have forgotten a more obvious thing if he'd been unable to recall his age whilst staring at his birth certificate.

Bankotsu sighed; nothing he could do now. The conversation had ended in the first place because Jakotsu had to go. He'd get on tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, Jakotsu would be back. Bankotsu closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

Jakotsu barely made it off before Renkotsu came walking into the room. He also managed to scramble over to a nearby bookshelf and make it look like he was deeply engrossed in looking for some particular title.

Renkotsu stood in the doorway for several moments, waiting for some form of acknowledgement from his younger brother. When none came, he cleared his throat.

Jakotsu put on his best look of surprise. "Renkotsu! When did you get back?" he asked, hoping he sounded innocent.

"Just now. What are you doing?" said Renkotsu bluntly, suspicion clear in his eyes.

"Eh…just looking for some textbook that could help me with my…report. For school. You know, since I can't get on your baby over there and look it up." Jakotsu gestured to the computer and smirked.

Though this nickname for his computer annoyed him quite a lot, Renkotsu overlooked it. He was sure he had Jakotsu right where he wanted him – he'd been doing something he wasn't supposed to and was covering it up with the phony report story, Renkotsu was sure. So, applying a bit of his own acting to sound genuinely concerned with Jakotsu's schoolwork, he asked, "What's this report about? Want me to help you look?"

Jakotsu's heart beat slightly faster. Renkotsu was clever, he'd give him that – but Jakotsu wasn't in the mood to be grounded. "Well, you know, I think I've got everything I need." He picked up several books that hadn't fit on the shelf. "Thanks anyway, brother!" With that, he slunk out quickly.

Renkotsu clenched his mouth shut to suppress a groan (undignified sound that it was, as far as he was concerned). Almost. But Jakotsu wasn't the sort of person who learned from such a near miss – he made the same mistakes over and over again. He was sure he'd eventually catch his younger brother in whatever act he'd been partaking in.

Jakotsu shut his door behind him quickly, and nearly collapsed behind it as he let out a sigh of relief. He looked at the books in his hands; none of them were remotely similar to each other. However, Renkotsu needn't ever discover that.

He wondered when his brother would be out next. Perhaps he could persuade him to go out for a drink tomorrow with whatever crowd he hung around? That was what most guys his brother's age did on a Friday night. But then, the twenty-two-year-old was very obviously not 'most guys'; he'd probably sooner be aroused by his computer than a fellow human being, for one thing. For another, Renkotsu hated ninety-nine percent of the population. As far as Jakotsu knew, Renkotsu was of the opinion that the more he could avoid the masses, the better.

Moving over to lay down on his bed, Jakotsu opted to think of something else. He rolled over to the side and placed his hand under the mattress, feeling around until his fingers touched slick, thin paper. Triumphantly, he pulled it out.

'It' was a magazine. A rather naughty magazine, to be more precise, which Renkotsu would've confiscated if he'd known of its existence. Jakotsu had picked it up at the airport terminal when he'd first flown into this city, having been very bored at the time, and then hastily stuffed it into his bag as the brother he hadn't seen in nearly ten years came into view.

'Ha…you'd think I'd learn,' thought Jakotsu, smiling, 'This particular kind of reading is what got me into trouble in the first place back…back at my last home. Scars to prove it and everything.' Strangely, he felt no bitterness at such a thought. Ever since his parents' death, Jakotsu had come to the conclusion that whatever life threw at you, laughing about it was the best course.

Don't take anything seriously.

Don't even give it a chance to get to you.

Life is just one big game; no one in their right mind gets upset over a game.

That was his mantra.

Several hours later, a knock at the door woke Bankotsu from blissful, relatively pain-free slumber. He staggered up and opened the door, not even bothering to look out a window and see who it was. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the teen knew his parents would've been about to lay down a lecture if they could've seen it. 'Don't you ever open the door unless you know who it is,' Bankotsu's brain mimicked, in whiny, high-pitched tones. That was one of the principle rules he'd been raised on. His parents seemed to be under the misapprehension that there were people waiting to assassinate mediocre (yet strangely high-paid) employees for a mediocre overseas business under every rock.

The kind face of his cousin, Suikotsu, came face to face with him. His parents worked for Tomodo Enterprises as well – but they, at least, hadn't expected him to work the same profession as them when he got older. On the other hand, he'd chosen to be a doctor, and they were relatively well off. 'Everything's about money in the end,' he thought dully.

"Bankotsu…you're still not well are you?" asked Suikotsu, appearing so concerned that if he didn't always look like that when discussing ill health, Bankotsu would've taken it for a comic exaggeration.

In no mood to be pleasant, Bankotsu replied, "No, I'm feeling like going out and skipping in the sunshine." Pause. "What do you think?"

"Have you been taking the medicine I gave you?" said Suikotsu.

"Religiously."

Suikotsu frowned. Then he cast his gaze downward and saw Bankotsu's shoes. They were almost caked in mud from the laces down; not all the mud appeared to have dried either. "You went to school, didn't you?"

Bankotsu groaned.

"I thought I told you that you shouldn't."

"We had football practice! The coach threatened to kick anyone who wasn't there off the team!" he protested. "And he doesn't like me much as it is."

"Why not?" Typical Suikotsu, Bankotsu thought. Hopping from one concern to another, with equal worry for each.

"He says I'm a cheeky, arrogant runt," muttered Bankotsu. "I guess it's okay to be cheeky and arrogant if you're big, though, because he just slaps guys like that on the back and chuckles. Bastard."

"Maybe I should – "

"DON'T interfere," Bankotsu interrupted. "I finish my own fights, okay?"

Looking, in Bankotsu's opinion, like a statue of a tragic martyr, Suikotsu nodded. "All right. But Bankotsu…don't stress yourself out, okay? I know you're stubborn about a lot of things, but please don't be stubborn about this." He tapped his head and smiled. "Doctor knows best."

"Well, one thing I can say for Doctor is that he knows better than mom and dad, at any rate," said Bankotsu, a touch of bitterness in his voice.

Um…short chapter. Oo Mostly because its main purpose is to introduce Suikotsu and Renkotsu. Other than that it's just 'transitional' chapter more than anything. And it also seems slightly off to me, so I'm hesitant to post it. XD

Oh, and sorry for the wait! Be warned, though, there maybe more like it. I'm working on something else at the moment, and am just plain lazy to boot. XP