"As long as he has a hold of my heart, I can never be free..."

-Kagura.

The Darkness Within Our Hearts: Chapter 23 - Poison's Rush.

"Bankotsu Oo-aniki!" Jakotsu shouted, hoping that his leader would catch his voice with his ears. "Oy! Aniki!" The feminine male shouted, cupping his hands around his red lips, attempting to make his voice louder. After countless cries, Jakotsu flopped down; sitting down with a sigh on Ginkotsu as they aimlessly rode down the dirt rode. "We'll never find him at this rate..."

"I'm sure Oo-aniki is fine..." Renkotsu spoke, sounding sure.

"But, he might be with that insane samurai woman. And you saw what happened before they fell into the river..." Jakotsu stated, cocking his head to the side; resting his cheek in the palm of his left hand. "That dirty girl managed to lay a hit on Oo-aniki before they went over board. And she's a troublesome thing, she almost had us back at Bamboo Forest too." Recalling how her army ambushed them with bamboo spears.

"A troublesome and annoying enemy..." Renkotsu stroked his chin with his hand. "But Oo-aniki can deal with her alone. She's probably already dead for all we care." He chuckled abit.

"Enough of that woman." Suikotsu grunted as he sat there silently listening to the conversation to the point he could no longer stay silent. He folded his arms over his chest and snorted. "We have other troublesome matters..."

"Oh?" Jakotsu and Renkotsu stared at Suikotsu. "And...what would that be, Suikotsu?"

"Aniki's Banryuu...is falling off." Suikotsu stated calmly.

"What!" Jakotsu and Renkotsu quickly turned to see the massive blade of Bankotsu's slowly slip off the edge of Ginkotsu's metal body. With a yelp, the other Shichinintai jumped for the blade, only to try and grasp the sharp blade but pulled their hands back before absent-mindedly cutting themselves. The homosexual and bald man whimpered as they embraced they're bloody cut hands and Banryuu tumbled down a small hill and fell into a dirty old swamp.

"Ahhhhh, shit!" Renkotsu cried as he peeked over his shoulder to see Banryuu smothered in slime and slowly sinking into the thick smelly muk. Obviously, Suikotsu could've prevented all of this by speaking up earlier but now it's too late and Bankotsu's most precious item is covered in shit-like goo. "Damn it all..." Renkotsu muttered as the wounds on his hands healed due to the power of the shikon jewel embedded in his neck, the same result affect Jakotsu too.

"Now what?" Jakotsu asked, looked on disgusted at the swamp.

Renkotsu sighed, almost deep in thought. "Either we go in there and get Oo-aniki's blade or..."

"We're dead." Jakotsu gulped, but they all were already dead but everyone gets the picture of what might be in store for them if Bankotsu finds out what happened to his blade, if left behind in the swamp. "I-I have a bad feeling about this, guys..."

oo.

Walking silently through the forest, Bankotsu moved around trees and bushes trying to find a sweet scent in the air but couldn't seem to catch onto it yet. He stopped and glanced around to attempt to find the cave with his eyes but all he saw was forest everywhere that seemed endless.

"Keh." He grunted softly to himself, getting abit irritated from walking around for hours to find nothing. Impatient he was becoming, and looked down at the girl he carried to ask some questions. "Oy! How come we--" Bankotsu cut himself off the moment he realized. Rei had fallen asleep in his arms. He puckered his lips up abit in frustration, no wonder she had become so quiet after they're arguement. She was slacking and being of no use!

.: Flash Back :.

"No! Help!" Rei cried out, making it sound like Bankotsu was kidnapping her or some kind of pervert.

"Just shut up and be a good girl..." He sighed. But Rei being as stubborn as he is, she shook her head; declining his request. Her fists curled into balls as she stared off to the side. "And don't you dare try and punch me, wench" Bankotsu warned, eyeing her actions.

"Do you have any idea how much I'd love to do that right now?" She questioned in a mock tone, tilting her to the side innocently. Only to make Bankotsu grunt at her.

"Shut up...or else!"

"Or else you'll what?"

Bankotsu looked at her and smirked, not that Rei could see that asshole-ish look he's making right now, but the way he sounded...it was so serious and...naughty? "Or else I'll spank you..." He whispered in her ear.

"...!" Rei was shocked.

Spank her! What kind of punishment is THAT! What the hell? And Rei was too old to get a spanking from someone slightly older then she is. And it just sounded wrong to her...everything about it sounded weird especially from much a powerful and murderous man! She couldn't even imagine if he actually did it...oh, god! Rei blushed with embarasment and turned to looked at him, but she totally forgot she was blind and had no idea what kind of face he's making but she had the feeling it would only make her angry.

"Buh--" Rei cut herself off. Gosh, she couldn't even speak back to him properly! Her dull magenta eyes widened and her cheeks glowed of crimson as she stared off in confusion. Only making Bankotsu burst into laughter at her, and said he was joking about the whole thing.

"I'm just making a joke woman. Unless...that's what you want?" He asked, looking slightly confused himself as he walked on.

"N-no..." She said hesitently. Rei turned her head away again, almost shamfully. She couldn't stop herself from blushing, her heart was pounding so hard for some reason she didn't know. For all we, the readers, care...there's probably tons of girls out there who wouldn't mind getting a slap in the ass from a super hot sexy man or kill to be in Rei's position, but what can we do? Anyways! Raising a hand she tried to cover her face from him with the sleeve of her kimono, deep in thought and for a second she almost said yes that was most embaressing for her, someone who went the ways of a samurai to think such naughty thoughts. What was happening to her?

.: End Flash Back :.

Bankotsu glared at Rei's sleeping and unconsious form that rested in his strong arms, he couldn't help but feel angred. What was he? A slave boy who carries women around as a living? No! He was a mercenary and a damn good one at that. He refused to be reduced to doing such ridiculious tasks. Grunting once again, Bankotsu raised his voice into a aggressive 'alarm clock'.

"Hey! Who said you can sleep, wench!" He yelled, having in mind: to give her a rude awakening. He smirked a bit before dropping his arms...letting Rei fall roughly facce-first into the ground with a thud. "I'll show you...!" His grin widened as he waited for her reaction to his rude and un-gentleman actions.

Only silence and Rei's unconsious form remained.

"What...?" Bankotsu looked puzzled by now, kneeling down slowly, using a hand to turn her body over and onto her back. "...!" Bankotsu had finally understood why she had kept quiet for so long. The poison in her body had spread, she never healed the poison in her body and now it was killing her from the inside! Her skin appeared pale as snow and lips no longer rosey red but icy blue. From the corner of her lips a deep crimson-violet blood oozed it's way out and ran down the side of her cheek. "Ahhh, shit!" He cursed aloud, maybe he should've made sure before dropping her like that! Now he felt a hint of guilt or his actions and a total ass!

Gripping her shoulders, Bankotsu lifted her body up into a semi-sitting position and began shaking her. "Oy! Wake up!" Attempting to awaken her. She was alive of course, but probably not for long if Bankotsu kept shaking her like that, it was only making the poison in her body spread even more. In other words, he was just making Rei's condition worse. "..." He stopped and noticed, when looking at her chest that was half covered with her kimono, there was some strange bruise over the left side of her body. "A bruise?" He eyed at it questionly, gently tracing the tips of his fingers over it; absent-mindedly touching her breast at the same time. "I bet the poison has concentrated into one area...the heart." He guessed with a nod, sounding sure of himself since one of his now-dead soldiers, Mukotsu used poisons as a deadly weapon Bankotsu knew alittle about it.

Taking in a deep breath, Bankotsu then picked Rei up in his arms again and turned to any direction and ran; aimlessly wandering. "If she dies like this...I'll still be in debt to her!" Bankotsu thought. When it comes to helping someone he hated it, but being in debt to someone was worse. Yes, he was mostly thinking about himself for the matter. He was never used to thinking, let alone care for anyone else, besides his brothers. "Where is that...cave!"

"Halt!" A unfamilair voice cried and echoed, making Bankotsu stop and scan the area for the source of the voice. Bankotsu's blue orbs searched and then saw several figures dash out of they're hidding spots to reveal themselves. It appears they have been waiting for him to come.

"Aww, look men." The same voice laughed. "She's found a lover..."

"LOVER?" Bankotsu snarled, and looked down at Rei. It appears it wasn't him they wanted...it was the girl. But, they're not even close to a couple! They're enemies and Bankotsu just trying to repay a debt. "...?" Ignoring them, he eyed them. All these men look awfully funny looking.

Starting from the weakest looking:

This man was short, stubby, and fat. Wearing a big ugly grin upon his face, almost looked like a toad. He was pale and dressed in dark clothing with a small square cloth that draped over his face; covering half of it from anyone and everyone. In his arms he held containers that might be filled with drinking water.

The next one was a really big man, almost five times bigger then the other man, actually the tallest of them all. He wore a simple dirty vest and shorts with armour around his waist and on his arms and legs. He too was ugly like a demon with the eyes filled with a lust for blood.

Another man who stoodby, was fairly tall with long, curly black locks of hair upon his head that almost reached down to his behind. In a way, the attitude he gave off reminded Bankotsu of...Jakotsu. But Jakotsu was far much better then this guy. But clearly, this man was most-likely into men.

The next guy. Was a really, really big fat man. Like a sumo. Wore little clothes, possibly because he was too fat for clothes, therefore wore a underwear like garment. He had a chunky looking face that makes his eyes sqwint shut, barely opened but enough for him to see. And mid-length black hair tied back into a neat pony-tail. If he sat on someone...they'd probably die.

Looking over to the next one. His man looked, in a way...mental, sadistic, and crazy for the matter. There wasn't much to him, he had nice dark armor on and fair black hair that some-what stood up in a spikish style. Looking down, Bankotsu noticed this man had a long staff in his hands and on the end of the staff was a claw-like blade. He was pretty sure it's called a "rake".

With a sigh, Bankotsu looked onto the next man--woman. The next one was a woman. She was young, fair, and skinny. Dressed in a fine orchid kimono that fit loosely around her figure, showing off some skin; her cleavage that showed just as much as Rei did, shoulders, and her long slender legs were visable as well. Her long waist-length hair was tied back into a semi-neat bun with a nice flower ordiment embedded in her hair. Also on her back she weilded a fairly large sword that was tucked nestly into the bow of her kimono.

Bankotsu stared at them with displeasure. "Ookay then...why don't y--" Wait a minute! They was they dressed and looked. These people are-- "...!"

"Ha! Ha!" The same voice continued to laugh, saving himself to appear and leaped from his hiding spot and landed in front of his men, striking a pose with his massive blade. "Look guys! He's so afraid he's paralyzed with fear!" He laughed in a cocky manner, striking into another goofy pose.

The last and final man was young like the woman and about Bankotsu's height. He had a long braid as well and dressed in a white yukata with fine and expensive looking armor upon him. Around his waist was a dark blue sash tied off to the side. He wasn't ugly and not exactly sickingly pretty either, he was...average for looks. On his ears, they were pierced and had gold earring in them, two of the left and one of the right. While a posed, he weilded a katana that was impressivly and massivly big! His was like Inuyasha's sword in a way but looked more like a real katana but with a longer handle.

Icy blue eyes widening, Bankotsu's jaw dropped open slightly, continuing to stare on with Rei in his arms. He couldn't help but feel like gagging. "Oh, my god! You're--!" Being cut off, the seven people before him all struck a 'cool' pose and smirked.

"WE ARE...THE SHICHININTAI!"

End of Chapter 23.

Bankotsu: O.o I-I don't know what to say!

Rei: I wish I was there to see this. Heh.

Bankotsu: O.o ...

Rei: Are...are you okay?

Bankotsu: O.o ...

Rei: I guess not.

Aiyanami: Look forward to the next chapter! Bankotsu versus The Shichinintai! Read and review.

Jakotsu, Renkotsu, Suikotsu, Ginkotsu, Mukotsu, Kyoukotsu: Dwah!

oo.

The Darkness Within Our Hearts: Chapter 23 - Poison's Rush. Complete!

Date posted: April 7, 2006

Disclaimer: Does not own InuYasha.

Copy Right of author, Rei Aiyanami.