Summary: He "rescued" her, told a lie or two, and now there's no way out! (Ban/Kag)

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

My Banryuu (Two)

"No amount of careful planning will ever replace dumb luck."

Chapter 3: When Thoughts Wander…

It was time for The Bath.

He had quickly learned that The Bath was a nightly ritual that was not to be disturbed under any circumstances. Though at first it had been a nuisance, it had quickly become a blessing.

After The Bath, her whining ceased, and she smelled better. Most importantly, she was much friendlier, particularly if he found her hot springs in which to perform the ritual.

And so he didn't complain when she said, at roughly the same time every night, "It's time for The Bath," and he generously let her believe that he wasn't hiding in the bushes nearby to make sure she didn't run away.

He would have sent Banryuu to watch the girl instead, but, unfortunately, he couldn't trust the sword anymore. Not since the food incident, at least.

So it came that after a long day the girl would proclaim The Bath and he would hide nearby and watch her, and it was the highlight of his (otherwise pointless) day.

Tonight, though, was different. Tonight she looked directly at his hiding place (not his best, he had to confess) and called, "Who's there?"

She probably would have just let the matter drop had he not responded, "No one!" before catching himself.

His response must have taken a few moments to register, because there was a definite pause between his response and her cry of, "Pervert!"

She was still desperately trying to cover herself when he decided that no, he hadn't dug himself deep enough yet and came out of the bushes in order to better explain his actions.

Needless to say, it all went to hell from there.

She was screaming something about him being worse than a monk, and then she moved on to "privacy" and "mutual respect" and he couldn't seem to get in a word edgewise. She was much too loud and angry, and he felt much too apologetic.

Wait, apologetic? He hadn't been in the wrong! She was his prisoner!

No, wait… she was his companion, his Banryuu Two.

…which was, no doubt, why he was letting her get away with her screeching.

She was still yelling about something, but he wasn't really listening anymore. At this point it was all, "Blah, blah, blah, Bankotsu, blah, blah, blah, in bed, blah, blah, blah."

The stars, he noted, were quite lovely tonight. They looked like tiny little dots drawn in a twisted smiley face just for him. Ah, yes, he and the stars were mutually basking in each others' ethereal beauty when suddenly…

Silence.

In retrospect, he probably should have been paying closer attention to what she had been saying, because he could have saved himself quite a bit of trouble.

She was clearly waiting for a response from him, and when he turned his attention back to her, she asked him rather quietly, "Well, do you?"

Her unusually demure manner should have clued him in, or the way she was standing there so awkwardly. Anything should have given him the hint that, no matter what, he shouldn't say—

"Yes."

And then she threw her arms around him and said, "Oh, Bankotsu… I'm so glad. I was scared that you didn't… I mean, after Inuyasha… but you do, and…" She composed herself. "I promise you, I'll never leave your side."

With those words she headed back to camp, leaving the poor man alone to wonder what, exactly, he had agreed to.