The Seven: Wanted Dead or Alive
Chapter 74: Scene of the crime
Title: Scene of the crime
Prompt and Word Count: Inappropriate-410
Characters: Jakotsu and Bankotsu
Summary: Part 74 of The Seven
Prompt Summary: Jakotsu and Bankotsu stumbled upon the scene from last night.
As soon as breakfast was over, Bankotsu and Jakotsu had gathered up their supplies and headed away from the homestead. They had only been traveling for a short time when they noticed smoke coming from down the road and Jakotsu recognized a voice he could hear as belonging to the sheriff. "Hold up here," Jakotsu instructed before scooting back a bit so Bankotsu would have room to get down once they had slowed to a stop.
"I'm gonna head over and check out what's going and I'll meet you on the other side. I hope you don't mind walking for a bit, but it's better if he remains unaware of your presence," Jakotsu insisted, not wanting the sheriff to figure out that he had not been the only one there during the shoot out. If he found out about him, he might go looking and learn about the bounty on his head.
"Good thinking," Bankotsu agreed as he carefully dismounted, trying not to jar his wounded shoulder. "I'm gonna circle around a bit, but I'll meet you a few minutes' walk, due West of here. Be careful," Bankotsu insisted before stepping back so Jakotsu could continue on down the road. Urging the horse into a steady trot, Jakotsu quickly made his way toward the others.
"Good morning Sheriff, what happened?" Jakotsu questioned as he made his presence known; careful not to say anything inappropriate. Not that there was actually anything appropriate to say when you came upon a grisly scene with a still smoldering stagecoach and the ground littered with bodies.
Realizing who it was, the sheriff nodded his head in greeting before gesturing to the wreck beside him. "Another stagecoach has been robbed. Same way as the others lately. You best be careful if you're gonna be moving around these parts by yourself; especially at night. We just don't have the man power to keep this whole area safe."
"I'm actually heading out of the area myself. Got some business I have to take care of before I can settle down here for good. Maybe I'll get lucky and the trouble will be gone before I return," Jakotsu half joked earning a slight smile from the sheriff. "I'll stop by in town to say hello when I return," he assured him before nodding to the deputies and starting to make his way away from the scene as they began to load the bodies in the back of a wagon.