Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Before I Die ❯ Chapter 3

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Author's Notes: Sorry, sorry—as I announced in the other story of mine, I have been drooling over Twilight Princess and zombified for quite awhile trying to defeat it. It was a success! I also have a new, mini-fandom—Link x Midna! X33 I also have a job interview or what not tomorrow, so I will be a working girl with a slight income.

As for the crossover scenery and or any other story I do that involves a background I made up or enjoy—I have to say the reason I write that way is because I am tired of writing the characters strictly in Makai or Japan—how boring is that to read everywhere? Just thought I would announce why I do so. XP On with the show!

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The rain was coming down hard later on in the night. Its melody was heard throughout the forest Jin traveled through about Zexen, making his way to the northern cavern he was directed to via his temporary client. The cold of the rain touching his skin, which could hardly be seen through his dark attire and armor, wasn't bothered by the chill of the night air and rainwater. “I sure hope this treasure is in here,” Jin murmured to himself as he headed towards the entrance of the cave cautiously.

The cave smelt of rotten blood, both human and demon alike. It made Jin sneeze and cover his delicate nose, hidden behind his black attire, with a shake of his head. Regardless of the horrible smell, he pushed his way onward through the dark tunnels he was within. He coming upon the smell of fire burning within the nook to his right, Jin stopped in his steps to look to a dimly lit torch, which was obviously there to light the way.

“This should help,” he said as he grabbed a torch within the skeletal remains of a solider long past. Lighting it with the aid of the existing torch next to the body, he headed onwards down the path with the raging torch lighting his path. “I will get through with this and get back to Touya in no time.”

The rain tapping its melody upon the closed inn windows back at Vinay Del Zexay woke Touya steadily from his slumber. He wearily pushed himself up from the covers, which were wrapped about his form to peek over his shoulder at the storm he could sense was underway. Slowly he got to his feet, wrapping himself up in the comforter as he tiptoed over towards the windows.

He watched the rain fall from the thundering sky in silence, not wishing to wake Wind Song. “I guess Jin won't be back tonight,” he hummed in dismay.

Turning on his heels, Touya rubbed his eyes and made it over to his bed once more with a subtle sigh. He felt awakened by worry and couldn't find the want to go back to sleep. Looking over at the nightstand, Touya caught sight of the book Jin got for him to read. His fingers grabbing onto the binding of the book, he opened it back to the page he left off on quietly.

Narrow eyes, shifting across the pages written in a fancy style, Touya brought the covers back over his fragile form with his back against the wooden frame of the bed headrest. His sight used to the darkness, he felt no pain in the lack of light within the inn room. Touya enlightened himself on the Grassland Clans he was already aware of, reading deeper into their beliefs, culture, and whatever else was spared within the detailed chapters until a loud thunder roll caught him off guard as well as Wind Song.

Flinching from the loud rumbling beyond the closed windows, Touya got up to hurry over to the windows so that he could move the curtains over the horrible sounds emitting from beyond the rattling glass. As soon as he made it to the panes, however, the force of the wind and rain opened them with such power that part of the glass cracked, and a shard scraped across Touya's pallid skin to cut just below his right eye.

Hissing from the slight pain, he grabbed back onto the shaking windows to relock them once again, eyeing at the cracks within the glass reminding him of a spider's web with how they formed on the once perfect surface. His finger touching the center gently, he drew back his finger to make a slight fist. “I guess I might as well fix this.”

Placing his palm upon the glass, Touya managed to use the rune of water to fit into the cracks before freezing them into place. He felt that would hold the glass for the moment, untying the sashes around the curtains to let them cover up the storm outside.

Wind Song watched attentively with his feathered ears erected, catching any sounds that his acute hearing could. He made a low murring sound in the depths of his throat in thought as he watched Touya saunter across the room.

Touya caught the low sound from the griffon. He turned his head slightly to gaze at the bird creature with a shrug at his actions. “What is the matter? I am just fine.” His thumb caressing the bleeding cut on his face, Touya grabbed a towel to dab the wound with a soft, hissing flinch. “They need stronger glass for those windows. This inn is in pitiful shape.”

The howling wind banging against the windows made Touya think of Jin. He sighed in dismay, feeling a pang of loneliness from Jin not being with him at the moment. There was a time Jin used to be with him even during the night hours until money became tight. Touya looked over at the book he had upon his bedcovers, finding it to be slightly damp and blown past several pages he had yet to read.

Picking up the book, withered in age, he shook it gently to get the water droplets off. He looked at the page the book was forced upon via the wind and saw a Grassland village he never heard of before—Alma Kinan. Furrowing his brow in confusion, he turned a few pages back to try and hunt for the first chapter following such a Grassland Clan. “Alma Kinan—I have never heard of them.”

Touya placed the book upon the nightstand, digging into the nightstand for a few remaining candles and matches. Placing a few on the nightstand, he lit them carefully near the giant, feathered beast in hopes the small flames wouldn't spook Wind Song. Being a creature of the wild, Touya knew that if griffons smelt fire or smoke, they would panic and attempt to flee. It wasn't a ruckus the water rune user wanted to have be unleashed.

Wind Song flattened his ears gradually at the horrible scent, which usually meant danger. His talons flexing upon the covers, he tossed his feathery head about with an irritable grunt.

“If you don't like the smell of these candles, you can fly back outside,” Touya said bluntly, lighting the last candle. Shaking the match in his hand, he got the fire to burn out as he sat down to read what was within the chapter, which was new to him.

The griffon was aware that the weather outside was not for flying. He looked over at the curtains, which were blowing about from the harsh wind conditions, with a shake of his head. Lowering it back down before his front talons, he lidded his eyes with a subtle purr like a kitten, though still slightly leery of the lit candles.

Touya used the candles to help dry the dampened area, which was touched by the icy rain. Within the candlelight, he read the pages he allowed to dry attentively throughout the night.

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The candles had died throughout the night hours with Touya asleep on his bedcovers with his book opened upon his chest. When the light from the sun graced his closed eyes, he moaned slightly. Moving his hand over his eyelids, Touya tried to look beyond his fingers in attempts to see what was going on. Seeing the outline of the wild redhead brought a bit of ease to him as he relaxed there upon the bedcovers.

“Jin…where were you last night?” Touya asked wearily.

“I told you I had to work,” Jin chuckled as he opened the windows slightly. “I was out all night getting some money to help keep us here.” He walked over towards the bed where Touya was resting to sit upon the side to look down at his partner. “I see you fell asleep while reading, and what is that on your face?”

Touya felt Jin touch the cut on his face, merely smiling to him. “It is nothing. The wind just got a bit too wild, and the glass broke on one of the windows. I am lucky it wasn't my eye it took.”

“That's for sure. That cut was quite close, I'll say,” Jin said, heading for the door. “Wind Song was shooed out, so don't worry about him. I will go down and get us something to eat for breakfast before I sleep.” Twisting the doorknob, Jin allowed himself outside with a yawn.

Gazing down at the book, which was on his lap now, Touya picked it up to remind himself of the information he had gathered before falling asleep. “Alma Kinan, A hidden clan, even among the Grassland Clans—that is quite odd.”

Jin made his way down towards the bar area of the inn with a stretch to try and pop his overworked bones. The inn was just waking up as well. The owner of the bar caught sight of the redhead coming down the steps as Simon made his way behind the bar.

“You look quite rundown today, Jin,” Simon said, leaning forward to rest his arms upon the countertop.

“I had quite a night,” Jin responded, taking one of the many empty chairs before the bar. “The pay for the room I am trying to keep Touya in plus the constant look for a good doctor is getting ridiculously expensive.”

“Sorry about the ups in payment for the room, Jin,” Simon apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. “With the Zexen Council wanting to up the taxes for the sake of their knights due to the grudge between the Grasslanders, it has been difficult on everyone.”

“I know it isn't your fault, Simon.” Jin sighed, gazing up at the top floor where the door to their room resided. “I really don't want to take Touya somewhere else, but with how weary he is getting as of late, I might have to.”

Simon's eyes shifted slightly, making sure that nobody else was within the bar just yet that he felt might get offended at what he had to say. “Honestly, Jin, if you want to find a good doctor, I would try heading to one of the Grassland Clans. From what I heard, they have some of the best doctors around compared to those here.”

“How?” Jin asked with a look of uncertainty. “They live in the wild, for goodness sake, and hardly have any education at all.”

“You said your friend, Touya, came from the wild, and he appears educated to me,” Simon pointed out with a slight shrug. “Don't tell me you are one of those Grassland haters who think they are all barbarians.”

Jin shook his head with a simple wave of his hand. “Everyone has their opinions, and I have to say that I am not open about mine. Touya reads about the clans a lot, and he appears to be quite into them, so I try to watch out.” His deep blue eyes skimmed about the dining area as well. Resting his cheek upon his knuckles, he continued. “I don't think they are barbarians, but I am still at odd-ends when it comes to the war I have heard about from Zexen word of mouth.”

“It is best not to form your opinions based on others, Jin,” Simon advised. “It is best to make your own from fact rather than opinion. Why not try reading those books Touya reads?”

Jin jerked his head back when Simon suggested such a thing. Blinking a few times as if trying to regain his train of thought, he shook his head at the idea. “Uh—no—reading is not my thing.”

Simon could hear a bit of nervousness in the man's tone. Humming in thought he said, “I see. You cannot read, can you?”

“Shush!” Jin ordered with his finger pressed to his lips. “From where I came from…they didn't really relay upon reading much.”

“So how exactly do you get by?” Simon wondered.

“I ask Touya to read it for me when he can, and there are some words I know—I just don't know many of them as he does,” the wind rune user explained.

“Does Touya know?”

“No, Touya doesn't know.”

“How can he not?” Simon wondered aloud, tapping his finger upon the bar top. “You would think it would be obvious at one point.”

“He just doesn't,” Jin grumbled, not wishing to continue talking about his literary weakness. “Can I ask for my order now? I am really hungry and tired.”

“And apparently cranky,” Simon snickered as he disappeared briefly behind the bar. “Alright, alright, I will get your order for you so that you can sleep.” Grabbing up the glasses he would need and the plates, he waved for his wife, who worked the floor, to come over and help him for the moment.

The wind a lot more subtle than it was during the nightly storm blew contently through the slightly opened windows to caress Touya's hair. He continued to read through the pages there before him, locked into what he was managing to learn from the hidden clan that nobody apparently knew about but the author of the book he held. However, due to the clan being in seclusion, and the citizens hardly ever seen even by the other Grassland Clans, there were only ten or so pages on the clan.

“Well, that isn't right,” Touya said as he flipped through a few of the pages ahead to make sure there wasn't something he would miss on Alma Kinan. “Oh, come on, if someone managed to find this much on it, they should at least know a bit more about it.”

The door opened and Jin stepped into the room with the tray of food he had in his hands. “What are you whining about now?” The redhead pried jokingly, closing the door behind him with his foot. He walked cautiously over towards the nightstand to place the tray down in between the burnt out candles, which circled about the wooden frame.

“This book has hundreds of pages on the Chisha Clan, Duck Clan, Lizard Clan, and even Karaya Clan, but the Alma Kinan Clan only had ten pages on it,” Touya explained, closing his book so that he could accept the milk.

“I can't say that I have heard of that Grassland Clan myself.” Jin sat down upon his bed with a yawn, grabbing up his own drink. “Is that a new clan?”

“No, it is a hidden Grassland Clan of some kind,” Touya replied, scratching his head with his thumbnail. Closing his book, he picked up a piece of paper to write the name upon.

“Enough about that book already and eat,” Jin encouraged as he pointed to the vegetarian plate he had Simon make for his partner. “So after I catch up on my sleeping, I plan on searching for another doctor for you.”

“Jin, you're being ridiculous,” Touya muttered under the food within his mouth. “I don't need another doctor to diagnose me. I have been probed, pinched, and poked more times than I can count.” He seems a bit unenthusiastic as he messed with the grits on his plate. Sighing through his nostrils, he looked off to the side at his book once more, wanting to pick it up once more.

“Touya, we have to find out what ails you. It doesn't appear to be going away,” Jin pointed out as he brought his feet in to sit Indian style upon the covers.

The bi-colored hair man tapped the spoon in his hand against the bowl in thought. “I am thinking of going back to Brass Castle to look up another book by this author, seeing as she knows a bit about the Alma Kinan Clan,” he said, changing the subject for the moment.

A chuckle surfaced from Jin's throat as he ate his eggs he was poking at. “Why are you so interested in it all of a sudden?”

“Because I know about everything else in this world, just about, except this clan,” Touya pointed out. “I am just curious about it.” Placing the bowel he had in his hands back down on the tray on the nightstand, he got to his feet to walk over towards the windows. “Besides, with me being confined within this place, I want to get to know the world I am not allowed to see anymore. It was bad enough I was trapped in the icy mountains in solitude, trained only to kill or be killed, but now I have to stay here in a small inn room with hardly any company.” He pressed his hands upon the lower part of the windowsill before him, lowering his head slightly with a moan of displeasure at the thought.

Jin felt for his partner, but he feared letting him go outside alone with his body always acting weird at odd moments. Throwing back the last bit of the juice he had in his possession, he hopped up off of the bed to head over to the window where Touya was standing. He placed his hand upon Touya's shoulder to hold him closer. “I am sorry for how things have been going lately,” Jin whispered into his partner's ear. “I just cannot afford to have you go out there and get weaker.”

He listened to the words that Jin spared him, but Touya didn't appear to flinch. He kept his sight focused on the goings on outside in Vinay Del Zexay.

“I hope you understand.” Sparing a kiss to the one he loved, Jin turned back towards his bed with a weary scratch to his messy hair. “I am going to go to bed now. I can't stay awake another minute.” Jin sat back down upon his bed, kicking off his shoes and removing a few articles of clothing he had on that he felt would bother him as he slept. The covers being pushed out of the way, he situated himself underneath him while cupping his pillow close to his face. “Goodnight, Touya.”

“More like good morning,” he whispered back with a slight smirk. Touya headed over towards Jin's bedside, to move the covers over his wild, redheaded mate before giving him a kiss as well tenderly upon Jin's cheek. “Goodnight—sleep well.”

Touya listened to Jin's slight snoring throughout the coming hours as he sat at the table, continuing to read his book. He ran his fingers through his hair in slight annoyance, seeing as Jin's snoring always was distracting. Closing the book silently, he picked up the slip of paper he wrote upon with a quill pen with the name `Alma Kinan' on it. The clan was still ringing in his mind, and he wanted to go and find out more about it. Hearing a slight hitch in Jin's snoring, Touya looked over at the slumbering redhead wondering if he was awake yet.

“Jin, are you awake?” He asked quietly, not wishing to wake him if he was.

Jin didn't respond. He remained asleep and continued his snoring.

Getting up slowly from where he was sitting, Touya held his book to his side as well as his small note he had jotted down. Tiptoeing cautiously, he made his way over to Jin's bedside where he bent down to kiss the slumbering redhead on the forehead. “I will be back later. I promise.”

Touya grabbed up his weapon, knowing he would need it if he was to travel out into the wild alone. He made it to the door and quietly and slowly opened it to allow himself outside, so he could head to Brass Castle's library.