Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Before I Die ❯ Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Brief sex scene within this chapter featuring two boys! Read at your own risk!

 

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The sun appeared a bit brighter than usual when Touya stepped out of the inn in Vinay Del Zexay. Shielding his eyes with his hand resting above his brows, he slung the strap of his weapon over his right shoulder to keep the sword resting on his back as he headed off quickly for the exit of the Zexen city. Grabbing onto the fabric, which gathered about his neck, Touya brought it up over the slope of his nose to help keep anything else from entering inside of his delicate system.

 

He pushed his way through the crowd that day, finally finding his way to the cobblestone arch, guarded by two Zexen Knights on either side of it. The book he had in his possession resting against his chest, he headed through the vaulted entrance and exit of the city to make it to towards the Zexen Forest up ahead. The air was much colder than usual to him as he made it to the mouth of the woodland.

 

“This makes me wish I had paid for a horse to carry me,” Touya murmured under the cloth, which concealed his mouth. Stopping in his tracks, he gazed up at the forest canopy, which was alive with the song of the birds, remembering Wind Song, Jin's griffon. Removing the black cloth from his mouth, he whistled loudly as Touya tried to call to the white griffon.

 

The sound of the beast's wings could be heard flapping against the wind currents he traveled on. His feathery ears twitching at the wind, which caressed his pure, white feathers, Wind Song made it through the canopy and down to where Touya was waiting for him. His talons gracing the earth below him, he tossed his feathery head back slightly with a shake of his lion half as if to be rid of any annoying mites that might be biting into his body.

 

Touya rubbed the thick, feathery neck of the wild griffon to welcome him. “Alright, Wind Song, I've got to get to Brass Castle, and you're taking me,” he grunted as he hefted himself on top of the large creature.

 

Wind Song didn't say a thing as he allowed the man on top of him. His tail of pure white flapping back and forth, he turned on his talons and lion padded paws to head down the dirt road, which stretched from Zexen's Forest to a fork in the road, where Brass Castle was located. He started off in a slow trot before feeling Touya's heels grace his ribs. Taking off into a gallop, Wind Song tore down the dirt road to make it to the bridge of Brass Castle.

 

Touya held on the griffon's wild, messy feathers tightly as Wind Song quickly galloped towards the castle. The bridge of the fortress soon within view, Touya patted the griffon's neck with an added `whoa' to make the griffon come to a halt. “This is as far as you go,” Touya reminded the griffon as he dismounted him. He placed his hand on the beast's beak gently. “We don't want the knights to spear and skin you. Jin would kill me for that. Just wait here.”

 

Wind Song was aware he wasn't allowed in such places, but he risked being there seeing as Jin used to carry him around when he was only a kitten. But he knew being older, it made things a lot more difficult. Scratching his right ear with his hind paw, he sat upon his haunches to show he would be obedient this time.

 

Touya turned away from the griffon, hurrying quickly down the cobblestone, bridge to make it to the archway, which led to the small town of Brass Castle. The town behind the stone walls was slightly crowded, making it a bit difficult for Touya to make his way up to the book store he often bought or borrowed from. Pushing his way to the library's door, he was slightly relieved to be within the building, as the outside air appeared to really be getting to him.

 

The closing of the door caught the librarian's attention as she pulled herself up from behind the counter to see who it was. She fixed her glasses, which were sliding a bit down the slope of her nose, before offering a smile to the customer she knew all too well. “Hello, Touya, it is good to see you again,” she said kindly, bending back under the counter to put a few things away.

 

“It is good to see you too, Sharon,” Touya said almost in a whisper, prying himself away from the mahogany door he was leaning slightly upon for support. His palms gracing the wooden countertop next, he smiled at the young woman for a moment before pulling out the book Jin had gotten for him. “I was wondering if you could tell me about the author of this book you gave to Jin.”

 

Sharon blinked her gray-blue eyes, taking the old book that she recalled handing to the fiery redhead. “Oh—this book's author is actually…um…” She hesitated. Tapping her fingers upon the worn book's cover, she looked about the store before allowing him behind the counter. “Come with me in the back,” Sharon insisted, pointing to the entranceway, which was behind her.

 

The water rune user didn't hesitate to do so as he crept behind the front desk and to the door, which led to the backroom. Touya had never been back there before and was surprised to see that it looked almost like a combination of a storage room and a bedroom. “What is this area for? Storing inventory or for you to sleep?”

 

“Both,” Sharon answered as she made it over to her bed, lying against the lower left-hand corner. Sitting upon the messy bedcovers, she hummed in thought, moving her glasses once more. “This book was written by one of the elders in the Grasslands,” she finally answered. “I kept it hidden because if any of the knights knew that a Grassland import was in my grasp, I would be executed. Why do you ask?”

 

“I have read everything I have on the Grassland Clans from Zexen authors, but there was never a single thing mentioned on a clan called the Alma Kinan,” Touya responded, shrugging slightly. “That elder spoke of the clan, and I have never heard of it before.”

 

“The Alma Kinan?” Sharon wondered aloud, opening the book to skim through the pages. Falling upon the right pages, she looked at the just of the clan Touya was speaking of with a slight `ah'. “The Alma Kinan is known as a mystery clan, even to the Clans of Grassland. It is amazing that anyone would know a thing about them.”

 

“You appear to know something,” Touya pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest with a tilt of his head.

 

Sharon removed her glasses for a moment, resting her chin upon the back of her hand with a slight sigh. “Well, I know about as much as you learned from this book,” she admitted. “I read it a few times myself, but I didn't expect you to be so captivated by the unknown.” Standing to her feet once more, she kept the book close to her chest as she eyed the man before her. “However, if you're that interested in the Alma Kinan, I am sure I can try and track down the elder in Chisha, who wrote this.”

 

“Would they allow that with you being a Zexen citizen and all?” Touya asked, raising his brow at the young librarian.

 

She gave the book back to Touya with a brief smile to him as she headed for the shelves lined with literature she had just recently gotten in. “It is knights and arrogant citizens they mostly cast out of their territories, and I don't plan on starting anything with them. They are fierce warriors, and I am just a simple bookworm hoping to for answers.” Her finger dancing across the spines of the books she had all lined up alphabetically by title, she eventually paused at one of the older books down the line. “Here we are—.” Pulling the book from the shelf, she blew the dust off of it before handing it to Touya. “This one supposedly has bit more information in there, but not as much as I had hoped.”

 

Touya took the book into his possession, seeing that this book was just as old and weathered as the other he was given. “Why are these books so old? Were these documented years ago?”

 

“Yes, but it is mostly because of me hiding them in the darkest corner of my room,” Sharon said simply. “It's as I stated earlier—Grassland literature isn't allowed here, and I would be in big trouble if caught with it.”

 

“I promise I will be careful with them both,” Touya assured her as he kept the books close to his chest. Rubbing his forehead slightly to try and be rid of the slight pain gathering there, he offered a smile to Sharon. “Thank you for the new book and the information.”

 

Watching his actions closely, Sharon remembered that he had passed out that day Jin came in hunting for a new book for the man to read. Her finger placed upon her lower lip in thought, she followed him out the back carefully. “Are you sure you can make it back to Jin just fine?” She inquired. “I thought you weren't supposed to be up and about without him.”

 

“I am not,” Touya answered simply as he slipped the books into a leather carrying bag Sharon soon produced to him. “But I cannot stay inside forever until the day I die.”

 

Sharon flinched at his tone. He appeared unnerved by the mere thought of death, and it made her blood run cold at his neutral tone. “What about Jin?” She pried. “Don't you think he would hate to have you part now?” She wasn't blind to the relationship between the two, and unlike most of Zexen, she was open towards it.

 

Paying for the book, Touya sighed slightly. His narrow eyes lidding slightly in thought. “I know he wouldn't feel as void about it as I do. I know I should be taking care of myself for at least his sake, but—.”

 

“Why just his sake?” Sharon interjected as she accepted his money. “Why don't you do it for your sake as well?”

 

Touya paused for a moment before turning on his heels to head for the door. Thinking she had offended him, Sharon offered to apologized, but the rune user interrupted her. “Maybe because Jin still carries a torch of hope as he always has with everything. That is the one big difference between us. I know when to give up when he doesn't.” Without another word, he headed for the library's door to let himself out, not wishing to discuss it further.

 

 

 

 

Jin remained dead asleep on his bed back at the inn in Vinay Del Zexay. Lying upon his front, he had his chin buried into his pillow with his left hand hanging over the side of his bed. His snoring muffled within the pillow he was lying upon, he was suddenly awoken when the knuckles of his hand finally hit the wooden floor. His head flying upward off of the pillow with a startled snort, Jin blinked his eyes a few times to try and get used to the afternoon sun, which was peeking through the curtains of their window.

 

“How long was I asleep?” He asked, a yawn accompanying every word he spoke as he eyed the sun's position from where he was resting. Still feeling tired, he collapsed back on the covers to try and regain a bit of strength before pushing himself completely up off the bed to sit on his bent knees. “Why didn't you wake me up after the first few hours, Touya?” Jin wondered as he looked over his partner's empty bed. “Touya…?”

 

Hopping to his feet, he made his way over to the bed to find his partner was indeed not there. Confused as to why he would just up and leave without a word, Jin hurried down to where Simon was at the bar. His feet stomping heavily against the wooden staircase, he slammed his hands on the bar counter to catch the owner's attention.

 

“Simon, have you seen Touya around here? He isn't upstairs where I last saw him!” Jin said speedily.

 

Simon cleaned the cup in his possession before accepting the payment from a nearby customer, who was handling his rent for the night. “No, I haven't, Jin, but you know how busy it often gets up here. For all I know he could have slipped out from under my watch.”

 

“Slipped out!” Jin yelled at first before lowering his voice once everyone stared at him. “Slipped out!” He repeated in a hushed whisper. “How could you just let him do that! You know he is sick!”

 

“I am sorry, Jin, but I cannot keep tabs on everything else and your friend,” Simon stressed with a sympathetic, brief frown.

 

Jin tapped his fingers upon the bar counter, collecting his thoughts before hurrying upstairs again. Opening up the dresser drawers, he threw some of his clothes about the place to finally retrieve the weapons he was looking for. Pulling out his Celtic sword and body length staff, he hung them from his body quickly with a grunt as he shot to his feet. Grabbing onto the handle of the bedroom door, he headed back down to the dinning area before making it outside of the inn to hunt for Touya.

 

Still woozy and tired, Touya did manage to make it back to the entrance of the grand capital of Zexen on Wind Song's back. He slid off of the griffon with a brief, tender pat to the creature's head, between the ears. “Thanks for taking me there, Wind Song.” He nodded back towards the Zexen Forest with a slight yawn. “Now go slip back into obscurity,” Touya joked as he headed for the stone, arched entrance to Zexen.

 

Wind Song didn't obey this time. He followed behind the man slowly. However, Touya caught the sound of his talons and padded back feet following him against the rocky, dirt ground.

 

Touya turned around to shake his finger at the griffon. “No, Wind Song, you go back to the woods where you will be safe! I cannot allow you into Vinay Del Zexay, and you know that.” Before he could hope to continue to shoo the beast off, Jin came running through the archway just up the dirt road Touya was upon. Hearing someone coming, Touya turned around to look over at the entrance to the Zexen City, praying it wasn't a guard—slightly relieved to see otherwise.

 

Jin sighed with reprieve as he jogged up to Touya, grabbing onto his wrist like he was a little, lost child. “I want to speak with you.” Looking at the griffon, he pointed back at the woodlands. “Go HOME Wind Song! You are not allowed here!”

 

The griffon hissed at Jin's tone with his ears folded back on his head, showing his displeasure in the tenor granted to him. He always heard that tone whenever he had done something wrong and learned to get a bit sassy from it. Shaking his entire body, Wind Song turned around finally and took off for the skies as he was ordered to do.

 

Touya was pulled towards the stone walls thanks to Jin afterwards. Jerking his hand back from the redhead's grasp, he massaged his slightly hurt wrist. “What is the matter with you? I left you a note on the nightstand at where I would be so you wouldn't worry.”

 

“What note?” Jin asked as he headed back for the city with Touya right behind him. “I didn't see any note on the nightstand.”

 

“Probably because it blew off onto the floor nearby,” Touya explained, following Jin into the loud city streets. Keeping up to the wind rune user's side, he sighed a bit with his hands raised close to his shoulders as if he were surrendering under Jin's pointless anger. “Look, nothing happened, okay. You can calm down and relax now. I am in one piece.”

 

“Touya that is not the point,” Jin grumbled under his breath. He grabbed back onto Touya's wrist to pull him close to his chest. “You forget that not only are you ill, but we are shunned for one primary reason, and if anybody finds out who and what you are, you will be beheaded.”

 

Touya frowned irritably even if he knew Jin was right. Crossing his arms over his chest, he continued for the inn with Jin.

 

The front door to the inn opening, Jin and Touya both made their way up to their bedroom; they ignoring the stares some spared considering the incident earlier where Jin nearly threw a fit at the bar. Jogging up the steps, Touya made it to their room first. Allowing himself inside, he hunted on the floor for the note, which Jin had overlooked. Finding it, sure enough, on the floorboards slightly next to his bedside, he picked it up to show off to Jin as soon as he came through the door.

 

“See there? I left this as soon as I headed for the library!” Touya said, dropping the note in Jin's open hand.

 

Jin took the note, but he only looked at it briefly before putting it back where it originally was on the nightstand. “I told you earlier, I am more worried over the fact that you are an ice demon from the north.”

 

Touya sighed as he sat down on the side of the bed, folding his arms over his thighs. “Jin, you know unlike the other demons roaming this world, we are different from them. We are more humanlike than they are, so it would take quite some digging to find out who and what we really are.”

 

“Still,” Jin huffed, resting the back of his hands upon his hips. “I think it would be best to be careful.”

 

“Since when did you care to be so strictly cautious?” Touya wondered with a slick snicker. “Normally you are the one getting wasted with humans at the bar. Who knows what would slip out of your mouth considering how loose your tongue is then.”

 

“Very funny,” Jin grumbled, sitting on his bed, opposite to Touya. “So you went back to the library in Brass Castle? What for?”

 

Touya grabbed onto the leather bag he had to pull out the new book he had picked up. “Sharon said that the Alma Kinan Clan should be documented in here somewhere as well.” He handed the book over to Jin once he got out the other he had been glued to, though had not finished.

 

Jin took the book to skim through the pages, seeing as he had kept his illiterate secret such to his partner. “I still don't understand why you care so much about the written word, but I guess if I was cooped up, it would be the only thing to keep me occupied.” He handed the book back to Touya before getting to his feet to look out the window with a hum.

 

Putting the book on top of the other, Touya looked over at Jin with a raise of his brow. “If you want to, you can read them too. I know you prefer fighting over reading any day, but it isn't as bad as you make it out to be.”

 

He scratched the back of his head, looking over his shoulder at Touya with a shake of his head. “Nah, I would rather not. Reading isn't my—thing.”

 

“You're right,” Touya said with a shrug. “I guess you are more into boozes and fighting.”

 

Jin knew he was just joking, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of hurt from that remark. Rolling his teeth over his lower lip, he managed a smile to his partner as he made his way over towards Touya's bed. Crawling upon the covers, he made his way over towards the ice demon to nibble upon Touya's pallid ear. “There are other things I enjoy too.”

 

Touya felt Jin's warm breath caress the shell of his ear, making his heart nearly leap into his throat. He chuckled softly, pushing Jin away from him tenderly. “Don't make me smack you.”

 

“Oh, you are no fun,” Jin pouted, kissing Touya upon his chilly lips before pulling away from his partner. “It looks like it is time for dinner. Do you want something to eat?”

 

Hearing the disappointment in Jin's voice, Touya reached forward to grab onto Jin's belt buckle to pull him forwards. “You always have to have your way,” he whispered to the demon before him. Grabbing onto the rim of Jin's shirt, he pulled it up out of his way to kiss the hard abdomen of the man Touya cared for.

 

Jin ran his fingers through Touya's bi-colored hair with a slight, sideways smile. “Well, I cannot disagree now, for you are dangerously close to my balls.”

 

Laughing in the back of his throat, Touya leaned his forehead against Jin's abdomen before lightly punching him in the right thigh for his smart remark. “You know I wouldn't do that to you.”

 

Grabbing onto Touya's shoulders, Jin lowered the ice demon to the bedcovers below. His lips touching Touya's, Jin kissed them slowly at first until deepening the kiss by pushing his tongue past his partner's tightly poised mouth. Jin's handles crawling down the shorter demon's body, he trailed down to Touya's belt buckle to fumble with it.

 

Touya pulled from the kiss feeling Jin having a difficult time with his pants. He couldn't help but laugh softly to himself. “Need help?” He asked as he unfastened the belt buckle himself. “Goodness, it isn't a puzzle, just leather with a few holes and a silver buckle.”

 

Jin glared playfully at his partner when it came to Touya playing the smart-ass for once. “You know I cannot multitask sometimes unless it deals with the battlefield.”

 

“You're a—very simple person, Jin,” Touya joked once more, moving his hands to the back of Jin's fiery red hair.

 

“Funny, funny,” Jin said, sticking out his tongue at the demon below him. “You won't be laughing afterwards.” Kissing Touya the same as before, Jin moved his hand down towards Touya's now unbuckled belt to move it out of his way so he could remove the fabric next. His palm rolling down past the ice demon's lower abdomen, his fingers trailed across the curly mound concealed below before dancing across the smooth, sensitive skin of Touya's member.

 

Feeling Jin's fingers touching his organ made Touya's toes curl and his eyes to close tightly. Fires of pleasure began to build within his veins the more he felt Jin stroke his member, which was starting to steadily swell with the love it was gathering. A moan escaping through his lips, he rocked steadily against his partner's firm, yet gentle touch.

 

Jin pushed the rest of Touya's pants out of the way, allowing them to fall to the floor to reveal the rest of the demon's manhood. Grabbing onto the base of his lover's steadily growing erection, he rolled his palm to the `head' of the sensitive flesh before traveling back down again to start all over again. Keeping his eyes upon Touya as he leaned down to kiss at the dark, curly hair, he kept his elfin ears upon the moans, which teased him. He showed off his awkward overbite, consisting of one sharp tooth, before biting at Touya's pallid skin, prompting it to slowly bleed from the small wound created.

 

Arching his back off of the bedcovers, Touya inhaled sharply with his fingers curling up upon his palm. The fires of pleasure once tingling in his body now burned with a growing passion. He moaned loudly, turning his head to the side to release his labored breaths. “Aah…Jin…! You always startle me with those bites…!” He panted, looking down at the wind demon through his sexual haze.

 

Jin inched his way up towards Touya, snickering slightly at him. “I told you that you wouldn't be laughing later.” His hand remaining upon Touya's organ, Jin tilted his head slightly to suckle upon the pallid flesh of his loved one's neck; he sinking his teeth into the skin there as well to cause more blood to bubble to the surface of the open wound he created. Taking in the sweet scent of the sick, demon's natural cologne, Jin removed his pants to allow way for his apparent erection.

 

Touya could see the size and length of the demon and flinched slightly at the thought. Demons were always big in size—though mostly in stature, their organs were no exception—and while Touya was a demon as well, his size in both stature and manhood were nothing compared to his wild partner. He turned his head to the side once more, closing his eyes as if to wait for the pain to come before the pleasure.

 

“I am sorry for the displeasure,” Jin whispered hoarsely in his ear as he grabbed onto Touya's thighs to spread them further from one another to allow a better passage for himself. The swollen head of his member prying past the tight opening, he pushed steadily inside with a pleasureful moan.

 

The pain building as Jin did so, Touya cried out loudly with a toss of his head. Sweat beading down his face, he dug his nails into Jin's back to release the agony he felt in the beginning. “JIN…!” He screamed; his voice carrying quite well throughout the inn, though drowned out by the commotion down at the inn's dinning room; even his pleasure filled cries, which he released shortly after, were lost throughout the bar's commotion.

 

 

 

 

The two skipped dinner that night as they remained under the bedcovers with one another throughout the hours to come. Jin remained with Touya in his bed though found himself still slightly offend by the comment made earlier that hurt his pride on being silently illiterate. Sitting upright in bed, Jin's muscular body glowed in the rising moonlight outside of the opened window as he reached for the nightstand's drawer to open it. He pulled out the book, which Touya brought home, to open to the first page.

 

Touya heard the shuffle of the pages as well as felt the slightly movement of the bed. The whites of his eyes replaced with his enchanting, ice-cold colored eyes once he blinked them open, he looked over his shoulder at Jin in wonder at what he was doing. Catching the wind demon eyeing the pages in a confused fashion, he turned around under the covers to watch as Jin was quick to try and put the book back where he found it. “What are you doing, Jin?”

 

“Nothing—nothing, I was doing nothing!” Jin stammered, dropping the book on the floor during his attempt to try and put it back in the drawer.

 

“A little jumpy, aren't you? You know it is only me here,” Touya pointed out as he leaned over Jin to pick up the book from where it fell. The book back in his possession, he made sure nothing was torn from the fall, cocking his brow at Jin. “Are you interested in the book? You can read it if you want when I am not. Just don't miss-mark where I left off,” he offered, handing the book back over to Jin.

 

Jin looked down at the book with a slight falter of his elfin ears. He felt ashamed that he couldn't read at times though he tried to convince himself it was often a waste of time. “I—I am afraid that I cannot.”

 

“Why can't you? I am giving you the book, Jin. I am not being selfish,” Touya chuckled slightly in the densely lit room.

 

Jin sighed. “No, it is not that. The truth is—the reason why I don't bother reading is because…I—can't read,” he finally admitted.

 

The shock rocked through Touya's body, though was able to put two and two together at how distant Jin appeared to the written word. “Oh—heh—Jin, why didn't you tell me anything sooner?” Thinking of the comment he had spared earlier, Touya covered his mouth. “Oh—sorry about what I said. I didn't know you couldn't read.”

 

“It's alright,” Jin said with a slight smile in attempts to dismiss it. “I never said a thing about it, because it was slightly embarrassing.”

 

“Jin, you should know that you can tell me anything, and I promise not to laugh or make fun of you.” Touya hummed in thought as he looked at the title of the musty, old book in his hands. “If you want, I can read to you in the meantime. It may help with your reading in return.”

 

“I feel like such a little kid,” Jin laughed, expressing mixed emotions on the situation.

 

“You're not the only person out there who cannot read, I am sure,” Touya said, nudging his partner with his elbow. “Now, I am going to read, and if you want to listen, you can. I don't have a problem with it.”

 

Jin fidgeted with the covers he held in his hands, listening to Touya as he began reading about the Grassland Clans once more to him. He couldn't deny a ping of interest with every passing word. His deep, blue eyes looking through the slightly darkened room, caressed in moonlight, he showed he was paying attention regardless of the foolishness he was feeling at being unable to read it himself.