Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Before I Die ❯ Chapter 8

Author's Notes: Just a warning that my 2 year anniversary with my lover is coming up on the 20th, and I am going to celebrate it by writing a Jin x Touya one-shot, so it may take me awhile before getting back into my other stories until that fic is finished. Also, I got hired at the local fast food joint nearby, so working hours are in sight. Bleh. Sorry for the coming delays :-P. Enjoy the chapter.

 

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The storm was still causing the trees and shrubs to blow about harshly under the abrasive wind currents. The rain stung at Leola's eyes as she tried to shield the chilly drops with the umbrella she was given. She had hurried into the Zexen Forest to find the herbs she would need in hopes of soothing the ice demon's throat. Kneeling down in the muddy ground, dirtying up the outfit of the wind demon, she plucked a few flowers she would need growing near the towering Zexen oaks. Putting them in the basket she had with her, she got to her feet in a hurry to rush back towards the Zexen's stone walls.

 

“I sure hope this mix works,” Leola mumbled to herself as she covered up the basket, which contained her mixture of herbs she managed to find.

 

Leola made her way through the cobblestone archway of the Zexen city, and then towards the inn. Some of the guards looked at the Grasslander woman with piercing gazes through their armor garb. She said and did not a thing, knowing her clan's life was on the line if she failed the ice demon. The inn door soon within sight, Leola grabbed onto the handle and made her way inside, soaking wet regardless of her using the umbrella to shield her from the downpour.

 

Simon was slightly startled as the door flew open to allow way for the young Grassland woman once more. “It is good to know you made it back in one piece.”

 

“My clan is on the line if I fail,” Leola replied cryptically as she hurried up the stairs, the water dripping onto the wooden floor as she did so.

 

The bartender wasn't sure what she meant and merely shrugged it off as he continued to clean the glasses, which needed cleaning. He didn't worry about the water smeared all over the floor at the moment, as he knew his wife would get to it when she could.

 

Leola opened up the door quickly to Touya's inn room to find the ice demon stirring uncomfortably in his bed with a few moans of displeasure. She placed the umbrella over where she last remembered it being before putting her basket down close to the bedside. Like before, she was hesitant to touch the demon in mental pain before finally rocking him harshly in attempts to wake him from his restless slumber. “Demon, wake up!” She beckoned to him over the slight commotion he was causing.

 

The woman's voice reaching him, Touya couldn't help but suddenly reflex from the dream abruptly ending by pushing her away as he shot up in bed. Realizing where he was, he cupped his sweaty face with his chilly hands to attempt to wake himself further. He gazed over at the startled woman through his fingers before lowering them away from his face with a shaky sigh. “I am sorry. You scared me out of a deep…sleep is all.”

 

Leola steadily got back to her knees to get closer to the bedside once more nervously. “It must have been some dream to have you react so quickly.”

 

Touya shook his head at Leola's comment not wishing to elaborate on it. He noticed some of the items the Grassland woman had brought it within the woven basket she had with her when she arrived. “So how are those roots and flowers supposed to help me?”

 

“I have to crush them up first,” Leola explained. She grabbed onto the wet cloth hanging onto the side of the water bowel upon the nightstand to help the demon be rid of the hot beads of sweat clinging to his face. “I brought a fire rune with me, so I can heat it up into a liquid form for you to drink.”

 

Touya took the cloth from Leola. “I will handle this. You take care of that herbal mix you promised me.” He began dabbing at his face with the cold water with a sigh. “I am ready to feel better now no matter what it takes.”

 

Nodding, Leola got to her feet with the basket in her hand to head over towards the circular table near the windows lined perfectly side by side at the opposite wall. “This will take just a moment. I am sure you will benefit from it.”

 

“I hope so,” Touya mumbled to himself as he tried to relax from the dream he had experienced.

 

 

 

 

Jin remained deep underground where the Chisha Clan citizens mostly lived. He could hear the storm clearly from the vibrations the thunder and continuous rainfall let out through the stonework. The demon remained secluded within one of the many rooms littered throughout the labyrinth like hallways. He was aware if he wandered about, the people would grow nervous and some might even attack him. Jin dared not risk that as he waited impatiently for news as he sat upon the bed.

 

The door to the room he was waiting in eventually opened to allow way for Sana. She held a glass of wine within her hands carefully as she made her way over to where the wind demon was waiting impatiently for the storm to settle. “Here,” she said softly to Jin as she handed him the wine. “This is what you asked for, and this is our finest wine.”

 

He accepted the wine and took a sip in attempts to settle his nerves. “When the hell is this storm going to settle up?” He asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

 

“It is slowly moving towards the Zexen land,” Sana answered. “It is possibly a reason why your friend has yet to make his way to our clan. Leola and the demon most be in the heat of the storm.”

 

Jin cupped his forehead with a sigh. “If things don't get better by later tonight, I am going there myself to help them here. I cannot risk him being there even with just one Grassland woman.”

 

“You appear to not trust us,” Sana pointed out as she listened to him closely, folding her hands in front of her dress.

 

“Forgive me, but my trust in the Grasslanders isn't very high,” Jin admitted as he took another sip from the wine.

 

“You mean to say that your trust is blind towards us,” the village chief felt need to point out from where she stood. “Zexen literature and those who thrive off of the past didn't exactly paint us in a fair light. When your demon kind threw you out, you looked to those to find someone else to hate.”

 

“Your assumption is laughable,” Jin scoffed as he got to his feet to tower over the woman. “I trust whoever the wind deems trustable whether human or demon alike. I didn't read anything to place my views upon the Grassland Clans; rather I heard rumors of their barbaric ways. I do not trust them maybe due to those rumors but it's mostly because the wind I call to doesn't say much of your people. The wind spirit you people call to is of a holy nature—mine is of the damned, so it knows little of the Grasslanders.”

 

“So the holy wind doesn't speak to you?” Sana inquired curiously.

 

“Talking to your `holy' wind would be like me trying to talk to angels,” Jin explained as he threw back the rest of the wine. “It is damn near impossible, lady.” He gazed at the wine glass for a bit before placing it down on the table nearby. “Not bad. It doesn't have that kick like back home, but it's not bad.”

 

Sana took the glass back with a nod to the wind demon. “It is best you rest now. If you plan on going out through this storm, you will need all your strength.”

 

Jin said nothing as he sat at the wooden table for a change, merely nodding at her suggestion. When the chief left him in peace once more, he turned his gaze upon the candlelight upon the tabletop whilst running his fingers through his stringy hair. “Every time I try to sleep, I am always worried about Touya. There is no way I could catch an ounce of sleep right now,” he grumbled, lowering his head down to his arms he had crossed upon the table's woodwork.

 

The worry he felt was starting to make him sick as he sat there twitching his foot from side to side in eagerness to get up and head back to Zexen to guide Touya to the clan's sanctum. Looking up from where he had his head rested, he noticed a bookshelf across from where he was sitting, resting against the wall. He looked about the room as if to make sure he was alone before getting up to head over to the shelf lined with many books of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Brushing his hands upon his pants, he took one off of the shelf to look at the title.

 

Some of the titles he couldn't read alone, forcing him to place them back where he found them before going to the next one and then the next. Eventually he stopped at a book, which caught his interest given the designs placed upon it. He couldn't read the title but there was something about it that pulled him towards it. Jin opened to the first few pages of the book, skimming over some of the words he couldn't bring himself to pronouncing. Detailed pen sketches of artwork were seen doodled upon certain pages of the book and that pulled his attention to the detailed artwork.

 

A detailed sketch of the landscape about the Chisha Clan caught his attention as did two words he remembered Touya saying over and over again. “Alma Kinan,” he mumbled with his finger marking the woods.

 

Quickly he got to his feet with the book at his side. Jin scurried down the hallway his room was within to try and find someone who could help him. However, as soon as he made himself known, many of the people scattered in fear of his presence. When nobody in the connecting corridor stayed around for him to ask for help, he went up the stone staircase nearby to make it to the library the clan had. He saw the woman there putting a few books within place, giving him the perfect opportunity to ask her.

 

“Excuse me, but could you read this title for me?” Jin asked as he made it over to the wooden counter with the book in front of his chest.

 

The librarian woman turned around to catch the sight of the wind demon, making her withdraw with her mouth slightly gaping open. She knew it was impossible to run from the demon given where she was standing, so she took a deep breath and tried to settle under his intimidating stature. “I…umm—can I see the book…?” She asked nervously, her hands shaking as she outstretched them to accept the book in the demon's possession.

 

Jin handed over the book, relieved she didn't run, but he could see her fear within her eyes. “I am not going to eat you. You can relax.”

 

His words did little to calm her nerves as she looked at the title of the book. “Old Rune Magic of Grassland,” she said simply before handing it back over to the demon. “It is a book about the rune magic—some said to be myth, like the True Runes, and some said to be factual. Why did you want to know?”

 

“Do you have any books on Alma Kinan?” Jin asked, avoiding the question slightly.

 

“Yes,” she answered with her fingers nervously tracing the carpentry of the counter she was behind. “We have a few of them.”

 

Jin waved her over even if she jumped back slightly from his hand movements. “Come, come, and show me!” He demanded. When the woman didn't move from where she stood, he sighed slightly in frustration. “Please, I want to get these books lined up before Touya comes here. He would really appreciate them.”

 

The Chisha woman eventually found some peace in his words. To hear a demon pleading honestly was something else. “I guess…I could help you.” She made her way out from behind the counter cautiously to make it over to the wind demon. The fair haired woman walked slowly past the wind demon to get to the other side of the room to find the books documenting the Alma Kinan Clan from the Flame Champion War till they went back into isolation. “So are you interested in the Alma Kina?”

 

“I am not interested in them,” Jin said honestly as he accepted the books the woman pulled from the shelves. “My friend, Touya, is. Since he is sick, he reads a lot and he has been on this recent obsession over the clan. I don't know why.”

 

“Well, I guess we will get these books together for him then,” she said, her voice still quivering slightly at being so close to a dangerous creature. “If you want, you can read them before then. It could help past the time.”

 

Jin paused slightly at her words as he tapped his fingers against the books' bindings. “I cannot…read,” he admitted to the woman.

 

The woman looked over her shoulder at the demon seeing he wasn't pleased to admit such a thing aloud. “Oh, I am—I am so sorry,” she said sympathetically. “I guess demons really don't need a reason to read.”

 

“Some do, some don't,” he said with a sigh. “I never found a reason to read, but having someone like Touya as a friend who can…well, it makes me feel rather inferior.”

 

“And yet your vocabulary doesn't appear such,” she felt need to point out, pulling the last book from the shelves to hand to add to the growing pile in the demon's arms.

 

Jin peered from around the pile of books he was trying to balance in his arms. “What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“Forgive me, but your speech appears very intellectual,” she explained as she took half of the books from the demon to spare him the weight. “It would be hard for me to guess that you couldn't read. Most illiterate people cannot say such words as you can.” She looked over at the descending staircase. “You'll have to guide me to your bedroom.”

 

“It's this way.” Jin headed down the cobblestone stairs slowly so he wouldn't trip with the books balanced neatly in his hands. “When you have someone who is a book person, you have a tendency to hear him say words you learn by the way he uses them,” the wind demon explained as he made it into the underground corridor.

 

“I am Piper, by the way,” Piper said almost randomly though she felt need to introduce herself. “So you are a verbal learner then.”

 

“My name is Jin,” said Jin return as he made it to the room he was offered from the village chief. “I guess you could say that. If someone says something, sometimes I remember it. It depends on how important I find it to be.” He grabbed onto the handle of the door to open it for them both. “Touya says I have an air-headed memory—that I only remember the things I want to.”

 

Piper made it into the underground bedroom, placing the books she had on the empty, circular table in the center of the room. “Do you want to learn to read?”

 

Jin looked at Piper through the candlelight with a slight movement of his elfin ears. “I have thought about it, sure, but I cannot say now is really the time to try and learn anything when my friend is so sick. Besides, what would I benefit from learning to read?” He asked with a chuckle, sorting the books in a neat, even pile.

 

“You could read to your friend when he is too sick to,” suggested Piper with a shrug.

 

The thought pained Jin as he hitched slightly in breath at Piper's words. “Let's pray that it doesn't come to that,” he slightly begged with a brief smile. “But thanks for the offer. I will keep it in mind.”

 

“Are you sure?” Piper pried with a tilt of her head with her light, stringy, auburn hair flowing from the cap she wore.

 

The demon couldn't help but smile once more at her persistence in wanting to teach him. “I will pass for now. Right now I need to wait for the storm to lighten up, so I can go and get Touya to bring him here.” The demon sat down on the bed once more; cupping his forehead within his hands once he lowered his head in worry.

 

Piper watched his actions as she was heading for the door, feeling sorry for the damned creature. Closing the door before her, she headed over towards the anxiety stricken Jin to kneel nearby him with her hands upon his broad thigh. Her violet eyes peered up at the dark facial features of the wind demon. “You shouldn't worry. Your friend will be okay.”

 

Jin looked over at the sympathizing human woman through his wild, red bangs, which hung before his sight. “Thanks,” he whispered. “This is the longest I have ever been without him by my side, and I cannot help but worry when we are miles apart.”

 

Within those words he spared her, Piper was able to piece together why, but she said not a thing about it. She rested her cheek upon his thigh where her hands were placed. Piper wish she could be more reassuring, but she didn't wish to give the demon false hope about a situation, which wasn't clear to her.

 

 

 

 

The rain tapping upon the inn windows began to softly tap upon the glass where it was once furiously pounding upon the windowpanes. Leola pulled her attention from the medicine bowl she was warming up with her fire rune she had brought with her. “It appears the storm is lighting up. We may be able to head to the clan after all.” She pulled back from the mahogany chair she was sitting upon to head over to the ice demon with the liquefied herbal mix she made.

 

Touya was fighting to stay awake as he was running on empty as his body had been disagreeing with food lately. He had become a mousier eater than usual. Feeling Leola shaking his body, he woke slowly from his borderline slumber. “Wait?” He asked wearily.

 

“You need to drink this,” Leola urged as she sat on the side of the bed next to the ice demon. “Once you drink this down, we will head to my clan.” She supported the back of the demon's head, tilting the bowl slightly towards his mouth to help the medicine she had concocted down his throat.

 

The ice demon wasn't use to the taste, making him flinch and gag slightly thanks to the aftertaste. “That stuff is quite strong,” Touya remarked as he coughed upon his ending words.

 

“Give it awhile to settle,” Leola advised, pushing the covers off of Touya to bring his legs over towards the side of the bed so she could help him to his feet. She grabbed onto the blankets to wrap about the ice demon's fragile body to keep the chill of the stormy weather from worsening his state. “In the mean time, I need to get you outside to that griffon. We are late as is, and I don't want your friend to get impatient with me.”

 

“I promise Jin won't level your clan. He's all talk and no actions,” Touya insisted as he struggled to get to his feet with Leola's help. Once he managed to stand upon his wobbly legs, he leaned against her thinking on what he would need. “I am going to need my weapons and books to take with me.”

 

“I will come back here later tomorrow to get your belongings. Right now we need to get you out of here before the storm decides to kick back up again,” Leola suggested as she headed for the door trying not to fall over with the weight of the demon upon her. She opened the door and headed down the staircase slowly with Touya, catching the owner of the inn on her way out. “If you could keep that door closed upstairs until I return tomorrow, that would be wonderful.”

 

“You plan on returning?” Simon asked with a raise of his brow.

 

“I will tomorrow to get his belongings,” Leola explained, heading for the exit of the inn. “I can only handle so much right now, and he is top precedence.”

 

Simon moved his cheek from his open palm, his elbow resting upon the clean, bar countertop. “Alright, I will ask Elaine to lock his bedroom. Take care of him and the other redheaded goof he's normally with,” Simon joked slightly though he silently prayed to the Zexen Goddess for the two once the door to his inn closed.

 

Once outside, Leola whistled for the wind griffon as loud as she could. She knew she couldn't risk guiding Touya to the archway of the city without his sickness possibly getting worse with the falling rain.

 

The whistle tickling his feathery ears, the griffon perched upon the top of one of the buildings of Zexen took flight to head for the inn towards the docks of the city. His wings flapping against the damp wind currents, he glided down towards the Chisha woman and the ice demon. Whistling through the subtle rainfall, he lowered slightly down to the damp stone ground to allow them on his back.

 

Leola helped Touya on first, making sure that the blanket was wrapped about him good and tight before getting on herself. She situated her legs over the griffon's wings, leaning forward to grab onto his feathers to hold onto tightly. “Head back to my village, griffon,” Leola demanded to the beast. “Hurry!”

 

Wind Song's feathered ears twisted around slightly at Leola's words, he took flight back into the rainy weather. Some of the citizens, which resurfaced from the stores nearby in attempts to hurry home, had to hold onto their belongings tightly as well as duck to avoid being scraped by the talons of the mighty beast that flew above them with such powerful wings. The griffon paid them no mind as he made it over the cold walls of the Zexen city to head for the Grassland Clan where his master was.

 

“Just hold on, demon,” Leola begged over the roaring wind, which threatened to blow them off course. “Don't give up on me.” She kept the ice demon tightly bundled upon the griffon in front of her, locked in prayer the whole way there.