Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Before I Die ❯ Chapter 10

Author's Notes: Once again I apologize for putting my stories on the backburner, guys. Work is hell and has me working too much for a part-timer, and I went on a game buying spree so I have three games I am locked on. I am trying to finish these fan stories of mine so I can work on my novel pieces. I just have so many things on my To-Do list that it has become hectic for me.

 

Once again, I apologize. Just be patient with me. I MIGHT be going on a brief hiatus because of work being something else. Forgive me if I do so. I will return when possible.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

 

Jin recalled being thrown upon the snow covered ice land before the elders of the Ice Clan with two guards watching him from behind and two on each side with readied ice arrows. The ice demons weren't taking any chances with a wind demon on the loose in their very village. Shaking his head free from the snow, which had gathered upon his fiery red hair once he was thrown upon the ground, he looked up at the elders baring his teeth to them in anger.

 

One of the three elders stepped forward with his head lowered slightly to make his eyes difficult to see through his long, flowing silver hair, which matched the color of the snowy lands. “What business have you in our lands, wind demon?” The elder demon demanded to know in a low, tone filled with age.

 

The redheaded demon growled as he slightly withdrew from the ancient ice demon. “I am looking for a cleansing crystal said to be within this land! I need it!” Jin said eagerly.

 

The elders gazed at one another shaking their heads in confusion and disbelief at Jin's words. “There is no such crystal here except for the crystal of our beloved Goddess,” the elder continued as he walked steadily forward. “And you will not deface our Goddess' lands by tainting her holy crystal shard.” The ice demon pulled out a necklace covered in beads of different colors with a slip of paper attached to the end of it with their foreign language written upon it. Bringing the side of his right hand against his face, he scrunched down all but his index one and started mumbling some words to cause the paper to glow.

 

Jin recognized the charm as it was a holy charm often used by humans to force demons out of possession of humans. He shook his head several times at the item coming closer to his face. The charm touching his forehead caused Jin's skin to burn harshly and for him to release a cry of pain. He fell upon the snowy ground exhausted from having such an item drain a good bit of his energy as well.

 

“Who will watch over this intruder until his fate is decided?” Another of the elders asked from the three at the council.

 

Touya stepped forward with his sword drawn and at his side. “I will watch over the wind demon until the Goddess decides where his soul shall reside.”

 

“Can you handle this, young warrior?” One of the other elders, young in appearance, asked from amongst the three. “His intrusion into your home was enough to have us question your awareness of his abilities.”

 

Insulted by the elder's remark, Touya scoffed at him. “He may have gotten me with my back turned, but it's hard to have a griffon trap close upon you when you see it there before you.”

 

The ice cold air blowing through the wisest elder's silver hair, the ice demon stepped forward. His long, slender fingers showing his age, he outstretched his hand to hand over the enchanted necklace. “Take this to keep the wind demon calm and in his place. It is best to be careful as the charm works on any and all demons if not used correctly.”

 

Touya accepted the charm and placed it in his pocket for the time being. He then turned his attention to the exhausted wind demon that couldn't find the ability to move. Unsympathetically, Touya grabbed onto the chain, which had been enchanted as well to keep the demon from attempting to escape, pulling upon it. “Move him back to my house,” he demanded to the guards watching the wind demon closely.

 

The two ice guards grabbed underneath Jin's underarms to pull him to his weakened legs to drag him back to Touya's house. The elders at the council watched closely as their strongest warrior and master of ice made off with the weakened wind demon.

 

 

 

 

The wind began to blow harshly that night as Touya attempted to get ready for bed. He could tell the wind wasn't demonic and wasn't blowing for the sake of the captured wind demon, but rather doing so to hint an oncoming snow storm. Taking his short sleeve shirt, which had fur about the shirt collar, off, Touya tossed it upon his bed and caught the sight of the wind demon in the process.

 

Jin was exhausted from the effect of the demon exorcism charm still, lying upon his side while breathing steadily. He released a soft moan before attempting to stir from his slumber, which appeared to be painful to him in some fashion. His eyes finally shot open as he gasped for air. “Chris!” He seemed to scream randomly, panting there upon the floor in worry.

 

“Be quiet, wind demon!” Touya ordered as he sat upon the side of his bed to keep an eye on his windows at the storm brewing outside.

 

Gazing about the small home Touya lived within, Jin recognized it from where he lain. “Why am I still alive? Why has your clan not killed me?”

 

“The Great Goddess of the Ice decides everyone's fate to us,” Touya explained as he pulled the shoes from his feet, “Whether they are intruder or clan member alike.”

 

“I don't have time for this!” Jin grumbled as he wiggled against the floor. “Let me go! I have to get out of here with that crystal!”

 

“What crystal are you talking about, wind demon?” Touya inquired with a slight roll of his eyes not believing his `fairy tales'.

 

Jin continued to struggle upon the floor, releasing a sigh of frustration as he gazed up through his fiery red bangs at the ice demon. “I was told of a crystal in this part of the ice lands that has unimaginable healing abilities. It can cure any illness known or unknown to mankind, and for a very personal reason, I need that crystal!”

 

Touya recognized the story that Jin was speaking of as he sat there upon his bedside with the wind howling louder every passing moment. He got to his feet to head over to a trunk he kept within his room to pull out a small box amongst the belongings he had stacked within there. “The item you are referring to isn't a crystal—but rather, this,” at that moment, Touya opened the box to reveal a small, blue shining orb. “This is the True Water Rune passed down by my family, and while it has great attack power, it also has great healing magic.”

 

His eyes growing big at the sight of the True Water Rune, Jin struggled harder to get free. “That's it! That's what I have been looking for!” Growling angrily at not being able to break free, he gazed up at the ice demon in the same irritable manner. “Now, please, give it to me!”

 

Hearing Jin's orders, Touya quickly closed his fingers about the True Water Rune with a shake of his head. “I do not take orders from low level wind demons,” he mumbled with a narrow of his ice cold eyes. He turned around shortly after to head back to his bed to rest upon it. “Besides, your fate is tied to the Goddess now, and She decides what will happen to you.”

 

“You don't understand! My mo—my friend,” Jin stressed slightly with a grunt as he wiggled upon the floor, “is in dire need of that rune!” He continued to struggle against his restraints, which bound him tightly with his hands behind his back and a demonic energy seal to keep him from calling to the wind. “If they don't get it soon, they will die!”

 

Touya looked over at Jin with a slight raise of his brow. “Your friend `Chris', I assume?”

 

Jin snorted through his nostrils like a wild stallion. “How did you guess that? I know the ice demons are capable of many things, but I doubt mind reading is one of them.”

 

Closing his eyes, the ice demon sighed with his arms across his chest as he answered. “The elders of our tribe are more in tune with that gift, actually. As for me, listening in on people's dreams is always easiest.” His eyes opened once more, he gazed down harshly at Jin there upon the floor. “I heard you say the person's name. If your friend is immortal, they shouldn't have reason to fear over any such disease. What could possibly harm a wind demon?”

 

“But my friend isn't immortal! They are a human being!” Jin announced once more.

 

Touya couldn't help but laugh briefly at Jin's response. “What demon would subject them-self to being friends with a human being?” He didn't wish to hear anymore of the wind demon's excuses, making Touya get up from the bed and threaten to part to his closet.

 

“I would do so because the person is my mother!” Jin yelled in attempts to call the ice demon back.

 

Pausing in his footsteps, Touya turned around slightly with his mouth slightly open in wonder.

 

“Lady Christine, sometimes known as Lady Chris, is my human mother who lives in the Zexen Capital,” Jin explained calmly though sounding slightly out of breath with all the squirming he had been doing upon the floor. “She is one of the Zexen Knights of the Zexen boundaries and fell ill suddenly one night. I have tried to be there for her and to heal her, but nothing I find works. Her spirit cannot hold out much longer!”

 

Touya's icy fingers tapped along the doorway in thought before turning his back upon the wind demon, the blue drapes closing behind him as he departed from the room.

 

“PLEASE,” Jin hollered from where he was upon the floor, “Help me!” When Touya didn't come back or bother to answer, he released a sigh of agony, lying there upon the floor to pray to the Wind God his clan served.

 

 

 

 

All fell silent about the icy lands that the ice demons ruled upon as the ice storm fell upon the lands, drowning out any sounds that could possibly be made. Touya remained within the kitchen of his home, leaving the wind demon to beg and plead all he wanted until Jin hadn't any strength to continue to do so. The ice demon could only hear the howling of the wind and the rain of the hail from the sky as he sat there tapping his fingers upon a cup he had within his hands filled with cold water.

 

“That's impossible,” he mumbled to himself. “He doesn't even smell of half-demon—how can he possibly be so?” The questions popping up in his mind were irritating him as he knew that nobody would be able to answer them but the wind demon himself. Sighing through his nostrils as he hefted himself out of his chair, Touya headed back into his bedroom in attempts to interrogate the wind beast.

Pulling back the tarp, Touya kept a lit candle next to him to light the house, which had been covered in darkness since the winter storm hit. He found Jin right there where he had left him previously. The wind demon had his face turned slightly to the side with his red hair covering up his weary expression. His hands were still bound and raw from attempting to escape previously only to have them get burned by the seal placed upon them.

 

Heading over towards the demon, Touya lifted his foot slightly to jab Jin within the back. “Wake up, demon,” he ordered impatiently. “I want to speak with you.”

 

Jin grunted from the nudge, blinking his eyes awake. “What do you want?” He moaned inquisitively from where he was lying upon the floor. He didn't bother to make eye contact with the ice demon.

 

Touya knelt down with the candle close to his face, the flickering flame outlining his features. “Tell me, how exactly does a half demon such as yourself pass himself off as a full blooded one.”

 

Jin cocked his brow in confusion at Touya's question once he managed to look at him. “Pardon?”

 

“You don't smell like a half blooded demon,” Touya explained once more clearly. “Normally any demon with a human parent leaves a wrenched scent in the air.”

 

Sighing, Jin turned to look away from the ice demon with an irritable look upon his face once he closed his eyes. “It's because of the necklace my demonic father gave me. It has a powerful smell of demon that clouds any scent of human upon me.” Jin suddenly felt a tug upon his neck, the necklace he was wearing being ripped from his possession. “Hey, what the hell are you doing!”

 

The band of the necklace being snapped, the ruby looking jewel in the center seemed to swarm with blood red mist inside of it. Without the item being able to hide the human smell upon Jin, the scent became evident within the room. “So, you really are half demon without this necklace to mask who you really are. Your father must have snuck out of the village to commit such a crime against your clan's rules.” Touya was no dummy and knew that if any demon clan member had either a same sex relationship or a relationship with a human, they were damned from ever returning to their home.

 

“It doesn't matter about that!” Jin growled with his blue eyes narrowed angrily. “My human mother is sick, and I need that rune!”

 

Touya didn't answer Jin's pleas this time. He merely stood there.

 

“If you won't let me have it—at least release me so I can see my mother,” Jin replied between the two of them. He resisted the urge to sound vulnerable, but he knew he had no chance if he didn't at least beg. “Please,” he said softly, gazing up from behind his red, messy bangs. “I cannot allow her to slip away without me being there…”

 

Touya knew he was being sincere, but he wasn't sure what to do when he had promised the elders of his clan that he would watch over the intruder without problems. He couldn't deny that he felt a sense of pity for the wind demon. Releasing a sigh through his nostrils, Touya grabbed onto Jin, hefting him up to his feet by pulling him upwards under his arms. “Fine, I will take you to your mother, but you better not try anything fishy, or I will not hesitate to execute you myself,” Touya threatened, pointing at the wind demon.

 

Standing upon his feet, Jin nodded at the ice demon vigorously. “I am not going to try anything. I just need to see my mother.”

 

 

 

 

The blizzard continued throughout the ice demon lands until melting into a regular thunderstorm upon entering the lands belonging to the humans. The cold rain drenched them both, but it bothered the ice demon very little as the True Water Rune kept him well as did his demonic bloodline. Jin appeared to be just fine as well as he walked cautiously behind Touya as they made it to the cobblestone walls of the Zexen capital.

 

Looking over his shoulder, Touya said, “Lead the way, wind demon. I do not know where your human mother lives.”

 

He said it with such distaste that it slightly insulted Jin as he stepped before the ice demon with his hands remaining bound behind him. “There are human guards everywhere in this place. You are going to need to hold onto me as I fly over the wall, so we don't get caught. You are going to have to also remove the negative charm on my hands. I cannot use my wind powers if you're restricting my power.”

 

Touya hesitated in doing such a thing. “How will I know this isn't your chance to try something clever?”

 

“Well, then, you're just going to have to trust that I won't do anything. Besides, where could I possibly go if not my clan home?” Jin asked as he moved his bound hands a bit as if to tease Touya to release him. “Just unbind my hands until we get back to your homeland.”

 

The ice demon rolled his eyes as he headed over to Jin to work on removing the charm, which burned his hand slightly in the process when he accidentally touched it. He hissed in pain until managing to keep it away from himself by moving his injured fingers to the thick rope, which was used to keep the exorcism charm upon Jin's fingers and to keep his hands bound behind his back. “Alright, let's get going.”

 

Jin pointed behind his back. “Get on and I'll get us over.”

 

Touya wrapped his arms about Jin's neck, scoffing slightly at having to be so close to his captive.

 

Gathering the wind around him, Jin hefted himself up into the air quickly to make it over the Zexen walls, which were to keep demons and other intruders out.

 

The city was filled with small houses and shopping areas all about the stone streets. The knights of the city could be heard walking about the roads at night as their armor clanked with every movement they made. It slightly irritated and put the demons on edge knowing that anything with such armor was normally trouble to demons as they would slay what they deemed evil.

 

Spying the one house, which was slightly different from the rest, with a lot of flowers and well watered greenery about the building, Jin managed to smile slightly at the sight as he slowly descended towards the door. His feet touching the wet cobblestone walkway, he made his way towards the door quickly. “This is it,” he muttered between the two of them as he slowly opened the door.

 

Touya had released Jin's neck once they had landed, catching himself upon his own feet to look about the home that stood out from the rest. “This place reeks of humans,” he mumbled, shaking his head slightly as if to try and get rid of the scent.

 

“It is going to,” Jin said with a heavy sigh. “It is a town full of them.” He raised his finger to his lips. “Now, be quiet or the guards might hear you.”

 

The door squeaked open once Jin opened it slowly to make his way into the dark hallway set before him. Once Touya made his way inside after him, he closed the door behind them both before heading towards the stairs at the end of the hallway that was lined with red carpet. His hand grabbing onto the wooden railing of the banister, Jin headed slowly upwards. “Ma?” He called in a whisper at first once he made it to the top floor.

 

The top floor wasn't filled with many sights. It only consisted of a small hallway with two or so doors—one of them being at the very end with a light shining about the cracks of the doorway. Touya stopped at the beginning of the descending staircase with his hands resting in his pockets. When Jin noticed that the ice demon had stopped, he looked over his shoulder confused.

 

“I have no intent on seeing this sick, feeble woman,” Touya insisted as he remained where he was. “Go and see her yourself.”

 

Jin shook his head with a sigh as he headed for the door at the end of the hallway. He took care in opening the door to make his way inside of the bedroom, which was lit by candles alone all about the small bedroom that appeared to be engulfed in sadness. Jin made it over to the bedside belonging to his human mother, kneeling before it before placing his hand over her warm forehead.

 

Slightly startled, the young woman shook awake. “Who's there?” She asked in a weary tone, turning around to gaze blindly about the room. White film had covered her eyes due to a roaming demon attacking her on her way to the Brass Castle. The beast had blinded her with a poison being shot into her sight, leaving her sightless since she was twenty—right around the time she was pregnant with Jin.

 

Jin removed his hand from the woman's forehead, bringing it back to his side. “Ma, it's me,” he replied quietly.

 

“Jin,” the ill woman finally replied. As she moved her head to look over at her hybrid son, her wavy, red hair crept over her weary face. “I never thought I would hear from you again…”

 

Touya couldn't deny the urge to walk down the end of the hallway. He slowly did so and stopped just outside of the doorway. The ice demon stood in the shadows of the corridor, listening and watching behind the slightly cracked door. His cold, narrow eyes pierced through the darkness as he kept his sight upon what was happening within the woman's bedroom.

 

“I am so sorry, ma,” Jin said sorrowfully, “but I was trying to find something to help save you from this illness…” He gripped onto the covers over the bedside in attempts to hold back his tears. “…but I failed miserably…”

 

The woman, appearing in her early 40s shook her head at Jin as she ran her fingers through Jin's hair once her weary, bony fingers found his face. “No, don't say that, Jin,” she insisted softly. “It isn't up to you to find a cure for me. You've done all you can for me as is, my dear, so do not look down upon yourself.”

 

Touya pulled out the True Water Rune that could very well save the woman's life with a serious expression being illuminated by the orbish item's light. He slowly enclosed his fingers about the item before looking back into the bedroom with an ill-tempered sigh. Not remaining in the shadows any longer, Touya made himself known as he opened the door further, stepping into the bedroom with the rune in his palm. “I've heard enough of this—step aside, half-breed.”

 

Hearing the slight irritability in his tone, Jin was hesitant as he stayed before his mother. “What are you going to do?” He wanted to know as he stood there before his mother's bed.

 

Refusing to answer, the ice demon held the True Water Rune up into the air to cause it to shine with a bright, soft, blue light. The light began to dance about the room, appearing to give Jin's mother the most pain at the moment out of anybody in the room.

 

Jin heard her cries of pain making him panic before getting furious at the ice demon. “What are you doing to her! Stop it!” He demanded with a growl. When Touya refused to stop, Jin got up and tackled the ice demon to the floor, wrestling with him there upon the floorboards. “Stop it! You're hurting her!”

 

“Get off!” Touya yelled angrily as he pushed the wind demon off of him, continuing to use the water rune he had been given. “Get off of me unless you want your mother to be dead!” He stressed with a hiss, pushing Jin away from him to get back to his feet.

 

Jin, falling upon his backside, sat there and watched in disbelief as the ice demon continued to use the massive healing power of the True Water Rune. It appeared painful for his human mother, but eventually the whimpering and cries of agony coming from her ceased. Getting to his feet quickly, Jin made it over to his mother's bed to check on her to make sure that she hadn't died. “Ma, ma…? Are you okay?” He asked shaking her gently.

 

The human woman was silent for awhile until finally moving her hand to grab onto Jin's. “I am alright, dear,” she said with a smile to him. “I am feeling a little better than before. I am not burning up anymore.”

 

Grabbing tightly onto his mother's hands, he brought her hand close to his chest. “Thank the Gods,” he mumbled under his breath, resting his forehead against her knuckles.

 

Touya pocked his rune within his pants pocket while watching the two act relieved and thankful; he refused to stay behind to watch anymore. Turning on his heels, he headed down the hallway and to the front door alone.