Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Before I Die ❯ Chapter 11

Author's Notes: Sorry, I am back on the story again. Lol I had to take a small break for a one-shot and such. =P

 

Also, be warned that there are a few male/male actions going on within this chapter.

 

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Touya stepped foot outside of the small human home to gaze up at the stars lining the sky above, trying not to falter under his inner emotions. Sighing, he closed his eyes tightly and snorted through his nostrils to release his frustration. As he was about to just head out of the human city alone, the door opened behind him to have the wind demon come from behind him in a hurry. The muscular arms of Jin wrapping about the short ice demon's torso, throwing Touya for a loop as his eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Thank you!” He exclaimed softly between the two of them. “Thank you; thank you; thank you so much!”

 

The embrace getting a bit too tight and too close for Touya's comfort, the ice demon growled and tried to break free. “Get off of me!” The towering Jin releasing him, Touya grumbled as he straightened his shirt out. “You're welcome,” he said, though through his teeth as if showing how painful it was to say such a phrase.

 

Jin looked up at the sky for a moment with a smile resting upon his features. “At least now I can leave knowing that at least she will live on,” he said softly, the wind teasing his wild red hair as he watched the stars sparkle in the sky.

 

Touya grunted with a shake of his head at Jin's words. “Just go back to your wind clan. You got what you wanted.”

 

“What?”

 

“You are no threat to us anymore,” Touya clarified, waving his hand off to the side irritably. “You can go back to your wind demon clan.” Heading towards the gate at the end of the cobblestone walkway in front of the house, Touya opened the Iron Gate to let himself out. “I will just handle my Elders on my own terms.”

 

“But will you not get into trouble?” Jin asked as he hurried after Touya.

 

Huffing aloud, Touya gazed over his shoulder with his brow furrowed in slight anger. “That is my concern, not yours!” He hissed silently between the two of them. “Just stay here and—care for your human mother! It matters not to me…” Without saying another word, Touya disappeared as he increased his speed to head out of the human village.

 

Jin's hair ruffled at the energy used by the ice demon to race at such an incredible speed as he stood there confused at the heaviness within Touya's words and actions after healing his mother. What is wrong with him…?

 

Touya didn't care to slow down or think on where he was heading as his mind and body were both too overwhelmed with emotions he had hoped were forgotten with the many years he had lived. Closing his eyes tightly, he shook his head as if to get the images and memories out of his mind whilst continuing on his way back to the ice clan.

 

“He let you go?” Piper asked, interrupting Jin for a moment as she remained positioned upon the whicker stool.

 

Jin shifted slightly from where he was lying, nodding at the young Chisha woman. “But I wasn't stupid,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I knew that Touya would be punished for what he had done. He was ordered by his clan Elders to watch over an intruder and such an act was considered traitorous.”

 

One of the ice Elder's fists hit the wooden table before him as he rose up from where he was sitting about the fire inside of the main meeting building. “What do you mean you let him go!” One of the younger looking Elders of the clan asked angrily.

 

“He is not a concern to us anymore, Elder Sal'kra,” Touya said sternly, remaining there before the Elders of his clan to be judged by them, his hands behind his back. “I gave him what he came for, and it was not our Goddess' crystal.”

 

“It does not matter!” Sal'kra continued, glaring at the young ice warrior. “You swore to this clan that you would watch him—even under the very Lady you did!”

 

Touya turned angrily towards the inexperienced and brash Elder of the clan. “I protected our clan! What more do you want from me!” He demanded to know.

 

The oldest of the Elders raised his hand slowly to silence everyone. “Be silent, the both of you,” he demanded, turning back towards Touya with his hands folded within his lap. “Young warrior, you know I cannot let this act go unpunished. You promised us that you would protect this land ever since you picked up your first sword in the Goddess' name.” Here, the Elder got to his feet, letting the beads decorating his hair to click together as did the anklets once he moved his feet. “I am sorry, but you disobeyed your Lady, your Elders, and in that sense, turned your back on the safety of your clan.”

 

Holding his tongue on the matter, Touya looked off to the side still angry at the judgmental Elders. A hand touching his shoulder prompted Touya to turn and gaze up at the Elder only to have an exorcism charm placed against his forehead. His eyes widen, the demon released a cry of agony at the charm burning his skin and draining what energy he had. Once it was pulled away, he collapsed upon the snowy ground, unable to move.

 

“Take him away!” Sal'kra was quick to say to the guards. “Punish him for what jeopardy he has put our people within!”

 

The guards bent down to grab the ice warrior up underneath his arms to pull him off towards a different building where Touya would be punished for his crime against the village.

 

 

 

 

After watching over his mother till she fell asleep, Jin used the trees to catch up with the ice demon, Touya, who had spared his life. He had placed back on his black, assassin attire to blend better into the darkness, which was casted over the land still. He remained quiet within the trees overlooking Touya's home, waiting for the demon to make his appearance as Jin couldn't feel Touya's energy within the building belonging to him. Where is he? He asked himself. The sound of snow crunching not too far away caused Jin to stiffen up and lean further into the tree's trunk watching as Touya wearily made his way back to his home—he slightly staggering as he did so.

 

Touya pushed the flap to his front door open before collapsing upon the chilly floor, burn marks all over his body with some bleeding.

 

The window opening slowly, Jin flipped through to hurry over towards the drained Touya, who lie motionless on the floor of his own bedroom. Kneeling down upon the floor, Jin began to shake the beaten and battered ice demon. “Hey-Touya, wake up!” When Touya was unresponsive, Jin used the back of his hand to whack the demon across the face in a harsh attempt to wake him.

 

Mumbling, his eyes squinted a bit while closed before Touya managed to open them slowly to the blurring surroundings. His narrow eyes falling upon the wind demon he had let go, he frowned as he pulled away from the creature's arms. “What-what are you doing here, you fool!” He asked in a high whisper. “If you're caught, you're going to get us both in trouble!”

 

Jin pulled down the cloth resting upon the slope of his nose, so he could be heard better. “What happened to you?” He asked, reaching for Touya only to have the young demon pull back irritably. “Did they burn you with exorcism charms?”

 

Touya looked the other way as if wishing to not explain it further. His eyes shifted back to the curious Jin with a heavy sigh. “Some of the burns are. Most of it is hot, scalding water.”

 

Jin couldn't help but hiss in pain at the thought of the hot water touching an ice demon's skin. Any such water would burn a human badly, but an ice demon found it to be hot as fire's flames biting at the pallid skin. When Touya struggled to get to his feet, Jin tried to grab onto his wrists to help him stand. “Here, let me help—.”

 

“I am fine!” Touya insisted angrily though he couldn't help but cry in pain when he moved. “Dammit, this hurts too much!”

 

“Where is your True Water Rune?” Jin asked, looking about the room.

 

Touya dug into his pants pocket to pull out the rune. His fingers were so badly burned he couldn't hold onto it well, causing it to roll out of his palm when he lost his grip upon it. “Guh…!”

 

Jin was quick to grab onto the circular rune to use its powers upon the suffering ice demon. The blue light of the rune filling the house, its powers tried to heal the wounds upon Touya only to cause extreme agony for him when Jin tried to heal them all.

 

“Stop, that's enough-STOP!” Touya demanded through his screams. With the True Water Rune put away, he panted heavily trying to push the pain he was feeling aside. “These-the exorcism charm burns are curses and the rune cannot heal those no matter how much power you use!”

 

Blinking, Jin showed his confusion as he eyed the rune in his hands.

 

“Gimmie that back!” The ice demon growled. “You may be able to use a rune's power, but you do not know how this True Rune works!” With it soon placed into his possession once more, Touya clutched his hand tightly about it to pull to his side furiously. “What rune do you use anyways?”

 

“The True Wind Rune,” Jin answered, pulling out his rune to show the ice clan demon. “It is more in tune with destruction and protection of allies than healing. It does minor healing, but that is all. It is not as powerful as your Rune's healing powers.”

 

“Regardless,” Touya grunted as he attempted to get to his feet once more, “these burn marks from the holy charms are not going to be healed by a simple rune, no matter how powerful it is. I will just have to make do with them…!”

 

Jin hurried back over to Touya's side to help him at least stand. “You need to get some rest is what you need to do.”

 

“Why are you still here?” Touya asked, hissing at the pain, which crept through his body. “I spared your life, now get out of here and be with your human mother!”

 

Huffing at Touya's remark, Jin continued to help the demon to his feet regardless. “You helped me when it wasn't in your line of duty to do so, so now I am helping you regardless of what attitude you throw at me. I am indebted to you!” Jin was aware how the ice demons were. They were the most uptight and stern demons within the lands. He helped Touya over towards the ice demon's bed so Jin could lie him down upon the furs. “I will see what I can do about the burns. Even if they are curses, there is a way to lessen the pain.”

 

“How would you know such things?” Touya asked grumpily.

 

“My mother is an herbalist, and I recall a few things from her works,” Jin answered simply, placing his finger near his mouth to think a moment on the herbs he would need. “I'll be right back.” Quickly Jin headed out through the window to make it into the snowy woodlands to hunt for the herbs he recalled were used to heal burns.

 

It would be awhile later when Jin finally returned with the fireweed, lavender and rose blossom he knew he would need to heal the ice demon's injuries. Once he had returned, however, Touya appeared to be in worse condition than before as he was sweating and panting heavily. Jin nearly dropped the items in his hands as he made it over to the demon's bedside. He began to shake Touya gently at first before adding more force.

 

“Touya-Touya, are you okay?” Jin asked aloud, eventually noticing that Touya's eyes were closed. “He's asleep? Wake up! Wake up, Touya!”

 

Hearing his name being shouted over and over again caused the ice demon to open his eyes quickly before flying upright in his bed with beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. “What-what is it?” He asked, placing his hand upon his forehead. “What happened?”

 

Jin furrowed his brow in slight worry. “You tell me. I came in here and it looked like you were in extreme pain. I thought the burn marks had gotten worse.” Not wanting to take any chances, Jin kept the herbs close to himself as he made his way into the kitchen. “Do you have a bowl I can grind these up within?”

 

Touya pointed slightly towards the kitchen. “In the lower drawer to the right there should be a bowl and something you can use to crush them with. I used it on occasion for making crystal powder.” With Jin soon gone into the kitchen to fix the herbal mix, Touya brought his knees slowly towards his chest to think back on the awful dream he was experiencing. Cupping the side of his head into the palm of his hand, his eyes shifted from side to side as he kept dwelling on the brutal, bloody images racing through his mind. Touya hid his face within his hands in attempts to prevent himself from crying, not wishing to show any kind of weakness.

 

Jin wasn't above leaving Touya alone within the bedroom. Once he found the bowl and the utensil to crush them with, he made his way into the doorway connecting the two rooms. He noticed the ice demon hunched over with his head in his hands. “Is something wrong?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

Embarrassed at being caught, Touya grumbled once more, shaking his head. “Don't bother me, and just make the stupid concoction you are working on!”

 

Sighing through his nostrils, Jin looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head at the ice demon's reaction. “Why is it so hard for you to show any bit of emotion other than anger?”

 

Touya merely looked over his shoulder at the moment with a raise of his brow.

 

“Every since I have been with you, you've been constantly negative. It's like it would kill you to show some compassion or express praise every once in awhile,” Jin went on to explain. “Even demons know when to cut loose and show happiness every now and then. Why can't you?”

 

The ice demon remained silent for a moment, continuing to eye Jin from over his shoulder. “At a young age I lost my will to be happy,” said Touya finally, turning back around to look down at the end of his bed. At that moment, he recalled standing there in the darkness only lit by flames, crimson blood spilling forth to splatter upon his face and chest when he was only five and in a human body. “I haven't experienced anything such as that for several, hundred years.” Jin couldn't see it, but Touya's eyes were shining from the tears threatening to break through. “And that is why I am bitter, angry….and jealous because everybody else is lucky to have somebody to run to during their hardest times!”

 

The voice of Touya was beginning to break, revealing the cracks of weakness within his reasons for being so angry. Jin put down the bowl in his hands upon the nightstand nearby as he made his way over towards the now trembling Touya. “Touya…” He could only think to say.

 

“It's not fair how some of us get divided up in this life and the after,” Touya continued, his eyes now brimmed with tears, which threatened to creep down his face. “It wasn't right! What did I do wrong that caused it to happen…!”

 

The floorboards creaked underneath Jin's bare feet as he made his way over to the upset Touya. His hands came from behind the troubled warrior to embrace him from behind. “I am sorry,” he whispered to Touya, who was trying to keep himself from breaking down into tears he had held back for so many years. Jin rested his chin upon the left shoulder of the ice apparition, lidding his eyes, which grew heavy in sorrow.

 

Nobody was sure what caused it. Maybe it was the fact Touya was finally in an embrace not cold and bitter to the core like all the others he had encountered in his village. But, regardless, he finally unleashed the overwhelming emotions that had been caged inside of him. His cries echoing throughout his home, sounding like a painful wailing—as if he were being tortured from the depths of his very soul.

 

 

 

 

Once Touya had managed to settle, Jin went back to attending to the herbs he had crushed up. Burning them into liquid form, he applied them to the bandages he found within Touya's bedroom before wrapping up the damaged demon's pallid skin. Jin was sitting behind Touya, working on Touya's back. The pain was minor and only got bad from time to time depending on the pressure used upon the wound. His hands were gripping onto the covers slightly as he allowed Jin to work away at his injured back, lined with curse marks.

 

“I was only five when I experienced the reckless behavior of man,” Touya explained almost randomly as he waited for Jin to finish with his back. “I was human then and had a beating heart—before my soul had been taken to hell and twisted into that of a demon. A war was unleashed upon the village I lived in with my mother. I was cornered by the iron barbarians at that very city your mother lives within. It was my mother and other women of the village who tried to get the guards to spare my life. They refused and tore through them ruthlessly in attempts to get to me.”

 

Recalling the guards slicing the women in half with their swords made Touya's anger rise more so than sorrow. His mother was the last to fall to the ground, her blood soaking the ground as she struggled to tell her son to run. Touya at the time and age was too overwhelmed by emotions to be able to move at the sight before him. His sadness turning into uncontrollable anger, Touya hurried towards the iron men without much of a plan or a weapon.

 

The iron gauntlet smashed against Touya's face, causing him to break through a bunch of crates residing on his family's farmland in the village. He was knocked unconscious at that moment—unsure that day how or why he was spared by the onslaught of his town.

 

“It was then I turned my back on mankind,” Touya went on to explain, his head lowered as he sighed irritably. “I damned myself to hell then by avenging my mother. As a young boy, I picked up a weapon then, and as a young ice demon, I did the same. When my soul found its way here to this clan, I became an ice warrior—the Elders say my heart and blood were frozen cold when I arrived by the hands of the Goddess. I didn't fear death, and I didn't fear my enemies, no matter how much power they wielded against me alone. If I were to die, so be it! Regardless of how many times I die, I will never see my mother again as her soul was more pure than mine every will be.”

 

“You remained coldhearted,” Jin expressed outwardly. “You've damned yourself period from ever seeing her.” Not able to see why Touya wouldn't change for the sake of being forgiven, he sighed and shook his head. “Why do you not change your path if you're so desperate to seek another soul?”

 

Feeling Jin's hand coming towards his wounds again, Touya was quick to grab his wrist. “Do not insult my intelligence, demon; I know I have to change in order to find her again!” Seeing the pain from his frozen touch evident upon the wind demon's face, he unleashed Jin's wrist. “But I have too many sins to repent for.” Touya went silent for a moment until finding the courage to look over at the one doctoring his back. “What of you? Why do you not turn your back on slaughtering humans for money and demons when they challenge you?”

 

Jin shifted his eyes from side to side as if to form the appropriate answer. “Because, this was the life I was born into. I was born into sin as my sinful father's soul formed with a human woman. That is why I wanted her to live as long as she could. I don't want her to die yet…”

 

“And what if your mother dies?” Touya inquired, looking through his messy, stringy hair. “What then will you do?”

 

His baby blue eyes looking at Touya, he sighed through his nostrils, his heart heavy at the thought. “Then our pain will be shared,” he whispered between the two of them. With Touya keeping his hard, cold gaze upon him, Jin moved his hand hesitantly towards the pallid cheek of the ice demon.

 

Touya's gaze was unflinching. He didn't bother watching Jin's hand as he kept his eyes locked on Jin's. The fingers of the wind demon touching his cheek, he kept his composure still.

 

The bitter cold of the ice demon's skin started to burn the tips of his fingers, making him withdraw them slightly. “Your skin—it is so much colder than I recall. A mortal would be frozen to death by just touching it.”

 

“That is why I am used to being solitary all together,” Touya said simply. “No other person or demon can handle the feel of my icy skin. It is to some like just standing in the middle of a harsh, frozen hell naked.” Jin kept his hand upon Touya's skin, coming closer to the demon's face, being suggestive in his actions. Touya pulled away slightly. “No other being can handle the beating of my cold heart either.”

 

Jin came closer still, lidding his eyes as his breath could be seen in crystallized vapor once colliding with the ice demon's. “Is that a challenge?” His head tilted to the side, he placed his lips upon Touya's—they colder than death itself.

 

Touya placed his hand upon Jin's chest to push him away firmly, causing Jin to grunt from the sudden push. “If you are indebted to me, then act it,” he whispered. His hand quick to harshly grab Jin's crotch made the wind demon flinch and inhale sharply. “I am not interested in this.” Keeping his hand where it was, Touya tugged on Jin's elfin ear slightly to bring it closer to his words. “I have no intention of sucking that for you or you to mine. If you are in my debt, then be my shinobi of the wind.”

 

Biting his lower lip, Jin released his heavy breath. Even if the grip was strong and hurtful, he still found it slightly arousing to have his crotch concealed in the palm of another. “O-okay…! Okay, I will, just let go of my crotch, please!”

 

Doing as the wind demon pleaded, Touya released it. He flexed his fingers slightly before gazing at the hand Jin was quick to bring before his crotch, which was previously grabbed. “You're easily stimulated? I guess being in confinement one tends to get `needy' as well.”

 

“I'm-sorry!” He exclaimed breathlessly as he kept his hand there between his own trembling legs to try and fight the erection.

 

“You can take care of it yourself if you want,” Touya expressed, nodding over his shoulder at the window. “Go outside for I cannot have your smell here, but be careful. Regardless of what relationship we have now, we'll both be bound to trouble.”

 

Jin was quick to get to his feet, pulling up the black cloth to cover his face once more before pulling out of the bedroom window. It was difficult to concentrate and even more so to move with his manhood throbbing painfully as it was. Able to pull himself deeply into the frozen woodlands, he stopped at a nearby tree to lean against. It wasn't long after he had managed to free his member that he released heavily upon the ground, causing him to cry out briefly at the less than joyous climax.

 

His heart beating wildly, the wind demon remained against the large pine tree, panting heavily in attempts to regain himself. It's been so long since the last time. I never thought one simple obedient grab would cause me to do that. Jin turned his head for a moment to look over his shoulder. I need to be careful around him.

 

Piper finished the medicine she had planned on making, heading over to the hung-over demon to sit upon the bedside of the wild creature. She could see he had stopped speaking because his head was pounding. “Here,” she whispered softly in the candlelit room. Piper cradled the demon's head while helping him to sit up a little bit. “This should help with you being in such a mess right now.”

 

Jin moaned in misery as he was helped upward slightly in the bed. “Are you sure this is going to work?” He inquired, his eyes lidded as the candlelight in the room only made his head hurt worse.

 

“It is guaranteed from several generations of my family,” Piper assured, bringing the cup closer to his mouth. “Here you go.” The rim of the cup pressing against the demon's mouth gently, she was able to pour the liquid into the sick Jin's mouth.

 

Drinking what he could, he pulled back for a moment once the aftertaste hit him. “Ugh, guh! It starts to taste gross after awhile!” He complained, coughing into his left shoulder.

 

“Don't worry, it starts to taste that way when it's working,” Piper explained, helping him back down towards the pillow. “So, you became his slave?”

 

“More or less, I became his own personal, private bodyguard,” Jin explained. “It was the least I could have done for him saving my mother…”