Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Before I Die ❯ Chapter 18

Author's Notes: Sorry for the lack of updates, guys. I haven't forgotten about this fic, promise.

 

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Once Touya's body fully recovered from the surgery it had undergone, Dr. Sur'don went ahead with performing some of his cures he had written down in his books he often carried around with him to find which one would be the most affective or possibly heal the demon. The first cure administered to him would often make the ice master lose his energy and desire to move, causing Touya to lie down for a while until it wore off. Jin was just glad that his companion was back on his feet, to say the least. He helped Touya around the underground village as it was getting to the point where some of the humans were used to the two demons there.

 

Touya made his way down the many hallways after he managed to keep some food down at the dinning area of the village. He enjoyed the fish and vegetarian choices he was given. He had to admit he preferred it over the many meats back at Vinay Del Zexay. The dampness and slight chill underground was also pleasant for him as he made his way back to the room he shared with Jin. Opening the door to their bedroom, he was surprised to not find Jin anywhere nearby.

 

I guess he must be outside for now enjoying the warm air, Touya thought as he made it over to the burning candle flame centered on the wooden table. He kept his eyes upon the flame, almost hypnotized by it. Catching one of the books from the corner of his left eye, Touya finally broke his focus from the candle to the cover to bring it closer to him. “Jin did say he brought these down here, because they were about Alma Kinan.” Bringing the first book on top before him, Touya opened it to the first page and began reading at a speedy pace.

 

A knock soon coming from the door several moments later, the Chisha Clan Chief appeared. “Sorry to disturb you, Touya,” the leader of the village whispered. “I do think your doctor has been looking for you.”

 

Touya sighed as he looked over his shoulder at the elderly woman. “Does he have to give me that medicine now? If he does, I'll be out for the next five hours.”

 

Catching the title of the book Touya was reading, the chief smiled as she made her way over towards him. “I see you're into our history? That is very abnormal for a demon.” She stood behind the ice master to see something in the written word about the Alma Kinan Clan. “Oh, that clan—well, I've never known many to be interested in them before.”

 

“Well, that's what makes it so interesting,” Touya insisted as he turned slightly in the wooden chair he was within. “It seems not even you Grasslanders know anything about them either.”

 

“Some of us don't even know the clan exists while some of us do know some knowledge of it,” Sana hinted with a slight wink at the demon, sitting down next to Touya. She could tell that the demon was interested, so she thought she would spare some light on the hidden tribe. “That clan is said to be comprised mostly of women, and they are well versed in the shaman ways.”

 

“I think I read somewhere that they were mostly a womanly tribe,” Touya responded as he put his sights back on the book he had. “If that is so, how do they keep their numbers up? Is that what caused their disappearance?”

 

The chief of the Chisha Clan couldn't help but stifle a laugh behind her wrinkled hand. “They didn't die out, ice demon. They just went into isolation after the end of the Fire Champion War.” She couldn't help but recall seeing the clan once as a young girl before they decided to do so.

 

Touya tilted his head slightly at the woman going silent for a moment, as she appeared to be reminiscing about something. “They sound interesting. I heard that they often used the True Water Rune, and that once used to belong to me and my demonic tribe.”

 

“I heard,” Sana said with a tender smile, which was lit by the flickering candle flame. “It is said their healing abilities were spiritual and unrivaled by any of the six Grassland clans. A shame they haven't come out of hiding. If they ever did, we might be able to get their opinion on your situation.” Removing herself from the chair she was within, Sana offered to help the demon up as well. Touya accepting her hand, she didn't mind the chill that was rushed through her body. “Now, come, Dr. Sur'don is waiting for you.”

 

The ice master sighed as he followed Sana out of the room he was within to the one Dr. Sur'don was using for the time being. “I guess I have no choice in the matter.”

 

Jin was outside in the forestlands surrounding the clan's borders, flying on the wind he was able to control. Feeling the warm air rush through his hair was refreshing for him and a way for the wind master to stretch his legs for the time being as he knew Touya was to take his medicine soon enough. He hated being alone while the ice demon rested it off, but Jin knew it was either put up with that or lose the one he cared for.

 

Finding an empty spot to land, Jin brought down his feet to stand in the cool, green grass not too far from the same flower bed he had happened upon awhile ago full of Iris flowers. He carefully plucked a few of them to take back to the Grassland Clan where his love was being treated. As he did so, he couldn't help but stop upon plucking the fifth Iris flower when he heard a rustle in the bushes not too far away. When it came again, he slowly got to his feet with caution. “Hello? Is someone there?”

 

Nothing answered from the shaking bushes. Not even a growl was emitted to hint any beast hiding there.

 

Jin was still nervous over what could possibly be causing the bushes to move as he made his way closer towards it with the flowers still in his hands. As he was standing not but a few inches from the greenery, something dashed quickly away deeper into the forest at such blinding speed. He could tell that it was obviously a human being of some kind, given the brief figure he made out. “Hey, wait a minute!” He yelled as he hurried after the person.

 

As the wind master perused the person deep within the surrounding forestlands, he watched as the one in front of him quickly turned around to shoot an arrow of some kind at him. The arrow was quick to strike him in the upper right shoulder. Jin widened his eyes as the weapon pierced his demonic skin. Distinctively, he reached for the arrow to pull it from his skin only to cry out in displeasure as banishing charms were attached to it. “I-can't pull it out…! Those charms will hurt me if I try…!” Not able to think of anything else to do, Jin took flight regardless of the pain he was in, and headed back towards the Chisha Clan Village.

 

Piper was out in the vineyard, covering most of the clan's land to pluck some of the grapes for their wine they often sold. When she felt the wind picking up at an abnormal pace, she shielded her eyes from the ground being disturbed while looking off towards the forest. “J-Jin?” She wondered when she saw the redhead heading in her direction. “What's going on—? Oh my goodness!” Piper covered her mouth when she saw the arrow in his body. “Jin, what happened!”

 

“I was just picking flowers in the forest, and I heard something, so I followed,” he grunted in pain when she grabbed the arrow embedded in his shoulder area. “And before I knew it, someone shot me with this arrow and then ran off at such incredibly speed. I cannot pull it out, because it has those exorcism charms on them.”

 

“Well, just hold still for a moment,” Piper insisted as she grabbed onto the arrow to pull it quickly out of the demon's skin. She eyed the exorcism charms before tossing the blooded arrow down on the ground, ripping a good portion of her dress to work on concealing the wound. “You could have startled a nearby villager. You know many Grasslanders are open to demons and know who you are, so I wouldn't be surprised if one did attack you. We aren't blind to that like the Zexen people.”

 

Jin merely shrugged off the pain, as he was free from the exorcism charms. “I understand how you Grasslanders work, but I never would expect to startle someone out there. What else is nearby anyways?”

 

“Well, just the Duck Clan,” Piper answered with a slight shrug as she continued to doctor up the wound given to him by the weapon. “But they are not fast runners. The speed you were describing must have been someone else.”

 

The wind demon hummed in thought as he ignored the tingle of pain hitting him as Piper wiped the bleeding opening and wrapped it tight. “I cannot imagine being able to startle someone else here.” He looked to the young woman with a raise of his brow. “I mean, everyone here is pretty much used to us by now.”

 

“That is true,” said Piper in return as she finished dealing with Jin. “There. You are all set now.” She sat back down on her knees there in the vineyard with a soft smile. “Just be careful, Jin. We don't know what else could be lurking out there in the forest. For all we know, there could be another settlement. Maybe you just wandered too close and scared them.”

 

Jin moved his arm slightly and rotated his shoulder a bit only to stop with a slight hiss. He didn't expect to still be tinder as it was.

 

“Be careful, Jin,” Piper warned with a serious frown. “With the magic in those charms, you'll still be a bit sore.”

 

“Those things must be powerful to still leave an aftermath of it,” Jin grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder slightly only to hiss again at the pain. “The demons back at our village made them, sure, but they were not that potent.”

 

The young village woman cupped her chin in thought with a slight hum. “Then it must be a Grasslander of some kind. I know the men in iron back in Zexen make the same kind of charms, but they are the weakest around. They are purely made by them to make people feel safe from demonic attacks. And if you say that this charm is quite powerful, then a Grasslander is the only one I can think could make such a charm.”

 

Jin merely rolled his eyes with a slight shrug. “I won't worry too much about it right now.” He waved off the incident like it was nothing at all as he made his way back towards the underground clan. “I'll make sure I don't startle whoever it is again.”

 

Her hands on her hips, Piper frowned at his attempts to forget about what could have really hurt him. He better be careful, she thought mostly to herself. Piper went back to plucking a few of the grapes only to look over at the back of the wind demon once more with an irritated look. He may end up being the one to be sent to an early grave and not the ice demon.

 

His feet tapped against the cold, wet stones of the underground village as the wind master made his way to Touya's bedroom. Jin knew it was some time after his partner took his medicine, so he wasn't expecting the ice master to be awake. Opening the door to their bedroom slowly, he caught Touya, sure enough, bundled up and sleeping on the bed. A smile graced upon his face, he made his way quietly towards the bedside to sit upon it.

 

The bed moving and creaking under Jin's body weight, Touya moaned slightly and moved his head upon the feather down pillow. Feeling the hand of the wind master touching his head, he opened his narrow eyes slowly. Squinting from the dim lighting, which bugged his sight, he shifted his eyes up to the fuzzy outline of the redhead. “Jin…? I was wondering where you were earlier—!” The ice demon paused as his eyes focused upon the injury he had wrapped up. “Your-your shoulder!”

 

Jin glanced at his shoulder only to help Touya back down to the bed to try and get him to relax. “Touya, it is nothing. Don't worry about it. Just go back to sleep,” he insisted as he pulled the covers back up and over the one he cared for.

 

Touya groaned, as he couldn't find the energy to get up and attack Jin for getting himself in trouble. “Just wait till I rest this off. Then I will have you explain to me what went on.”

 

When the ice demon closed his eyes and drifted off back into sleep, Jin merely smiled as he watched him sleep with no complications for once. Leaning down, he planted a tender kiss upon his lukewarm forehead. “I love you,” he whispered, merely getting a `hum' in return.

 

Pushing himself up from the bedside, Jin made his way over to the table to find some of the books there. He was gaining some knowledge on how to read better thanks to Piper. Pulling one of the wooden chairs from the table, he sat down and read through some of the titles slowly, taking his time to mentally pronounce each word. “About that mysterious tribe, hu?” He said mostly to himself as he opened the book to gaze through a few chapters and look at most of the illustrations. None of them really caught his eye until he stumbled upon a rough, ink artwork piece of what they usually looked like. He saw two of the female tribe women with crossbows and what appeared to be fur lined shirts with dresses down the knees or ankles, or they wore pants with mostly boots of some kind. Catching the crossbows in their hands as well as the crafted arrows, Jin became a bit serious yet curious. “Crossbows…,” he mumbled to himself as he shifted through the front of the book to check the index. “What weapons did they use?”

 

Most of the words he could look over were still difficult for him to pronounce and read together. He knew if anyone, Sana would be able to tell him what exactly was in that book he held. Taking it as well as a few others with him, he hurried out of the bedroom and searched desperately for Sana.

 

The elderly leader was outside, resting upon one of the chairs to enjoy the day, as it was rather sunny and the wind accompanied the warm day. Hearing one of the doors open to the many stores nearby, Sana spotted the wind demon looking rather excited. “Jin, what is the matter?” She asked, as she was about to push her body from the handcrafted chair.

 

“Don't get up!” Jin insisted, as he didn't want the old woman to move from where she was sitting comfortably. “I just want you to read this for me.”

 

Sana relaxed her old bones, settling back within the comfortable, padded chair to look at the image of the two Amazon women holding crossbows. “What exactly do you want me to read, demon?”

 

“What weapons do the Alma Kinan people normally use?” Jin wanted to know, pointing at the image. “Do they usually use crossbows? What weapons do they use?”

 

The old woman didn't need the book to remind herself of what the Amazon tribe usually used as far as weapons were concerned. “Well, Jin, back during the war 50 years ago, the Alma Kinan mostly used crossbows or bows and arrows. They are a skilled archery tribe.” She noticed the eagerness in Jin's stature still as he knelt beside the old woman to listen to her. “Sometimes they would use flaming arrows, and sometimes they would put exorcism charms on them to cripple the demonic.”

 

Jin's blue eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly to let way for a gasp. “They are here! They are around here!” He said rather loudly with excitement as he got to his feet. Seeing the confused woman, he elaborated. “I was attacked in the surrounding forest when I was trying to pick flowers for Touya. Before then, I heard someone in the bushes watching me, only to run off shortly after me noticing them. When I was attacked today,” Jin explained as he pointed to his injury, “I was shot by an arrow that had a exorcism charm on it. It had to be one of them!”

 

“Jin, you don't know that for sure,” Sana said with a slight sigh. “If you wander too deep into that forest, you may become lost. Some say there is a curse upon it, and you will find yourself wandering down the same path for years to come. Do not go looking for trouble, demon.” She began to rock herself upon the chair to relax a bit further after Jin's `revelation'. “You might end up startling the wrong group.”

 

“I have to find out if it is them,” Jin insisted as he placed his hand to his chest. “If their medical practices can possibly save, Touya, then what other choice do I have!”

 

“Wait!” Sana exclaimed to prevent Jin from taking off after some wild goose chase. With the demon's attention caught, she lowered her hand back down to the armrest of the chair with a slight smile to the wind master. “Touya will be awake sometime soon. Why don't you just wait for him and then you can go hunt down these people?” Seeing Jin fight with himself on what to do, Sana continued. “You never know what may happen. You wouldn't want to leave him worrying in his condition, would you?”

 

Jin looked out at the forest with a falter of his ears and a heavy sigh. “You're right. I'll wait for Touya to wake up, and then I will head on out.”

 

Sana made sure that Jin did head back into the village quarters underground before resting her head upon the chair with a relieved, inner sigh. “It sure is a beautiful day,” she mumbled mostly to herself, listening to the song of the birds around her.

 

Touya tensed up from a nightmare he was enduring within his sleep. His teeth rolling over his lower lip, he began to sweat profusely as he turned back and forth whilst enduring the horrible visions. Within his dreams, he could see nothing but darkness engulfing him. Even though Touya was weak, he tried his best to fight it off of him, as it seemed to have a mind of its own. The darkness would reach for and grab his body as if to try and completely suffocate him.

 

“Get off of me!” He demanded as he created his ice sword to slash at the dark fog trying to wrap about his body. When he was able to fight his way through, he ran through the void he was within to try and find a way out.

 

Touya was frantic and anxious as he hurried through the darkness only to have the ground beneath him become visible to show he was making his way towards a cliff. Stopping dead in his tracks, he looked over the cliff to see nothing but an endless pit. Panicking with sweat lining his brow, Touya gazed back over his shoulder to see the oncoming dark fog. “No! Stay away from me!” He yelled, outstretching his hand to try and make the darkness stop from coming towards him while backing up on the small bit of land he hand about him.

 

A small pebble falling from the narrowed cliff into the depths below seemed to cause a sudden rumbling, which could be felt, prompting Touya to look behind him to find a fire starting to slowly churn about the pit beneath him. The flames rising up high and his skin nearly burning just from the intense heat he could feel, he knew he had to make a quick decision on where to go. Without much thought on the matter, Touya jumped off of the cliff with his eyes closed knowing the fire was going to tear his body apart.

 

“Touya!” Jin's voice bellowed from his nightmare, prompting the ice master to wake up before the fires could eat away at his skin. Seeing the ice demon widen his eyes and gasp for air as he woke, Jin held onto him gently. “What is the matter?

 

His lukewarm embrace holding the wind demon in return, he recollected the many images he saw when he was dreaming. “It was…it was nothing—just a bad dream,” Touya insisted as he pulled back from the hug for a moment to settle. He wiped the sweat from his face realizing he was a bit more energetic then before. “I guess the medicine is wearing off a bit.” He pulled the covers from his body, planting his feet to the ground.

 

Seeing his partner about to leave his bed after what he had just endured, Jin was quick to stop him. “Whoa, Touya! You really should just lie down and try to relax a bit before moving about.”

 

“I am just hungry, Jin,” he remarked with a slight chuckle. “I've been asleep for two hours. I think I am ready to eat at the very least.” Once again, he found the wind demon denying him the want to get up to get his own late lunch.

 

“I'll get it for you in a moment, but listen, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

 

Touya brought his knees to his chest, resting his arms upon them while giving Jin a rather curious look. “That is right. I did want you to explain your injury to me at the very least.” When he saw Jin look upon it with a slight shrug like it was nothing, he cleared his throat. “I would like an explanation, Jin.”

 

Jin sighed upwards, blowing some of his wild hair out of his sight at Touya's persistent behavior. “I apparently startled some local villager, and they shot an arrow at me that had an exoticism charm attached to it.”

 

“Jin!” Touya exclaimed, as he knew those charms could render a demon powerless to even humans. “You need to be more careful out here!”

 

“I know; I know,” said Jin as he tried to settle the ice demon. “But listen, I was reading through your books, and I think I have an answer as to what might have shot at me as a warning. And it might be the solution to our problems!”

 

Touya sidewise frowned at Jin's comments, not sure still what he was babbling about. “Jin, whatever it is you are up to, I want you to be careful.” When the wind master was about to get up to leave the bedside, he grabbed onto Jin's wrist to stop him. His narrow, weak eyes gazed up at the redhead with a serious look. “I mean it, Jin. I don't want you to get hurt…”

 

Smiling tenderly down at Touya, Jin placed his hand on top of his partner's in attempts to comfort him. “I will take Piper with me. I am sure if there is any other Grasslander out there who is willing to try and shoot me down, she can reason with them.” When Touya said nothing more, Jin pushed himself up from the bedside once more to head off to find Piper and venture back into the Kupo Forest after he was to get Touya's meal.

 

 

 

 

The bushes moving out of the way of the eager wind demon, Piper followed cautiously behind Jin. Her delicate hand moving the bushes and lower branches out of her face, she sighed slightly at his determination to find a tribe that had gone into seclusion for 50 years. “You know this is a wild goose chase, right?” Piper moved up her dress slightly to make her way over one of the large tree roots blocking their path. “Even if it was an arrow that shot you, a crossbow and a bow and arrow are commonly used amongst all of the Grassland tribes. Alma Kinan women just happen to use it mostly.”

 

Jin inhaled the senses around him to see if he could pick up any trace of humans. Kneeling down, he eyed the ground beneath him to look for signs of footprints, as he was soon back where he was last attacked. His hands feeling of the cold, hard earth, he brought his ear slightly down to see if he could hear anything. “Understand, Piper, that this is the only lead I've got at the moment.” Jin pushed himself back to his feet to head further west, continuing to push his way past the wild foliage. “If I don't follow what I can, Touya may surely die.”

 

“I just hope you know what you're doing,” Piper insisted. Spying a spider web in front of her, she jumped back slightly with a soft gasp; especially upon seeing the black spider.

 

When the demon sensed her fear, he turned around to spot the obstacle in her way. “Don't worry, Piper.” Jin brought his hand up to smash the spider web in her way to allow her a way through before continuing onwards himself. “I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't feel strongly about this hunch.” Pausing for a moment, he wiggled his right ear upon hearing something dashing quickly within the bushes. “Something is there!” He whispered to Piper as he snapped his attention in the direction he heard the sound.

 

“Something where?” Piper asked as she hurried quickly over to Jin's side.

 

“No, no, not too close!” Jin demanded in a hushed tone still as he waved her away. “They may attack me and hit you too.” He took one step forward cautiously to make sure not to startle whoever it was hiding. “Hello? Who is there?” When nobody responded and the rustling of the bushes stopped, he looked over his shoulder at Piper only to witness her shrug.

 

Piper was unsure of what to say or to do to make whoever it was come out of hiding. Seeing that someone arise from their hiding spot, she widened her eyes upon seeing the bow and arrow they had. She saw it was aimed right at Jin's chest. “Jin, watch out!” She yelled pointing beyond him.

 

Hearing the air cut about him as the arrow shot through it, Jin turned around quickly to grab it in his hand before having another fly at him and pierce his left side. With the charm on that arrow, Jin found himself growling in agony as he broke the other in his hand rather easily just by exerting his pain through his fist. “Dammit…!” he swore as he fell to his knees. “It burns my skin…!”

 

“Jin!” Piper exclaimed as she placed her hands upon his back. She could sense the person in the darkness of the thick forest was heading towards them. Outstretching her hand, she insisted that they stop. “Please, don't come any closer! Don't kill him!”

 

The archer made their way into the light of the forest to show that the person were obviously a female given their figure. Her narrow eyes were the color of brown as was her hair, which she had tied back in a bun, though a few strands were coming down from it and falling about her face. “Why would you protect this beast? He is a demon! Can't you as a Grasslander see that?” Her tone was almost full of malice and discontent for the demon, who was there in obvious pain.

 

Jin huffed through his nostrils to try and regain some of his self-control before gazing up at the woman to see that she had on the attire depicted in that one book he held in his hands not too long ago. The lining about the bottom of the shirt was lined in white fur while the coloration of the fabric was mostly in green though had some white symbols about the collar area. She had gloves on that were obviously brown, animal leather and came close to her elbows. Tan colored pants were what she wore as well with her boots. “An Alma Kinan!” He mostly said to himself, agony upon every word he spoke as the charm was hurting him.

 

“He has come too close to our boarders the last few times, and we don't want him anywhere near our home!” The archer demanded as she aimed an arrow right at his chest. “If I have to put an arrow right into his wretched heart, I will!”

 

“Please,” Jin begged sounding rather winded. “I beg of you—you must save my friend…!”

 

The woman relaxed her arms to show she was listening to what Jin had to say. “What friend are you speaking of, demon?”

 

“He is another demon, but he won't harm you!” Jin went on to explain as he raised his hand almost in surrender to her pending attack. “He has read all about your kind and has found you to be interesting. He wants to be here and see your tribe.” Jin witnessed the skepticism in her expression as she shifted slightly to one side. “Please…he is sick, and he will die if he doesn't get help! I need your help…please…!”

 

Her expression was unchanging though she lowered her bow completely and stepped backwards to show she wasn't going to kill the demon. She actually found his words to be unlike that she would expect from someone of his race. Her brown eyes shifted about the forest canopy before eyeing the damned being once more. “Where is he?”