Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ My Naga Knight ❯ Chapter 8

I am sorry for the wait. Normally I would have had this done days ago, but I got addicted to this game of mine that I missed out on in 2002 and I need a self-help group. XD

 

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

 

The sound of hammers wailing on top of nails made Neda flinch the next day as she tried to sleep a bit longer than usual. Her hand cupping the side of her face, she looked out the window wondering what time it was before eyeing the clock on the wall that they had. It was close to twelve, making Neda blink a couple of times thinking the clock was just too fast. It sure didn't seem like it was twelve to her as she managed to sit upright in bed to think to herself for a moment or at least when the obnoxious noise outside allowed her to.

 

“I cannot believe I slept so long. I didn't expect it to be this late,” she sighed to herself. To hear the constant hammering outside of her window made Neda grumble. She couldn't hear herself think making her finally shut her window to lessen the sounds outside.

 

The door to Neda's bedroom opened slowly as Blythe stood there with a tray of food it appeared, resting within her hands. Her knuckles rapping upon the side of the door, she made herself further known there at the entrance before asking if she could be let inside. “Neda, is it alright if I come in?”

 

The younger Cormac sister looked at her elder sibling as she remained there in bed. Neda looked through her messy, morning hair before pulling it out of her line of sight. “Sure,” she mumbled, looking off to the side to avoid looking her sister in the eyes.

 

Blythe allowed herself inside of the bedroom they shared that had recently been taken over by Neda and her emotions. Walking over to her sister's bedside, she placed the tray she had in her hands upon the nightstand so that they could be free to check upon her weary sibling. Sitting upon Neda's bedside, her black dressed laced in white designs wrinkled while she sat, prompting her to roll her palm out upon the fabric. Her brown boots she had worn and walked around in all day had lost their welcome as she pulled her dainty feet from them so she could cross her legs comfortably. “I apologize about the noise,” Blythe remarked noting that Neda had shut the window when it was normally open on warm days. “The carpenters are here to work on our farm for the time being. It may take a week to fix if they are here from sun up to sun down.”

 

“That's wonderful,” Neda responded sarcastically as she looked down at her hands there upon her bedcovers.

 

Closing her deep blue eyes, Blythe couldn't help but shake her head a bit at Neda though she kept most her thoughts on the matter to herself. “Neda, it is late and I still need help around here. The barn animals can still not find shelter in the barn so I need you to help me feed them at least. I already fed the chickens and gathered the eggs so all I need is for you to help me with the cows and horses.”

 

Rubbing her face with her hand, Neda looked at her sister with a slight nod. “I will be up and ready in a few minutes.”

 

“Alright,” Blythe said in return as she got to her feet once more as soon as she got her boots back on. “Please promise me you'll eat first before you do so. Your eating has been not so good lately. I am going to be outside getting started on the rest of the chores.”

 

Neda remained in bed for the time being as she watched her sister head back for the door to tend to the farm while their barn was being reconstructed. The aroma of the breakfast her sister had prepared enticed her stomach to growl as she looked over at the eggs and bread that Blythe knew would be easy enough to make as well as milk in a medium glass. Her hand gripping onto the glass, she brought the rim to her lips to drink some of the milk to at least try and wake her body up.

 

The door to the front of the house creaked open as Blythe made her way outside onto the porch and then down the stairs so she could make it to the corral. She was going to head to the shack that had all of the grooming, feed, bridal, and saddle equipment that dealt with their horses so she could get started on tending to the steeds while Neda was still upstairs. Pulling open the door so she could let herself inside to grab the feed, she was stopped abruptly by someone calling to her.

 

“Blythe,” Thane called as he walked towards the young girl. He wasn't wearing armor this round but wearing normal attire. He had on a pale green short sleeve top with a brown leather belt holding up his pale brown pants that flowed over his brown boots that were large in size.

 

Blythe turned around surprised to see Thane at all awake concerning the night hours he worked as she stood there at the door of the shed she had previously opened. “Oh, hello, Thane,” she began in surprise. “I didn't expect to see you here.”

 

“I came by to see how things were going,” Thane answered as he looked over his shoulder at the workers who were busy getting the barn back together. His short blond hair shifting just a bit in his face, he looked back at Blythe with a smile on his charming features. “I am glad to see they are well.”

 

“Well,” Blythe began as she put some of her strands near her face behind her ear, “they could be better concerning my sister but I am not complaining.”

 

Thane eyed the window that belonged to Neda with a nod. “I can understand. I am sure in due time she will turn around.”

 

Blythe could only pray to the goddess that he was right as she stood there in the doorway of the shack. “So, is that the only reason you stopped by, to check up on the progress of things?”

 

The young knight couldn't help but chuckle, almost nervously upon her question as he stood at the foot of the steps leading up to where Blythe stood. “I also came by to see if you needed help with anything else seeing as with your parents gone, I can imagine tending to a place like this can become difficult.”

 

“It sure can be without help,” Blythe said with an added sigh as she turned to the side to face her house once more. “Neda and I have been working on the farm since we have been able and know how it works but it takes us almost all day just to get things finished and it is a real hassle. We hardly have time for ourselves anymore as we used to.”

 

“I can imagine changing from one lifestyle to another is quite difficult, especially for one such as Neda,” Thane sympathized as he shook his head at the situation. “Normally, I would be at home asleep, but seeing as things still need to be done here, I naturally do not mind.”

 

Blythe blinked a few times as she tilted her head to the side as if to express her confusion. “Are you sure you don't mind?” She wondered, feeling that Thane must have been up for far too long. “I can imagine working all night makes you very tired and the work that needs to be done is really just going to make things worse.”

 

Thane looked back at the two story farm house for a moment once more before looking back at Blythe with a curious shrug. “I wouldn't mind helping for a little while if you don't mind me borrowing a place to stay in your house. Neda will be up in a little while and I can help until then and maybe a little after. I have a good bit of energy left so I might as well use it for something. What do you say?”

 

The young farm girl couldn't help but admire his wish to help her further as she appeared to sigh with a smile on her face once she lowered her head slightly. “Do you promise me you won't overdo it? I don't want you to get sick.”

 

“I promise,” Thane replied.

 

Blythe stepped into the shack to retrieve the horse feed to hand to Thane as she took a bit herself once she managed to get the right amount in the buckets she had lined up. Her hand grabbing onto the silver handle, she handed two of the buckets she filled up to Thane. She stood in the doorway of the small building that held the horse equipment watching as the young knight took the two heavy buckets of horse feed without problems. Before he could take off to take care of some of the horses Blythe had tied up so they wouldn't get into others' feed, she spoke up quickly. “Thank you, Thane,” Blythe's delicate tone said to the knight with a smile.

 

Hearing her sincere thanks, Thane stopped at the bottom of the stairs to look up at her.

 

“Thanks for helping me and my sister out,” she continued as she eyed the carpenters working on their destroyed farm. “I don't know what I would do without your help so I cannot thank the goddess enough for sending you to me.”

 

“Neither can I,” Thane added in a suggestive tone as he added a smile to her. Hefting up the buckets once more, he headed off towards the corral so he could help Blythe tend to the horses.

 

From the closed window Neda watched as she continued to pick at her eggs that she had almost finished. Even if her window was closed to the sounds outside, Neda could still read body language and she could only guess what was being said outside. “Humph,” she grumbled as she took another bite from her eggs, “keep dreaming, buddy.”

 

 

 

 

The trees rustled about the calm, blowing wind later on in the afternoon as the two traveling snake demons headed through the thick woodlands about them they had been traveling in for what felt like forever. The redheaded snake creature stopped for a moment to sniff about the wind to try and figure out where they were. He had grown weary of traveling and his stomach couldn't help but remind him that they hadn't eaten in awhile. His fingers touching the dirt road beneath him, Jin continued to sniff about the area to try and catch a scent that he recognized.

 

Touya remained nearby as his scales slithered upon the rocky road there before them. He was growing impatient and wanted to find food and shelter. “Are we there yet or not? I am ready to eat anything at this point…I don't care if it is a chicken, I just want food!”

 

His nostrils taking in a brief inhale, Jin erected on his serpent form to shift his ears slightly upward as he looked into the oncoming forest with interest. “I believe we're almost there. I think that is the forest that the humans call the Emerald Forest so the Cormac Farm should be a few feet away.”

 

Heading on ahead of Jin without another word, Touya made his way into the next portion of the woods showing his eagerness in arriving on time. “If this is the way to the farm, let's hurry up and get there. I am sure some of their creatures survived the fire and I am ready to eat one. I am starving.”

 

“Hey, wait for me!” Jin whined as he hurried after his hunger stricken partner. His serpent body quickly glided upon the grass and twigs that rested in his path as he scurried to Touya's side best he could. “Will you slow down for a minute? I am hungry too, but it's not like we can just go in there and slaughter what we can. Remember that their barn burned down and some of their cattle did too.” Jin continued to struggle to try and keep up with Touya as the icy snake demon was hell-bent on getting to their destination that was obviously within reach. “Remember that the place is only being run by children after all!”

 

The constant banter of his partner forced Touya to finally halt as he sighed, eyeing the canopy above him as if to gather the strength he needed to put up with Jin. His icy sight hooking with his friend's, he placed his hands upon his hips to show he was irritable and lack of food wasn't making his attitude any better. “What do you want to do then, Jin? Do you want us to starve to death? We need some sort of food to be able to survive, and, seeing as I don't have the strength to hunt, I doubt it would be too much trouble to just pluck one animal for the day from the farm.”

 

Jin's sharp index nail tapped upon his lower lip a moment to show he was thinking of an answer. He was hungry too, but he didn't want to kill what remained at the Cormac Farm. A sigh escaped Jin's mouth as he shook his fiery red hair as he looked to his partner. “Alright but only ONE chicken,” Jin stressed. “Just one and that is all! That should give you enough strength to hunt for something.”

 

“Thank the spirits,” Touya breathed in relief as he headed onward just as quickly as before. He was desperate to get food or he felt he may faint.

 

Watching his friend hurry on ahead of him once more, Jin followed after him with a chuckle rising up in his throat. “Will you slow down, Touya? The chickens are still going to be there.”

 

The metallic, sky hued scales shined upon the peeking sun that could be seen through the thick forest canopy. He was eager to get to the farm and rest for he had been traveling all day and most of the night. “I don't care if they will or not,” Touya grumbled as he continued onward. “I am just incredibly hungry no thanks to you wanting to get to this farm without any stops.”

 

Jin said nothing as the two continued onward through the forest. The scenery was starting to look familiar to the redhead as he recognized a few trees resting nearby on his left with a boulder resting firmly in the middle with a few other stones gathered nearby. He had remembered resting in the darkness that the stone cast with Dustin and the others at times. It was their nesting area for a while until Damon and Pearl started hunting in the area to try and be rid of them; revealing their nesting area to the two parents of the Cormac Farm in due time and forcing them all to relocate.

 

The Emerald Forest eventually started to thin the further on the two traveled and opened up to the Cormac Farm that rested there in the clearing on the side of the road that led down to Kalrune Village and to the Eytheria Castle. But the horrible sound of the hammering the carpenters were producing frightened the demons as they stopped on the outskirts of the forest. The two of them remaining hid in the shrubbery nearby, they both hissed irritably at the awful sounds that made them flinch and almost entice them to attack the cause.

 

“What are they doing?” Jin hissed, baring his teeth at the horrendous sound.

 

“It looks like they are rebuilding that farm that burned down,” Touya answered as he eyed the construction site from the safe distance.

 

“Well,” Jin began as he watched cautiously from the sidelines, “it looks like we cannot get to the food now. The farm is way too busy with those humans there building that barn.” The wind snake demon watched as Touya seemed distracted slightly by a scent he caught in the air that disturbed him slightly. “What is the matter, Touya?”

 

“I smell iron…,” he mumbled as he looked about the farm area. “It's like the iron I smell when the knights are nearby. There must be a knight here.”

 

“A knight?” Jin wondered with confusion as he looked about the area closely with his big, innocent eyes. “There couldn't possibly be a knight here. Knights are rarely seen at the farm unless they are passing through.”

 

Touya looked about the farm area wondering where it was coming from. The iron on the Eytherian Knight's armor had a distinct smell to demons and helped the demons know when one was nearby. Even after the armor was removed, the scent was left on the knights though it was slightly faint. The snake demon's narrow eyes gazed about the area until he came across an unfamiliar male heading for the farm house. “I think that's the knight walking towards the house.”

 

Looking towards the foreign male, Jin shifted his ears slightly upward as he watched the blond haired man until he disappeared into the house. “What is a knight doing at the Cormac Farm?” This interested Jin and yet worried him all the same. If a knight was going to be around the farm, it would make their staying near the area all the more dangerous.

 

“I have no idea but we have to be careful,” Touya whispered as he slithered off towards the chicken coop slowly so as not to alert anyone nearby. “We need to grab a chicken without being caught and hunt for something worth while.”

 

Jin watched as Touya headed off once more ahead of him as he followed behind his partner. He kept his eyes on the people nearby that made him nervous as he made his way to the chicken hut slowly so none of the humans would be alarmed. “What about the girls? We came here to watch over them as I had promised.”

 

The icy cold hands of Touya touched the wooden planks that made up the chicken hut as he watched those nearby to make sure nobody was watching the area. Looking over his shoulder at Jin, he shrugged slightly as he nodded out at those nearby. “Jin, does it look to you that they need help? It seems to me that these humans are helping them.”

 

He watched from behind Touya as the carpenters worked their hardest on the destroyed barn while the other two girls were milking the cows though they were slightly hid from the demon's sight behind the corral's boards where the animals were put. He felt they appeared okay from where he was watching them, but he couldn't abandon them at this moment without proof that they were.

 

“Be careful,” Touya announced quietly to Jin as he pressed his finger to his lips as if to silence his friend. “We cannot get caught especially with a knight within the area. Just snatch what you need and run back into the woods. We'll come back to the farm later tonight when everyone is asleep.”

 

Jin glided silently upon the ground underneath him as he watched those nearby closely with his ears twitching slightly to catch the sounds around him. He peeked around the side of the small chicken coop to eye the birds that were feeding before eyeing the humans not too far away once again. One of the chickens weren't too far from Jin's grasp as he lunged for one, causing the birds to scatter and cluck like crazy once the snake demons both made themselves known.

 

Neda and Blythe both heard the chickens from where they were sitting on their wicker stools so they could milk the cows. The chickens would only be that loud if something was attacking them or someone was running through the area and everybody was away from the chicken pen. Blythe was the one to stop milking the cow she was attending to in order to see that the snake demons were trying to eat their chickens.

 

Blythe panicked as she saw the demons though that didn't stop her from jumping over the corral fence to try and shoo them away with the rocks she picked up on the way over to them. “Get out of here!” She demanded angrily as she managed to strike the icy blue scaled snake demon once in the side.

 

Touya hissed angrily at the strike of the rock on his side as he had a firm grip on a chicken's neck to keep it from escaping him. He knew if the young girl continued to scream, the knight would surface and they couldn't risk that as he quickly turned away from the farm area and headed deep into the surrounding woods.

 

Jin watched as Touya took off before him as he grabbed onto the chicken he had managed to catch before quickly going after him. He wasn't above being hit once again with pebbles and dodged which ones he could as he dashed into the thicket just behind the chicken enclosure.

 

The door to the house flew open as Thane stood there wearily at the doorway before making his way down the stairs and to where Blythe now stood. “Blythe, what is the matter? I heard you yelling.”

 

Blythe looked over at Thane through her wild, reddish brown hair, her expression showing her fear and anger. “Those blasted snake demons came back! I thought they had left seeing as they had been silent for awhile, but I guess they came back.”

 

Thane looked over at the chickens that had shed quite a few feathers in the process of flapping wildly from the snake demon encounter. A frown crept upon the knight's face as he looked at the scene as he hurried towards the chicken pen to make sure that the creatures had indeed left the area. “Those snake demons will continue to come back,” Thane announced as he headed back over to Blythe. “I think the main reason they left was because the fire scared them off in the beginning, but obviously they are back to get more of the farm animals.” His arms across his chest, Thane shook his head in disgust. “Annoyances those beasts are.”

 

Neda looked over the fence from where she was standing within the corral as her arms wrapped about the cow's neck that she was milking previously. All she could do was stand there in anger at the demons that were chased off. She didn't have the energy to do what her sister did as she turned her attention to the cow that continued to graze.

 

The weary knight headed back towards the house as he rubbed his eyes to show his exhaustion. “Just be careful. I have never seen a snake demon come out in the morning hours for food like that before,” Thane remarked with concern as he made his way to the front door. “I would finish up what is left of the chores and come inside. It obviously is not safe out here.”

 

Blythe nodded in agreement as she looked over at Neda who was listening to the two of them. “Neda and I just have to milk the cows and then we are through. We will be in shortly.”

 

The young knight closed the front door, leaving the two young girls outside to finish their remaining chores. Blythe could only rush back to what she was doing in hopes of hurrying inside to safety. Slipping in between two of the planks to get back into the corral, she made her way to the cow she had assigned herself before eyeing her younger sister. She couldn't afford to have Neda being outside with what had just happened. Being the eldest, she had a responsibility that had been forced upon her when her parents died and Blythe knew now she had to take on both parental roles for the sake of her younger sister.

 

“Neda,” Blythe spoke tenderly with her hands folded there before her, “I think it is best you head on inside with Thane. I will finish what is needed out here.”

 

“But—,” Neda began to protest.

 

Blythe shook her head with her brow furrowed in worry as she eyed her sister seriously. “Listen to me, Neda. Thane is right about those snake beasts. They normally only come out at night and never come out at day unless they are really hungry or something is wrong.” The eldest Cormac sister couldn't help but gaze back over at the rattled chickens for the moment as she said this. “The last thing I want is for them to come after you and eat you.” Blythe looked back over the bi-colored cow that separated her from her sister as she pet the docile creature gently. “I already lost mom and dad to them and I don't want to lose you. So please, go inside with Thane and stay out of trouble.”

 

Neda didn't enjoy doing her chores and having a valid reason to leave them now was a relief to her, especially with her energy mostly gone lately with her still being upset over her parent's unfair demise. But she would be leaving her only sibling outside where the snake demons had appeared and that worried her. She didn't want to leave Blythe alone with such a threat and it made her hesitate in her actions.

 

“Are you sure you will be okay out here?” Neda asked with concern.

 

“I am not certain,” Blythe answered honestly with a sigh. “But I have to finish up here and I can do it a lot quicker without all these questions being asked.” Waving her hand slightly towards her sister, she tried to help her along towards the house with the quick motion of her hand. “Now go inside—hurry.”

 

Neda picked up the pails of milk she had managed to collect and headed for the house without spilling a drop of it. Her boots pressing into the weathered wood on their porch, she couldn't help but stop to look back at her sister out in the corral. Her fingers tapping upon her palm as she held the buckets firmly, she hummed sorrowfully as her mind swirled with worrying thoughts. If anything, at least Thane is here to slay those beasts, Neda reminded herself as she walked on inside.

 

The caught chickens that Jin and Touya had managed to grab before being spied were trying their hardest to escape the demons that had them tightly by the neck. Touya eventually had enough of the annoying sound the bird made and sunk his fangs deep inside of the flapping body of the domestic creature. The crimson blood of the animal marred with Touya's mouth and dripped to the floor beneath him as he kept a firm hold on the creature that was intent to continue thrusting about until it had no life left within it.

 

Pulling his mouth from the farm bird, he licked the blood off of his pale skin as he looked over at Jin who had already started eating on the chicken he caught. “I am amazed that knight didn't come out to kill us when that girl threw a fit.”

 

Jin tore into the flesh that the bird would give him before looking at his partner with his ears slightly upright. “That knight wasn't wearing any armor,” the redhead felt need to point out as he wiped his mouth that was starting to drip with blood. “I could smell the faint scent of iron on him but I don't think he was being a knight at that moment. He looked way too tired to me when he went into the house.”

 

“That seems odd for a human that age,” Touya remarked looking over his shoulder. “Normally humans have to be on Eytherian soil for at least sixty or so years before getting weary and tired I think.”

 

The bushes rubbing together not too far away from the duo caught them both by surprise as they looked over at the shaking shrubs in alert. Jin's ears rose quickly and shifted about listening to the bushes and trying to find what could be causing the undergrowth to move as they were as Touya started to get into a threatening stance, hissing and wavering about on his serpent half. The two of them said not a word as they remained fixed waiting as the green leaves finally parted to reveal a female snake demon.

 

Jin was surprised as he widened his eyes slightly at the female naga with abdomen length white hair and crystal blue like scales that were a hue or so lighter from Touya's. Her hair flowed over her bare chest as she sat there, frightened at the two unknown male serpents. Jin watched as she fidgeted with her long, poisonous nails before bothering to come closer slowly so as not to startle her.

 

“Who are you?” Jin asked as he tried to peer into the young female's eyes that had nothing but a soft violet to them, showing no slit in her eyes whatsoever.

 

The nervous young demon looked off to the side as if to dodge the question as she hid her face with her hair. “I am sorry…I got lost. Help me before the iron men kill me?” She begged shyly, referring to the knights.