Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Wind Knoll's Curse ❯ Chapter 17

Author's Notes: (Copy and paste excuse here)—work, spiritual stuff, yada yada—that is why I have been so slow on working on this story.

 

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The breaking through of demons of all kinds of levels awoke the small, sleeping town no thanks to the heavy tremors erupting throughout the streets. Lights quickly came on one by one down Willard Drive causing the demons there within the misty streets to slightly panic.

 

“We have to get out of here!” Kurama ordered as he pulled from the group, waving at the others to follow him. “Into the woods!”

 

Razz helped the injured wind demon into the woods with the others, not wishing a scene to occur if by chance the people who were coming out to view the sights could see the demons. Hiei used his quick speed to dash into the shadows of the forested area of Wind Knoll as did Shishi. Chuu nearly stumbled upon the slippery pavement as he made it to cover with Suzuka right behind him. Everyone shadowed within the woodlands, they listened to the cries of the town dwellers—each demon mostly picking up on the mourning and fear of their worshippers.

 

“What happened!” A young woman cried amongst the screams and yelling of those out and about with lit lanterns.

 

“The buildings have collapsed over there!” A man exclaimed. “What is going on!”

 

“What has angered the Gods?” An elderly woman muttered in disbelief at the sight before her.

 

All of them remained quiet as they listened in from within the forest. The redheaded wind demon was catching negative thoughts from his worshippers out and about the town, making him cringe in worry and slight pain from his injury. “This is bad,” Jin whispered to the demons nearby. “If those people find that the destruction started from within that building, the workers will all be sacrificed in order to atone for what they did…! It's been written in their `Bibles' to us…!” Hitching in breath, Jin hissed in pain as he held onto the blooded bandage, wrapped about his hand. “GAH—dammit!”

 

Kurama quickly turned his attention to Jin upon hearing his cries of discomfort. “We have to get you out of here and tend to that wound.”

 

Jin struggled to catch his breath from where he was sitting in discomfort. “No … what … what about the town?” He asked wearily.

 

Sighing in frustration, Kurama looked up at those nearby. “Shishi, go back to hell, and if you can find anybody else willing to help this cause, then let them. We need all the help we can get to have this invasion get under control before the whole town is overrun. The rest of you—I am counting on you to demolish want negative entities you can.”

 

Hiei brought out his sword with a smirk set upon his face. “It's about time something interesting happened around here.” And with that said he was gone.

 

“C'mon, there, lad; we can't let Hiei have all the fun now, can we?” Chuu remarked somewhat seriously as he headed out there after the fire demon.

 

Kurama watched as Suzuka followed without hesitation and as Shishi turned upon his heels quickly to hop off quickly down the dirt road towards the open portal to hell they often used to get through. He situated Jin upon his shoulder slightly, looking over at the frightened Razz with a nod of his head. “Come on, Razz. I need to get you both back to the Wind Temple. Right now, those are probably the only safe havens for anybody right now.”

 

As the three of them tried to pull down the road, the air began to get chilly suddenly. It startled Kurama and caused him to stop momentarily. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the path ahead of them, feeling the chill mostly originating from up ahead. The fox demon was on guard until he saw a familiar figuring running towards them. “Touya?” He mumbled between the three of them inquisitively.

 

The trees nearly froze under the powerful influence of the worried ice demon as he hurried down the dirt path before him. He was more than relieved to see the group up ahead. “Kurama!” Touya yelled, waving his hand up in the air. “Kurama, we have a problem!” He managed to get out once he made it to the group.

 

“I know,” Kurama sighed as he looked down at the injured Jin.

 

Seeing the pain Jin was within, Touya hurried over to his friend to help him to knees as he was in obvious pain. “What happened!” He exclaimed in worry.

 

“The demons broke through,” Razz explained somberly. “They couldn't destroy the portal.”

 

“Touya,” Kurama began quickly, “go help the others control the city. Use your ice to bar the demons' way of escaping. Once we've done damage control, we'll think of what else to do.”

 

Hearing the clock chime the coming hour, it brought Touya's attention to the towering clock within the center of the town. He knew he had to get to the top of the clock to have control over his ice barrier. Gathering up his speed and strength, he hurried towards Wind Knoll's town clock.

 

 

 

 

Back within the Wind Temple, Scarlet felt unnerved as she waited for Touya or Jin to return. She couldn't very well move as she was still aching all over from the exorcism performed previously. Not having the patients to lie around and wait, she decided to instead roll over and just try to sleep off the time.

 

The walls of the temple creaked and moaned with the wind blowing harshly outside of the sanctuary. The candles lit within the corridors began to go out one by one as if by some unseen breath or presences. An eerie breathing could be heard inhaling in a sickening fashion down the halls. The halls were empty at the moment as most of the worshippers had gone to pray—all except Scarlet, that was.

 

Whatever was lurking in the walls of the temple made it down to Scarlet's bedroom. The shadow covered her door before slipping under the door crack to make it into the young woman's bedroom. The once calm, safe room felt of death and fear, prompting Scarlet to shoot awake as soon as her candles were blown out.

 

Her breath seen there upon the dark room to indicate the temperature drop, she shivered under the covers, bringing them closer to her. “Who's…who's there?”

 

Scarlet could hardly see through the darkness, which now consumed her bedroom. Her hearing, on the other hand, could pick up the sounds of the rasping breath, which lurked about her small bedroom. Eyes almost seemed to tug at her attention; it was making her feel as though she was watched from where she was trying to hide halfway under her covers. Her teeth chattering from the chilly breeze and the uncomfortable feeling, Scarlet grabbed tightly onto her wind charm she had about her neck still.

 

“Get out of here!” The woman demanded, attempting to focus her will and courage into the item within her scarred hand. “You are not welcome here!”

 

At that moment, the creature hiding within the room screeched loudly in displeasure at her weak attempt to banish it. From across the room, where it was lurking, it quickly ran over to where it could sense the human woman, pinning her down with its nearly seven inch hands and twelve inch fingers. The demon's nails scratched up and down Scarlet's already scarred arms, making her scream and attempt to fight in the dark, feeling blood speckle upon her face and chest as she did so.

 

“Get off of me!” She screamed.

 

The door soon flew open upon her demand to have Kurama step through the doorway and raise his hand quickly. “BE GONE!” A gust of rose pedals swept from the fox demon's hand to slice through the demon's decaying skin.

 

The demon screeching in agony quickly disappeared from the room through the wall. With the beast soon gone from the area, Jin made his way over to the burnt out candles to relight them with a simple movement of his hand. Razz made her way quickly over to the horrified Scarlet to look at her deep wounds within her arms.

 

“The demons have made it within the temples,” Razz said nervously. “We need to keep them at bay.”

 

Jin nodded in agreement as he kept his hand close to his chest. “Razz, gather the high priestesses and have them focus their energies on creating a barrier about the Wind Temple for the time being. I am too weak to do it now.”

 

Grabbing the hem of her white skirt, Razz quickly hurried out of the room. “Yes, my Lord.”

 

Kurama made his way over to Scarlet in Razz's place. “More than likely more of the others in this temple have been attacked. I can sense energy levels dropping throughout the sanctuary.”

 

“Go help them,” Jin begged with a slight hiss in pain as he made his way over to the fox demon. “I can take care of Scarlet and mind my hand till then.”

 

Kurama quickly fled from the bedroom, too fast for Scarlet to follow. “Jin…what's going on!” Scarlet demanded to know in fright as she stayed within her bed afraid to move.

 

The wind demon made his way over to the bedside to sit upon it with a sigh. “Silvia really did it this time…she opened a barrier to hell and now a good many of the demons from hell have crossed into Wind Knoll.” His eyes met with Scarlet in the candlelit room. “Now, all levels of demons, high class and low, have a way to make it into your town, and who knows what is going to happen now.”

 

Outside, chaos was still reining down upon the town. Screams of agony echoed throughout the streets as Chuu and the others tried to take down the demons, which had entered through the portal. Blood of the slaughtered demons splattered upon the cold, hard ground and upon Chuu's skin as he demolished those he could.

 

“They just keep coming!” Suzuka complained as he continued to try and fend off the hordes of demons and damned souls.

 

“Shishi should be here soon with reinforcements!” Chuu shouted over the cries of the damned.

 

Touya quickly made his way up to the town's clock tower. He turned around quickly once upon the clock, to look down at the chaotic town below him with his hands together in a pyramid form. “I will not allow you demons to escape this town!” Closing his eyes, Touya began to concentrating on his ice magic, prompting a strong, icy mist to emanate from the clock tower.

 

The temperature within the town dropping, the ground began to rumble once more before disrupting to allow forth large, mile high ice-shards from the depths of hell to barricade the outer parts of the town. Suzuka and the others watched as the ice shards from the ice demon jutted up quickly from the ground one after the other.

 

“Touya,” Suzuka muttered as he took down another demon, which was fighting against him. “He must be trying to bar their way.”

 

Through the woodland, Shishi was running at lightening speed with his samurai sword at his side with the band of demons, who offered to help, following behind him. Once he made it onto Willard Drive, he unsheathed his sword and sliced through damned souls, which were within his path as he made it down the road that led to his temple. He could hear the cries of his followers and feel their souls threatening to part from their bodies.

 

“Split up!” He demanded to the demonic army he brought with him. “Protect the humans and slay the wretched!”

 

The high priestesses and priests of the temples knew what they had to do as the battle was raging onwards outside and inside of the very temple walls. Those who were able, and who were more in tune with their abilities, ran to the main worshipping room to stand opposite each other and focus their abilities on creating a barrier about the outside of the temple.

 

“Stay focused!” One of Hiei's worshippers demanded within the Fire Temple to those nearby.

 

“Do not break the circle!” Kurama's high priestess shouted over the screams echoing throughout the temple walls within the Earth Temple far across town.

 

“We will not give in,” A high priest of Touya's clan announced to those high enough in status and in power within the Ice Temple belonging to the ice demon.

 

“Raise the barrier!” Razz demanded to the wind priestesses with a raise of her hand.

 

Damned souls under the influence of Shishi and his worshippers rose from the depths of the soiled ground to create a dark barrier about the dark temple belonging to the death bringer demon. The rest of the barriers arose one after the other to protect those within the selected temples.

 

Scarlet heard the rough wind barrier muffled beyond the temple walls from where she remained in bed with Jin not too far away. “Jin, what is going on?” She asked, slightly terrified.

 

“The high priests and priestesses have raised the wind barrier. I was unable to do it myself,” Jin explained. “I am not sure what is going to happen now, kiddo, but I fear the worse.”

 

 

 

 

The war went on for hours within the night until most of the demons of low level were either killed or frightened back into the portal from which they came. The people throughout the town were frightened and not sure what to do about what had occurred. Touya and the other demons were aware that they were acting like lost sheep, oblivious of what to do now with part of their town destroyed and covered in blood.

 

“What are we going to do now?” Shishi asked as he watched from atop the mountains overlooking the town below. “That portal is still opened and more demons are going to come through.”

 

Kurama sighed softly through his nostrils. “We are going to have to appoint a member of our faction to speak on our behalf. We have no other choice.”

 

There was a type of sorrow in the fox demon's tone, prompting Touya to look over at him with a hum in thought. “You foresee something we can't, don't you?”

 

He closed his eyes and looked off to the side as if wishing to avoid the topic. Kurama eventually looked back at Wind Knoll with his wild, red hair blowing about the hectic wind currents about the mountains. “Come; let's head back to the temples. We need to reside there more than ever now.”

 

Jin had eventually parted from Scarlet's bedroom, leaving the young woman to recuperate on her own for the time being. Scarlet couldn't find peace there within the temple room all by herself. With what strength she could muster, she slowly got to her bare feet and tiptoed to the door to quietly open it to look down the hallway both ways before coming out of the room to make her way to the demon's own bedchambers.

 

She kept the robe about her tightly while making her way down the right hallway towards Jin's door, which she could eventually see at the end of the corridor Scarlet eventually found herself within. Placing her ear against the mahogany carved door, she listened for any unsettling sounds before rapping her knuckles upon the door. “Jin, are you there?”

 

It was silent at first until finally the wind demon spoke up. “Come in.”

 

The door opened by the help of Jin's wind once the wind demon motioned his hand to beckon it to do so. He was sitting within the chair, situated in the center of his room appearing to be thinking. It was the first serious look Scarlet ever witnessed on the demon's face in a long while. “Is something wrong?” She asked quietly whilst making her way closer to the demon.

 

Jin moved his cheek from the back of his hand so as to sway his hand slightly at Scarlet's question. “Well, thanks to one human woman, your entire town is up in arms—willing to sacrifice anybody they can to the `Gods' in hopes of appeasing them for what just happened tonight.” He released a sigh of displeasure, placing his fingers over his face. “If it is found out that the previous placed you worked at horded this portal, you will all be killed in our name.”

 

Scarlet inhaled sharply at the thought. “But—that's impossible, right? No human can locate a demon portal, right?”

 

Jin shook his head, biting his lower lip slightly. “Mmm, not really and those who can have sworn to secrecy knowing who caused the problem.”

 

“But I didn't do anything!” Scarlet expressed openly, placing her hand upon her chest.

 

The wind demon shrugged. “I know you didn't, but you worked there and that is going to be enough for them to convict you.” He pushed himself up out of the chair he was sitting within to make his way over to the frightened Scarlet to embrace her tightly. “It's alright, kiddo. You're going to be okay.” Pulling back from her for a moment, he nodded at the doorway with a brief smile. “Why don't you head down to the Worshipping Hall? Razz will be there to help you with the knowledge you have been deprived of lately.”

 

Scarlet blinked at Jin's nickname to the priestess. “Why do you call her `Razz'?”

 

“Because she was a `razz' when growing up in my temple,” Jin explained with a slight chuckle. “Her real name is Rachael, but she will come to whatever name you call her.” Gently he pushed against Scarlet's back to make her move faster towards the doorway. “Now, go on. I have some things to catch up on.”

 

“Alright,” Scarlet almost whispered as she turned on her heels to head out of the demon's chambers. But before she exited, she looked over her shoulder back at the wind demon. “Thanks, Jin—for at least being there for me…it's something I've been neglected of as well for a few years.”

 

Jin offered another smile to her with a slight `hmm' sound.

 

Scarlet managed to smile in return before heading down the corridor to find Razz as she was instructed. She managed to run into the young priestess when searching for the Worship Room. “Razz—Jin wanted me to speak with you about the Worship Room or what not.”

 

“Hey,” Razz greeted. “Your name was Scarlet Baker, right?”

 

“Yes, it is,” Scarlet answered.

 

Razz looked at her wrist where her watch was resting to catch the time. “Alright, come with me then, Scarlet.”

 

Scarlet did as she was asked, walking down the corridors littered throughout the large castle like temple with Razz leading the way. She felt a bit unsettled within the windy halls for once considering all that had happened. “So, how long have you been here at the temple?” She asked in attempts to strike up conversation.

 

“Since I was born,” Razz simply answered as she shielded the candle within her possession from the rouge winds blowing about the halls to keep the wind demon company and relay messages to him.

 

“You were born in the temple too?” Scarlet inquired.

 

“I was born and raised in the temple,” Razz explained as she turned down the upcoming right hallway. “My mother passed away when she gave birth to me, and I don't know what happened to my father. When that happens, it's up to the temple to raise the child.”

 

“Wow, I am sorry about that,” Scarlet sympathized continuing to follow behind the young priestess.

 

Razz gazed over her shoulder at Scarlet with a slight chuckle. “Why? I think I had a pretty good life here.”

 

Scarlet wasn't sure what to say to Razz's comment as they finally came upon two large, arched doors carved with creative designs in the wood. Making their way through the doorway, Razz moved her hand from about the candle in her possession for a moment to outstretch it to the large looking library before them. She smiled down at Scarlet, “Here we are.”

 

Making her way into the Worship Room, Scarlet couldn't help but be a bit surprised by the size of the room and what was within it. It seemed to go on for several feet in all directions and had more than fifty lines of items upon shelves lined up neatly. “Wow, so what all is in here?” She asked, gazing up at the arched ceiling painted with beautiful landscapes fitting Jin's desire.

 

“Anything that you will need, including book of shadows, crystal balls, candles, pendants, literature, ect,” Razz named off. “Come with me, we have a lot to do for you seeing as you have been out of the loop for so long, my dear.”

 

Scarlet stayed behind Razz as they walked down one of the many rows of books and items belonging to the wind demon.