Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Wind Knoll's Curse ❯ Chapter 29

Author's Notes: Yeah, sorry about disappearing off of the face of the earth for awhile. What happened was I got a new computer to replace this POC that is virus infested and very low on memory to one that is superior in every way. However, the new one refused to work and my dad has been working tirelessly to try and get it to. The people, who are trying to `help', if you want to call it that, keep getting shit screwed up.

 

Also I was taking a slight break because someone had it in for me lately, and I was waiting for them to grow up and move on; thus why anonymous viewers cannot review at the moment. I may change it—but if I do, don't feed any flames. I need to just put up with it. Let's face it, not everyone is going to like my stuff.

 

Personal things were going on as well, but I don't need to talk about that at the moment as they were heartbreakingly unchangeable. Enjoy the chapter and thanks for your continued support.

 

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Rachael stood before the pacing wind demon as Jin waited for Scarlet to return to the temple that afternoon. He was continuously checking the time with a worried sigh making the high priestess lightly giggle against her hand. “You worry too much, my Lord. I am sure she is fine,” said Rachael reassuringly.

 

“I know I would be given a spiritual warning of some kind if she were in trouble, but it isn't like her to be nearly 20 minutes late to return home,” Jin explained with a rather tense huff. “Normally it wouldn't bother me but with demons still out and about, she could get hurt!”

 

The sound of the doorknob turning alerted the two within the wind master's bedroom. The high priestess couldn't help but smile at seeing Scarlet enter the room before shifting her focus on Jin with a smirk. She raised her brows slightly while tilting her head downwards as if to motion an `I told you so' stance. When she caught Jin almost glaring at her, Rachael hid her chuckle behind the back of her hand as she made it to the bedroom door herself. “I'll just excuse myself then. Be well, my Lord.”

 

Scarlet moved slightly to the side to allow the high priestess through before gazing at the obviously irritated wind demon. She folded her hands behind her while slightly bowing her head at how he was standing there with his arms crossed and his irritable glare now focused on her. “I-I am sorry I was so late getting home today. I was in the area when I decided to go stop by Touya's temple,” said Scarlet as she pointed slightly over her shoulder.

 

Jin kept glaring at Scarlet, moving his head slightly to the side to look down at her out of the corner of his eye almost while tapping his fingers upon his left upper arm. “I see, and why exactly did you head over there?”

 

“That's what I came to talk to you about,” Scarlet went on to explain as she moved a stray hair of hers out of her face and behind her ear.

 

Unfolding his arms, he motioned for Scarlet to head to his bed with him so the two of them could sit and talk for the moment. “So what is it? You're not leaving my temple, are you?” He wondered almost with a doubtful chuckle.

 

“No, but I talked to him about my training to be a priestess under his name,” Scarlet clarified. A part of her couldn't help but feel nervous about telling Jin all of this, so it caused her to look off to the side to avoid his baby blue eyes. “Well, I asked him if it was possible, and he said he wouldn't mind training me so long as it was okay with you.” She was hoping more then anything that the demon wasn't taking this as her dumping the training Jin was still trying to instill in her. Her fingers tensed up as she grabbed onto the baggy jeans she had on, bundling up the fabric slightly.

 

The demon was a bit upset to hear her want to continue her training under Touya but he relaxed his perplexed frown into a comforting smile as he witnessed her nervous reaction. He reached down to grab onto her wrist tenderly to get her to settle at the very most. “Scarlet, look at me,” Jin whispered as he tried to meet her halfway there. When she refused to look at him, he cupped her chin with his index finger. “If you want to work on your training under Touya, that is fine. I just hope you don't forget about your training here.” Leaning forwards, he placed a tender kiss upon her forehead. “Because I would hope you wouldn't forget that you are also my servant.”

 

Scarlet smiled for once with a shake of her head at his comment. “No, I wouldn't forget about my training under you.” She couldn't help but smirk. “Besides, I am sure you wouldn't let me.”

 

Jin couldn't help but smile brightly to show off all of his teeth. “I sure wouldn't.” Pushing himself up off of his bed, the wind master made his way over to the door. “It is about time for dinner. I should go grab something before I make my rounds about the town. Later on tonight, if you want, I can call Touya over here to let you inform him of your decision.”

 

“Dinner?” Scarlet inquired as she watched the demon about to leave the room. When he looked at her rather confusingly, she continued. “Well, I mean, isn't it my job to get that for you?”

“If you want to get it for me, I guess I wouldn't mind it. Keep in mind that I don't worry too much about you fetching my food.” Jin rested the end of his index finger against his cheek as if to think. “I am not too sure what they're serving today, so I'll just write down what I would like for you to choose.”

 

“But I thought it would always be my job to do that for you. I did read it in that book you gave me to study up on.” Scarlet pushed off of the bed herself to make it to the wind master's side, taking a peek at the list he was jotting down on. She noticed the small amount of food he was listening. “Very small eater, I see.”

 

“Always,” Jin mumbled as he finished off his list to hand over to her. “And to answer your first question, yes, there was a time my servants fetched my food for me, but that was so long ago.” The redhead sat himself comfortably down in the mahogany chair for a second to relax. The chair couldn't help but creak a bit when the demon did so. “That was back when I basically sat in the main room in that giant chair you see in there with my servants around me.”

 

Scarlet looked back over the list before scrunching her nose up a bit at thinking about how things probably first began in Wind Knoll. “So, who exactly came to all of you and proposed you all to watch over the town?” Seeing Jin lift his brow in slight confusion in desire for her to elaborate, she continued. “I mean, you all seemed to have very little desire to be around humans. So what was the want to do so?”

 

Jin relaxed his arms upon his thighs, looking off to the side to try and remember that far back. “You've read most of how Wind Knoll's religion was founded, right?”

 

“A little.”

 

“Well,” Jin continued, “I am sure you know that a few of the founders were the ones to catch me and Touya out practicing on the boundaries of human and demon world, right?” He witnessed Scarlet nod from where he was sitting. “Those humans came to us and practically started worshipping us. Back then, Touya and I had very little honor code when it came to humans. We were tempted to kill them right on sight. But when we saw them kneeling down before us and bowing, we stopped and see what they had to present us with.”

 

Jin could remember the night that the humans there were on their knees and revering them as gods. His blue eyes looked over at Touya with a rather confused look in them before paying attention back to the humans before them that night. “Speak quickly,” the wind demon recalled Touya demanding as he used his ice sword to point at one of the humans kneeling before them. “We should relinquish your pathetic lives right now for just seeing us!”

 

“Please,” begged one of the humans, “spare us, your greatness! We wish nothing of you but to listen to our proposal.”

 

Jin tilted his head slightly to the side while gazing down at the mortals, who were all still resting upon their fronts as if to bow. “And what is this proposal, humans?”

 

“We wish to build a settlement here, but we would need a spiritual foundation for it,” one of the men announced as he kept his head bowed to the `Gods' so as not to anger them. “Please, my Lords, if we were to make temples in your names, would you help the town continue to grow?”

 

Touya looked over at Jin with a shake of his head as if to disapprove. “To have a bunch of humans groveling at our feet sickens me to even think about it,” the ice master whispered to Jin, his icy eyes expressing the hate he had for the human race even if he were once human himself.

 

“Please, my Lord!” Another of the men begged from the ground. “We will give you anything you desire. We will all be there to serve you.”

 

“Servants, hu?” Jin inquired aloud, cupping his chin in thought. He felt a tight, frigid chill on his arm, prompting him to realize the ice demon was grabbing him.

 

“Are you insane!” Touya exclaimed between the two of them again. “I don't want any part of this! I don't need to babysit a bunch of humans!”

 

Scarlet listened intently to Jin's story before interrupting. “So it was servants that turned you both to the thought of protecting Wind Knoll?”

 

“More or less,” said Jin as he shrugged slightly. “It took Touya a bit more convincing into the idea because, well, he didn't care much for humans or being their protector. But when he was offered the idea that they would be under his command, he finally turned around.” Jin looked off to the side with a slight frown at how he used to treat his worshippers back in the day. “Hiei and the others came to the town's area later on, and we all fought over worshippers. In the beginning, they were chosen at random. Nobody had a say in who they wanted to follow. We made that decision for them.” His blue eyes looked up at the ceiling, hearing some of the spirits whispering to him. The tips of his ears twitched as he went onwards. “I used to lounge in that chair in the main hall all day and night and have everyone cater to me. It is a reason you see most of the prayers taking place there. Some still believe I sit in that chair and listen to them.”

 

“I thought you listened to their prayers still,” Scarlet commented from near the bedroom door. “I mean, don't you and the others answer prayers or something when you're sitting down and writing?”

 

Jin nodded slowly with a neutral expression. “That is when people write us. Sometimes I will go into their dreams and answer it, but that depends on the time I have. It is a reason some prayers aren't answered right away. I can only imagine how Koenma manages to keep everything in tow with it just being him and a whole world full of people to think of.” Feeling a bit fatigued, Jin rolled backwards in the chair while intertwining his fingers together behind his fiery, red hair.

 

Scarlet noticed his actions from where she stood. “You look tired, Jin.”

 

His ear twitching at her comment, he looked over at Scarlet from the corner of his eye before waving away at the notion that he was. “Neh, I'll be fine. I am probably just a bit hungry is all.” Truthfully, he didn't want to think about possibly needing the energy feed. Lately, Scarlet had tried to jump at the notion to be the one, and Jin couldn't bring himself to feed off of her with how weak she was spiritually.

 

“Alright, well, I'll be back in a little bit then,” said the servant woman as she headed off to the Dining Hall. Scarlet felt a bit nervous as she made it down the long hallways by herself. She could swear every once in awhile that something was watching her as she walked the corridors alone. She couldn't help but gaze over her shoulder every now and then to watch as the shadows casted about by the lit scones teased her eyes into thinking something was after her. The large doors coming within view, she made her way on through them just in time with a relieved sigh.

 

Hearing the doors close, one of the cooks looked over to see Scarlet looking rather winded and frightened. “Are you okay, hun?” She had been previously gazing out at the snow covered land through the arched window as she made her way over to the startled Scarlet. Wiping her hands on her apron, she reached for the young servant girl's shoulder. “Nothing was after you in the temple, was it?”

 

Scarlet looked up at the elder woman. She appeared to be probably around the age of 40 with her stringy auburn hair tied back in a bun. “N-No,” Scarlet managed to answer with a shake of her head briefly. “I just always get frightened when walking down those halls alone; especially as of late.” She pushed herself off of the doors to find her footing once more whilst making her way down to where the food was usually displayed.

 

“Ah, good old paranoia at its best, eh?” She remarked as she followed closely behind Scarlet.

 

“Pretty much,” said Scarlet as she gazed back over at the window the cook was previously staring out at. “After being awoken to this world, I don't know if I will ever find the smallest thing peaceful and soothing.”

 

The elder woman could only smile briefly before nodding at the slip of paper in her hand as she made it behind the counter where most of the food was lined out for others to take—almost like a school cafeteria. “For the wind master, I assume?”

 

Jumping to attention at the mention of the paper she held, she handed it over to the cook. “Oh-uh-yes! He wanted me to pick a few things up for him. He's been quite hungry it seems.”

 

Taking the slip of paper, her brown eyes gazed over the writing carefully before chuckling at the same taste Jin always had. “Alright, let me get this together for you. As for your first comment, I do agree.” She grabbed a few of the vegetable and fruit items that the wind demon had listed but by a great portion knowing he liked to hold some for later. “Sadly, with demons running crazily around the town, it may be awhile before this town is ever peaceful like it used to be.”

 

“Was it ever peaceful to begin with?” Scarlet inquired as she walked diagonally to the cook on the other side of the food lined table. “From what I have read and heard from others…it doesn't seem so.”

 

The woman shrugged as she grabbed a good bit of cream spinach to put on the tray. “It had its moment. Sure, demons surfaced and tormented those sensitive to it, but it wasn't so frequent. Ever since that portal was created, it caused a bigger problem and more attacks.” Finishing up the tray of food, she put a lid on it before handing it over to Scarlet. “There you are, hon.”

 

“Thank you,” whispered Scarlet as she accepted the food back. “I guess I'll head back to his bedroom and give this to him. He has been acting weird.”

 

The cook overlaid her arms upon the woodwork of the display area. “It is possible he is just low on energy. He'll find ways to get it back up. I promise you.”

 

Having that to think on, Scarlet exited out of the Dining Hall with the food in her possession. Why wouldn't he let me know? Isn't he supposed to be using me for these kinds of things? She thought as she headed hastily back to the wind demon's bedroom. Opening up the door, Scarlet peeked inside to make sure that Jin was still there. Sure enough, the demon was there and seeming to be looking off at nothing in particular while sitting in the chair he was last seen within. “Jin?” She called inquisitively while stepping inside, closing the door quietly behind her.

 

Catching the noises the door made as well as Scarlet's voice, Jin lifted his brows slightly while peeking over at the entryway to his bedroom. “Ah, I see you are back.” He watched as Scarlet came over to him as he didn't have it in him to get up from where he was sitting. The way she looked at him made him wonder what was on her mind as she appeared concerned. “Something the matter?” He inquired rather lowly. He was unaware his voice sounded labored and tired when he spoke.

 

Scarlet put the food off to the side before kneeling down before the wind demon. “Are you low on energy?” She wondered while rubbing his left, upper thigh. “Is that why you sound so tired?” The wind demon didn't seem to want to answer that at first as he gazed down at her. When Scarlet was about to ask again, she felt a sharp, brief pressure on her heart. Removing her hand from where it was, she placed it on her chest as well as attempted to get some of the air back in her lungs. “What-what was that…!”

 

“We're connected in certain ways because of you being my servant” Jin removed his hand from where it was resting upon his cheek to touch her chest gently. “Whenever I am low on energy, you'll more then likely feel it.”

 

“Does it always sting like that?” Scarlet wondered as she was still trying to come down from the shock of it.

 

“I am surprised you're just now feeling that,” Jin grunted as he moved slightly forwards to touch the area where her human heart was beating with the tip of his index finger. “With all the training I've put you through, I would think you'd be able to feel it sooner then this.” Focusing some of his energy into the tip of his finger, he tried to calm the pain her heart had felt. “Just relax a bit, and you'll feel better.”

 

“Why are you so resistant to take any of my energy? You know I have gotten better,” Scarlet pointed out as she reached up to grab his wrist tenderly. “You know I can handle you.”

 

Jin sighed as he rested back in his chair once more. “I know that, Scarlet, but your spirit is still very weak. I cannot risk possibly damaging you through spiritually interaction.”

 

“Then don't do it spiritually!” Scarlet almost demanded as she placed her fist upon her chest in desperation to make the wind demon better. “Take the energy from my physically!”

 

“Scarlet, you don't understand,” sighed Jin as he covered his face. “Your spirit is going to take a slight blow to that draining if I do so physically or spiritually. It doesn't matter how I do it, because I am essentially draining your spirit energy.”

 

Scarlet shook her head as she stood upright to gaze down at the demon. “But it is my job to make you feel better! Why won't you let me do that?” When Jin refused to answer, she grabbed onto her white sweater to pull it off of her head to reveal just her standing in her bra and jeans. She watched as Jin glanced at her but looked the other way to try and avoid getting his temptation any higher. “Why won't you even look at me?” When the demon refused to still even look her way, Scarlet knelt back down and started to try and entice him into draining her by massaging his inner thighs.

 

Jin grunted in pleasure but pushed Scarlet away for a second with a disgruntled growl. “Scarlet, stop it!” He demanded. “I don't want to hurt you!”

 

The young woman almost felt hurt by his words as she looked up at him with tears threatening to come. “Why don't you trust me?”

 

Seeing the displeased look on her face, Jin's stern expression softened as he lowered his ears. Sighing softly, he got to his feet and knelt down on one knee in front of Scarlet, who was resting on her legs. “It isn't that I don't trust you or anything of the sort,” Jin insisted softly with a caring smile. “Scarlet, you have come a long way, but your spirit is still recuperating from all it went through. Eventually you will get to where I need you, and I will rely on you for energy feeding, but not just yet.” Finding her shirt nearby, Jin grabbed it up and handed it over to Scarlet. “Thank you for offering though.”

 

Scarlet felt incredibly embarrassed as she took her sweater back and put it on. She watched as the wind demon made it back over to his dinner to begin eating what was gathered for him. “I guess I should go back and tell Touya you don't mind me doing that training after all.”

 

“I told you I would call him over myself earlier,” remarked Jin with his mouth slightly full as he ate a bit of the soup that had been made that night. The spoon clinking on the bowl, he looked at something upon his desk before looking back over at Scarlet. “I will summon him in later on. I suggest you grab dinner yourself and head back to your bedroom. There are still demons on the loose as you know.”

 

With a nod, Scarlet left Jin's room once more with a heavy sigh. “I am such an idiot,” she said mostly to herself as she put her shirt back on and wandered back into the hallways lit only by the scones on the walls. “I should realize me screwing myself up for so long is going to take some repair.”

 

“And how,” a child like voice commented from the corridor she was within. “I can barely sense your energy at all.”

 

Stopping in her footsteps, Scarlet turned around to see a young demon standing there with a yo-yo in his right hand. He was throwing it down only to pull it back up in time to catch it. She couldn't help but notice that his colors on his hat and outfit were rather bright and stood out—almost like he belonged to a carnival act. “Who are you?” She asked rather defensively as she didn't like his tone.

 

“My name is Rinku,” he answered as he pushed himself off of the wall. “I was coming by to check on things and just happened to notice you walking by but only barely.” Here Rinku pointed up at her with one hand behind his head. “I can sense your energy level but just hardly. Has Jin been draining you that much?”

 

“You nosey brat, he hasn't been draining me at all!” Scarlet grumbled with a bright blush over her face. Sighing softly to herself, she gazed somberly ahead at the dark halls with a shake of her head. “He refuses to touch me, really.”

 

“That's weird,” remarked Rinku as he began to play with his yo-yo again. “Usually when he is letting out this much energy he turns to his servants at least. I thought you were one of them.”

 

Scarlet raised her brow at the inquisitive Rinku. Her gray-green eyes could just make out the young child in the darkening hallways only lit by the candlelight. “What do you mean? How is he letting out so much energy and what for?”

 

Rinku blinked a few times in confusion as he caught his yo-yo once more. “You mean, he didn't tell you?” Witnessing Scarlet shake her head, he bit at his lower lip wondering if he should himself. His eyes looked up at the ceiling as if to pay mind to the shadows being casted there at the moment. “Well that seems a bit bizarre as he usually tells his worshippers everything. But, well, if you haven't sensed it already, demons are trying to converge on this temple to slaughter the humans and taunt out the wind master.” When he heard Scarlet inhale in dismay, he continued. “The demons that attacked and threatened Touya headed to Jin instead of Kurama. They know if they bring down Kurama, Jin will be the next one to prompt the barrier, so they are attacking him first.”

 

“Why has he not told anyone!” Scarlet demanded to know as she looked down at the child-like demon. “Why is he being this brainless!”

 

“Touya didn't tell anyone either until it was too late,” Rinku explained with a shrug. He turned his head slightly as if to completely cloud his face in the oncoming darkness of the Wind Temple's halls with the sun setting. “But they prefer not to rely on humans so much to solve the problems others have created. They want to protect the humans, not burden them.”

 

“It isn't a burden when we care so much for them!” Scarlet almost yelled in tears. She stopped herself from saying anymore as she heard a rather low, disgruntled groan coming from behind her. Rinku snapped his attention in the direction as well as the servant girl. The sound came once more only a bit closer. Scarlet and Rinku both stayed on guard as they watched the bit of light still shining within the corridor, wondering what would come from the darkness. A burnt and decayed hand soon appeared within the light. Scarlet watched as it tensed up in a way to express it was trying to pull towards them. When the other hand came into view, the damned soul was able to pull the torso into view of the light only to show that there was nothing on the beast by hands and a blooded body. The back of it had oddly shaped legs, which almost looked like sharpened razors, which had a point to them. “Oh God!” Scarlet exclaimed quietly, hoping to not alert it as she backed up towards the child demon.

 

“It still knows you're here!” He insisted in a low whisper. “Enemies like that don't need ears or eyes to figure out where you are. They can sense your spirit no matter how weak or strong it is!” Rinku watched closely as the enemy seemed to scuffle around in attempts to find the human it had sensed earlier. “When I give the word, you have to run as fast as you can out of here.”

 

“Run? Run where!” Asked Scarlet in fear as she took another step back.

 

Rinku sighed irritably, “Run anywhere! And run fast, because these damned humans can run fast, and they do hurt with their back legs. They are like kitchen knives and can cut through anything.” When Rinku heard the beast screech loudly, he felt his heart nearly drop as the beast lunged for the fearful Scarlet. Getting his yo-yos ready, he threw them quickly in desperation to stop the damned creature. The cords, which were controlled by his demon energy, coiled about the demented human and pinned it down quickly with a rather loud thud. “GO! NOW!”

 

Turning away, Scarlet ran as fast as she could down the opposite hall. “Jin! Somebody! Anybody! Help!” She screamed while tearing down the hallways, which seemed void of any life whatsoever. Looking over her shoulder, she heard the angered cries echoing throughout the temple. Turning to look in front of her, she saw a white figure ahead in the hall she was within. Stopping in her tracks, she watched as it limbered from side to side. The head of the womanly figure off to the side and downwards, her face was covered by her long, stringy white hair, and she almost seemed to flicker like a lamp about to short out every time she moved.

 

Hearing the demonic screams behind her, Scarlet shot a glance over her shoulder just in time to see the creature Rinku had tried to stop leaping upon the opposite wall and heading towards her at a fast pace. Just seeing the sharp, knife like back appendages cracking the walls made her heart sink as she hurried down the hall to her left.

 

Justin had just gotten back from studying and worshipping under Hiei when he came down the area where the negative energy had gathered. The high priest stopped slowly in his tracks as he looked about frantically in worry, causing his wavy brown hair to toss about as he glanced from side to side. “Foreign demons are here…” Closing the book in his possession that he often kept with him in the Wind Temple, he hurried down the corridor with his bare feet beating against the carpet beneath him. The white robes he wore flailing about behind him as he ran, Justin made it to the area where it all started. Labored breathing heard in the darkness, he lifted his hand to create enough heat to cause the scone closest to him to relight as it had obviously been blown out.

 

With the one lit, he was able to see blood splattered on the white carpet and Rinku's hand lying limp off to the side with a yo-yo string broken from his fingers. “Rinku!” Justin exclaimed as he made it over to the injured demon. The young demon grunted in displeasure as he was moved from where he was resting. He had several injuries over his body that were bleeding profusely. “Rinku, what happened here!”

 

Rinku opened his eyes wearily with a look of dismay. “I-I am sorry…I tried to help her…!” He paused as his body overwhelmed him with slight pain. “Scarlet was chased by one of those higher class damned beings. You must save her…! Warn Jin…!”

 

Justin panicked at watching Rinku close his eyes and have his head roll off to the side. “Jin, help!” The high priest yelled as he picked up the injured demon and hurried towards the wind master's bedroom.

 

With all the running she had managed to do all over the temple, Scarlet was able to finally make it to her bedroom. Opening the door, she closed it quickly and brought over the chair in her room to keep it from being easily pushed open by any forces. Hearing a rather nasty scream once more as well as a loud bang against her door, Scarlet fell to her backside and crawled backwards in terror at the demon eager to get to her. Her back hitting the opposite wall, she grabbed onto the nightstand legs to hold onto tightly with her eyes closed just the same. “Go away; go away; go away,” she begged quietly.

 

The constant banging upon her door coming to a sudden halt, Scarlet refused to look about her as she was scared of what she may see. The door creaking open, she could hear footsteps hurrying towards her. She knew they were reassuring and probably someone she knew, prompting her to relax a bit. “Scarlet,” Touya's voice whispered as he made it to her side. “Scarlet, are you okay?” When she didn't answer, the ice master grabbed gently onto her wrists. “Let go of the nightstand. Come on,” he said tenderly in attempts to have her relax further. Touya managed to get Scarlet to release her hold on the legs of the nightstand. “It's okay; it's okay.”

 

“Oh, God, Touya…!” Scarlet whimpered as she held onto the ice demon tightly. “I can't take this anymore…!”

 

Touya cupped the back of Scarlet's stringy, bi-colored hair with an inward sigh. “I know. I know it is hard right now, but that is why we are here.” Getting to his feet, he helped Scarlet to hers to get her over to her bed. “Just lie down for now. Everything is settled. Jin and I took care of them. I'll go get you something to eat for dinner. Just relax.” He grabbed onto the bed covers to cover her up. “I'll be back shortly.” Making it to the doorway, Touya gazed over at Scarlet once more to make sure she was okay before excusing himself.