Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Wind Knoll's Curse ❯ Chapter 40

Author's Notes: Christ, haha, I really need to move this story along, or I am going to have you people reading 150 chapters. Let's see if I can make progress.

 

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Jin was a good bit puzzled on how to carry out the one request Scarlet had given to him. Sighing heavily, he remained on top of his temple to gaze up at the stars in the foggy sky. Never had he considered marriage to any of his worshippers. He hated the thought of holding one in higher regard than another, and marrying Scarlet would mean announcing that in front of everyone. “Ugh, what am I going to do?” Jin grumbled to himself, as he lied back on the roof of the Wind Temple.

 

The redheaded fox demon was passing through the town to make sure his barrier was in order before sensing a familiar energy signature nearby. Turning his head to the roof of the Wind Temple, Kurama smiled, as he released his hands from his pockets to cup them about his mouth, so his voice would carry to the wind demon's ears. “Having trouble sleeping tonight, Jin?”

 

Hearing his name, Jin sat upright on the temple roof with his legs crossed before him. He witnessed as Kurama used his energy and abilities to join him in a blink of an eye. “What are you doing away from your temple? I haven't known you to travel about at this hour.”

 

Kurama shrugged, as he re-pocketed his hands while gazing about the fog-covered town. “I just felt like getting out and walking about alone for the night.” He turned his focus back upon Jin with a nod. “So what about yourself? You appear troubled.”

 

“I have a problem,” Jin admitted, as he fidgeted.

 

“Oh?” Kurama pried with a raise of his brow. “And what might this problem be?” He made his way over towards where Jin was sitting to join him from where he was currently standing upon a statue of the `holy wind demon'.

 

“The one servant that is baptized under me at the moment, well, her birthday is coming up,” Jin explained. He sighed, resting his knuckles against the side of his head to think. “I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and her response was that she wanted to be married to me.” Jin watched as Kurama nodded to understand instantly where his predicament was coming from. “And I do love her like the other servants I have had in the past, but I don't know if I could go this far.”

 

“It sounds like you've been through a lot with this one, of course,” Kurama pointed out, as he brought his legs close to his chest. “This is just what I get, anyways, when I hear you speak about her.”

 

Jin sighed with a grin hidden upon his face underneath the cloak of darkness. The wind caressed his wild, red bangs, as he thought about the times he shared with Scarlet. “Aye, I have been through a bit with her.” He looked over at the fellow redhead to see Kurama leaning in slightly, as if he wanted to hear more. “What?” Jin asked with a chuckle.

 

“I don't think I have anywhere important to be at this very moment,” Kurama pointed out, as he waved his knees from side to side. “Details?” He was trying to encourage the notion out of the wind master.

 

“If you insist,” Jin chuckled, as he looked back up at the sky. “Well, she was my first servant in years for one thing, but she was also the first female I ever physically was with.” He paused, waiting for Kurama to say something about that, but Jin heard nothing that indicated the fox demon wanted him to stop. “Well, as the years went by, she fell in love with me, and I guess somewhere down the line, I did too. But I cannot admit that in front of everyone else. That is unfair to them.”

 

“Jin, I am no expert in this, but I do believe that even `Gods' have a right to claim someone as their wife,” Kurama suggested. “Granted, nobody has to really know about that connection unless you want them to.” It was subtle, but Kurama motioned his ring finger at the wind master to show a gold wedding band on it.

 

Spying the band out of the corner of his eye, Jin's eyes widened at the sight. He gazed up at the fox demon rather breathlessly. “You…you're married to someone…!” Jin felt that all of the demons shared the same views on marriage, and none of them bothered to find a human partner. “She is human?” He asked curiously.

 

Kurama nodded slowly, bringing his hands back towards his body to cross over his knees. “She is one of my servants,” he explained, as his thumb caressed the wedding band. “She will be thirty-nine in July, and even though she didn't reside in my temple until she was age fifteen, I still went to her house every night when she was growing up.” Kurama smiled, as he continued to think about her. “When she was brought to in my temple, she'd always watch me play the piano. After watching me play for so long every day, she asked if I would teach her, and I did. Together we'll play a duet together and sing as well.” He paused for a moment, looking over at Jin with a slight shake of his head. “Nobody knows we're married except a selected few.”

 

“Nobody bothers to point out the ring on your ring finger?” Jin wondered with a raise of his brow, finding that a bit odd.

 

Kurama shook his head once more as a response. “If anybody notices it, I tell them that it is just a special ring that I own. I am an old fox demon who stole from people. They know this. For all they know, I stole it from someone.”

 

Jin couldn't help but think about the downside of everything. “Aren't you worried about the fact she's going to pass on eventually?”

 

“She's human, Jin,” Kurama pointed out obviously. “Of course she is going to sadly die someday, but that doesn't mean our connection is going to be severed.”

 

The wind master turned away from the green eyes of the fellow demon to gaze out at the fog-covered woods. “The others have not been wed to humans, have they? I don't think Touya has. I see the boyo everyday, and I have not once noticed a ring on his finger.”

 

Kurama shrugged, as he tossed his hair slightly to move the strands from his face. “I know that Shishi actually has someone; he doesn't wear a ring, but he wears an item that the woman gave him and vise versa. Hiei I am not too sure about nor am I about Touya either.” His ivy orbs moved back over at Jin to eye him up and down slightly in the pale moonlight. “Shishi even came to me about the human he had in mind for himself. He thought he was weak to fall in love for a human woman.” Kurama couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of those words escaping from Shishi's mouth several years ago.

 

Jin blew his bangs out of his face with an upward sigh. “What am I going to do? Several months ago, I had trouble just saying the words `I love you'. How am I supposed to say that I love this woman unconditionally from now and forever?”

 

Pushing himself up from beside the wind master, Kurama offered his hand to Jin to help him stand as well. “Write it down on paper,” he suggested. “In any marriage, vows are made. Write down everything you would want to say to her.”

 

“What if I cannot bring myself to do this?” Jin wondered sorrowfully. “I'd hate to not be able to give her the one thing she truly wants on her birthday.”

 

Kurama smiled at Jin before closing his eyes momentarily to think about his response. “I think sometimes we also have to think of ourselves whenever we respond to a wish.” He caught the blue eyes of the wind messenger once more when he opened his. “I cannot tell you how to go about this affair, Jin, but I will say to think about it really closely. It might be something you just might need.”

 

Jin managed a toothy smile in return, nodding at Kurama's words to him.

 

“I must go now,” Kurama whispered between them, as he placed his hand upon Jin's shoulder. “I cannot be away from my temple for too long. Just keep in mind what I said.” His hands remaining in his pockets, the fox demon jumped from the roof of the Wind Temple to land on his feet with a slight bend of his knees. Looking back up at Jin, Kurama nodded to him before continuing on his rounds.

 

 

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Scarlet put away one of the books in her possession that had just come in that morning at work only to find someone staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she found Angela gazing at her with big, eager eyes. “What?” Scarlet asked with a chuckle at the look on her co-worker's face. “What's with the eyelash batting?”

 

“Well, today is your birthday, so it is anybody's guess as to what Jin will be getting you,” Angela pointed out, as she followed behind Scarlet with her arms crossed behind her back.

 

“He won't be getting me anything special,” Scarlet insisted, as she minded the floor. “And it doesn't bother me one bit, because I am perfectly content with everything I have at the moment.”

 

“Oh come on!” Derrick commented, overhearing the conversation from where he was at the sci-fi section. He was a dayshift manager at the bookstore, and he worked under Shishi as a servant. “There has to be something that you want. I am sure Jin won't take `no' for an answer when it comes to your birthday present.”

 

Scarlet shook her head at everybody eager to get her to spill on what she could want. She chuckled, as she eyed the two curious ones about her. “You guys don't understand,” Scarlet insisted tenderly. “Quite a few years from now, I was strapped with nothing.” She hated to dwell back on darker times when she lived with her stepfather, Chris. “But when I beckoned to the wind master for information about Touya, I found myself with everything I ever wanted and more. I don't think there is a single thing Jin could get me at this moment. He has already given me everything.”

 

“I have no doubt he'll think of something you want and give it to you,” Derrick said, as he continued on his way about the store. “Just you wait and see!” He called over his shoulder.

 

The scarred woman giggled at her manager's comments before rubbing her head slightly as if she weren't feeling well. Lately she had been feeling rather nauseated, but she passed it off as a stomach bug, which had been going around work as of late.

 

“Are you feeling alright?” Angela asked, catching Scarlet's actions. The woman kindly placed her hand on her co-worker's shoulder. “You're not coming down with something, are you?”

 

“I am sure it is nothing,” insisted Scarlet, as she walked about the store herself with Angela behind her still. “With the stomach bug going about work, I am sure that is all it is.”

 

“Maybe you should ask Derrick if you could go home early if you're not feeling well,” Angela suggested, thumbing behind her in the direction the manager went to. “The last thing we would need is for you to get sick on your birthday; especially if Jin has something planned out for you.”

 

“The money and the hours would still be nice, Angela.” Scarlet didn't want to head back to the temple so early. She found getting out of the building enjoyable when able. “I find myself bored staring at the same walls every hour I am awake.”

 

“Oh, for Christ's sake!” Angela growled, grabbing Scarlet by the wrist to pull her in the direction their manager headed off towards. “If you're not feeling well, then you're not feeling well! We're going to get you sent home, so you can rest up!”

 

Angela was the type of woman you couldn't argue with. If she wanted you to do something, she made sure you did it.

 

Derrick allowed me to head back home, if that was what I desired. I tried to fight the notion, as I wanted time away from the temples, if just for a bit. Even I got sick of my home from time to time and would find any excuse to wander from it. But, with how queasy I was feeling, it was decided I would head home to rest up and get whatever it was out of my system with fluids.

 

Seeing as it was my birthday, Touya didn't bother dragging me to his temple the first week of May, but I found the desire to head in that direction regardless. It felt like something was compelling me to go to the Ice Temple.

 

Scarlet opened the doors of the Ice Temple to find the atmosphere of it all terribly quiet. She was confused as to what was going on, as she wandered the eerily empty halls curiously. Where is everyone? She wondered, as she continued down the right corridor with her arms embracing her figure tightly, as the chill in the air was getting to her.

 

As she continued down the hallway, she found the sight before her starting to flash and change appearance. The marble flooring covered in blue carpet began to appear stained with blood and soot, and the walls were burnt and marred with the same crimson color. Scarlet panicked at the sight, only to blink and find it back to normal before it would shift back to the same disturbing appearance. Falling to her knees, Scarlet held onto her head tightly with a furious shake of it. “No…no, no, go away! Get away from me!” She demanded.

 

However, the demons messing with her mind refused. The black and dark crimson blood on the ground seemed to move about before reaching where Scarlet was kneeling on the floor of the temple. Whatever it was began to creep up Scarlet's knees and almost dig itself within her body under her flesh. Watching the horrific sight, the woman began to scream, as it felt as though something was burning her body from the inside out.

 

“Scarlet!” An ice priest exclaimed, as he witnessed the discomfort the woman was in. Pulling his right arm backwards, he slammed his palm forcefully down on the ground to rid the area of the malevolent beings trying to attack the woman. His powers spread out over the area to the point that all of the negativity disappeared under his influence. When everything was back to normal, he hurried over towards her to shake Scarlet back to reality. “Scarlet, it is okay! It is okay!”

 

Coming to her senses, Scarlet held onto the priest tightly. “What the hell was that!” She exclaimed, terrified. Her fingers grasped the light blue robe, of the man holding onto her, in comfort.

 

“Things have just been a bit crazy around here since Touya fell ill momentarily,” the priest responded.

 

Scarlet looked up at the man with worry. “Touya is sick? What happened? What is wrong with him?” She was quick to forget about her own problems, hoping that the ice master was alright.

 

“He is fine,” the priest insisted, as he helped the woman to her feet while finding his own. “He was just out in this heat for far too long, and he collapsed. Right now, he is in his bedroom with some of the servants casting an ice barrier about his bedroom to help his body conceal the chill again.”

 

“Is it alright if I see him?” She continued down the corridor she was attacked within, knowing that Touya's bedroom was within that direction.

 

“I can see about an audience with him.” The priest guided Scarlet to Touya's bedroom. With the door coming into view soon enough, it was covered in nothing but a blue aura and ice covering every inch of it. Hurrying up to it, the priest knocked on the door knowing that the ice wouldn't hurt him. “Scarlet Baker is here, my Lord.”

 

The door opening to reveal frost everywhere within the room, Scarlet embraced her cold figure even more. She couldn't imagine stepping foot within that room without possibly freezing to death as she felt she would during Touya's harsh training.

 

Spying her resistance to wish to move into the room, the priest grabbed the quilt, which usually hung off to the side for visitors to use whenever enter Touya's room, to hand over to Scarlet. “Wear this. You should be fine.”

 

Accepting the quilt, she wrapped herself tightly within it before entering the area. The door shutting behind her, she looked about the frozen room to find four servants in the bedroom located in the four corners of the room. Their hands were raised to the ceiling and their heads lowered as the ice powers they possessed concealed the room and gave strength back to the sick demon. Scarlet didn't say anything to them, worrying she may break their concentration. Keeping the blanket about her tightly, she got to the bedside of the ice master. “Touya…?” She whispered, kneeling beside his bed.

 

Hearing his name being called, Touya opened his eyes and looked over at Scarlet with a weary chuckle. “Hey there. I am sorry you have to see me like this.” He situated himself upon the mattress, finding himself still feeling uncomfortable.

 

“What happened?” She asked, holding his hand tightly.

 

“I was a fool,” Touya answered, closing his eyes in his attempts to relax. “I was outside for far too long, and the heat got to me. Lucky was I to be not far from my servants. They got me to my temple, and they are trying to get my energy back. I should get it back later in the day.” He opened his eyes once more to look at Scarlet with a reassuring smile. “I am sure I don't need to explain what obsessive amount of heat does to an ice demon.”

 

“I know,” said Scarlet with a worry filled sigh. “You have all of the moisture sucked right out of you.”

 

“Don't fret over me,” Touya insisted. “I will be fine in no time.” He noticed that Scarlet was looking paler than usual. Reaching up towards her face, he moved some of her hair out of her face to get a better look at her. “All the color has drained from your face. You look like you're exhausted. You should head back to Jin's temple and get some rest.”

 

Scarlet held onto Touya's hand, which was caressing her face, to help rest it beside the ice master's body. “I plan on it,” she chuckled quietly. “Like you, I haven't been feeling my best.”

 

“Rest is what you need then,” the ice master suggested, as he closed his eyes once more. “And happy birthday by the way, Scarlet.” He managed to get the words out just in time, as Scarlet was about to leave the room.

 

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, parting from the room to let Touya recuperate.

 

 

 

 

Noticing the time on the grandfather clock located midway through the western hallway in the Wind Temple, Scarlet noticed it was time for her to head to Jin's bedroom to help the wind master and act as his servant. She still wasn't feeling well, but she wasn't about to let that hinder her schedule. Opening the door to his bedroom moments later, she peeked inside to call out to the redhead. “Jin? Jin, are you here?”

 

The drapes on the opposite side of the room swayed about, as the wind demon appeared from just beyond them. “Hey, Scarlet. I heard you were sick from Angela not too long ago.” He made his way over towards the servant woman to hold onto her hands tenderly. “What are you doing about? You should be resting.”

 

“I am not about to let some stomach bug stop me from coming to see you,” Scarlet insisted, resting her cheek against his chest to hold him close within her embrace. She closed her eyes while placing a tender kiss upon the area, which was merely covered by the white straps of cloth that crisscrossed over the front and back of his body. “How have you been doing?”

 

Jin lowered himself to the side of his bed, holding onto Scarlet in return. “I have been alright. I have just been thinking about quite a lot.” He was quite for a bit, wondering what to say seeing as she was feeling a bit queasy lately. “Do you feel well enough to eat?” Jin wondered, as he had plans for that evening for Scarlet's birthday.

 

“Yes, I am actually starving,” Scarlet admitted. Even if her stomach didn't feel settled, she couldn't deny the fact that she was quite hungry.

 

“Well, I just don't want you getting sick when I take you out to eat.” Jin pushed himself back to his feet, as he headed for one of his drawers to look through the clothing he had. “If you haven't checked your bedroom recently, I suggest doing so. I asked one of my priests to take you a package, so it should be there.” The wind master pulled out an old kimono he rarely wore except for special occasions. It was mostly white with tree print on it in the color of a sky blue. When he noticed Scarlet was still nearby, Jin looked over at her with a chuckle. “Go get ready. I will do the same.”

 

Leaving the wind demon's bedroom, Scarlet headed down to her own room to look for the package he spoke of earlier. Lighting one of the candles on the table near the door, Scarlet headed over to the bed to find a present there, sure enough, wrapped in white wrapping paper and tied with a red ribbon. Putting the candle down on the nightstand close to her bed, she began to tear through the paper to find out what it was. Tossing the top of the box aside, she smiled down at the neatly folded kimono resting inside. Scarlet pulled it out to hold up to her body to look down at the print. It was purple in color, mainly, with white and pink Cherry Blossom pedals drifting about on the sleeves and on the left side of the outfit.

 

Smiling brightly, the woman removed her servant attire from her body to put on the Japanese outfit that Jin had bought her. Just by bending over, she had to catch her breath, as her body wanted to reject the food she ate earlier. Scarlet took in a deep breath before finishing with getting ready. “I need to hold it together. I only have one birthday, and I cannot afford to be sick on this day,” she mumbled to herself, heading for the sink in her room to pour water in a glass to drink back her sickness. Scarlet took a long look at herself in the mirror with a shake of her head. “What is wrong with me?” A knock at the door diverted Scarlet's attention from the mirror.

 

“Are you doing alright?” Yolanda asked; she was a high priestess of the wind master who Scarlet rarely saw. The priestess was eighteen years old, and she had white hair that Scarlet found odd, but she knew that it was dyed intentionally given that white was the respected color for the wind master. “I was asked to come here to help you get ready should you need it.” The priestess made her way into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

 

“That's kind of you, Yolanda. I could probably use it as my stomach is being bratty with me right now,” Scarlet confessed, as she made it over towards her vanity to sit down on the chair. She rested the palm of her hand upon her stomach to try and sooth it.

 

“Has it been like this all morning?” The priestess asked curiously, as she lit the other candles in the room to give it more light.

 

“Yes, unfortunately,” Scarlet grumbled, as she let Yolanda brush her bi-colored hair. “I am sure it will settle eventually. If it gets worse I'll probably go to the healers of the temple and ask them to look at it.”

 

Yolanda continued to rake the bristles of the brush through Scarlet's hair to try and pull it back into a bun. She pulled a Japanese hairpin from her handbag she had with her to stick it within the hair carefully, so the tresses would remain in place. The hairpin had a pink flower at the end of it to match Scarlet's outfit. “Even though it is your birthday, I would suggest taking it easy. You don't need to befall worse shape on such a day.”

 

“I do suppose you're right. I am sure I'll be fine though.” Scarlet didn't want to think she was coming down with anything at that point in time. She allowed Yolanda to continue working on her makeup and everything, as Scarlet never bothered with makeup on her face when growing.

 

 

 

 

Jin paced back and forth impatiently, waiting for Scarlet to make her appearance. Hearing someone heading in his direction, the wind master looked through the main entrance of the temple to find Scarlet walking towards him. He smiled joyously at her, as he extended his hands. “You look beautiful.”

 

Scarlet wasn't sure what to say to that, as she could never look within herself to see the beauty that the demon saw. She merely smiled and bowed her head with a soft blush upon her cheeks.

 

Opening the doors of the temple, he stepped outside with the young woman into the crisp, warm weather. It was late afternoon, so Jin knew they had plenty of time to do whatever they needed to. “Are you ready?” He witnessed her nod, as Jin slowly took to the skies with the woman in his arms. “I have a place you might like to see.” The wind master insisted between them, as he headed towards the mountains not too far from where the Wind Temple was located. He flew about the mountainside, trying to pinpoint the location he was thinking of. When the area came into view for him, he looked at Scarlet with a toothy grin. “Close your eyes,” Jin said, as he paused in midair.

 

Raising a brow to his suggestion, Scarlet did as he asked with a rather sarcastic smirk on her face. She could feel that the demon was slowly descending to wherever it was Jin had picked out for them. Her feet soon meeting with the ground with the wind master's help, she felt Jin holding onto her shoulders. “Can I open my eyes now?” She asked with a slight chuckle.

 

“Alright, open them,” Jin suggested, keeping a tight hold onto Scarlet's shoulders still.

 

Scarlet opened her eyes to find an area of the mountainside glistening with multicolored crystals growing from the side of it. It projected many different colors on the lush scenery about them. Her mouth opened in shock, she made her way over to one of the crystals jetting from the mountain rock to touch it curiously. “It is real! I cannot believe it is real! This place is so beautiful…!” Scarlet couldn't find her breath at first, as she ran her hands over the different shapes and sizes of the crystals. “How does nobody know this place exists?”

“Because it would be torn apart for greedy reasons,” Jin answered honestly, as he allowed her to look around. “Not a lot of people know it is here. I make sure it is covered in Wind Knoll's fog, so it is left as it is. Do you like it?”

 

“It is so beautiful,” Scarlet repeated, as she was still in shock over the sight before her. “I thought places like this only rested in my dreams. When I was little. I used to have this reoccurring dream of being high in the clouds and looking down on a world covered in nothing but multicolored crystal. I thought it was the most magnificent thing I had ever seen.”

 

Jin took Scarlet's hands back into his own to guide her to the empty space where he had a blanket resting on the ground. He already had things setup prior to bringing Scarlet out to the spot. Sitting her down on the blanket, he kept her hands within his still while smiling at her. “I am glad you like it. I also have something else I want to give you for your birthday. I had thought about it all night long, and I really hope you like it.”

 

Scarlet was curious what else the demon could have gotten her. However, her attention was parted from Jin when she heard someone coming through the woods in their direction. She removed her hands from Jin's, curious as to who else could be coming towards them when Jin said the area was shut off to others. Her eyes widened when she saw the thirty or so high priest and priestesses of Jin and Touya as well with his many priest and priestesses following behind him. “What's…what's going on?” Scarlet asked, feeling a bit unsure of what was unfolding.

 

Jin took Scarlet's hands once more, ignoring everyone that was soon around them. “Scarlet, you told me that you wanted to understand what a wedding is like and that you wanted to be bound to me forever by vows. While I am afraid that the entire world cannot hear our vows or even be here to witness me say what I am about to say, I just hope that this will do for now.” Jin helped Scarlet to her feet, so that he could kneel down nervously in front of her. He found the wedding ritual of the present day to be rather ridiculous in his opinion, but he knew it meant a lot to Scarlet, the one servant he had at the moment. Jin pulled out a simple, gold band he asked one of his worshippers to buy for him. “Scarlet Baker, will you marry me?”

 

Scarlet was confused, as she covered her mouth with her free hand to look at everyone around her to witness the demon practically on his knee to ask this of her. “You're serious…aren't you?” Her voice was cracking as she spoke. Tears lining the rim of her eyes, she swallowed hard to try and keep them at bay. “This isn't a dream…?”

 

“No, we're really here,” Jin promised with a light chuckle at her bewilderment.

 

Touya made his way over towards Scarlet with his hands behind his back. “I do believe he is kneeling down, making a fool of himself just so you'll say `yes',” the weakened ice master suggested with a slight nudge to the woman.

 

Finding her voice, Scarlet nodded at Jin's proposal. “Yes, yes, I will be happy to marry you…!” Feeling the ring slide onto her ring finger, Scarlet couldn't help but look at it before embracing the wind master tightly. Tears cascading down her cheeks, she could hardly find it within herself to look at Jin until the demon insisted, so he could wipe away her tears. Cupping his cheeks within her hands, Scarlet kissed him tenderly on the lips while ignoring the others nearby, who were applauding.

 

I didn't pay attention to those around us to witness the occasion. All I cared about was that Jin had it within him to propose to me. For several minutes, I thought it was all a dream. I thought my entire life was becoming a dream. It just seemed to keep getting better…