| What of Jin and Touya? | |||
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CHAPTER 11: MELTING HEARTS The faint lilt of singing birds filled her ears, and she woke slowly to its scattered melody. Her icy eyes squinted as bright sunlight filled her vision, momentarily blinding her from its intensity. Yawning as she sat up in her warm bed, Neko noticed something out of place within her room. A familiar energy swirled throughout the room, cold and yet oddly refreshing. There was only one demon with that type of energy, but it took a while for her brain to kick in. "Touya?" Neko wondered, sliding out from beneath her blankets. Her bare feet softly tapped upon the hardwood floor, and she crossed the length of her room within a few steps. Curious as to how she could feel his energy, the confused girl opened her door and peered out into the hallway. No one there. Turning around, the girl caught the sound of light breathing. As she tried to place it, she found herself spinning about to find the source of the noise. Quite unexpectedly, she was struck with the realization that it was coming from her hamper... "What the hell?" Neko murmured, edging her way over toward the object. A sweatshirt rested on top. She carefully pulled it off... And discovered a sleeping Touya cuddled up in a tight ball within the hamper. "That looks painful." she stated, loud enough to get her point across. What the hell was he doing in her room? Better yet, why was he in her hamper? Of all the places to hide, why the frigging hamper? Hell, under her bed would've been less obvious. And probably just a little bit more comfortable. He knew it....he definately knew it...And yet he couldn't remember who that wonderful voice belonged to. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn that it belonged to some goddess from the heavens above. Enchanting was a far cry from describing it without insult. Just like the purest snowflakes at the center of Antarctica in the middle of winter. Pure, innocent, and all-around beautiful. Unfortunately, innocence has its bite. And getting knocked out of a hamper onto a hard, cold floor in the early morning light was no doubt a "bite". As is standing up and bashing your head on a low shelf. As Touya found out the hard way; first-hand. "Now it makes sense....Neko." the ice master thought, rubbing his head where it had been roughly introduced to the wooden shelf. Within his own head he cursed himself for his own stupidity. As well as getting into the predicament he was in. He'd planned on leaving the room after Neko had fallen deep into the Realm of Dreams, but instead found himself asleep in her hamper... "Um....What were you doing in my hamper?" Neko asked, her voice again capturing his attention with its melodic vibes. Strangely warm vibes, considering the girl was an ice wielder. "Well....You see...I couldn't meditate last night, so I decided I would come talk to you. But you were....um....kinda in the shower....And I heard you coming, so I panicked, and....well...dove into the hamper.....I SWEAR I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING OR LOOK OR ANYTHING PERVERTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Touya exclaimed, instantly curling into a ball and covering his head. He was expecting her to thwap him upside the head, call him a pervert, then storm off to Kaze. Then again, Neko wasn't like most girls... Instead of hitting him like many girls probably would have, Neko embraced him tightly, cuddling into his chest. It was just too cute; the way he was always concerned he was doing something horribly wrong. 1, 099 years old, and he still couldn't handle 90 year old little Neko. In the back of her head remained that fact, and she contemplated whether it was right....It probably wasn't because it was equivalent to a 127 year old man dating a 10 year old in human years... That and the punishment her people would give her for even looking at a male fondly. "Neko? Will you answer me a few things?" Touya inquired, pondering the age issue as well. Neko looked up at him, at the two inches that made him taller than her. "Yes...." "Why did you except my plea? Why date some one like me? What have I to offer you?" he asked, each word getting stuck in his throat. He wasn't sure if he wanted an answer. "...I excepted...Because it is what I wanted. I've been forbidden to love my entire life...And here was my opportunity to feel and give the love I have had to deny and be denied. You are an amazing person, Touya. Even though I've known you for such a short time, I feel I can trust you. Every time I think of you...I get butterflies in my stomach and I feel myself warm up. You are a great fighter - I was at the Dark Tournament the year you faced Kurama. You are strong, wise beyond your years....That and I am so not going to let the chance to be with some one so frigging sexy slip through my hands because of traitors from my past...I love you Touya. I really do." A/N:*Choking sounds* How can I write such lovey-dovey....SAP-CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!? Back to story. He didn't know enough words to describe how he felt. Those words were deep, and surely couldn't have been faked. Just like the passionate kiss that she gave him after she said those kind, loving words. Touya embraced the frail girl tightly in his strong, yet oddly tender arms, feeling them get a bit closer to true, blissful love. Of course...That didn't stop his body from doing something a bit too forward... "TOUYA!!! I DID NOT NEED TO FEEL THAT BETWEEN US!!!!" Well....he's a guy....What do you expect? Besides....When a guy loves a woman....well....we all know how that goes.... ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** Taki could hear them down the hall. Two ice demons in love with one another and clearly not afraid to show it. Unfortunately, that didn't make the fact that Touya had gotten....excited...over the girl any less disturbing. Her heavy comforter had fallen as she sat up abruptly, and she clenched it tight. It wasn't her ideal way to wake up in the morning. Neither was waking up to an otherwise empty bed... "One day, he'll be mine. If I'm patient, my time will come." she thought, before laying down again and drifting into unstable sleep. Sleep filled with longing and desire. And oddly enough, hate. But it wasn't the ice users so tenderly holding each other down the hall. Or Kasumi. It wasn't Jin or the infinite darkness of her homeland. The hate she felt was instead directed at a completely different person: Kaze. Yet she wasn't sure why... ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** As the day went on, the two ice wielders realized they had to go to work. Reluctantly, they left Neko's room, which was currently...in need of sanitizing. And clean bedding. Not that they minded that much. But Touya did mind the awkward silence that fell upon them while they walked towards their destination. "Are you okay, Neko? You seem upset..." the ice master asked as they made their way down into the town. The girl just avoided his brilliant eyes. "I-I'm really not supposed to be with a man..The other Shape-shifters will severely punish me if they find out. And when Ka-....Did you see Kaze today?" the young Shape-shifter questioned, recalling how her friend hadn't been in the house earlier. She always told Neko when she went out to hunt. And it was unlike Neko not to notice her missing comrade. "No...No I didn't...Maybe she fell asleep out in the forest. You did mention that she does that from time to time..." Touya replied, trying to dismiss the absence of the cold wind as a deep sleep for the exhausted female in the natural beauty of the mountains. Yet something else popped into his mind. "Better yet, where's Jin?" he inquired, his face contorted in thought. "Wasn't he in bed?" Neko replied, looking at the ice master intently. She felt her spine creep at the thought of both wind users gone. It just wasn't like them. "No. And he's usually the last one awake too." Touya added, feeling unnerved that their friends had went missing without a warning. For several minutes the two walked in unnoticed silence. Both had concerns for their close friends, and each turned out worst than the last. Finally, their workplace came into view, and they set their minds to the fast tasks of the ice cream shop. Mopping floors, handling the cash register, getting yelled at by the manager for not cleaning the floor correctly, mopping the floor again, crying kids, having to listen to the boss again for not cleaning the floor right and mopping it yet again until it shone like a diamond. And still get shouted at by the boss for missing a spot; right after he created it by stepping there. By the end of the day, neither one remembered about their missing friends because of the anger they felt at the boss. But angered thoughts drifted away once they began their climb up to the house. It was late, dark, and silent. A bit too silent. "It shouldn't be this quiet..." Touya stated as they made their way back up the mountain. Neko followed closely, holding on tightly to his arm. Every slight sound of twigs snapping and leaves brushing against moving objects seemed dark, ominous and forbidding. There were no animals in sight, nor stars nor wind; all was dead. Yet every shadow seemed alive, creeping upon them in the cover of the night like a thief upon an unsuspecting victim. But clinging to Touya's arm somehow made everything all right, like nothing could touch her. Nothing, but the penetrating forces of darkness sinking slowly into her skin. "What? When did this fog appear?" the ice master pondered aloud, secretly worrying in the back of his mind. Fog rarely came that way, and it wasn't even the right time for it. Conditions were completely wrong. Only one explanation crossed his mind. They couldn't be here. They were supposed to be dead. But there was no doubt that the fog was familiar. And in a sickening way. As the two trudged up the mountainside, sleepy and half awake, a dark figure suddenly leapt into their path. The fog didn't allow them to see far, and they couldn't tell who it was. Not until the figure spoke. Which instantly made both ice users wish it would stop and go away. But of course, when something like that happens, it never does get any better. Typically, it gets worse. Much worse. "Well, well, Touya. I see you've found yourself a lovely little catch...How cute. Too bad she and that Kaze had to be so rebellious. What a waste of finely-trained slaves." came a cold, slick voice that made Neko's guts want to burst through her stomach and spill out on the ground with an eruption of blood. If Neko felt like spilling her guts out on the ground, Touya felt like slamming his head into a boulder, stabbing himself with his own ice sword, and running headlong into a field of flames. He knew that voice well, and he loathed it with every fiber in his cold being. This was the voice that had commanded Jin and him for nearly 500 years. It was the demon many wanted dead for his cheating, dishonorable ways, and one of the demons that had planned a very undesirable life for the missing wind users. "Damn you, Risho! Leave us be!" Touya shouted, before leading Neko in a zig-zag pattern, stumbling unknowingly up into an old cave nearby. They had left so suddenly, and bolted fast to their temporary refuge, so it was possible that Risho wasn't able to follow. However, that didn't stop Touya from creating a seven-foot-thick wall of ice at the entrance and holding Neko next to him as he stayed alert for any signs of the earth master. Several minutes passed as they waited for a tell-tale sign of the shinobi approaching. None came, so the two looked about for a way out of their current hiding spot. As luck would have it, their only way out was blocked by seven feet of ice. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** "Well, Hikari? Did you find your love?" Risho asked, already knowing the answer. Hikari came up to him through the thick fog, silent tears trailing ever so slowly down the sides of her face. "Yes....But he won't allow it....I shot him with an arrow...." she said weakly. "Oh, I see. Well then, that puts you in a predicament now, doesn't it? You had to sacrifice being a miko for his love, and now he won't be with you. That must be so...irritating." the earth master responded, a gleeful smile creeping onto his lips. "After all, Hikari, once the elders find out...well, you know the price of disobediance." he finished, dissappearing into the darkness. As the shinobi left, the girl felt her legs give out, and she fell to the dirt crying. Crying....Something else she'd never done before. First love, now tears? She was afraid to know what else she might do to upset the elders. They had to know by then. The would-be-lighter sky was instead darker over the forest-covered mountain, for the moon was blocked by black clouds. Rainclouds. Funny how the element opposite her's always came to make things seem even worse then they really were. Maybe that's why many enjoyed light better than darkness. After all, night could be the loneliest time. A/N: Yeah, that totally sucked....*shrugs* But now things are going to get very intersting....I really wanna write what I have planned for Jin and Kaze....But I am saving that for chapter 13. However, Chapter twelve should be interesting....And we'll find that Hikari and Shadow aren't the only ones with forbidden loves. Not to mention..well....How about I leave it at that and start on the next chapter. That way, you can find out for yourself. Thank you to my three reviewers, and thank you especially for being patient with this. It's a long fic. and will take some time. But hopefully people will bear with me and see this blasted thing to the end. Thank you VERY much...Now I don't feel like a complete failure....lol. Till next chapter! |
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