Hello again. Ah, the end is in sight. I was actually expecting to finish this with more chapters, but I've gotten everything I need to say in these last eight. So, now I give you the ninth and final chapter. An epilogue may follow, but now on to my individual thank you's:
Captain Starseeker- Thanks for your comments, they really made me smile. I'm probably going to go with an epilogue, it all depends on if I can get enough time to do one. Ha, I can't wait until you post your fic and I will most certainly be on the review list for it. You'll have to be sure to tell me when it's up, okay? Happy writing!
Kimi Kaida- Hey, haven't heard from you in a long time! He might, but you'll just have to wait and see won't you? Glad you came back and reviewed though, thanks.
Slipping into CrimsonHieiKuramaFan
Warnings There are some suicide attempts, and graphic details. This is not meant to be a happy story, so if you don't want your "happy bubble" popped, then I suggest you go find another story to read. This story is Shounen ai/Yaoi themed, so if you don't like it, then again, I suggest you go find another story to read
Disclaimer I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, it all belongs to Togashi-sama. Every last bit of it, and the events occurring in this story are entirely fictional, none of it ever happened. So, you can't sue me for anything. .
A/N: Thoughts are in Italics, words that are underlined are emphasized.
A/N: Jin's letter to Yusuke in this is in Italics as well, but it's not a thought!
...Happy Reading...
Chapter nine, Slipping into Crimson
Time… such a puzzling word for it can mean a wide vast amount or such a very small one. The passing between years or merely the passing between seconds. In this case however, it happened to be the passing of years. Several years in fact, and seven long ones to be exact. Seven long hard years had passed since that fateful day when Jin and Touya had left for Makai. For those such as Kurama, Genkai, and Botan it was starting to become depressive but only slightly. But for Yusuke…
…for Yusuke, it was agony.
Seven long painful years had driven almost all hope from his mind. It had slammed him back down into the hellhole of depression he had managed to crawl out of all those years ago before Jin had been taken from him. Even though he wasn't left out of everyone's lives now, for they all came to see him regularly, now his lonely depression was because of a broken heart.
He spent his days sitting silently in his room, watching the sky with its clouds drifting along by day, watching the shadows cast on the wall by the pale moon's light by night. He had cried all he could cry during the nights of these seven years; his tears were spent and he didn't think he could cry anymore. He had received a few letters from Jin, but they had stopped coming three years ago.
Those few precious letters he did have though; were placed safely beneath his pillow and while their presence had made him feel a little better during those first few years, now they only made him feel worse. A sharp stab of pain and anguish attacked his heart every time his mind wandered to the letters, and it would hurt so much it would almost immediately bring a sob to his throat and tears to his eyes. He would have to put a hand over his heart and press it there to try to alleviate the pain.
But now, on this gray and rainy day, Yusuke turned himself slightly and slid a thin hand under his pillow. Carefully, gently, he slid the letters out from under their feather-stuffed protector; and with careful fingers he unfolded one of them. His dark eyes started to moisten slightly as they scanned over the untidy words of the paper, Jin's untidy but legible scrawl:
Dearest Yusuke,
It's taking longer than expected, but Touya and I should be home soon. Risho has us doing a bit of a search and rescue type mission, and its just taking us a bit longer than we thought to find our target. Risho doesn't want us sendin' letters, so I can't give you a return address to send me somethin' back. Currently we're somewhere deep in Mukuro's territory, which's as much as I can tell ya though. Just in case the letter is intercepted. I love you, don't you ever let yourself be forgettin' that, and I hope to see you soon.
Love always,
-Jin
A small smile touched Yusuke's lips for an instant or two after reading the most recent letter he had gotten from Jin, but it quickly disappeared when the familiar stab of pain began to eat away at him again. He carefully folded the letters again and put them back beneath his pillow as the sky overhead rumbled slightly.
Thunder… that meant rain…
Voices, he heard voices again. It was all the others. He was sure of it. After all, today was… Sunday, wasn't it? Yes. Everyone always gathered at Genkai's temple now on Sundays for a bit of a "family" dinner that surprisingly, Yusuke still attended, no matter how bad he was feeling.
Upon hearing their voices, he dragged himself up and out of his futon and dressed himself in a navy blue house kimono before stepping out onto the hallway like porch.
He found them in the center of the courtyard and he lightly stepped off the back porch and headed over towards them. They were all laughing happily, and Kurama was going on and on about something. It was only when he came to stand behind Kuwabara that he found out what.
A red faced Kurama was beaming and happily showing them all a diamond ring on his right ring finger. An engagement ring. Yusuke's dark eyes moved from the happy kitsune to the fire youkai and found him standing with his hands in his pockets; one of his warmer smiles on his usually cold face. He seemed embarrassed that Kurama was that happy about his proposal. Yusuke smiled slightly. He was happy for them, but he was envious at the same time. Envious because they both always had the one they loved near, and now probably would forever and never be separated.
Lost in his thoughts; it took him a moment or two that Kuwabara had either disappeared or had shrunk immensely in size. But upon looking he found that the orange haired man had dropped to a knee and had taken the hand of the ice maiden that had stood beside him. They all saw him pull the small black box from his pocket, open it, and display the contents to her. Asking if she would marry and be with him for the rest of his life if nothing else.
Yukina seemed startled and stood silently for a minute or two, before she flung her arms around Kuwabara's neck and he picked her up hugging her close as he kissed her. Yusuke's eyes went to Hiei on instinct, and though he didn't seem thrilled about having Kuwabara for an in law, he looked happy that his sister was happy. And besides, any other complaints about their marriage were probably driven from him when he suddenly found Kurama's lips pressed to his own.
Yusuke turned away from them all, feeling only slightly like he didn't belong, and he walked off down the temple path, going to check the mail; knowing that Genkai hadn't gotten around to it yet.
Once he got down to the mailbox and was about to open it, he realized with a slight twinge of annoyance that no mail was delivered on Sundays. He went to close the box when something within it caught his eye. He pulled the box lid open again and retrieved from inside of it a manila folder that was addressed to the temple. Puzzled he looked for a return address and upon finding none, his hopes flew. The letters Jin sent him always arrived in a manila folder that was addressed to the temple, and yet they never had a return address.
With trembling fingers, he gently pulled open the flap of the folder and slid out a letter and several other papers. His spirits started to fall again when he saw the writing on the letter was neat and carefully written, very much unlike the scrawl he had been hoping to see. His dark eyes widened as he read what those neatly written words had to say:
To all it concerns,
We regret to inform you that though his efforts to successfully recover our stolen item were valiant, Kaze Jin, shinobi of wind, and Touya, shinobi of ice, have been reported K.I.A. We are sorry to inform you of this loss, but also contained within this folder are- -
The letter fell from Yusuke's frozen hands. A paralyzing shock hit his body, and his brain couldn't register what he had just read.
No, no, no! It can't be true! Jin promised! …Jin… promised…
He wouldn't, he couldn't believe it. It just couldn't be true. But, even as he stood there, the horrible reality started to sink in, and he was completely paralyzed. He stumbled away from the mailbox, and started for the temple again. He made it up the path and back into the courtyard where he walked quickly past the others who were all still congratulating Kurama, Hiei, Yukina, and Kuwabara, and into the kitchen; where he went to the counter and found what he was looking for.
Lifting the knife up to eye level he said softly.
"…hello, old friend."
Slipping it into the sleeve of his kimono, he hurriedly started off for the forest again. His feet moving faster and faster as he started to run, blindly. After he thought he had finally put enough distance between the temple and himself, he removed the knife from it's concealed position in his sleeve.
His hands were trembling slightly as he bent back the wrist he had tried to cut so many times before and brought the blade up to it and rested it on the skin. He had nothing left, nothing could will him to live again. Not now, not that Jin was gone.
I don't want to be here without him… I want to end it, I want to go because at least then… at least then I can be with him…
He took in a small breath to hold as he pressed down forcefully with the blade that easily cut into his soft flesh. Blood came rushing out, his world started to swirl again and he lost his sense of awareness and fell into the crimson pool that had been gathering at his feet. Finally it was ending… all of it. He would be with Jin soon… very soon. The sounds of the world faded out to him and the darkness that was gathering on the edges of his brain was pierced with a red color.
Soon Jin… I'll be with you soon… …soon…
The last thoughts that he would consciously make, because now he was simply slipping into crimson.
… As I have told everyone many numerous times, this is not meant to be a happy story. This chapter could be the end right here, unless an epilogue forms in my mind. Please Read and Review and tell me in the review if you want me to do an epilogue, otherwise thank you for reading Slipping into Crimson and I hope you liked it.
Arigatou minna-san
-HieiKuramaFan
