Jin took a large bite off his skewered fish, watching the diminutive girl once again as he had for the past two weeks.

Remaining in one place felt stagnant to him, and he had been gone from home for a couple years. Brawling, wandering, camping under the red sky. The usual. He knew the girl had been born shortly before he left, but he hadn't paid much thought to her until he had finally returned.

It was easy to stealthily watch her day-to-day chores; concealing his spirit energy and watching from up past the trees. She would be awoken at the crack of dawn, quickly bathe (if you could call splashing water on your face bathing), and then begin the backbreaking work Jin's father, Rannon, assigned. Most often it was moving firewood, breaking down boulders for building materials, or bringing food to Rannon. Peasant work, fitting for a half-demon.

Jin wasn't unaware of the bruises and injuries she sustained at Rannon's hand, or his cronies for that matter. The girl was essentially a glorified punching bag.

She had the trademark red hair and blue eyes, but was significantly less impish than Jin or Rannon, and her rounded ears screamed half-breed. What Jin found most interesting, however, were her mannerisms.

Her ocean eyes were a mirror of his own, but they were entirely too watchful, even for one with demon blood. Even as she was completing her grueling tasks she was carefully studying her surroundings, the other slaves, and Rannon himself. Though she never said a word or cried out Jin had a hunch she was more aware of everything than she should have been.

Jin watched as she trudged back to her dilapidated shack, bare feet broken and dark from the dirt, her hair in an even worse state than his usually was. The crimson sky was finally dimming as the day ended, and the girl crawled into her burlap sleeping sack.

Jin decided it was finally time to make his appearance.

He gracefully whisked down to the ground, brushing nonexistent dirt off his tunic and gently opening the door.

The girl started, immediately backing up against the wall and grabbing a fist-sized rock in her hand. Upon seeing Jin her eyes lit up in recognition, but she didn't put down her emergency weapon.

"Aye, I reckon you recognize yer brother then," Jin chirped happily, giving her a wide smile. "Ye got good reflexes, that you do, but I'd prefer if ye didn't clobber me with that rock ye got there."

The girl glanced at the rock before gently setting it next to her, eyeing the taller redhead warily.

The shack itself was a mess, but as Jin looked around he noticed various bits and bobs scattered throughout in various places; scraps of cloth, rusted and damaged blades from weapons, and food. His father would have a conniption fit if he saw the items she had been hoarding, regardless of their lack of value.

"This is no place for a young lady like yerself," He continued, amused at the intensity with which she gazed at him. "Muckin' around in the dirt an' sleepin' in burlap, no this won't do." He shook his head.

Seeing the girl's eyes widen with a shred of hope filled Jin with something warm, and he crouched down in front of her.

"Hows about we jetty on out of here, you and me? The sight of yer downcast face makes me mouth frown."

For the first time in the two weeks Jin had watched the girl she smiled, and he responded in kind, offering her his hand. He marveled at how small hers felt in his grasp, and was once again amazed at how light she was as he hefted her onto his back. With an astounding amount of force he pushed off the ground, airborne and heading away from his father's property. The girl giggled in his ear at the elation of flying, and he grinned even wider.

"Yer laugh is like bells, lass! Aye, keep it comin', it's a wondrous sound."

After an hour of travel the girl finally succumbed to sleep, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck. Jin hadn't really been planning to run off with his half-sister, knowing his father wouldn't take too kindly to a misappropriation of property, but he wasn't exactly one for following the rules and it seemed a waste to let her wither away in that shack.

He gently dropped to the ground once more, setting the girl against a tree and taking the time to prepare a small camp. Plans loosely came to mind, and he pondered over them as he started a small fire. Demon world wasn't safe for half-breeds, and he had no colleagues to leave her with. Her only chance at survival was the human world.

The girl stirred lightly, and Jin beamed at her as he handed her a hunk of bread. She gently took it from his hand and then proceeded to devour it in seconds, earning a chuckle from the wind demon.

"Lass like you has a right to a name, y'know," He said gently. "Ye got one?"

She shook her head, eyes trailing towards the ground. Jin frowned.

"Aye, that won't do at all!" He was quiet for a moment, looking into the fire as he concentrated. "I gotcha!" He exclaimed, snapping his fingers excitedly. "Yeh've got a laugh as pretty as the wind rustlin' through the mighty leaves, ye do. So Kazane it is!"

"Kazane..."

"At last, she speaks!" He beamed, inwardly relieved that she wasn't mute. He shouldn't have been so surprised; slaves were essentially forbidden to speak to anyone their superior, which was, well, everyone.

Jin passed the time by maneuvering leaves in intricate patterns in the air for her until Kazane finally dozed off against the tree, a small smile on her face.

Family bonds weren't a thing in the demon world, and even alliances were based on power dynamics and personal agendas as opposed to actual feelings of camaraderie. But, well, Jin had always been a weird one then, and he supposed this situation was no different.

The journey to the Forest of Fools was a multi-day trek, even with Jin's advantage of flying through the air. During the day Jin would tell Kazane jokes and do tricks to elicit laughter from the girl, at night he would teach her basic martial arts skills and try to hone her wind abilities she inherited from their father. Though she would never be as strong as Jin due to her human lineage she still had a natural affinity for it, and Jin was determined to nurture it as much as he could with what little time he had with her.

She had managed to control the wind enough to make leaves dance how she chose, but she was still a long shot away from flying or even floating for that matter.

"Yer a natural Kaz, yeh take to wind like a bird takes to the sky!"

Jin was growing fond of the small girl at his side, yet that only bolstered his resolve to get her to the human world and away from the threat of other demons.

"Jin," The girl said softly, clinging tighter to his back. "Thank you."

"Fer what might I ask?" He replied innocently. He felt her sigh against his neck, and the sound was entirely too tired for someone of her age.

"I was ready to give up...on everything. I think in a sense I did. If you hadn't come back I don't know what would have happened."

Jin felt the consequences were obvious; either Kazane would die at their father's hand or Rannon would find her no doubt hanging in her shack. It wasn't uncommon for slaves kept by demons to commit suicide rather than a life of servitude.

Instead of responding verbally Jin reached back and ruffled Kazane's hair, the warm feeling once again returning to his chest.

"We'll be at the barrier in no time, we will. Dont'cha worry, we'll get ye nice and safe, proper."

A beat of silence passed before Kazane spoke again. "I want to stay with you."

Jin let out a melancholy chuckle. "I know ye do lass but it's not safe, and I'm not rightly sittin' back and watchin' ye get clobbered here, my old conscience couldn't handle it."

A sad silence settled over the pair for the rest of the trip, and before long the forest grew less dense, the foliage receding as the barrier came into view. Jin could hear it crackling as he eyed the many strings crossing the opening. He gently floated to the ground, setting Kazane down next to him as he eyed the barrier warily.

"I can't come with ye Kaz," He said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But sure as the sky is red I'll see ye again, I promise."

As Kazane stared forlornly at the ground Jin picked up a familiar spirit energy heading closer to them, and he hastily shielded the girl behind him.

A figure with bulging muscles and red hair pushed forward through the trees, followed by a cluster of other demons, all sneering. Jin felt Kazane stiffen in fear at the sight, and he glared at the patriarch in front of him.

"Jin, how dare ye take what's rightfully mine." Rannon's voice was deep, contrasting his accent greatly.

"Kaz, ye need to get your little self out of here," Jin hissed at the girl, pushing her closer to the barrier.

"B-But-"

"Go!" He yelled, sending a gust of wind right at her and pushing her forcefully across the barrier.

"Jin!" She screamed, but she was quickly too far away for the wind demon to hear her cries.

Jin sighed in relief as his sister sailed through the air and into the human world, turning back to face his father, brows knit together in a determined expression. She was safe; Rannon couldn't cross the barrier with his abilities, and Jin had succeeded in his goal.

He would see her again. One day.

"Right then, I've been waitin' a long time for this ye bastard."

Note:

Sorry this is short, but next chapter (and most of the rest of the fic) takes place in Kazane's point of view, and I find it very jarring to go from Jin to Kazane lmao.

Jin is hard to write in character, but fun to type out his accent.