Sorry it took me a (checks calendar) year to update this. I am truly sorry. Truth is, I really DID NOT want to write this chappie. In a perfect world...Ah, well. Nothing I can do now, huh? Here you go and please review. I live for reviews.

Ice Meets Wind Ch. 9: Soul Shattering

Despite their students telling them that rest was an absolute necessity, Shirikubo and Kyoko continued to be their old, rather strange, selves. of course, they were still bed ridden, yet being in each other's company had seemed to heal their hearts to almost perfect health. Jin and Touya had a fear that the two of them would drop dead at any random time from laughter.

Even with the constant worry of their masters dropping dead of anything but what they were suffering from, Touya and Jin continued to grow deep bonds of friendship. This bond was even stronger than the one they had forged years ago. This bond filtered out into the ways they reacted when in one another's company. They had reached a mutual agreement some months before that when their hysterically laughing masters could be left alone for a while, the two of them would go outside. Normally they would spar with their abilities to improve them, but every so often they would play a very...unusual game under the trees.

The duo had developed this game when the sparring matches had gotten boring. Called 'Kill the Leaf', and just as the title suggests, the two of them would aim their attacks at a leaf. Or, in actuality, impale the leaf as many times as possible in five seconds. Whoever did the best in the whole of their free time got to choose what was for dinner that night. That was a big deal, because Jin and Touya had VERY different tastes in food, and therefore they fought over it constantly.

It was on one of these days that Jin decided to take a stand on some questions he'd been meaning to ask. Slowly, when it was Touya's turn to attack the leaf, he hovered directly behind Touya's head. Holding onto a large quantity of leaves with his wind-powers, he called out, "Hey! Touya!"

"Huh?" Touya turned around to look at Jin and got a face full of leaves shoved in his face. Sputtering in anger and brushing the leaves off him in a frenzy, Touya shouted, "Jin! Don't make me kill you! And, since you distracted me," he added slyly, "I get to choose dinner for tonight!"

"Hey! No fair!" Jin flipped right side-up and hovered for a moment, his anger quickly evaporating. "I actually had a reason to get your attention, you know."

"Oh, really? That's a first." Touya leaned casually against a tree for a second before asking, "So, what was the reason?"

Jin fell out of his hover and sat on the grass, a sure sign something was amiss. Laying down with his hands behind his head, he said slowly, "Well, I've been thinking. Once they, uh, you know," Jin couldn't bring himself to say those words about his master. Swallowing, he continued, "Er...we can't exactly stay here, can we? I was wondering what you saw out at the Makai during your travels."

Touya sighed and threw a few ice bullets up into the tree. as a couple leaves fell, he sighed again. "Truth is, I haven't seen that much. what I have seen consisted of ice lands and forests." Jin's ears drooped slightly. Walking up and sitting beside him, Touya paused before continuing, "I know we might have to live out there at some point."

"Rather not think about it now, eh?" Jin asked in a forced coy manner and an even more visibly forced smirk.

"That's right. After what will happen happens, we'll travel for an area we can both live in. I like the freezing cold, you love the wind. There has to be a happy medium somewhere around here."

Jin nodded and closed his eyes. Sure, the line about things that will happen happening was an awkward sentence, but he understood it just fine. Neither of them could talk about their masters' inevitable demise out loud. They would skirt around the issue with complex wording, and then the conversation afterwards would have a constantly lingering hint of sadness to it. Thinking of a smart-ass comment and coming up with none, Jin simply stated what was on his mind, "Why can't they make a damn map of this place?!"

Involuntarily, Touya began to laugh. He laughed so hard only lack of air forced to bring it to a stop. Breathing shakily, he said, "I wish so, too. I really, really wish someone sensible would make a map!"

"We'll do it someday!" Jin leapt off the ground and hovered in the air above Touya's head. He pumped his fist into the air and shouted, "Go boldly where no one with common sense has gone before!"

"Do something no one has ever thought of doing before, you mean!" Jin's personality was contagious and Touya was soon jumping up and down shouting with his friend.

"That's what I said!"

"No you didn't!"

Jin playfully tackled Touya in order to emphasize his point. They wrestled around for a bit before giving up and flopping back on the grass. After laying there in silence for a time, Touya began to get up.

"Best we eat now. Who knows if we'll be able to eat later, what with our work and all." He extended a hand to Jin who accepted the gesture and was pulled up. As Jin brushed grass off his pants, he began to grin. "What's so funny?" Touya asked.

"You should've seen the look on your face when those leaves attacked! Priceless!"

Letting out a guffaw of laughter, he ran into the cabin before Touya could catch him. Sprinting through the kitchen door, he slammed the door and bolted it. Jin saw Touya run up and try to open the door, but after several failed attempts he ran out of Jin's view.

"Hey, where'd he go?" Jin muttered to himself, opening the door and peering out. Touya was nowhere to be found in the back yard. Scratching his head in puzzlement, Jin moved out onto the step and stood there, still looking. A sudden slam behind him caused him to whisk around and stare at the door he had just exited. Touya was standing in the window, grinning like a lunatic and waving madly.

"Touya! Let me in!" Jin screamed as he pounded on the door. Touya shook his head and retreated farther back in the house. Jin's shouts soon began to shake the forest.

"Honestly, Jin. That had to be the stupidest thing you have ever done!"

Touya was bandaging Jin's head from various cuts the elf had received in his attempt to re-enter the cabin.

"Well, I wouldn't have tried to go down the chimney if you had just unlocked the front and back doors!"

"I'm surprised you actually didn't get stuck too badly. Right at the end was where your pants got caught on that rusty nail." Touya was still reeling from the shock that Jin had actually tried to go down the chimney in the first place.

Touya had locked Jin out in revenge after getting into the house by way of the front door Jin had forgotten to lock. When the wind master disappeared from Touya's view, he had begun to panic. With no Jin in the backyard, Touya had run through the cabin to check the front door. On the way there he saw a pair of feet dangling from the chimney. Upon giving them a hard tug, Jin had popped out of the fireplace. Hence, why Jin was covered in soot and had scrapes.

"Here," Touya said after packing away the medical supplies. "A towel. Wet it in the basin and wash the soot off you. I'll be making dinner tonight."

Jin took the towel and shoved it roughly in the basin on one of the counter tops, splashing water everywhere. Grumbling, he scrubbed the soot off his body.

Touya rolled his eyes and began to make the meat pie like Jin had taught him. Because of Jin succeeding in actually making him laugh, Touya had settled on a dinner they could both agree on: mixed meat pie.

"Touya, where'd all the water go?" Jin called form the other counter.

Touya pushed the pie out of the way and slammed his head on the counter.

Touya was trying to sleep. No matter how hard he tried, for some reason sleep was eluding him tonight. Then again, it's not like he really wanted to rest. Anxiety over his master's steadily-worsening health forced him awake.

Sighing and giving up on sleep entirely, Touya got up off the bed. He rummaged around in the dark for his yukata, and upon finding it he put it on. Silently opening the door, he proceeded to the kitchen for something to eat.

He paused outside his master's door and listened closely. Those men were still talking. What could be so important to discuss at such a late hour? Shaking his head, Touya went into the kitchen. When he entered, he was shocked to see that he was not alone.

Jin was sitting on the table munching on a piece of bread. He turned his head when Touya entered the room, gave a small grin and said, "Couldn't sleep too, eh?"

Touya decided not to answer and sat down, thoroughly wrapped up in his thoughts. If the masters were to die, what would he do? Would he stay in misery or leave with Jin? He hadn't been joking about exploring the Makai with Jin and making a map. In fact, he hadn't wanted to do anything more in his life.

Jin, seeming to sense Touya's sorrow, patted him on the back. For once, Jin did not shout when he spoke. "It's going to be fine. Everything will work itself out in the end."

Touya couldn't respond. He felt as though his insides had just turned to ice. -The last time I felt like this- he thought, -Was when I saw my family die...-

His head, which had been bent, snapped up, eyes widening. "We have to check on them!"

"What do you mean?" Jin had fallen over in shock at Touya's sudden reaction. "Who is them?"

But Touya paid no attention to the questions as he sprinted to Shirikubo and Kyoko's room. He paused outside the door, but could not hear the whispers from before. Wrenching the door open, he walked into the room and stared at the figures on the bed.

Shirikubo was lying on the bed, eyed barely open. His uneven breaths kept fogging out of his mouth in a fine mist. Kyoko was in just as bad of shape. He had broken out in a cold sweat and his cheeks were tinged a greenish-pink.

Half walking, half stumbling, Touya somehow managed to get over to Shirikubo. As he knelt down, he heard Jin give a gasp from the doorway and rush to Kyoko. Touya reached out his hand and grasped Shirikubo's cold one.

"Touya..." Shirikubo whispered, voice barely audible.

"Sensei, I'm guessing it's time, correct?"

"Yes, Kyoko is read too. Complained about Jin right up to when the fever took him," Shirikubo allowed a small smile to flit across his face.

"Thank you for taking care of me for all these years," Touya whispered. He swallowed back a sob. -I won't cry. I won't...-

"It's been fun, Touya. This is my last request to you. Find this apparition," Shirikubo handed Touya a piece of paper. Touya opened it and saw a very detailed drawing of the apparition. He didn't look at it for long before stuffing it into the folds of his yukata. "And thank him for all he did to help me out. He's the one who taught me how to manipulate ice into a weapon. Also..."

"I thought you said one request?" Touya said in a mock tease.

"I'm sorry. I can't count." Touya couldn't restrain a small laugh from escaping. "Go to the town in the next valley over, called Hiems. There is someone waiting for you there. Give him this letter and he'll take care of you and Jin." Touya saw a sealed envelope on the bedside table. He didn't touch it. "Kyoko and I agreed...on...this..."

Shirikubo began to violently cough. Touya felt his master clench his hand as though in an effort to stay. When the fit ceased, Shirikubo looked worse than ever.

"Promise...me..." he whispered. His grip on Touya's hand loosened as he let out his last breath.

"I promise," Touya whispered. He heard Jin whisper the same thing to Kyoko who must've made the same request. "I promise..."

Touya's vision blurred. Laying his head on the bed, he folded his arms over his head and let go of all emotional control. Tear gems began to roll off the bed and landed with a small thunk on the hardwood floor.