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Chapter 3

Kinomi continued her trek through the park. The snow was coming down at the same rate it had been all day, which was slow and beautiful. The flakes were starting to stick in her hair now instead of melting into it like they had before, but she did not seem to mind.

As a bird flew past her she smiled and remembered her first flight, which had been shortly after she had first 'met' Jin and when she had realized she indeed had feeling directed towards him.

vvvv

Kinomi walked around the woods on Hanging Neck Island where the Dark Tournament was currently taking place. She was bored since Yusuke wasn't fighting (she had gone to watch him after all).

The day before she had seen the amazing fighting between the team Urameshi and team Masho, also know as the Shinobi. She had to admit that two out of the five fights were dishonorable, but the other three showed honor in such a way she had always thought warriors of their class would have. She hated Bakken and Risho, two of the Shinobi masters who had been thoroughly dishonorable, and hoped they would rot in hell when they inevitably got there.

As she came towards one of the many shores, as it was an island, she saw a red headed teenage looking demon laying on a bolder. One of his knees was in the air, his hands behind his head and the sun was shinning down on him, yet a slight air of depression swarmed around him.

The red head hadn't seemed to notice her presence, or if he had he made no movements to show it. As she walked over to him with curiosity she realized it was the same demon Yusuke had fought in a match the day before. He was Jin, the wind master of the Shinobi.

He had bandages on several spots of his body, no doubt to cover the wounds induced by Yusuke himself. She had to admit he did look cute laying there in the sun light.

As he put his leg down and brought his hands to his face she ducked behind the bolder hoping he hadn't sensed her. Unfortunately it wasn't a moment later that Jin was leaning over the side she had ducked behind, a confused look on his face.

Kinomi gulped, "Um... Sorry. I wasn't spying on you or anything."

Jin nodded slowly before a big smile came upon his face, "Say, 'ou're one of Urameshi's friends aren't ya?"

Kinomi nodded her head, "How'd you know?"

"I remember ya sittin' in the stands with his girlfriend an' I think I've seen ya around the island with Urameshi before," he told her, but the last bit seemed more to himself than her. "But anyway, what'cha doing out 'ere?"

"Wandering," Kinomi said as she continued to look up at him from her sitting place. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thinkin'," he replied.

"About what? If you don't mind me asking." Kinomi asked as she rubbed her neck, feeling a slight pain from looking up at the odd angle.

Jin laughed, "Why don' ya come up 'ere so you don' give yerself a crick in the neck."

Kinomi nodded and slowly climbed up on the rock, not quite sure of the wind masters intentions. As he gave her another big smile she could not help but smile back and giggle softly as one of his bandages curved with his smile. "What be 'our name?" he asked her.

"Kinomi," she told him, her smile still present, "And yours is Jin, no?" The wind master nodded with a smile before looking out to the horizon.

Silence fell between them as they gazed off into the distance. Several minutes passed before it was broken and Jin was the culprit, "We 'anted this island so badly."

Kinomi looked back to him, a sad look on her face. She now recalled the ice master, Touya if she remembered correctly, speaking about that to Kurama before their match.

Jin, however, had not noticed the change on her face, "We 'anted to be in the light, have some of it for our selves." He sighed, "We 'ave been in the dark so long and we 'elped other be keepin' their light, so we thought it was only bein' fair. I guess we were askin' too much."

At first Kinomi didn't know what to say, but she soon put her words together, "The light this island would have offered would have been a false reassurance."

Jin turned his attention to her, but found that she was now looking back out at the horizon, "What'cha be meaning?"

"I mean that this island had been tainted and changed by the Dark Tournament. The light here only shades the blood, chaos and death that has occurred. True happiness cannot be found on an island such as this."

"I suppose you bein' right," Jin said after a moment's though, "But it still 'ould 'ave been a nice change."

"I don't doubt it," Kinomi said, "But for how long would you have been happy on this island?" She turned her head to him.

As their gaze locked Jin understood that she wasn't trying to down cast what he and his teammates had tried to do, she was only trying to cheer him up and make him see that all hope was not yet lost.

He stood up and looked up into the air, "You wanna be seenin' why I liked this island so much?"

Kinomi looked up at him and smiled, "Sure."

Jin extended his hands and helped her to her feet before wrapping his arms around her waist. Not a second later were the two of them soaring up through the air. Kinomi was slightly frightened and wrapped her arms around Jin to reassure herself that she was going to be alright.

Within moments the two of them stopped moving and she heard the wind master laugh jovially, "You bein' afraid of flyin' jus' like Touya."

"I'm more or less afraid of what will happen now that we're up here," she said softly, her voice wavering slightly. "You and Touya at least know each other."

"Eh?" Jin questioned. Then realization struck, "I never be lettin' ya fall! So don' worry!" Kinomi nodded and turned her head to look about. Jin chuckled, "Ya be seein' better like this," he carefully sifted her so her back was to his chest, his arms still supporting her around her waist.

Kinomi had blanched when Jin had turned her about, but once she was stationary again she felt unusually safe. As she looked about she was amazed at the beautiful view of the island. "I can see why you wanted it," she said a moment later, "On top of all the death and blood here it is beautiful."

"It is," Jin agreed and he took a deep breath, "An' the air be fresh and free out here, unlike most of the Makai."

"What's it like to fly around all the time," Kinomi asked after a while.

Jin's ears twitched, but Kinomi couldn't see it. "It be loads of fun," he told her with a laugh, "Wanna see?"

"I think I'd be too afraid," Kinomi admitted.

"Na, I don' think ya will be," Jin told her. He tightened his grip reassuringly and slowly, as to not frighten her right off the bat, went through the air.

Kinomi brought her arm up to her chest in slight fright as she saw the ground go by her. She had to admit to herself though that it wasn't as bad as she had originally thought.

"See, you be doin' fine," Jin said happily. "Now put your arms out."

Nervously Kinomi obeyed and she smiled as she felt the air run past her fingertips playfully. She could not help but laugh, which seemed to over joy the perky wind master. "This is so much fun," Kinomi said happily.

Jin laughed and sped up slightly, but not a whole lot as he didn't want to frighten her out of her jovial state. The two of them laughed happily as the air rushed by them in its friendly manner.

Eventually the two found their way to the ground, laughter dying down. "That was a lot of fun," Kinomi said with a smile, "Thank you."

"Welcome," Jin said happily, ears twitching, "Glad ya liked it." He became playful as an idea came to mind and he picked up Kinomi's long hair using the wind. "Your 'air is so long and nice like," he told her as he wrapped it around her neck like a scarf, still using the wind.

Kinomi blushed, "Thank you."

He became slightly curious (at her hair not her blush, which he was oblivious to) and uncoiled her hair before using the wind to slip off the clips holding it into its ponytail. Being freed from it's clasps her hair hung slightly lower than it had a moment ago, but not too much as it had been in a loose pony tail, and shifted ever so slightly in the breeze.

Using the wind once more he placed some of her hair over her shoulders and smiled, "I be likin' it like tha'."

Kinomi's blush deepened slightly. 'Does he really mean that?' she asked herself as she looked down.

Jin walked up to her and picked her chin up, "'ou're a very nice lass, ya know tha'?" Kinomi smiled up at him and he returned the smile, "Hopefully I'll be seeing ya again."

With a nod Kinomi softly replied with, "As do I."

Her blushed deepened even further when the wind master wrapped his strong arms around her in a hug, "You be takin' care of 'our self. There be lots of mean creature out there tha' would 'ant to 'urt someone as nice as ya."

Kinomi returned the hug after her initial shock faded, "I will and you take care of yourself too Jin."

'I'll miss him,' Kinomi thought, not really sure where that had come from. What she didn't know at that point in time was that their paths would cross many times in the near future.

vvvv

Kinomi blushed as the memory. The event had only occurred two years ago, but seemed much further away since she knew him so well. She was glad that the fates had let them meet so many times and was also glad that they had become the best of friends.

'And my love interest,' her mind told her, causing her to blush even harder. She had indeed fallen for the wind master, but was too afraid to admit it to him, or anyone for that matter. Genkai and Kurama (a good friend) had figured it out on their own, she thought Touya might know, but wasn't too sure, and her other friends were either oblivious or where suspicious in some way (they thought she liked someone, but weren't sure who).

She didn't think she'd be able to work up the courage to tell the wind master her secret, which left her slightly depressed, but she knew that it was her own fault and no one else's. 'Oh well,' she thought with a sigh, 'Maybe some miracle will put us together.'

A crack made her stop short and look around. When she heard it again she realized it was underneath her. Carefully she brushed away the layering of snow under her with her feet and quickly blanched.

She had somehow wandered right into the middle of the lake without noticing and unfortunately for her it proved to not have a very thick layer of ice over it.

'Oh the messes I get myself into!' her mind screamed as the ice gave way underneath her.

One word: cliffhanger

Yes, what messes you do get yourself into. How's she going to get out of this mess? And will she ever tell Jin how she feels?

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