Author's Note: Ohhhh this chapter was a bitch. I procrastinated on it for most of January and then right as I was starting to pick up working on it again, I got sick. My sincerest apologies for the delay. I also apologize if there are typos or if this chapter is a trainwreck. It's quite late.
Warning: this chapter contains sexual content. It's not extremely graphic, but reader discretion is advised.
Chapter 5 A Cold Wind Blows
"Jin! Touya!"
They had almost made it back to the hotel when someone called their names. Touya watched the two demons approaching them warily, but Jin's face broke into a huge grin when he saw them.
"Chu! Rinku! Hey!" he said, moving forward to meet them.
I didn't realize he knew them, Touya thought. When did he…? Then he remembered Kurama mentioning something about Rinku coming to find him after Touya had been poisoned. I'll have to ask Jin how that happened later.
He approached the group slowly, being cautious as always. True, Jin appeared to trust them, but until he had more information about them, Touya would play it safe. He had never met Chu or Rinku, though he had certainly heard quite a bit about them, especially Chu. He had been the one who'd had an unusual fight with Yusuke Urameshi and narrowly lost. Jin had been so excited when he heard about the knife edge death match and had sincerely hoped he'd be able to fight Urameshi himself.
"Hey there!" Chu said, giving him a friendly wave.
"Hello," Touya said softly.
He always hated meeting new people and having to socialize; he never knew what to say.
"Are you feeling better?" Rinku asked.
Touya looked at the small demon partially hidden behind Chu's legs and gave him a gentle smile. "Yes. I'm feeling much better. Thank you."
"We're glad to see you're doin' all right there," Chu added. "You had us real worried."
Touya stared at the pair of demons in surprise. He had never met fellow demons aside from Jin who had so much compassion for other demons. He couldn't help being suspicious of them and any ulterior motives they might have had, but there was something about them that made Touya want to trust them.
"We were gonna get something to eat. You guys wanna come with?" Chu's voice broke Touya out of his musings.
"Touya?" Jin murmured, glancing at him.
Touya hesitated for a moment, torn. On the one hand, he hated socializing, preferring solitude, and he wasn't entirely sure he could trust Chu and Rinku. On the other hand, it would be rude to refuse the invitation, and these two demons were most likely responsible in part for saving his life.
"That sounds lovely," he said.
"Great!" Chu beamed and Touya couldn't help smiling; his enthusiasm reminded him of Jin.
"Let's go! I'm starving!" Jin said.
"Hey, you guys mind if we take a quick detour to the stadium?" Chu asked. "I wanna see how Urameshi's team is doin'."
"Oh right, they're fighting Uraotogi today aren't they?" Jin said.
"Yeah," Chu said.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Touya said. "They're a strong bunch of fighters. However, it won't hurt to have a look."
They set off away from the hotel. Jin and Chu struck up a conversation, immediately becoming the best of friends. Touya hung back a bit, observing, as he usually did. Chu was like Jin in many ways, loud, boisterous, overly enthusiastic, but a decent person underneath. Rinku said little, though he did contribute to the conversation from time to time, and Chu always made sure he was included when he wanted to be. It was an interesting dynamic they shared, Touya mused, as they made their way onto the stadium grounds.
"Hey, isn't that Urameshi?" Chu suddenly said.
"Where?" Jin asked.
"Sleeping in that girl's lap under that tree," Chu said, pointing.
So it was. Touya frowned.
Why is he sleeping under a tree with his girlfriend? He wondered. Shouldn't he be helping his team fight to get into the finals?
"Uh oh," Chu muttered.
A trio of demons advanced on Urameshi and the girl.
"Split up," Chu said, immediately taking on the role of leader. "Rinku and I will go around and get behind Urameshi and his girl and you guys sneak up behind the demons. If it comes down to a fight, I can put myself between Urameshi and the girl."
Before either Jin or Touya could agree to the plan, Chu and Rinku were off into the trees with a surprising amount of stealth.
Hopefully it won't come to a fight, Touya thought as he and Jin slowly advanced on the demons. I don't think I'm even capable of freezing a puddle right now and hand to hand combat is not my strength.
These demons did not look like they would be easy foes; one looked like a bear, a monkey, and a human had a threesome and somehow all contributed their DNA to their child, the second looked like a cross between a fish and a pig who hadn't seen sunlight in several centuries, and the third was some sort of lizard demon with his hair cut like a friar. Fortunately, they didn't seem to be very bright; they didn't even notice Chu and Rinku right in front of them until one of Rinku's yo-yos caught the largest demon in the cheek, sending him sprawling into unconsciousness. The demons gasped and looked around for the source.
"I…it's Rinku! And Chu as well!" The lizard friar stammered when he caught sight of Chu and Rinku.
The two remaining demons screamed at the sight of them and turned around, only to come face to face with Jin and Touya.
"Am I hallucinating, or is that Jin and Touya too?" the lizard friar said.
Nope, we're real, Touya thought.
The two demons glanced between the two pairs of demons several times before deciding they did not want to try and take them on, grabbed their fallen friend, and darted off with surprising speed considering they were carrying an enormous unconscious demon between them.
With the threat over, Touya turned his attention to the pair on the grass. He had only seen Urameshi from a distance briefly and he had never seen a female human before. He studied her curiously, though how the females differed from the males was a complete mystery to him. She did seem to have a higher pitched voice and there were some subtle differences in her physical characteristics, but that was all he noticed from a brief observation as she talked with Chu and Rinku.
"Um, didn't Yusuke's team beat you guys? Why are you helping us?" the girl asked.
Chu crouched down in front of the pair. "Nah love, your boy did all right by me and I don't forget."
And not all demons are uncivilized, Touya added silently. Urameshi and the rest of his team fought fairly and won. We have no right to be angry about that. If anything, they should be angry at us for all the underhanded tactics our team pulled.
"What's up?" Rinku's voice interrupted Touya's thoughts.
Chu was still crouched in front of Urameshi and his girlfriend, studying Urameshi with a frown. "Why, he seems to have gotten a mite stronger."
"A mite? How much is a mite?" Rinku asked.
Jin and Touya glanced at each other and then made their way forward. They moved cautiously, not wanting to overwhelm the girl, but their caution was unnecessary; the girl gave them a friendly smile when they approached. Touya ignored the bickering between Chu and Rinku and focused on Urameshi. There was something different about it and it wasn't the fact that he was now covered in bruises, scratches, and dirt. He had grown stronger, his spirit energy vastly different, though Touya had no idea how or what it meant.
"Look at him passed out," Chu said, smiling fondly at Urameshi. "He looks just like a sleeping junior high kid."
He gave Urameshi's nose a light flick.
"Ow Keiko, that hurt. You lousy…" Urameshi muttered.
Keiko blushed. "Uh Yusuke…?"
"Stop treating me like a baby all the time. I'm not a kid any…more," Urameshi said clearly.
All of them stared at Urameshi who was still sound asleep and then Chu burst into loud laughter.
"He is so whipped!" Rinku said with a huge grin.
"I see you've domesticated our mate nice and fine, missy. We'll leave you two alone to keep on having your naughty," Chu said.
Keiko gasped, her blush deepening. "Why is that all anyone thinks a boy and a girl can do when they're alone?!"
Well, he is a teenage boy, Touya thought.
He and the others joined in laughing.
"Come on mates, I'm starving!" Chu said loudly. "See ya later, sweetheart. We're trusting you to keep our boy safe, ya hear?"
Keiko smiled gently down at Urameshi's sleeping form. "I will. I promise."
They left the pair in peace. They walked back to the hotel and found a table at the restaurant that specifically catered to demons. A pretty young female demon in tight clothing came over and handed them some menus. Touya frowned as he perused the menu; it seemed to be geared towards demons who had monstrous appetites. He was thankful at least, that the restaurant didn't serve demons who ate people. He didn't really want to think about how they fed.
They put in their orders while the waitress flirted shamelessly with them. Touya just ignored her. When she finally left them alone, they sat quietly for a while.
"So," Chu said, leaning forward in his seat. "Have you boys thought about what you're gonna do for the rest of the tournament?"
Jin shook his head. "We don't really know what's goin' on right now. Besides us, it looks like only Risho is still alive and neither of us have seen him since the end of our fight." His face darkened. "Not that we really care what happens to that piece of trash."
Touya put a gentle hand on Jin's arm. "Peace, Jin. He is still our leader, no matter what he's done." He added so only Jin could hear, "Please be careful. We do not know who else may be listening and whether our words can get back to Risho or not."
"Right," Jin muttered. He turned to Chu and Rinku. "Did you two have something you wanna do?"
"We were gonna watch the finals and thought we'd see if you guys wanted to watch with us," Chu said. "It's gonna be the match of the century."
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Jin said enthusiastically. "What do you say, Touya?"
"Yeah, sounds good," Touya said.
In truth, he dreaded watching Kurama fight. It was not going to be easy to face any one of the members of Team Toguro and there was a good chance that Kurama was going to die. He didn't think he could bear watching Kurama die.
"Hey, you okay there, Touya?" Chu asked. "You're lookin' mighty serious."
"I'm fine," Touya said quietly. "I'm just thinking."
"There's a lot to think about," Jin said.
They ate their meal in silence and then parted ways.
"See you tomorrow!" Rinku said with a cheerful wave.
"Hey mates," Chu said in an undertone. "Think about my proposal, yeah?"
"We will," Jin said.
"See ya tomorrow then," Chu said.
"What proposal is he talking about?" Touya asked after Chu and Rinku were out of earshot.
"Oh!" Jin's face lit up. "That's right. I never told ya. Chu and Rinku offered to let us stay in one of their rooms. They've got plenty of extra now that they're the only ones of their team left."
"What did you say?" Touya asked.
"I told 'em we'd think about it," Jin said. "I didn't want to turn them down, especially if things with Risho get ugly."
"Do you really think things will get ugly?" Touya asked.
"Yes," Jin said bluntly. "He's not the type to take your defiance laying down."
"No, you're right," Touya said.
"So what do you wanna do?" Jin gazed intently at him.
"I…" Touya swallowed hard. "I don't know."
"Do you think you want to leave the Shinobi?" Jin asked.
Touya looked at him, aghast. "You know that's not an option."
"Why not?" Jin challenged. "Who says you have to stay?"
"I'm fairly sure Risho isn't going to allow it," Touya said.
"Who cares about that bastard?" Jin said darkly. "Touya, you need to decide for yourself what you want. No one else can dictate the path you choose."
"I…I need some time to think," Touya said.
"Yeah, of course, pal," Jin said. "I'll catch you later, then. I have some thinking of my own to do."
"All right," Touya said.
They parted ways. Touya wandered deeper into the forest to try and find a place to meditate. He settled himself on a large, flat boulder in the middle of a clearing, closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind. Inevitably, he found it wandering and allowed it to this time, wanting to see where it went. He found himself thinking about Kurama. Where was he? What was he doing? How was he preparing for the finals? Did he feel any apprehension about what he would soon be facing? Would he be able to survive? Touya wasn't sure.
Kurama was cold, quick, and calculating in battle. He was able to think on his feet and at the same time, he never lost his cool. Even in the direst situations, he could remain calm, and that made him a deadly foe. And underestimating him was dangerous and that was why Touya had lost to him. But that would be enough against Team Toguro's brute strength?
And yet, in spite of all that, Kurama was capable of great compassion. He had spared Touya's life when he lay dying and had always treated him with nothing but respect and kindness, even though Touya had tried his hardest to kill him. He feared Kurama's compassion may be his undoing.
It seemed as though Touya had been wrong about Kurama. He wasn't as bad as Touya had first thought. There was a lot to admire about the red-haired demon.
Touya's eyes snapped open as he realized where his thoughts were straying. He shook his head. He could see where this was going. This couldn't be happening. He wouldn't let it.
He refused to fall in love with Kurama.
.o.O.o.
Touya stiffened when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but relaxed when he heard Jin's voice low in his ear, "Easy there, Touya. It's just me."
He opened his eyes and glared at Jin, annoyed to be interrupted during his meditation session. "What do you want?"
"It's nearly dinnertime," Jin said. "You've been out here meditating for nearly six hours."
"Really?" Touya blinked, surprised. "I didn't even notice."
Jin held out of his hand to Touya. "Come on," he said in a gentle tone. "Let's go back to the hotel."
Touya took Jin's hand and allowed him to pull him off his rock. He groaned; his entire body was stiff and sore from sitting in one position for so long. He frowned as Jin led him down the path.
"This isn't the way back to the hotel," he said.
"I know," Jin said bluntly. "I was hopin' we could talk."
There was something off about Jin's tone that made Touya wary.
"All right," he reluctantly agreed.
He remained silent as they walked, waiting for Jin to begin the conversation.
It wasn't until they were well into the forest that Jin said, "I hope that what is said here can be kept between the two of us."
Touya's suspicions were aroused at once. Whatever Jin wanted to talk about, it couldn't be good. Why else would he want to hold the conversation in the middle of the forest where it was likely no one would hear them and specifically ask for Touya's discretion? For a moment, Touya was torn between his friendship with Jin and his loyalty to the Shinobi. But then he remembered Risho's words and actions and decided to trust Jin, as risky as that might be.
"You have my word that I will keep this between us."
Jin grinned. "Thanks Touya. I knew I could count on you."
"What would you like to discuss?" Touya asked.
"Well…" Jin shifted nervously. "I was wonderin' if the Shinobi are really doin' the right thing."
Touya's initial response was to stare at his friend, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing. He had always known that Jin was rather opposed to some of the Shinobi's practices and sometimes even Touya had a hard time accepting some of the things they did, but he never dreamed that Jin would speak out against the Shinobi themselves. To do so was to ask for death.
Touya knew that the right thing to do was turn in this traitor and once upon a time, he probably would have done that.
But he couldn't betray Jin.
Jin was his friend, his brother. How could he ever think to betray him?
"I'm sorry," Jin said anxiously. "I shouldnta said anything."
"No," Touya said a little more sharply than he'd intended as Risho's words came back to him.
"Spare me your romantic drivel, Touya."
"He fought for the light and now we're going to enjoy it."
"We must always keep our eyes on the final prize, Touya. That's why I am the leader and you are the grunt."
Touya took a deep breath and he was amazed at how calm his voice was when he spoke. "I too am beginning to doubt the Shinobi are using. We were always taught that honor was important and yet several members were willing to throw that principle away in order to obtain victory. It seems wrong, but even Risho, who is supposed to be a leader and set an example fur us ignores the principles we've been taught."
"Yeah," Jin agreed. "I know. It doesn't make sense. So what are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Touya said. "It may just be an isolated incident with only a few rogue members, but at the same time I can't help but feeling it's not. Something just doesn't feel right."
"I feel it too," Jin said.
"That being said," Touya continued. "I don't know if there's anything we can do right now." Jin scowled. "I know, I don't like it either. When we return home, we can voice our concern to the Elders and perhaps they can do something about it."
"And what if they don't?" Jin asked, still scowling.
"I don't know," Touya said. He stepped forward and lightly touched Jin's arm. "Jin, please. We need to be careful. You know how dangerous things can be. I couldn't bear it if you got hurt."
Jaw firmly clenched, Jin nodded. Touya leaned against him in relief. After a while, they continued their journey back to the hotel. Neither of them spoke as they made their way up to their room. Jin unlocked the door, but hesitated with his hand on the doorknob. He turned to Touya, his face suddenly full of anxiety.
"You gonna be okay?" he asked.
"Y…yeah," Touya stammered.
His breath hitched as Jin turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. He exhaled shakily. Risho was not there. Jin looked visibly relieved at their leader's absence.
"He must be in the infirmary still," Touya murmured.
"Yeah," Jin said. They stood awkwardly for a few moments before he cleared his throat. "You uh…hungry? I can order us some food if you want."
Touya blinked. "Is that…allowed?"
"Who cares." Jin shrugged. "Risho isn't here to tell us what to do."
"We could get in so much trouble." Touya bit his lip in uncertainty.
"Oh, you've gotta live a little," Jin protested.
"All right," Touya finally relented.
Jin's face brightened. "Awesome! Lemme get the menu and we can see what we want."
He raced off. Touya watched him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, all the tension from earlier dissipated. At last, Jin returned with the menu.
"Do you even know how to order room service?" Touya asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Well no, but I figure it can't be too hard, right?" Jin said.
Touya couldn't help rolling his eyes. Jin spread the menu out on the table. They peered at the lists of food.
"Uh Jin, you realize this is the human menu?" Touya said.
"So?" Jin said.
Touya sighed and looked at the menu again. He had a rudimentary knowledge of human food, as did Jin. They, along with the rest of their team had been given a crash course about the Human World before they left with everything their masters had thought they should know. Even so, Touya had no idea what half the foods on the list were. In the end, he just picked something at random, hoping he would like it.
Ordering the food was a different matter entirely. Touya braved the device the humans called a telephone to order their meal while Jin watched with great amusement.
"Yes. I'd like to order some food to be delivered," Touya said.
He tried to pronounce the names of the food the best he could, but he couldn't help wincing. He glared at Jin, who was laughing at him and the red-haired demon fell silent at once.
"Sorry about that," Touya muttered into the telephone. "Can I charge this to the room?" He would let their team owner deal with this later. "Yes. Room 333. Yes. Thank you." He hung up the telephone. "The food will be here in about fifteen minutes."
"Awesome!" Jin said brightly.
He stretched out on one of the couches and put his feet up over the edge. Touya rolled his eyes and sat primly on the edge of his armchair, waiting. He did not stir until there was a sharp knock on the door.
"I'll get it," he said, getting to his feet.
He didn't trust Jin around the humans. It wasn't that Jin wasn't friendly, it was that there was no guarantee that Jin would behave himself. Touya opened the door and smiled at the human woman standing outside with a cart.
"Good evening," he said pleasantly. "Please, come in."
The woman, who had been staring at Touya, nodded absently, and pushed the cart inside. Jin moved to get up from his seat, but Touya, sensing what he was about to do, turned to him, and rapidly shook his head. Scowling, Jin dropped back down onto the couch.
"We just leave the things outside when we have finished?" Touya turned back to the human woman who was already on her way out.
She stopped and turned around. "Yes."
Then, without another word, she left. As soon as the door clicked shut, Jin sprang up from the couch and dashed over to the cart. Touya rolled his eyes. He took the tops off the plates and stared down at all the food.
"Which is yours and which is mine?" Jin asked over Touya's shoulder.
"I have no idea." Touya shook his head.
"You know what we gotta do, right?" Jin asked.
"Of course," Touya said. "We each take a bit of each." He stared down at all the plates. "Just how much did you order?"
"Hey, I'm hungry!" Jin said defensively.
Touya snorted; Jin was always hungry. He carefully divided up the food. Jin sat on the couch and immediately dug in. Touya took his own plate to his armchair and sat with his plate on his lap. He glanced up at Jin, who was chowing down noisily and had to smile; Jin would eat pretty much anything. Then, he returned his gaze to his plate of food. At the very least, it smelled interesting. He took a smile bite. It was some sort of meat flavored with various herbs and spices Touya didn't recognize. It was very overpowering, though Touya supposed that it could be because his palate wasn't accustomed to such strong flavors. He took a couple bites of the other things on his plate, but couldn't finish any of it because it was too rich for him.
"Jin, do you want the rest of this?" he asked, holding up his place.
"Yeah, sure, Jin said absently, staring out the window.
Touya frowned; Jin normally wasn't so distracted. He got up from his chair and crossed the room to where Jin sat.
"Jin?" he asked softly. "What's wrong?"
Jin didn't turn away from the window. "The winds are changin'. It's not a good sign."
Touya glanced out the window. The winds had picked up dramatically, blowing the tops of the trees sideways. Dark clouds were rolling in, giving the sky an ominous feeling. Touya shivered; he could sense something was very wrong. He gasped when he sensed a massive surge of energy. He had never felt such raw power before. He looked at Jin, who looked equally stunned. They stared out the window, trying to figure out where the power was coming from.
"What are you doing?"
Touya's heart raced when he heard that voice. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, then turned around to face his leader.
"What do you want?" he said, trying to keep his voice level.
Risho's eyes narrowed. "You dare use that tone with me?"
"Yes, I do," Touya said. "You attacked me!"
There was a soft crackling sound as ice spread out from underneath Touya's feet. He exhaled softly. He hadn't actually meant to do that, but it wasn't a bad idea to have a way to defend himself.
"What is the meaning of this?" Risho demanded.
Touya ignored the question and stared up at his leader. "You attacked me," he repeated, softer. "Your own sect member."
"You were out of line," Risho said calmly. You needed to be punished for your disobedience."
"Disobedience?" Touya said.
"You questioned my authority and therefore the Shinobi." Risho's voice never lost its calm, cool tone. "Measures needed to be taken to ensure you remembered your place."
"My place?" Touya spat, disgusted. "So I'm nothing more than a servant, someone to obey you without question?"
"Obedience is essential to the Shinobi," Risho said. "Dissention creates chaos."
"We're nothing but pawns to you," Touya said, realization dawning. "Nothing but pieces on a board to be moved for the benefit of the few." Risho didn't say anything, but his satisfied smirk told Touya everything he needed to know. "The Elders will never approve!"
Risho smirked. "What makes you think they are unaware of what is going on?"
Touya's breath left him as he realized the horrifying truth. "How can you do this?" he whispered.
Risho stood calmly with his arms folded. "I am merely doing what is necessary for the good of the Shinobi and the Elders are in agreement with me. If you cannot accept it, then measures must be taken."
"Measures? What measures?"
It was the first time Jin had spoken and Touya was surprised he had taken so long to say anything. Had he known this whole time and that was why he'd brought it up in the forest? Touya shook his head. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
"What measures?" he repeated.
"That will be up to the Elders to decide once we return to the Shinobi," Risho said.
He unfolded his arms and stepped forward. Touya instinctively recoiled.
"Get away from me!" he yelled.
A wall of ice rose up between him and Risho. Before either he or Jin could react, Touya sprinted from the room, stifling a sob with his hand.
.o.O.o.
Kurama sighed and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. How had it gotten so late without him noticing? He really needed some rest before the finals began tomorrow. He would be of little help to his team if he was tired.
And he was tired.
This tournament was not only taking a toll on him physically, but mentally as well. In truth, he wasn't sure how much longer he could last. He would try, though; he could not let his teammates down, especially now that they had made it this far.
All of Kurama's previous tiredness vanished when he reached his hallway and saw the figure sitting outside his door. At first, he didn't recognize who it was, but as he got closer, he saw that it belonged to Touya. He sat leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest making him look small and vulnerable.
"Touya?" Kurama asked softly, carefully approaching the Ice Demon.
Touya looked up from his intense scrutiny of the hallway carpet, though he did not say anything.
"Are you all right?" Kurama asked.
Touya stared up at him, his face difficult to read. "I'm…fine."
Something about the tone of his voice and his posture told Kurama he was lying.
"Would you like to come in?" he asked.
"Yes please," Touya said softly.
His movements were still stiff, Kurama noted, as he slowly got to his feet, though he was much improved. He unlocked his door and entered his hotel room, Touya following behind. Touya stood in the sitting area, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked so vulnerable and so sad.
"Touya," Kurama said softly, crossing the room to where Touya stood. "What's wrong? Why have you come?"
"I…I can't say why I'm here," Touya said, looking up at Kurama. "Something has drawn me to you. And I think you've felt it too."
Kurama opened his mouth to deny it, but found that he could not.
"I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," Touya continued. "You could live, or you could die."
"Yes," Kurama said.
Touya unfolded his arms and walked over. Kurama's skin prickled having Touya so close to him. Their lips touched. Kurama pulled away first.
"Touya, we shouldn't," he said.
"Please," Touya whispered, clutching his arms tightly. "It's only tonight. That's all we have."
At last, Kurama relented. He could not say why, only that he felt a magnetic pull towards Touya, had felt it from the moment they had met. He bent his head and covered Touya's lips with his own.
They moved into the bedroom. Everything felt natural between them and they moved without hesitation. Clothes shed in a hurry, fingertips reaching out eagerly to explore. Touya cried out when their bodies came together, but urged Kurama on with a gentle smile and a kiss. Their fingers twined as they moved faster, harder.
Touya climaxed first with a low, choking moan. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes as his body spasmed, Kurama's name on his lips. With a moan, Kurama came, rocking hard against Touya and then collapsing on the bed next to him. He watched Touya sleep until he too was overcome by exhaustion and slept.