A Time Forgotten

The Pain Of Aftermath

Greetings again to all that have read "Of Ice and Wind"! Well, I was really thinking of just letting that story go, but I realized that it needed another story to follow it up. If you haven't read "Of Ice and Wind", then I suggest that you do (didn't mean for that to sound rude, but you may get lost if you don't). So here it is everybody, the first chapter in the next story of the series (another tale from the sixth shinobi)...ENJOY! :)

I do not own Jin and Touya nor Yu Yu Hakusho (but now I'm one step closer)

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Touya watched painfully as Jin tried to make his way across the barren floor of Kurama's cave. It had been months since the wind demon had awoken, but even now Risho's presance was showing itself. The poison had made it so Jin was always in a state unbalance and the ice youkai knew it hurt much worse then his friend let on.

"AH! DAMN IT!"

"Jin!" The youkai had fallen again for the eleventh time that morning and as his friend rushed to his side, he gave a glance that caused the ice warrior to slow.

"DON'T BE HELPIN' ME AGAIN TOUYA! I DON'T BE NEEDIN' IT!" At that, Jin began to rise, aided not by Touya's hand, but by a table that stood nearby. His movements were slow and his knuckles burned white from the very effort, but he managed to pull himself back into the standing position.

"See Touya? Ha! I told ya I didn't need. . ." But it did not last. Jin's legs once again fell from under him and he again fell into a heap upon the floor.

Touya did not hesitate again. He ran to his friend and came to kneel beside him as he had done so many months ago. "Jin, you must not carry on this way. You know that you are still weak. There is no shame in allowing others to help you in your time of need."

"BUT I DON'T BE NEEDIN' ANY HELP! I CAN DO IT ON MY OWN! I CAN. . ." But his words were left unfinished, for now the flow of tears drowned his every breath. 

"You do need help Jin. This is something one cannot bare on his own. You WILL get better in time, I promise you that." The ice youkai picked up his friend and slowly brought him to the bed Kurama had made for him. The kitsune had done all he could to aid Touya in Jin's recovery and that included clearing out an area of his and Hiei's cave in order to make a room for the wind master. He had also provided the daily plants and herbs Jin needed in order to fight the poison still flowing somewhere deep within him.

Touya placed Jin upon the bed and gently touched his face. But the youkai would not have it. He shoved the demon's hand away, tears still flowing from his now reddened eyes.

"Jin. . .please."

"You will never understand how much this be hurtin' me Touya! I can't even use my damn legs any longer! I have to let people help me do the easiest of tasks! I used to be a shinobi damn it!"

"But Jin, Kurama has said that you have made so much progress in these past months. He has said that you will heal and that the pain will stop."

"Has he told you if I'll be walkin' again? Or flyin'? Or be doin' anythin' of any use?!"

Touya took a moment before answering. He did not want to upset his partner, but Jin would only become more angered if he lied. "No." He said somberly. "In fact, he says that you may never be able to walk properly again. . ."

"So there it is then. . ."

"But he only said it was a possibility! If we just keep working at it then maybe..."

"Did ya know this would happen?"

"What?"

"This. Did ya know it would happen? Did ya know that if ya saved me then I might be doin' nothin' ever again?"

"Yes. . .I did know. . ."

"THEN WHY DID YA SAVE ME?! IT MIGHT TA BEEN WORTH BEIN' DEAD IF I'D A KNOWN IT'D TURN OUT TO BE LIKE THIS! BUT YOU KNEW ALL ALONG!"

"Jin. . .I only wanted. . .I only wanted for you to live."

"WHY? SO WE COULD BE TOGETHER? TOGETHER LIKE THIS?!"

"I know it's hard, but you are strong and I know that we'll get through it."

"We'll? There be bein' no we here Touya. There be only me!"

"But I . . ."

"GO! LEAVE ME HERE!. . .Like ya should a done at the palace. . ." Touya turned his head from Jin then, not wanting to look into those cold eyes any longer. Ever since he had awoken and realized that he was disabled, the youkai would lash out and say things he did not mean. . .or at least that Touya hoped he didn't. "CAN'T YA BE HEARIN' ME?! I SAID GO!"

And Touya left him, face never turning back to look. He would return in a few hours to the bedside of his forlorn comrade, only to hear those words spoken to him yet another time. But through it all, the ice demon still loved Jin, still thought of him as the most perfect thing in all of creation. He would go and talk to Kurama now, for even though his friend was the one in pain, Touya too needed comforting. . .

Jin watched as Touya left, his eyes never breaking away for even a brief moment. He loved that winter youkai more then anything in all the three worlds and again he had turned him away. Deep inside, Jin knew it wasn't Touya's fault that he was the way he was. In fact, it was his own. He had done it all to himself. But the odd thing was, that he had done it FOR the demon he loved so very much. But his friend would never know. . . just what had happened to him that night. . .

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Ok, so there you go people. Sorry to leave it on. . .well. . .I guess you could call this a cliff hanger. But, I promise that the second chapter will be up soon (it being the weekend and all). Please send me reviews and please don't be mad at me for making Jin a jerk (I'll take care of that later). Hope to hear from you all very very soon! :)