Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Written In the Stars ❯ The Dragon, The Angel, and The Fox ( Chapter 14 )

Written In the Stars

Chapter 14

Arella's body continued to rush further and further towards the ground at incredible speed. Her eyes were still closed and she had somehow managed to keep herself from screaming to the top of her lungs in fear. She hadn't expected it to end like this, but she knew she would rather forfeit her own life rather then to see Kurama hurt or killed by her own hand. She could only hope Kurama would forgive her for what she had just done and would not suffer the same fate most Angels went though when their Soulmates died prematurely. Most would go mad, others would walk around in a deep state of depression, but almost all would commit suicide. Her mother had been one of the rare few that had managed to survive and not suffer the side effects when she had lost her Soulmate.

Mom. I wonder if I will see her again when I die. Arella thought idly to herself. It was then that her descent to the ground suddenly stopped. At first, Arella thought her life had come to an end, but after a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes. They widened a bit in shock as she looked down at herself. Arella was floating in the air, a golden energy spiraling around her body. There was also felt a strange tingling sensation that she felt at her back, almost as if something was getting ready to come out.

She slowly lifted up her hand above her face, still in awe at this event of transpiring before her. Slim, petite, yet transparent fingers then took the hand. Arella looked over to see her mother's spirit smiling at her while she held her daughter's hand. She mouthed the words, "I love you", before she then vanished as quickly as she had come. The spirits of other Angels long deceased then started to come fourth and hold her hand, each disappearing after a few moments. She could only watch silently, confused at what it was they were doing. When it was over, the tingling on her back then started to become stronger and stronger until she heard the back of her shirt start to rip.

**********

Kurama rushed to the balcony and peered over the side. The only thing he saw below him was the blackness of the abyss that had claimed Arella. "Arella," whispered Kurama. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. Arella was gone. And in more ways than one, Kurama blamed himself. But not just himself, there was another to share the blame. Kurama turned and faced Morfran who was just getting to his feet. "You."

Morfran looked up to see the redheaded demon start towards him. He raised his hands to signal some of the guards that had made it past Yusuke and the others. Kurama removed his Rose Whip and began to slash it about. With barely a thought, it ripped one of the dragons in half at the waist. Kurama then broke out into a run. Morfran turned to call more of his guards to his aid, but quickly felt the sting of the Rose Whip strangling him. Morfran grabbed at it, and turned to face Kurama.

"You killed her," he said coldly. "And for that you will pay with your own life... your own blood. And I won't stop making you pay, until I'm satisfied. Your pathetic life is hardly worth a second of hers."

Suddenly, a dragon soldier leapt onto Kurama from behind. His hold on his Rose Whip was broken as he reached for the soldier. Kurama touched his skin and planted the seed of the Death Plant. Kurama's hand opened, the Death Plant sprouting in seconds, tearing its way out of the soldier's body.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Kuwabara after he'd just finished stabbing a dragon soldier with his Spirit Sword. "That looked like one of Kurama's Death Plants, but he's never made `em sprout that fast."

"There's a reason for that," said Hiei as he continued to fight off a few of the dragon soldiers. "Kurama's passion has been lit. He's fuming for a way to deal with the flurry of emotions that are currently plaguing his soul."

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" asked Kuwabara just as he was tackled by a dragon soldier.

"It mean's he's really pissed!" shouted Yusuke. Yusuke then fired his Spirit Gun, taking out the dragon that had just tackled Kuwabara. "And it also means that Morfran may be in big trouble." Suddenly, the room began to flood with even more dragon soldiers. "Ah, damn, where are these guys coming from!"

Suddenly, a pair of large black dragons made their way towards Kurama. Just as he was about to take up the Rose Whip, one of the dragons kicked Kurama against the stone wall while the other spat fire at the soaring figure. Kurama collided against the wall, barely more than a crisp as his jacket had been burned off. He pushed himself to his feet, but the two black dragons charged him, crashing him into the wall. One of the dragons lifted Kurama up, keeping his hands bound together as Kurama dangled helplessly in the air.

"We're gonna rip you into shreds... piece by piece," said the other dragon as he brandished his claws and began to rake away at Kurama's flesh. Kurama grit his teeth as he could feel the razor sharp claws eat into his skin. Morfran looked on, a smile upon his face. The Spirit Detectives were beaten... and would soon fall, just as the Angel had.

"Lord Morfran!" cried one of the soldiers as he flew up from the sky and back into the castle. "It's the girl, she's still…" the solider never got to finish his sentence as a gold arrow suddenly plunged deep into his back, coming though his chest. The other soldiers watched as he fell to the ground dead before they ran over to the balcony to see what had killed their comrade. No sooner had their heads peered over the edge that several more gold arrows shot from the sky below and pierced their throats.

"What the hell?" Morfran asked as he watched the soldiers collapse to the ground in a pool of their own blood. He didn't understand, who could have shot those arrows?

His question was soon answered when he saw Arella, having somehow magically appeared, standing on the balcony ledge and quietly stepping down to the floor. There was something different about her though. Her eyes were still the same purplish blue that they had been before, only now, there was a silver ring around the pupils and a look of fury in her eyes.

That was when he sensed her Spirit Energy, his eyes widening with shock as he slowly backed away. "How? How could you survive?! You're suppose to be dead!"

Arella couldn't help but chuckle a bit before shaking her head and withdrawing her sword. She then leaped into the air and landed a few feet away from Morfran, her sword now stained with blood. The head of the dragons that held Kurama then fell to the ground.

"You're the mighty Angel Hunter. Can't you figure it out?" she asked. It was then that she unfolded a pair of newly formed Angel Wings for all in the room to see.

Morfran continued to look on at Arella. And suddenly, the mystery behind the event that had just occurred began to reveal themselves to him. Morfran clenched his fist tightly, cursing Arella silently as she stood before him. She was obviously a great deal more powerful now than she had been, and stood a much better chance of actually winning. However, if Morfran had any hope of holding on to his own chance at victory, he'd have to act soon, before Arella had the chance to realize the full potential of her power.

Kuwabara looked up, his eyes widened as he sense the power now flowing from Arella. "Whoa! You feel that?" asked Kuwabara as he looked at Hiei, whom had just removed the head of a dragon soldier with his own blade. "Her spirit energy... It's higher than anything I've ever sensed before!"

"You're right," said Hiei. "There's definitely something... unusual about such an explosion of her spirit energy level. And the fact that she was able to survive the fall.…"

"Of course!" said Botan standing there with a bat over her shoulder. "How could I have forgotten?! It's Angelic Instinct. When Angels come of age, they instinctively leap of some precipice or something... and their wings emerge. It's much how the birds on your world learn to fly, Yusuke."

Yusuke had just finished driving his fist into the face of one of the dragon soldiers as he turned to face Botan. "Wait a minute!" he shouted. "How the hell could your forget to mention something like that!? We're fighting in the dragon's den for our lives, and you forget to mention that Arella's gonna leap to her doom, so that she learn how to fly?!"

"Well excuse me for forgetting such idle details while a bloodthirsty dragon is trying to rip my face off!" shouted Botan. She threw the bat from her hand, which soared in the air, crushing the skull of an approaching dragon soldier. Botan then marched over towards Yusuke, and folded her arms. "You just don't know the stress I'm under these days. And you certainly don't make my job any easier. And the way you say thank you is simply by yelling at me!"

Yusuke sighed and shook his head at Botan's ravings. "Now really isn't the time, Botan. Save it for after the fight to the death."

Botan smiled. "Oh yes, right. I forgot all about that! You see... this is why one of those palm pilot things could really come in handy."

The dragon soldiers began to retreat towards the door. They were obviously frightened after sensing the immense power that was being emitted from Arella. It was a power so strong that it rivaled even that of their master's. The dragons then moved on towards the door, leaving Morfran to fend for himself. "Cowards," he muttered under his breath. He watched as Kurama took steps towards Arella. "No, this battle is still far from over," he said to himself.

Kurama stepped towards Arella. He watched as a single drop of blood fell from Arella's blade onto the stone floor. His gaze then moved up to gaze into her eyes. "Arella?" said Kurama, barely able to believe his eyes. She was safe. "I... I thought that I'd lost you."

The look of anger that had been on Arella's face softened when she saw an injured Kurama walking toward her. Her hand reached out and gently touched one of the cuts that was on his forehead. As soon as her finger gently pressed against it, a white glow emitted from the finger and seemed to touch cut and bruise that he had received. When the glow faded, all of Kurama's wounds were completely gone. There wasn't so much as one single mark on his body.

Arella then withdrew her hand and walked passed Kurama over to were the body of the two dragons lay. She kneeled down on the ground for a moment before standing back up and walking back over to her Soulmate, his Rose Whip in her hand. She stopped before him, looking back into his eyes as she presented his weapon to him. "I shouldn't be the only one who kills Morfran. I think we should do it together. He has hurt us both after all, don't you think? He deserves to be killed by the both of us."

Kurama looked down into Arella's eyes. His heart was overtaken by the simple joy that she was alive. When she had touched him, she had healed more than just his physical injuries. She also healed his heart. His heart, which had only moments ago, began to ache with the loss of his love... his Soulmate.

He looked down at the Rose Whip that she now offered him. His eyes slowly came back up to meet hers. Kurama then moved to reach for the weapon. As his hand touched it and Arella's hand, there was a flash of light that engulfed them both. Yusuke and the others brought their hands up to cover their eyes from the blinding flash. Even Morfran turned away to elude the light.

Yet, within the light, Kurama's red hair began to change to a bright silver. And a pair of fox-like ears began to sprout from the top of his head. Even a bushy fox-like tail sprang from his backside. His green eyes became gold. And finally, as the light began to recede, there stood Kurama. And finally, his clothes began to turn white as well.

"I don't know how comforting the rest of you may find this," began Hiei as the light began to subside. "But it appears that Kurama has reverted to his old form... Youko Kurama, the Silver Fox."

At hearing this, Morfran's eyes widened. "Wait," he said to himself. He stared at both Arella and then back at Kurama as they stood side by side, now turning to face him. "When the Cold Fox, and Angel of Two Worlds unite.…" Morfran shook his head. "No, it can't be... the prophecy.…"

Yet, now it was beginning to make sense. Arella was definitely the Angel of Two Worlds. And Kurama, he was now the Cold Fox... the words of the prophecy were coming to pass.

"No," said Morfran shaking his head. "I refuse to be defeated by words that were written centuries ago!" he spat. "The two of you shall die! And after I step upon your mangled corpses, no one will be left to stop me!"

Arella shook her head at the pathetic sight and sighed, "Why is it that you villain types always make these stupid little speeches about how invincible you are just moments before you die? It's really annoying. You know you're going to go to Hell once we kill you, just accept it."

Morfran backed away as Arella and Kurama slowly walked over to him, their weapons ready. He searched frantically around and grabbed one of the fallen soldiers sword. He would not let the prophecy come to pass! He would not let himself so easily be destroyed, he would win this fight! His back hit the wall as he continued to face the Angel and Fox, ready for a fight, however, Arella easily kicked Morfran's sword out of his hand, the blade landing on the other side of the room with a loud clang.

"Any last words?" she asked in a cold voice.

Morfran stared at Arella and Kurama fear in his eyes. There was only one remaining piece of the prophecy left to be fulfilled… his demise. "Well," said Morfran. "If the destruction of the Angel Hunter is to come… then I will take one more Angel with me!" Suddenly, Morfran crouched over as in pain. The threads of his clothes could be heard, ripping to shreds. Suddenly, the wings upon his back grew larger as did the rest of him. Soon, Arella and Kurama both stood before a full-grown black dragon!

His eyes were red as blood, and his teeth sharp enough to rip through stone like a hot knife through butter. The dragon raised its head and roared, and the chamber shook beneath all their feet. A puff of smoke shot from the dragon's nostrils and a brief spark exploded from the side of its mouth. The dragon, Morfran, turned to face his executioners.

"Holy crap!" cried Kuwabara. "That guy really is a dragon!"

"Gee, and they say that the education of today's youth is in peril," said Hiei. "I can't wait to tell all the critics how wrong they are."

"Uh, I don't think now is the time for witty sarcasm, you two," said Botan as she backed away as well.

"Yeah, well you're the resident expert, Botan," said Yusuke. "In this type of situation, what should we do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Botan. She then turned and looked at the others. "Run!"

And with that, all of them took off towards the door. However, a fiery blast soared over their heads, throwing them all to the floor, and engulfing their exit in flames. Yusuke turned around to look back at Morfran only to see his giant scaly claw crashing down upon him. Yusuke rolled across the floor just in time to avoid being crushed. Yusuke set himself up, aimed his Spirit Gun and fired. The blast tore through the air, and nailed Morfran.

"Yes!" Yusuke. "This dragon is toast!" However, as the smoke cleared, Morfran still stood there. "What the hell is going on? That was a direct hit?!"

"It's the prophecy, Yusuke," called Arella. "Only Kurama and I can kill, Morfran." Kurama now stood next to Arella staring at Morfran. His silver mane flowed in the air slightly.

"Okay, so do it already, before we end up as this guys dinner!" called Yusuke.

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure how we're supposed to kill him. He doesn`t have the weaknesses of ordinary dragons. If he did, he would be dead already," said Arella. She then held out her sword, and both she and Kurama leapt out of the way of a fire blast from Morfran. Arella took to the air, and swooped towards Morfran. However, the dragon's wing came crashing towards her causing her to move off for the kill. Arella landed on the ground next to Hiei and Kuwabara who both stood with there. Hiei held his sword, and Kuwabara had his spirit sword ignited.

"Oh silly me!" cried Botan as she seemed to have realized something. "I just remembered that he does have a weak spot!" A fire blast touched down just behind Botan throwing her forward. She screamed in the air as she was tossed about like a rag doll. She landed on the floor next to Yusuke who had just fired another blast of his spirit gun at Morfran. Seeing that her jacket was on fire, Botan quickly removed it and tossed it on the ground. "Oh that does it! That was a really expensive jacket!"

"Botan, forget the fashion report!" called Yusuke. "You said this thing had a weak spot!"

"Right. It's a missing scale in its breastplate… it should be right over his heart," Botan recalled. "But there's no way that he's just going to stand still while we take that shot. I don't even know if we have an attack strong enough to do enough damage."

"We do," said Arella stepping forward. "The Light of the Pure."

"Well, that might do it," said Botan. "but we still have to find a way to keep him still long enough for you to get your chance."

"Leave that to me," said Kurama stepping forward. He looked over at Arella, his fox-like appearance slowly being blurred by a bright light. "I just need a brief distraction as I transform."

"We're on it!" said Yusuke. "Kuwabara! Hiei! Let's go!" The three spirit detectives rushed off towards Morfran running in different directions, and trying to divide the dragon's attention, and even annoy him by making small, quick attacks.

Meanwhile, the light around Kurama got brighter and larger. And soon, as the light faded, there stood a large silver wolf with glowing golden eyes. The fox growled and leapt into view and stood opposite the dragon, Morfran. Both growled at each other. Kurama, in fox form, leapt to pounce Morfran, however the dragon leapt into the air to avoid the attack.

"Oh no you don't," said Yusuke. He fired his spirit cannon just in front of Morfran. The attack caused the dragon to stop its escape as its path was blocked off. That gave Kurama the time he needed. The large fox leapt into the air, and it's jaws wrapped around Morfran's neck. As his fangs dug beneath the scales, the dragon fell to the chamber floor. The impact shook the chamber again.

Kurama used all his strength to hold the Morfran down. As the dragon and fox wrestled on the ground, Arella took off into the air. She paused and hovered in one place, watching the scuffle. Her wings continued to flap as she waited for her chance. And then… she saw it. Her left hand began to glow once again, and an orb of gold and white energy began to form in her hand. Seeing the small opening, the missing scale in Morfran's chest, Arella hurled the energy ball at her target.

As the orb of energy moved closer and closer, the fox and dragon continued to scuffle. At one point, it seemed that Morfran had freed himself, but Kurama recaptured his grip around the dragon's neck and drug the dragon back to the floor. And at the exact moment, the orb of energy made its target.

Morfran gave a quick jerk, which thrust Kurama loose. The fox flew against the wall, and as he made contact, the fox changed back into Youko Kurama. The silver-haired demon watched the sight before him. Arella landed next to him a few moments later, to witness the affects of their joint attack as well. Morfran gave a moan as his body pulse. Soon, light seemed to be ready to pour from every crevice of his body. His red eyes, became bright white. The light also escaped through his mouth, nostrils, and even the outline of every scale on his body. And soon, the light erupted from Morfran, as it tore its way free from the Angel Hunter. The blinding light filled the chamber, the entire castle destroying everything that was evil. All of Morfran's soldiers met their demise as well as they tried to scramble from the light. And after the Light of the Pure had done its work, the light began to subside, leaving only Yusuke and the other Spirit Detectives alone.

Kurama now had his red hair again. He turned towards Arella, whose wings had vanished as well. They turned to each other, and upon reading each other's eyes, took each other's hands. Kurama gave Arella's hand a squeeze. He stared down at it, and then looked back up into her eyes.

"I-is it over?" came Kuwabara's voice breaking the long silence.

"Yes," said Arella. "It's over. All of it."

"Actually," said Kurama still looking into Arella's eyes. "I think some of it is just beginning."

Author's Note: Hey, sorry it took so long to update. Beta reader has been busy and all that stuff. Oh, and this isn't the last chapter of the fic. There's still more to come real soon, and hopefully it won't take me this long. And by the end of the story, I recommend you read my Author's Note, because I have a surprise that I will be announcing.