Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Written In the Stars ❯ Truths and Strange Dreams ( Chapter 7 )

Written In the Stars

Chapter 7

When Arella arrived at the appointed meeting spot, she was confused. She was standing in the middle of a field, holding on to her bags. She doubled checked the paper Ciaran had given her to make sure she was at the correct spot.

"I'm starting to have regrets about this, Kin," Arella said.

The fox stood in front of her and looked around cautiously, waiting for any signs of life to appear.

"Coming here was a mistake," Arella whispered to herself and Kin, "I think we should get out of here, now!"

Just as Arella turned to start running, she felt a pair of hands come around her throat and lift her up, causing her to drop her bags. Kin started growling and tried to bite the stranger, but the figure kicked him away. He then turned Arella around so that she was now facing him, one of his hands still around her throat.

"Hello, Arella," Ciaran said, giving her a cruel smile.

Arella couldn't speak. She was too busy clawing at Ciaran's hand, trying to get him to loosen his grip on her throat.

"This is nothing personal, Arella," Ciaran continued, pulling out a decorated dagger from the sheath on his belt, "But I have to kill you. I can't allow you to live."

Ciaran shook his head as he watched Arella reach for her pet. Her life was slipping away at this very moment, and she was more concerned about helping her fox. "You are a fool... just like your mother," he said. Ciaran watched with some amusement as Arella tried to fix her gaze on him. "You have no idea why I'm doing this, do you?" he asked.

The only reply he heard from Arella's lips were the squeal of her trying to gasp for air. Ciaran raised the blade towards Arella's neck. "It would be so easy to simply spill your blood here and now," he said. "However, to take your life, while you're still oblivious to how sacred this moment is would disgrace my father's honor."

Ciaran tossed Arella to the ground. As her body hit the grass, she gasped for air. She looked beside her to see Kin lying motionless, only a few feet away. She started to reach for him, but found Ciaran's foot crushing her hand. She tried to cry out in pain, but her lungs had not yet taken in enough air for her to scream.

"Please," she whispered. "Please, don't hurt him anymore."

Ciaran smiled as he looked down at Arella. "You're begging me?" he asked. "You're actually begging me, to spare the life of that flea-bitten mutt?! You're pathetic! You can't even begin to fathom your potential, the power that you have," Ciaran shook his head. "You should see my ending your life as a blessing."

Ciaran looked towards Kin and kicked the fox further away from Arella's reach. The fox yelped, but made no further movement as it landed. Arella reached for the fox, with tears in her eyes. Ciaran smacked her with the back of his hand as he saw her reach for Kin again. Tears began to roll from Arella's eyes, but again she wouldn't cry out. This time it wasn't because she couldn't. She simply didn't want to give Ciaran the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. Noticing the defiance in her eyes, Ciaran smacked her again.

"You will hear my words," said Ciaran. "And before I am done with you... before your blood is spilled... I will see that defiant spirit of yours broken!" Ciaran continued to slap Arella for a few seconds. Her head snapped with each smack, as his hand hit crisply across her cheeks.

Arella was roughly pulled back up to her feet by Ciaran tightly gripping onto the collar of her shirt. Her vision cleared enough for her to see that he was vulnerable to an attack. It wasn't a deadly attack, but it would give her time to check on Kin and maybe try and find some help.

She slowly lifted her hand while he wasn't looking and when the time was right, she gouged at his eye; glad when he automatically dropped her and covered the eye she had attacked with his hand.

Arella summoned all of her strength to run to Kin's side, resting a hand on her stomach to see if he was still breathing. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt the rise and fall of his stomach.

"Thank God," she whispered.

She was then violently shoved to the ground by a very pissed off Ciaran, who beat her quiet savagely. Despite the punches and kicks that he threw, she still refused to scream. Out of frustration, he grabbed her by the throat again and threw her back to where she had dropped her luggage. She lay there now, her whole body in pain, knowing that now she was about to die.

Ciaran shook his head as he stared down at Arella. "Pitiful. You had the opportunity to escape, but you wasted it trying to learn whether that mangy mongrel was still alive. You're own love for this creature has cost you your life."

Ciaran took a deep breath, and then he spoke. "When the Cold Fox and Angel of Two Worlds unite, only then will the Tormentor of All Angels be destroyed," Ciaran looked down at Arella and smiled, "My father is the Tormentor of All Angels. And I simply cannot allow him to perish. No, that is why you have to die."

Arella's eyes widened. "Yes, you're the Angel in the prophecy," Ciaran confirmed. "I have no idea who the Cold Fox is, but... you're the Angel that of which the prophecy speaks. Of that I'm certain."

Ciaran pulled the blade back into sight and admired it for a moment. "You see it's quite simple. If I destroy you, then the prophecy cannot be completed, and my father lives," Ciaran smiled and looked down at Arella. "If I knew the identity of the Cold Fox, I may have spared you and disposed of him instead," A cruel smile spread across Ciaran's face. "No, that's a lie... I would just as soon destroy you as well."

Ciaran laughed at the thought, as he stared into Arella's eyes. He slowly lowered the blade down towards Arella's neck. "Farewell, Arella," said Ciaran. "And don't worry, I'll be sure to send your little fox right along after you."

Arella shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the blade to slice across her throat and end her life, but it never came. She very cautiously opened her eyes and looked shocked to see some kind of strange whip wrapped around Ciaran's wrist, the blade now resting on the ground a few feet away from him.

Arella's vision blurred as she tried to make out the figure in the shadows that was holding the whip. She tried forcing herself to sit up, but she was far too weak and collapsed on the ground again, thanking the Fates for this miracle.

Ciaran cursed when he felt the Rosewhip tighten around his wrist. He looked over and narrowed his eyes at Kurama.

"You!" he screamed, pulling his wrist free from the whip, ignoring the cuts he now had, "I should have known you would come here, but from what I can see, you made the terrible mistake of coming here alone. Even if my hand was tied, I could kill you quiet easily, thief!"

"Oh yeah!" cried Yusuke stepping forward. "Well, I'd like to see you try it!"

Upon hearing the Spirit Detective's challenge, Ciaran hands began to glow with energy, which eventually erupted into an open flame in the palm of each hand. The Spirit Detectives looked on in awe at the display.

"Oh, way-to-go, Urameshi!" cried Kuwabara. "You gonna piss off every demon we have to fight?"

Yusuke ignored Kuwabara's comment and turned to Kurama who was watching Ciaran intently. "What now, Kurama?" asked Yusuke.

Kurama didn't take his eyes of Ciaran, but simply opened his mouth to say one word. "Run."

Hiei took a step forward, and drew his sword. "I apologize, Kurama," said Hiei. "I actually thought you said `run.'" Hiei then charged towards Ciaran with his sword drawn. That was when Ciaran unleashed his first attack.

"Fire ring!" shouted Ciaran. A stream of flame shot from his hands and made it to Hiei. Once it reached him, the streams began to encircle him like a snake. Hiei tried to slice at the flaming streams, but it was useless. Then, like a serpent, the fire rings constricted and Hiei cried out in pain.

"Hiei!" shouted Yusuke.

"Holy crap! That thing made Shorty scream! Just what the hell are we up against?!" ranted Kuwabara.

"It doesn't matter!" said Yusuke. "We can't just let Hiei stay like that, we have to help him! Come on!" Kuwabara nodded and drew his Spirit Sword, and followed Yusuke.

"Yusuke! Kuwabara! Wait!" cried Kurama as he watched his friends moved forward.

Ciaran only smiled. "Ah, more victims, eh?" he gloated. Then, his hands began to glow again, however this time, the sky actually got darker, and it seemed as if a cloud of flame grew over his head. "Fire storm!"

From the cloud shot a huge wave of flaming spirit energy. Yusuke and Kuwabara stopped in their tracks only a few feet away from Hiei as the attack came upon them. They both stopped, like deer caught in headlights.

"Oh shi--" began Yusuke. However, the wave engulfed all three of the Spirit Detectives on the field. They all cried out in pain, unlike anything they had ever felt before. It lasted for a few seconds, and then the wave subsided and all three fell to the ground.

Ciaran admired his work and smiled. He looked across the field into Kurama's eyes. "Well, Kurama, I see you did nothing to prepare them for me. I assume you forfeit the girl's life, since it is obvious that you cannot defeat me."

"Never," said Kurama.

Ciaran shook his head. "Don't be a fool, Kurama. Take this time to save the lives of your friends," Ciaran looked into Kurama's eyes for a few seconds before offering the only other alternative. "Or... you can die as well."

Kurama snapped his Rosewhip through the air once, as he gazed into Ciaran's eyes. "There's one final option you neglected to mention," said Kurama. Ciaran arched his eyebrow amused that there was actually another option. "Simply put... you die."

Ciaran chuckled at that as he watched the three other Spirit Detectives get back on their feet.

"You idiots clearly don't know what your up against, do you? Well, I'll tell you," Ciaran said, a cruel smile on his face, "You're going up against a dragon. A real life, fire-breathing dragon. I happen to be quite powerful, like my father. Another thing my father and I have in common, we've both killed members of her family," he jerked his head to Arella's form, "You see, it is my destiny to kill her," another cruel smile spread across his face, "just like it was my father's destiny to kill her mother. Now enough with the talk, why don't I show you all how powerful I really am!" And with that said, he began to change form.

His eyes were the first to change. They went from their gray color to a solid yellow, two black slits in the middle serving as pupils. His skin then began to change, turning from soft flesh to dark black scales. He then started to grow larger in height. The sound of the bones growing under his skin could easily be heard. His hair started to disappear and was replaced with two black curved horns. He groaned slightly in pain as his two legs had changed, his knees now bending backwards and his feet now clawed. A long tail extended and started to lash back and fourth wildly. Finally, a set of wings burst from his back, each one about twenty feet long. The wings flapped in the air, moving almost with a will of their own. When the transformation was complete, Ciaran was no longer a man, but a 15 foot tall black dragon.

The groans of pain had ceased, and were replaced with the sound of his heavy breathing. Occasionally, puffs of smoke would blow from his nostrils. His yellow eyes shown brightly in the dark sky as he reared his head towards his enemies, snarling.

***********

Arella had heard every word Ciaran had said. Emotions ran though her as she watched Ciaran change into his dragon form.

They don't know how to defeat a dragon, Arella thought, but I do. Mom taught me how. I have to help them! And I must find out if his father is who I think he is.

With that in mind, Arella reached over to one of her suitcases, opening it.

***********

Yusuke stood on his feet, holding his ribs in pain. "What the hell is that thing!?" said Yusuke looking at Ciaran's dragon form.

"Holy crap! Nobody told me that we were fighting Godzilla's cousin!" Kuwabara yelled.

"The fact that you would even compare him to a fictional beast that couldn't even talk, shows me how stupid you really are," muttered Hiei picking himself up off the ground.

"Knock it off you two," said Yusuke. "This guy just handed us our asses with two moves!" Yusuke looked towards Kurama who was standing by ready to face Ciaran. "Do we stand a chance against this loser, Kurama?"

Kurama took a deep breath, but never took his eyes off of Ciaran. "I'd rather not answer that, Yusuke," he replied.

"Oh great, we're screwed!" said Kuwabara.

"You couldn't be more correct," said Ciaran. Suddenly, they watched as he faded from view. He just disappeared.

"What the hell just happened?!" asked Yusuke. "He's gone!"

"Hardly," said Ciaran's voice. Suddenly, Yusuke's jaw snapped upwards and the Spirit Detective's feet left the ground. Yusuke landed on his back with a loud thud. The next victim was Kuwabara, who thrust forward as if he had just been hit in his stomach. Then, his jaw snapped towards the right as he fell to the ground. Hiei felt a blow go the base of his neck, which brought him to his knees.

"He can't be that fast," said Hiei as he tried to stand back on his feet.

"Speed has nothing to do with it, my friend," said Ciaran's voice. Suddenly, a cloud of dirt went into Hiei's eyes. He grabbed at them, but felt a kick drive into his ribs. His body left the ground and soared towards Kurama. Seeing the attack Kurama leaped over the body of his friend with a flip, only to land in a blow that collided with his jaw. He fell to the ground, which was quickly followed by a clawed hand to his chest.

Kurama looked up gasping for breath to find Ciaran standing above him, with his clawed hand on his chest. "Only a fool fight's a losing battle, Kurama," said Ciaran. "How lucky of me to come across four at one time." Ciaran took his tail and swung it, smashing it into Kurama's face. He then looked at the bodies scattered about the field. "I'll be back to finish you later, but first, I have a date with an Angel and a lovely thing called destiny."

The moment Ciaran lifted his claw off of Kurama's chest, his form began to change. Kurama was now seven feet tall with long silver hair, fox ears on top of his head, gold eyes, and a silver furred tail. He stood up and looked around with an aura of confidence around him, the look in his eyes deadly.

"I'm touched," came Ciaran's voice, "You changed into your Youko form for me. I'm honored, really I am, but I'm afraid that form of yours won't do you much good though. How can you fight me when you can't even see me? Hmm?"

It was just at that moment that his form started to fade back into view, tiny specks of a shimmering white powder clinging to him, making his body easy to see.

"What the hell is this?! How is this possible!" Ciaran screamed, trying his best to blend in with his surroundings once again, but try as he might, he couldn't.

A flash of gold then came flying across the sky, burying itself in Ciaran's jaw. He threw his head back and roared in pain, pulling out the object with his clawed hands. When he saw what it was that had hit him, he was stunned beyond belief. "A golden arrow? That can't be! Only the Angels have golden arrows, and their all hiding in Spirit World!"

There were two more flashes of gold and Ciaran was growling in pain as both of the golden arrows were now buried in his side. Another arrow was shot, this time going into one of Ciaran's wings. He roared in pain and changed back into his human form, the arrows still in their spots, except for one. The one that had been in his wing was now in his back and coming out of his chest. Ciaran fell to his knees, knowing he had been defeated and that he was about to die.

"Who did it? Who killed me?" Ciaran asked himself as he felt his life slowly slipping away.

"Who's your father?" demanded a voice from behind.

Ciaran looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Standing there was Arella, a beautiful silver bow that shinned like the moon and the stars in her hand and laced on that bow was a golden arrow decorated with diamonds and silver feathers on the end. Despite her weakened form, she somehow had the strength to walk over to him, the arrow aimed for his throat.

"Answer the damn question, who is your father? I heard what you said about him killing my mother. Now, I suggest you tell me who he is or I swear I will make your death much more painful then it already is." The look in Arella's eyes told him that she meant what she was said.

"Morfran, my father is Morfran," Ciaran said, just before he fell to his side, looking up at Arella, he couldn't help but smile, "You truly are your mother's daughter." he told her before his eyes closed and he breathed no more.

Arella pulled the arrows out of Ciaran's body and put them back in the quiver. She then looked over at Youko Kurama and gave him a small smile, "Thank you," she whispered before she slipped into unconsciousness, feeling a pair of arms wrap around her.

***********

She found herself staring at a beautiful sight. Before her was a clear blue lake with a waterfall cascading down into it. The lake was surrounded with lush green grass, tall trees with bright green leaves and by the lake there was a rock formation made perfect for two people to sit down and watch the waterfall.

Arella approached the lake carefully, wanting to touch the water of this perfect spot, not sure if she was in heaven or if this was some strange dream. She did feel different though. More confident and braver and there was also something else that felt different about her that she couldn't explain. When she kneeled down in front of the water, she gasped in shock, stunned at what she saw.

Is that me? She thought, not really believing what she was seeing. The reflection of the girl in front of her was somewhat different then what she had expected. The girl she was staring at in the water was completely beautiful, where Arella considered herself to be plain and unattractive. The reflection still showed her with her long blonde her, only this time, it shimmered like sunlight and was held back in a tight braid. Her eyes were no longer their purplish-blue, but instead where a beautiful but intense silver. When she stood up, she noticed that her height had also changed. She had become much taller, she wasn't sure how tall, but it was not her usual height, of that she was sure. Her clothes were also much different. She wore what appeared to be some type of ancient Greek style dress, which from unknown source of intuition, she knew, was meant for swimming in. On her feet were brown leather sandals so that her feet wouldn't get dirty from the grass. There was also one final surprise in store for her. She had wings.

The feathers were as white as a doves, but were very large and each feather had a row of gold and silver tips, making them seem much more elegant. The amazing thing was that despite their large size, they didn't feel heavy at all; in fact, they felt rather light and comfortable.

What's going on here? Where am I and why do I look like this? Arella thought, looking around once more at her surroundings. As her vision reached the trees, she saw a blur of white coming though the thick green forest and Arella quickly ran to a nearby bush, hiding behind it, wanting to be sure of what it was that was coming. What she saw stole her breath away. She recognized the figure right away from the description her mother had written of him in her diaries.

Youko Kurama. He's beautiful. The most beautiful creature I've ever seen. I don't care what everyone in Makai says about him, he cannot be as evil and cruel as everyone makes him out to be.

She continued to watch him as he walked around the lake until he stopped and looked directly over at the bush she was hiding behind.

"Whoever you are, I suggest you come out now," Kurama said, his voice perfectly calm yet dangerous.

Arella complied and stepped out from behind the bush and stood up to face the infamous Youko thief, not sure how he would react, hoping that she had done nothing to make him think she was in any way a threat to him.

Kurama raised his eyebrow, now caught off guard. He thought she was a pretty little thing, like a fawn caught in a chase, yet there was a sense of bravery around her.

"You wouldn't be spying on me, would you?" he asked, smirking at her a bit, "Because I would hate to have to force myself to kill a cute little thing like you."

"No, I wasn't spying on you," Arella replied, her hand on her hips, "I was here first, about to go for a swim when I saw something moving though the trees. I didn't know what it was so I hid in the bushes. As shocking as this maybe to you, dear fox, not everyone is out to kill you and besides, I have every right to be here."

"Oh, is that so?" Kurama asked, still smirking.

"Yes, it is," Arella replied, now walking up to him until they were only inches apart, "And as surprising as you might find this, I'm not afraid of you. I don't care how cold hearted or ruthless or cruel everyone says you are, I'm not afraid of you and I don't plan on leaving here for a while, so you'll just have to deal with it."

She was taken by surprise when she felt his arms wrap themselves around her waist and pull her closer to him until both of their bodies were touching. He looked down into her silver eyes and smiled, "I think I can handle that," he whispered before he leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips.