Well, before we get started, I want to say two things. Number one, I have a no flaming policy. If you flame me or my fic, I will simply point and laugh at you. But I'm sure you're not that kind of person. I just want to let people know. Number two, Reviews are love, so please R&R. If you don't love it, I would appreciate a review anyway, they let me know people are reading.

Yuki Shiro and The Five Dragons

Chapter One: The Grave Hollow

It was nearing the end of winter now. Snow flopped off withered branches that were given new life. Buds and leaves were returning, and the grass was once again becoming green. Whisper Woods was once again bustling with creatures and the sweet song of spring had begun.

At the edge of the woods was a small village by the name of Northwind. It was a relatively quiet place, with friendly residents that worked hard for a living. However, our story begins at the local orphanage. It was a fairly large, brick building, simple in nature, but sturdy and well kept. There were about ten or so orphans staying there at any one time, since adoption was a frequent event. There were a collection of people that were actual residents of the place.

Martha, the woman who ran the orphanage, was a middle-aged woman of humble appearance. Her dark hair was kept at shoulder-length, and away from her full tan face and chestnut colored eyes. She always wore a simple black dress with a white collar that suited her short and somewhat wide stature.

Someone who knew her well knew she was a perfect mesh of compassion and wisdom. She always seemed to keep a calm composure. Most of the children loved her, with an exception here and there.

She was assisted by Blister, a local man who a jack-of-all-trades sort of guy. He had straight brown hair and brown, narrow eyes. Although he shaved, it often seemed he had a bit of stubble on his chin. He wore a white shirt, a green work vest, and a good pair of work pants.

Blister was the quiet and serious type. But he was known to be very gentle with smaller folk, which lent itself well to working in the orphanage.

Also staying at the orphanage was a small group of orphans who were always there. They had been there so long that they came to call the place their home and treated each other like family. Most of them were very tall, and wore dark pants, except for the youngest one, who wore shorts.

The first, Blitz, wore a blue bandana over his muddy colored hair, and a light blue shirt similar to his eye color. Blitz was the most grounded member of the group, often described as a level-headed and a clear thinker.

The second, named Nervin, had glasses over his dark eyes, and had his curly blue hair pulled back. He wore an outfit much like Blister's, but he wore a slightly nicer vest. Nervin was a timid lad, often one to run rather than fight, but was a good friend to those who knew him best.

Tank, the third in the group, was a portly fellow with very short dark brown hair and beady eyes, and wore a rough leather vest. Tank was considered a simple, if rather silly person in nature.

The smallest and youngest of the group was Rally. He had fluffy red hair, bright earthy eyes, a soft, light colored hat, and a yellow shirt under a blue jacket. Rally was the member of the gang with the most spirit, but was known to be fairly practical for a child his age.

There was also another, a local boy who once stayed at the orphanage until his recent adoption. Leo was an eleven year old, adventurous ball of energy, and had a strong will to boot. He had fairly long aqua blue hair, which he had back in a ponytail, to keep it out of his golden eyes. He often wore a white jacket over a blue shirt and shorts.

Leo visited the orphanage often and became very good friends with the other boys there. But, all of them were also friends with the last resident of the place.

Yuki was Martha's goddaughter. She was not truly an orphan, but her parents, Kemuri and Tenshi Shiro, were missionaries. They were gone much of the time, leaving Yuki behind with Martha. Yuki had recently turned sixteen, so she helped more around the place than she used to, which disappointed some of her friends who wanted to go out and play. She was a very intelligent, passionate, and caring girl. But she was very headstrong and stubborn, which caused its share of conflicts.

Yuki Shiro was very short, light-skinned girl, probably no taller than five feet. She had waist-length, dark brown hair with a white ribbon tied in it. Her olive green eyes were still brimming with energy, even as she was now technically of marrying age by the laws in the kingdom where they lived. She wore a tan tunic over a white skirt with a light sash.

One day, in the early spring morning, Leo came to the orphanage to see Rally. They greeted each other cheerfully, and quickly ran off to hide at the back of the building. Yuki caught a glimpse of them as they ran by her. The teen curiously wandered behind the edge of a nearby wall to listen as she folded a load of laundry and set it in a basket.

"Hey, you'll never believe what Yanagi told me yesterday." Leo was really excited. Rally leaned against the wall with suspicion.

"You mean the old storyteller? I bet you I won't, but I'm up for hearing it."

Leo clapped his hands together. "Ok, there's supposed to be this place in the middle of Whisper Woods."

"Yeah?"

"Well, it's called Archfiend's Hollow, and there's supposed to be a demon that lives there. But not just any demon, a demonic dragon!"

Rally sighed. "Oh please, Leo! Do you really believe that story? There's no such place, it's just a local legend. There's one just like it about a place called Stardust Lake, and it's supposed to be in the Whisper Woods as well. But…the dragon was angelic. So, same story, different details."

"Come on, Rally! Maybe we can go look for it!" Leo urged him.

"You know we can't just wander off by ourselves."

"Maybe we could get Blister to come with us. Or one of the other guys."

"Blister would want us to stay here, you know him. And Blitz would probably be the same way. Nervin is a scardy cat, and Tank would probably get lost, no offense. It would be cool to get out and go exploring, but seriously? We can't leave unless we have someone who would go with us and would have our back." Rally explained. Yuki could see where this was going. She finished folding the laundry and came out of hiding. Leo jumped on her immediately.

"Yuki! Yuki! We want to go exploring out in the woods! Would you come with us? Pretty please?"

Yuki got a thinking look on her face. She would like to go very much, but since she was a young adult she may be needed around the place. "Well…I don't know."

"Man! Yuki, we won't go very far or very long, I'm sure Martha will be ok with that… please come with us!"

"Oh, ok, let me put these clothes away and go talk to Martha."

Leo jumped up and down, and Rally just smiled. Yuki quickly completed her chore before going outside where Martha was, in the garden watering vegetables.

"Martha, Leo, Rally and I are going to being talking a walk in the woods, if that's ok with you." Yuki crossed her fingers and hoped for the best.

Martha smiled. "Oh, alright. But I want the three of you to stay on the road and don't go too far. I want you back in time to help prepare tonight's dinner."

Yuki bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Godmother."

She quickly departed. Martha laughed quietly to herself, remembering what she was like when she was Yuki's age. Just barely on the edge of adulthood, and but still a child in some regards. She often went on treks with Yuki's parents when they were youth.

Leo and Rally were waiting at the fence that encircled the orphanage, and when Yuki gave them the nod of approval, they jumped off and started running down the street. She shook her head as she ran after them, feeling a little frustrated at their hyper behavior.

After they exited the village, they walked along the dirt path through the forest. Tall evergreens shot up over there heads, and tall trees covered the ground, only letting in pockets of light. Leo and Rally could hear the creatures crawling and chirping and squirreling around. An occasional crack of a branch made Rally flinch. Leo would laugh. Yuki just rolled her eyes at the two of them.

As they were walking along, Rally decided to humor Leo.

"So, what else did Yanagi tell you about Archfiend's Hollow and that demonic dragon? Is it supposed to be like some forbidding place that nobody ever comes out of alive or something?"

Leo giggled. "Not really. Unless you're a young maiden."

Yuki smiled, knowing Leo was intending to scare her. "Oh really?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. Yanagi said that the dragon is fabled to have a taste for young girls, especially pretty ones. But only ones that are virgins…whatever that means. I'm pretty sure he meant that he eats them…but I could be wrong."

"Well, I guess I'm safe. I'm not pretty."

"Yeah, you're right. You're just average looking." Leo said jokingly. Rally took offense to this. But, he restrained himself.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Leo. She might look average to you, but I bet some other guy will think she's awesome socks." Rally remarked.

"Oooooooooh, like you? You're still a kid, you know. She's sixteen, and you're not much older than me…I think…" Leo joked.

"Quit being obnoxious. Yuki's my best friend. Right Yuki?"

Yuki nodded vigorously. "Of course. We're all friends. So, maybe we should all treat each other that way."

Leo took the hint. "Sorry."

Suddenly, a gust of wind came whirling by. Rally grabbed onto his hat, and Leo covered his head. Yuki turned her back to the wind. Just as quickly as it came, if left. Everyone was weirded out.

"That was odd." Rally remarked. Leo agreed. Yuki looked around. Just a little ways off the side of the road, surrounded by a grove of trees, was a small gravestone. Rally shivered nervously as Leo curiously approached it.

"We're not supposed to go off the path." Yuki warned him.

"I won't be long. I just want to see whose grave it is. Why would there be a lone gravestone in the middle of the woods?"

Rally chased after him, and Yuki followed suit. "Come on, you guys!"

Leo approached the headstone with caution. He was about a couple feet away from it when he started to read it.

"Hey! This is dated back quite a while. It says… 'Prince Jack of the Atlas Dynasty, here may you rest until in a virgin's kiss are you reborn, like your friend who rests at the bottom of the lake.'"

"The lake! They must mean Stardust Lake!" Rally exclaimed.

"So, whoever this Prince Jack was, he had a friend who died in Stardust Lake? Kind of creepy if you ask me." Leo said thoughtfully. Yuki thought back to her parent's library. The name seemed to ring a bell.

"It was in History of Spirit World…The Atlas Dynasty…Atlas was the name of the ruling family of our kingdom. But, Jack, the last crown prince, vanished after fighting in a battle against an enemy kingdom …I think this is his grave…" Yuki guessed.

The three of them look at each other, then back at the grave with solemn expressions. Leo slowly approached the grave to rest his hand on the stone, but as he stood directly in front of it, the ground from under him collapsed, and he fell into a dark hole. The hole was rectangular in nature, and stood an inch away from the stone. Yuki and Rally looked down into it, and saw nothing but blackness.

"I'm ok! But it's really dark down here!"

Rally fretted nervously. Yuki put her hand on his head to calm him down.

"Ease yourself Rally." She jumped down into the hole after Leo. Rally didn't want to be left alone, so he came in after her.

"Rally! You should have stayed up there!"

"Guys! Is that you! I can't see a thing down here!" Leo sounded like he wasn't to far from them. Rally stood next to Yuki, clutching her hand.

"I wish we had some light in here." Yuki muttered. Just then, a faint glow of sunlight started filtering in. They were in a big and empty room made of stone. Yuki could see the entrance to a hallway leading down into darkness. Tree roots were lining the walls and crackling.

Yuki could see a stick for a torch hanging up on the wall and stood on tip-toe to lift it out of its holder, still tightly bolted to the wall. Leo saw the Yuki and Rally now and walked over to them as Yuki held the unlit torch in both hands.

"Ok, we're going to light this thing to get a better look, then we're getting out of here and going home, ok?" Yuki asked firmly. Rally agreed, but Leo was reluctant.

"Awwww, but I want to know what's at the end of that hallway!" Leo whined.

"Don't you know what this is? It's a tomb! It could be booby trapped. Or full of monsters…" Rally shivered. Yuki pulled out a vial in her pocket with a cork sealing it.

She handed Rally the torch. "Stand back a little."

Leo and Rally to a step back. She opened the vial and the liquid inside immediately ignited when it was exposed to the air. She quickly took the torch and lit it. In a second or two, the flames from the vial vanished in a puff of smoke, but the torch burned brightly.

"Hey, is that Alchemist's Fire you had?" Leo asked.

"We live in dangerous times, Leo, a monster could be lurking somewhere. You know none of us are skilled with magic…or a weapon of a particular sort. I bought a couple of these for self-defense." Yuki put the empty vial back with her free hand, hoping that she could look at the alchemy book in her parent's library to make her own.

"But Yuki, aren't you one of those people with innate magical abilities, like me?" Leo was indeed born with magical abilities, and Yuki was as well. It's part of what bonded the two of them when they first met.

"You haven't even learned any real spells yet, and me…I'm not really sure I actually have magical abilities. At least, I hardy use it so that it seems like it's a fluke or something. Besides, all I have learned to do well is healing people, and my parents have known how to do that for years, it's a part of their job." Yuki sighed. She thought for a moment. She was just as curious as the two of them were.

"Well, we can take a look at the hallway, but if any thing seems fishy, we're leaving, no questions." Leo thanked her, and Rally shook his head. He was curious, but the idea of possible monsters made him nervous.

They peered into the hallway, which seemed to go quite a ways. It was bare and empty, but Yuki went in first just to be safe. Leo and Rally soon followed and they walked quietly down the hallway.

It seemed like an hour or so of nothing but the narrow hallway with only darkness ahead. But, after awhile, they came upon an entry to another room that was down a small flight of steps. Yuki held up the torch to see that there were four torches being held up on posts at each corner of the room. She had Leo and Rally wait at the door, and carefully crept to each torch, and lit it with her own.

When she was done, they could see the room was not very big across, but it seemed to go upward almost two stories. The walls were decorated with illustrations of knights and magicians engaged in battle, with an armored prince at the head. His face was concealed by a helmet, but by the golden trimmings, she got the feeling this was Prince Jack. Under the illustrations was text, which Yuki read, to check for warnings or anything ominous sounding. But much of it was simply biographical blips about the prince. As Yuki read things over, Leo and Rally looked at the opposite end of the room and gasped.

"Yuki! Look!" Leo pointed. Yuki looked up.

Towering above them was a statue of a huge, humanoid dragon. It had thick black scales across its body, with red lines encircling every muscle, scale and feature like a network of veins. To Yuki resembled a cross between a dragon, something giant, and a demon. Its horns curled like those of a ram. Its eyes looked like burning hot sunlight, and she could vaguely see a blue tongue between its rows or razor-like red teeth.

"Do you think this is Archfiend's Hollow? Because… That sure looks like a demon dragon to me!" Leo exclaimed. Rally stepped back.

"I don't want to stay and find out. Come on, let's get out of here." Leo held Rally's hand so he wouldn't run. Yuki paced around the room and gave them the ok to come in.

"We're going to take one close look at the dragon, and then we leave. We can make it back early before we need to start making dinner." Leo led Rally in by the hand. Each of them stood by Yuki as they gazed up at the dragon in wonder.

"Well… if it is Archfiend's Hollow, why is it in the tomb of a dead prince? Why don't they call it the Tomb of Prince Jack or something?" Leo wondered. Rally shrugged.

"Beats the heck out of me."

"Wait…Yanagi told me the dragon was often called Red Dragon Archfiend. Maybe that's how it got the name." Leo thought aloud.

"What was your first clue?" Rally asked sarcastically. Yuki cocked her head. Something wasn't right about the dragon. It seemed to have an aura of humanity to it, not demonic in nature at all. But, she could be mistaken, she thought.

She edged a little bit closer to it, but she took a wrong step and tripped over a tree root that was running across the floor in front of them. The torch flew from Yuki's hand. Rally managed to catch it by the holding end as it zipped passed him. Leo breathed a sigh of relief but turned around to see Yuki falling straight into the chest of the statue.

When Yuki got a grip on herself, she found herself resting on the statue, with her back to Leo and Rally. She slowly pushed herself away with her hands, and found she left a small smudgy spot near the dragon's neck where her lips had been. She turned around to face Rally and Leo.

"Are you ok, Yuki?" Rally asked. Yuki reassured him that she was alright, but he pointed to her chin, just below her lower lip, which she put her finger to.

"It looks like you bruised yourself. Maybe Martha can get some ointment when we get back?" As Leo finished his sentence, Rally's eyes widened. He pointed back to the dragon.

"I th-think that qualifies as…f-fishy. We need to get out of here!"

Yuki swerved around to see the statue's eyes were now glowing bright red.

"Leo, Rally…RUN!"

Everybody bolted for the hallway and ran down it as fast as they could. As they ran, Yuki briefly turned her head to check what was happening behind them.

The Dragon rigidly began moving. It extended and retracted its claws. It grinded its teeth and let out a blood-curdling roar. Yuki's eyes widened and everyone started running faster when they heard the noise.

"I'm beginning to think that was no ordinary statue." Yuki said.

"Well, Duh! I knew we shouldn't have gone in there!" Rally exclaimed. Leo gave him a dirty look. They heard the roaring of the Dragon and sped down the hall as they came back to the room, with the light of outside filtering in.

Yuki quickly looked around. The Dragon wasn't following them, at least not now. She remembered how big it was, and figured it would never be able to fit in that narrow hallway. It was trapped, so she thought.

"Ok. We need to find a way out of here." They all thought for a moment. Then, Rally got an idea.

"Leo and I can stand on your shoulders, Yuki! Once we get out, we can send down a vine or something and pull you up." Yuki was not the athletic type, but was willing to try anything to get them out.

She stood directly under the exit, and helped Rally get on top of her shoulders. Yuki struggled to keep a balance as Leo followed him. When Leo got onto Rally's shoulders, Rally firmly held his feet.

Leo reached out and grabbed firmly onto a stable root on the outside. He quickly pulled himself up. He held out his free hand and held the other to the root as he pulled Rally up after him.

Just then, they heard rocks crashing. The room tremored and Yuki blinked as she held out her hands to be pulled up.

"I think the room where the monster was collapsed. He's probably buried under the rubble." She felt her story was confirmed when a few rocks rolled down into the room. But, there was an eerie silence.

Leo was looking down to pull Yuki up, but Rally had been looking around to check for danger. His eyes widened and he started to tremble as a group of nearby birds scattered into the air. Suddenly, the three of them heard the noise again.

Above ground, Rally started backing away. Leo stayed. He didn't want to leave Yuki behind. But, in a moment or two, the immense creature was upon them.

"The Dragon is up here! It must have broken through the ceiling or something and got out that way! It wasn't crushed by the rubble."

They only had seconds to decide rather to stay or run. But, Yuki made the decision for them.

"Leo! Rally! Run! Get out of here, now! Go back to the village before it's too late! Get help! Do something!" Yuki called after them.

Rally started running wildly back down the path. Leo was reluctant, but started running as well. The second before he left, he yelled down to Yuki.

"We'll come back for you! We're not going to let that monster get you!"

Yuki stood in the empty room. She stared up at the exit, and could see the beast towering over it. The Dragon roared at Leo and Rally as they disappeared down the trail, heading back to the village.

The creature look down into the room, and Yuki found herself staring it straight in the face. It reached its hand in to grab her. She tried to get out of its reach, but as she dodged it, it grabbed her by the leg and started pulling her up.

"I'm Dragon fodder." She muttered. The dragon used its free hand to turn her right side up so it could firmly wrap its claws around her torso. She couldn't move her arms or waist; she could barely squirm.

As the creature brought her closer to its face, she could feel the intense heat of its breathe waving passed her. Soon, they were at eye level.

The creature opened its mouth. Yuki decided she had no choice but to see if it could understand speech. She took a deep breath, wondering if this was her end.

"If you must eat me, I warn you, I don't taste very good. But please make it quick, I don't like to be in pain."

Yuki was shocked to see the beast's mouth curve into a smile, and it spoke to her.

"Who says I'm going to eat you?"

To be continued in chapter two. I wanted to do Stardust Dragon first, but I wanted to do something vaguely horror related to pay homage to my friend, Coke head, who's writing a horror parody. Please read her fanfictions, and be sure to read my other current fanfiction, Yugioh 5D's: Legacy of the Star Princess.

Lastly, don't forget to R&R. ^_^ Thankies.