Disclaimer- Don't own it.

All She Is

"How did Arielle know about Ella's parents?" Krad asked curiously as he thrust a mug of tea into Celeste's hands. Dark looked up curiously, dragging his gaze from Ella's struggling features to stare at Celeste. Celeste sighed, staring into the mug as if it held all the answers for her.

"Only the blood of an orphan can free us. It's a little known fact and Ella's blood nearly didn't work anyway. It can only be someone who is alone in the world, like we are. Someone with no family." Celeste paused to look at Emiko, who was seated, unmoving, beside Ella's bound and gagged, but still thrashing and wailing body. "The Niwa's are fast becoming her family." Ella gave vent to that harsh keening sound again and all in the room winced.

"Arielle"

Celeste did not raise her voice, but her sister appeared by her side immediately, abandoning her respite on the roof.

"Yes?"

"Can you not relieve her agony, even by a fraction?"

Arielle nodded and knelt at the head of Ella's bed, placing two small pale hands on Ella's temple. Soothing blue light spread across the top of her head and Ella's grimace smoothed slightly.

"This will not help much, little one" Arielle murmured, pressing a kiss to Ella's sweating forehead. "But it is all that I can do."

Celeste joined her sister, taking one of Ella's cold, clammy hands in her own and bringing it to her lips. Ella convulsed, her mouth stretched into a ghastly grin by the gag and her hands clutching at the bonds restraining her. Celeste hissed and dropped her hold on Ella's hand as if it burned her and Arielle shot backwards, careening into the wall and huddling into a ball.

"I can't" she sobbed, her fingers clutching into the fabric on her shoulders "it hurts! It's too much! I just can't!"

Celeste shook her head, staring at her quivering fingers as if they did not belong to her.

"What? What is it?" Dark asked frantically.

"She's fighting" Arielle sobbed "Why is she fighting? She only worsens it all!"

Krad turned to Celeste for clarification.

"Ella is fighting back. She's not accepting the pain. She is rebelling against it. What my sister and I just felt was merely a recoil effect of what is occurring in the realm of her mind. It has never happened before. Ella is a whole new brand of strength, one we've never experienced before. Even her fighting is................" Celeste trailed off, ignorant of her captive audience. "She avoids, more of a, a prediction of the guardian's strengths. It is.................?" Her spoken thoughts ended and she looked up.

"Reflex" Dark cut in, staring moodily at Celeste "that's all she ever uses, sheer reflexes. It's all Ella is" Dark stood abruptly and left the room.

..................................................................................................................................................................

Ella ran through a maze, thick dark branches whipping her face. A young girl raced before her, whimpering and crying. Ella's heavy breathing reached her ears, demonic and rasping, and her mind reeled in shock. Horrible emotions coursed through her body, Grief and fury and despair, mixing together in a magnificent cocktail that had her laughing hysterically at the patheticness of it all. "Celeste of Athens has lost her mind!" She taunted gleefully "Oh if only I had allowed your mother Echo to live a little longer Helen. She would have been so alarmed!"

What the hell?Ella panicked I'm not Celeste! I'm Ella!

The little girl squealed as she tripped over a moss covered root, her simple white Chiton tangling around her calves. Ella bent happily, snarling as she pulled the girl up by the hair to meet her eyes.

"P-Please" The girl begged, her legs swinging in the air "Don't hurt me! I ju-just want my mammy! Please!"

Ella's hand swung out of it's own accord, striking the little girl harshly on the cheek.

"Be silent, you snivelling wimp!" Ella's voice was rough with anger and grief and the girl stilled, silent tears running down her bruised and bloody face.

"Let her go!" Ella yelled desperately, her world suddenly shifting so that she was watching the scene as it played out, instead of performing the acts herself." She hasn't done anything!"

Celeste hissed, her long, gnarled nails scraping the girl's neck. The girl shuddered, trying to draw away.

"P-Please" she whispered, her brown eyes locking onto Celeste's bloodshot ones. Celeste growled, wrapping a pale veined hand around the girl's neck.

"Goodbye, little Helen. You may join your mother in Hades"

She raised a simple sword, unadorned but for a single red rose fastened to the hilt. "For Hector" The sword raised higher, glinting in the starlight, directly in line with Helen's heart.

"Celeste!" the mad woman spun around, Helen still in her grasp. Arielle panted heavily, her long blonde hair flying around her green Chiton. "Put the child down"

Celeste eyed her cautiously, her fingers not loosening their grip on neither the girl nor the sword's hilt.

"Give Helen to me" The girl slid to the ground and she darted forwards into Arielle's arms. "Go to the villa, you will not be harmed, that I can promise." Helen scampered off and Arielle stepped closer to her sister.

"Arielle?" Celeste asked uncertainly, looking down at the blood staining the purple silk of her chiton. "What have I done? What have I done!!!!!!!!?" Celeste fell to her knees, fingers clenched in her long brown hair.

"Nothing that you could help." Arielle soothed.

"I-I've killed." Celeste choked looking at her sister with wide eyes "So many people. No. No! Hector I need you here!" She looked at the sword in her hand bringing it to her chest.

"Celeste don't!" Arielle shot forwards between her sister and the sword. The blade swung through her stomach, sliding through with ease to pierce her sister's heart. The Celeste and Arielle slumped there, the blade holding their bodies together. A nightingale sang quietly in the sky as the rose slippedfrom its bindings, falling gracefully into the pool of blood flooding from the bodies. It glowed softly, arks of light blossoming from its petals and surrounding the two girls. The blade slid to the ground with a soft thump and Celeste and Arielle floated upwards gently, cocooned in a silvery kaleidoscope of light, silver and green and purple and red.

"Stop it!" Ella cried turning and covering her ears. "I don't want to know! I don't want to!" She stumbled away, staggering over roots.

"You must." The demon blocked her path and she pushed past, dodging the axe that swept past her ears.

"This is MY mind. I don't have to do ANYTHING!"

"You. Will. Stay!" The demon roared swinging a taloned hand at Ella's throat. Instinct took over and Ella ducked down, running between the demon's legs. She took off, sprinting trough the maze, searching for the exit.

This is MY brain Ella thought fiercely as she leapt over one of the hedges, higher than what should have been possible. I know it better than anyone else. The exit's this way She set off South, feeling, rather than knowing that it would take her out of this place. Fighting obviously wasn't working. It was time to try running instead. She felt the guardian behind her, knew what was going to happen next. Hurling herself to the side, Ella yelled in pain as a steel barned whip skimmed her side, drawing blood. She bunched into a ball, rolling over to a hedge and scrabbling underneath it. The Guardian blundered through behind her and she darted swiftly away. Ella didn't know how she did it, how she ducked and weaved through that dark maze, sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding in escaping the Guardian demon's blows. It was more than a knowing, more than an instinct. It was a part of her, running deep in her veins, something even stronger than the blood pulsing through them. It was her and Ella ran on, giving her thoughts away to herself, trusting this strange, deep power to get her through the dim, never-ending night.

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

AN/ Ok, I understand that some of the scenes might be getting a little too icky for some, but stay with me please! These chapters are sort of like character building for Ella and co. But I promise that Ella will be back with her usual cheerful optimism. Thanks to everyone for your reviews! I get a buzz whenever I read them! Please continue to review!