A/N: I know I can't say it enough, please visit anna-neko's site, or better yet, register in forum I do hope to see you there!
A/N: YIPEEE! I finally have time to post this! It's the longest chapter I've written so far, still I can't help but end it in another cliffhaner...there, you've been warned ok but this is also a 'two(or three) parts' thingy oh and I've placed the rest of the A/N below except for these special thanks to: ArtemisMoon for hounding her sister and cousin to read this fic.
Willow for suggesting the names Cepheus, Altair, and Deneb
Shiari for suggesting the name Sarrana
and for those reviewers whose names I've been using in this story namely: ArtemisMoon, Kajun Spice, Gypsy-chan, Willow, Pirogoeth, Sabrina-Star, Selene.
ok guys, chapter 12
KENSHIN the DRAGON HUNTER Chapter XII: Revelations Part I
...Dark Castle...
"Your Majesty, our scouts have not yet located the whereabouts of the Dragon Hunter. We are currently scouring both Surlow and Triah but the people are just not cooperating" the soldier said as he knelt before King Shishio.
"You people are USELESS!" Shishio cried out in anger. "He's just one man you imbeciles! He's..."
"Not the one you should be worried about right now, Shishio," a woman said behind him. Only one person in this world would dare call him by his first name.
"I'm not in a good mood now Yumi" Shishio said still glaring at the perspiring officer before him.
Yumi held his hand and Shishio looked at her. Something tells him he should listen to this woman. Yumi's not only his lover, but a powerful sorceress as well.
"What is it?" Shishio asked when they were at Yumi's room.
"The chosen one haunts my dreams. I cannot see her fully yet, but she strikes fear into my heart! I cannot wait anymore, I have to do that spell on her" Yumi said.
"You can only do that spell once, you should wait until she reveals herself so that the effect will be stronger," Shishio countered.
"Why wait Shishio when I can kill her now!"
"Alright woman, as long as she dies and quickly!"
Yumi laughed "Oh no, my lord" she said, "the chosen one will die, but slowly and painfully. Just give me some time to prepare the spell and you will no longer have to worry about her..."
Shishio laughed as he grabbed Yumi's waist and kissed her hard on the lips. "First, it's you who has to give me some time" he said kissing her again while pushing her down on the bed. She's the only person in the world that Shishio would ever remove his armor for.
Yumi smiled, a few hours delay wouldn't hurt, besides after she finishes with the spell, there would be no one and nothing that could stop Shishio!
...the base of Mount Altair...
"WOW! It's huge!" Yahiko exclaimed as he, Kaoru and Sanosuke looked up in awe of Mount Altair. "It's hard to believe that a place this large and beautiful could hold so many dangers," Kaoru said recalling Gypsy- chan's warning the night before and Gensai's too when they left Deneb at dawn this morning.
"Well let's hurry to the top" Sanosuke said. He can't wait to see this Goddess of revelation. He tried to imagine a very beautiful woman with flowing hair, but for some reason, the image of a frog- faced woman popped out!
"Aaaargghh!" Sano cried. "Kajun is a goddess so she's supposed to be beautiful right... Ummmphh!" Before Sano realized that he had spoken his thoughts out loud, Kaoru knocked him down with her stick sword.
"PERVERT!" she yelled as she stomped over Sano's back.
Yahiko, not finding any fault in Sano's reasoning decided to be the wiser man and kept his thoughts to himself.
...Cepheus...
"Willow, what is it?" Dargove asked.
"Why do you ask what you already know?" Willow asked back.
Dargove sighed. He knew, yes he had known for some time now... the moment had finally come.
"Kaoru" he whispered softly.
Willow felt Dargove's deep pain, and it did not come from his physical wounds. "It's not your fault Dargove" Willow said, moving near him.
The male dragon nodded, but Willow knew he still blamed himself for what happened, and for what is about to happen.
...Arcturus Castle Ruins, in the boundaries of Surlow before the great forest Cepheus...
Kenshin slowed his horse down as he saw the castle ruins. He still remembered 16 years ago when he and his parents were here. His father was on an official business but Kenshin had insisted on coming and so Thairu agreed, even inviting his wife to join them.
Arcturus Castle was not a very large castle, but it was his father's favorite retreat. It was far away from people and very peaceful. That's why Kenshin was surprised when his father told him "Arcturus is yours from now on!"
Kenshin looked up at his father questioningly. He had just disobeyed him this afternoon by searching for the dragon alone, so why was his father giving him this great a gift?
"For defending the baby," Thairu said smiling. "That took a lot of courage Kenshin, and I'm very proud of you!"
Kenshin found himself smiling at the memory, but then seeing Arcturus like this, Kenshin felt sadness, and more than that, guilt. He had walked away from his duty. As the next king of Surlow, he should be the one ruling the kingdom. He was never afraid of fighting Shishio, he was just too consumed with his revenge against dragons he had forgotten who he was supposed to be.
"It's too late" Kenshin whispered. "Do not be to proud of me father" he said, then pulled his horse's reins and galloped away from the castle ruins or more, from the memories it triggered…
...Mount Altair...
"Yahiko, behind you!" Kaoru shouted as a fern-like tentacle tried to attack Yahiko.
Yahiko turned and hit it hard with his stick sword and it dropped to the ground.
"Thanks Ugly!" Yahiko cried.
"You... brat!" Kaoru replied as she hit the last of the tentacles.
The two went to Sano who was still looking back.
"Hey bird-brain, we already got all of them, so let's go!" Yahiko said.
"Do you feel that?" Sano asked.
"Yeah, someone's been following us" Kaoru answered.
Yahiko confused, for he felt nothing following them asked "What should we do then?"
"Nothing Yahiko, just be cautious" Sano told his two companions.
"So far so good!" Sano said an hour later after they fought with those weird green tentacles. They have been attacked by wild cats, tree branches, and then that green gooey blobs, and now it seems that they've gone through the worst. According to his uncle Gensai, the priestess lives at the top of Mount Altair. He looked back to see his two friends. He was very impressed with their fighting skills. They were fine and fluid, not just random hits.
"Who taught you two how to fight anyway?" he asked.
"Dargove, my dragon friend" Kaoru said so casually, but so seriously that it almost scared Sano.
"Look, I know he raised you and all, but I still can't imagine anyone living with a dragon!" Sano said.
Yahiko laughed. "The rooster head is scared!" he teased and got a punch on the head in reply.
"You're not scared are you?" Kaoru asked the tall man beside her and Sano sweatdropped.
"N...no! How could you say that to me!"
"That's good 'coz I'd like you to meet him when we go back" Kaoru said taking the lead.
Sano sweatdropped some more while Yahiko laughed as he passed by.
Sano's fear turned into anger as his teeth turned into fangs. "I'll get you, you little brat" he muttered.
Yahiko ran on ahead at a safe distance, "I heard that rooster head! Catch me if you can!" he shouted. But his smile faded as he saw Kaoru's face. He looked up and saw a big boulder about to crash him to death!
Kaoru dove for him and held him. There was no way to avoid the boulder but she would never leave Yahiko!
Kaoru felt something press against her.
"Stay down!" Sano said covering both Kaoru and Yahiko.
"You're both crazy!" Yahiko cried out. "You should've just left me here..."
"Shush" Kaoru said.
"Don't worry about it KID, I think it's better to die with someone anyways!" Sano replied holding them both tight. "Besides, Megumi might be happy to hear that I died trying to save someone!"
"Megumi would never forgive you if you died right now!" Kaoru cried out, but then mellowed down. She noticed that their conversation was quite long and they should've been crushed by now so she squirmed a bit and looked up.
Her jaw dropped at what she saw. The boulder seemed to be just above them... suspended in midair!
"Ah, guys" Kaoru said and pointed a finger up.
The two men's eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight, but then Sano, realizing that they were still alive grabbed both Kaoru and Yahiko and quickly ran as fast as he could.
When they were at a safe distance, the boulder dropped with a loud crash. "What the heck was that?" Sano said panting.
Kaoru shook her head at a loss for words.
But Yahiko looked and them both, more amazed at what they did for him than the about the boulder. "I think it's a miracle," he said. "We're near the top so we should go and find out about your past."
Sano and Kaoru nodded not thinking, but simply accepting Yahiko's explanation. "He's right. It was a miracle!" they both thought.
When they finally reached the top, they saw that the scenery had changed. The grass was green and there were flowers and butterflies around.
"It's so beautiful up here!" Kaoru exclaimed.
"Welcome to my home!" a female voice said behind them and Kaoru, Sano and Yahiko turned to see a very beautiful lady garbed in pure white. "I am Pirogoeth, Priestess of Revelations. It seems that you are worthy of an audience with the Goddess, since you have conquered the dangers of this mountain. Please gather round and I will call forth the Goddess of Revelations!" Pirogoeth said.
The three did not hesitate to obey. The priestess sat down and began to chant words that were beyond comprehension. The sky parted above her and a beam of light appeared.
Suddenly, the light became blinding and so the three friends had to cover their eyes.
"Alright people, this is getting insulting! I'm not ugly so you guys can look at me now!" a voice said startling the three friends.
Sanosuke felt something on his lap and when he opened his eyes, he saw a frog jumping up and down his lap! "WHOA! The goddess really is a frog!" Sano shouted.
"No stupid, that's my pet, Toadie Froggie! Some weird girl killed it with a weed eater so I took pity on him and revived him. He's been with me ever since."
Sano looked up to see a very beautiful woman, with long flowing green hair, floating above the priestess.
"Are you Kajun, the Goddess of Revelations?" Kaoru asked and the goddess, nodded.
"Yes I am, and as such, I am perfectly aware why you came here. Let's start then," the goddess said, and pointed to something behind the three friends, "Why don't you go first... Misao the Sorceress!"
Kaoru, Yahiko and Sano looked back to see who the goddess was referring to, but they saw nothing behind them!
"I don't see anyone," Kaoru whispered.
"Neither do I" Sano and Yahiko said at the same time.
"That's because I'm right here!" a new voice cried out. They all turned back to see a young skinny woman, maybe thirteen with long braided black hair.
"WOW!" Yahiko exclaimed and Misao blushed happily. "I didn't know you could be a sorceress at the age of twelve!"
As Yahiko continued his statement, Misao's teeth turned into sharp fangs and she yelled, "I'm EIGHTEEN you moron!"
"So you were the one following us. No wonder we didn't see you, you were invisible!" Sano said.
"Of course, errrrr I came to look for the Goddess Kajun too but I...well I..."
"Got lost?" Kaoru finished for her.
Misao sweatdropped. "Ok, Ok, I'm not that good with directions, so sue me!"
Sano and Yahiko burst out laughing at this but Kaoru went to Misao. "You stopped that big boulder from crushing us didn't you?" she asked.
The two men gagged as Misao nodded. "That was pretty hard, considering it took you forever to run!" Misao said winking and Kaoru smiled before bowing low and thanking their savior.
Sano and Yahiko stared wide-eyed, having a new-found respect for the skinny girl.
The goddess yawned above them. "Perhaps I should go back and rest for now. Call me again in the next millennium or after you chitchat..."
"WAIT!" the four cried out together. "You can start with me," Misao said stepping forward.
"Alright," Kajun said but then glared at Sano who was about to squish the frog jumping on his lap. Sano saw the goddess and dropped his hands on his sides.
"Now Misao," Kajun resumed, "you came here because you wanted to ask me where you got your powers and why it appeared so suddenly. Well, it all began 130 years ago. The greatest Sorceress of all time, Selene, gave birth to twin daughters, Sabrina-Star and Ativa-Mist. Both learned the art of magic from their mother and they became very powerful. Unfortunately, Ativa- Mist fell in love with the man who became her sister's husband. Sabrina- Star never knew of this, but with every passing day, her sister had come to hate her more and more. Soon, this hatred had turned Ativa-Mist towards the dark side. She began to learn the forbidden arts with the plans of making an invincible armor to lure her sister's husband to her."
"It is not my place to tell you details on how the armor was made, but I tell you this, it was completed. Ativa-Mist called it the Invictus, an undefeatable armor that would lead even just one man into victory over thousands of armies!"
"But, even with this gift, the man she longed for had refused her. He surrendered the armor to his wife, and Sabrina-Star sealed it off, along with her powers knowing that it was better not to have them because there is always a chance that it could cause harm to other people. They never saw Ativa-Mist again after that and Sabrina-Star and her family lived as normal humans. But as the Star bloodline continued, so did the Mist bloodline. It was one of the descendants of Ativa-Mist that unsealed the Invictus 20 years ago. And since the armor was released, so was the long-forgotten power of Sabrina-Star."
"I don't understand" Misao said. "What does this have to do with me?"
Kajun nodded, and continued. "You remember vaguely, being left on a small wagon when you were just two years of age. You always felt abandoned and unloved because of this."
Misao's eyes glistened. It was obvious that the goddess had stuck a nerve.
"You were only a babe then so you could not remember the whole story." Kajun said. "Your whole clan lived in one prosperous village south of Triah. The day your parents left you on that wagon was the day Shishio and his army passed by your village on their way to attack the capital. They killed your entire family because they were supporters of the king and queen. Fortunately, your parents hid you in the wagon, because they wanted you to live, because they loved you more than you'll ever know... And that's where Okina found you, protected you and nurtured you."
"Why didn't Okina tell me about it?" Misao asked the goddess.
"You know the answer to that, Misao," she said and the girl nodded. Okina wanted to protect her from the pain. "If you had died that day too, it would have been the end of the Star bloodline." Kajun said and Misao's head shut up. "Yes, you are the last of Sabrina-Star's descendants. You have these powers now, because Shishio wears the Invictus. That is why he remained undefeated until now. I believe you are left to finish what your ancestor could not... you have to help in destroying that cursed armor once and for all and bring the peace back to the people."
"But if the armor has been released 20 years now, why did my powers appear only a few weeks ago?" Misao asked the goddess.
Kajun smiled. "Sabrina-Star was a very wise sorceress. She designed the power transfer to come out when the time is precisely right. Do not worry, let your heart guide you, and the power will flow out in times of need, young sorceress. That is all I have to say to you for now. Use your gift wisely and make Sabrina-Star proud!"
Misao nodded still a bit in shock. It seems that the goddess had told her too much information, in too short a time. Misao shook her head, confused and mostly, unsure of her next move.
A hand fell lightly on her shoulder and she turned around... Kaoru!
Kaoru smiled and at that instant, Misao saw images of her grandfather Okina, her friends, and another man, quiet and serious whom she had fallen in love with, and now this woman and her two friends who were smiling before her.
Misao smiled back, her uncertainty vanishing. "You're right" Misao's eyes seemed to say, "I am not alone in this!" "Thank you everyone" Misao said, now confident that she is not alone and now her purpose is clear.
Kaoru opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she heard Yahiko shout.
"NO!" the young man said vehemently as the Goddess of Revelation motioned for him to come nearer. "I did not come here to learn about my past, I know my past, you don't have to tell me!" Yahiko said covering he ears.
Kaoru went to him and held him gently. "It's Ok, we don't have to know" Kaoru said soothingly but Yahiko pulled away. He stood shaking for a few seconds before he began to speak. "My parents were criminals and they were both killed while running away from the soldiers. I'm no different from them Kaoru and you know it!" Yahiko uttered those words painfully yet feeling that Kaoru should learn about his shameful past from him, not from a goddess.
"Those things don't matter to me. What matters to me is who you are right now, and right now you are my brother, you will always be, and NOTHING will ever change that!" Kaoru said firmly.
Yahiko looked into Kaoru's eyes... honest eyes. She was telling the truth! He hugged her hard, his sister, and his friend, his family.
"This doesn't change the fact that I still think you're ugly!" Yahiko said wiping his tears... and received a healthy bump on the head, courtesy of his "ugly" sister.
"Who's next then?" the Goddess Kajun asked. "Ladies first" said Sano looking at Kaoru, but Yahiko stepped forward.
"Tell us about my past" he said and smiled at the worried expression of Kaoru.
"It's alright Kaoru," he said still smiling. "It's alright because you know the worst about me and yet you accepted me. I do not fear anything right now" Yahiko thought happily. He looked at the Goddess, and nodded...
...to be continued(c",)