Yu Yu Hakusho: A Guiding Star

Chapter Two: The Guardians of Dracaria

"Are you sure you don't want to go, Hiei? The girls might get mad and buy pink paint for your room," Yusuke teased.

"They'd have a serious death wish if they even thought of doing such a thing. I think I should go ahead and get this whole task over and done with. I can't stand that child's voice anymore." Hiei was definitely looking a little worn from all those nights of restless sleep caused by the little specter's visitations.

"I'm sure that we have more than enough people running errands today. Would you like me to accompany you to the village?" Kurama almost looked hopeful.

"You just want an excuse to see that little vixen again, don't you?"

Kurama's face was red with embarrassment. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the girls were all staring at him, stunned.

"Is this true, Kurama? Have you been seeing Minx?" Botan asked.

When his face grew an even deeper shade of red, the girls let out a collective squeal of glee and gave him a group hug.

"You sly fox, you! Although, I can't think of a more perfect match!" Botan was so happy for him. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked absolutely green with envy, and were soon smacked on the back of the head by Keiko, who knew exactly what they were thinking.

"Okay, enough of this. I'm off to the cave. If you want to come along, Kurama, I suggest you keep up."

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"I'm so glad you're here. Ever since Sora sent out that message we began to fear we'd never get another chance," Tasuki said, his weary eyes full of relief.

This was the first time Hiei had ever seen the village of Dracaria. The only village left standing after centuries of attacks; it was a testament to the strength of the Dracari. Even after the struggles of rebuilding, the scars of war could still be seen. The monuments of their gods and their mighty king still stood, though many were missing heads or arms. There was one new monument that had been erected in the center of the village, and Hiei almost fell back with astonishment. It was carved in the likeness of the maiden in his dream. Hiei was impressed by the detail the artist put into it. Whoever had created it must have seen her and known her. Such a masterful craftsman must be praised for this work of exquisite beauty.

"I see you found Lady Aria, Hiei-san. She was the most beautiful and kind soul in all of Dracaria. It broke the hearts of her people to see her fall into such a terrible depression. Come, we must finally awaken her."
Hiei broke from his trance and followed Tasuki and his siblings through the thick forest to the cave. The walked for almost three miles before they reached the edge of the forest and found the small clearing in front of the cave's entrance. The cave was located at the base of a mountain, and one could easily distinguish the ruins of a fortress near its peak. This must have been Thanatos' lair. It seemed strange that the Sacred Cave of Dracaria would be located here, but then Hiei remembered the legend. It was in these very caves that the seeress was visited by the great dragon god, and it was here that their savior Dracari challenged the evil Thanatos and defeated him. Considering this, it began to make sense.

"We shall wait here a short while. Lelldorin, you should go on ahead and tell Lady Brigid that we are here, that way she has time to prepare before we reach the main chamber."
"Of course, Brother. Thank you." And with that, the young white wolf ran into the cave, an unmistakable sign of joy in his gait.

"Lelldorin and his wife rarely see each other these days. We've needed him to help train the younglings, and Lady Brigid cannot bring herself to leave her Lady's side. As much as she wishes to see the outside, she doesn't trust anyone else with caring for my sister's health. She's the greatest healer in all of Dracaria, after all."

"So the Star Child is your sister. I had a feeling that this was the case. Who else would your people look up to other than one of Dracari's heirs?"

"Yes, it's true. I am the oldest descendant of Dracari," Tasuki sighed. "I'll never forget the day the shadow demons burned our village to the ground. We had lived in a small village almost a week's journey from here. It was supposed to be a day of celebration; a festival marking the anniversary of Dracari's victory and the freedom of my people. My brothers and I had just finished performing feats of strength and magic. We were sitting amongst the crowd around the platform that had been erected in the village square, waiting for the members of the dancers' guild to take stage. Many of the guild's members were of the royal family, so all but two of my sisters had been chosen to dance the first dance. My youngest sister Kaede had fallen asleep in my lap, all worn out from the excitement of the festival. My mother and five of my sisters were on that stage when the first explosion happened."

Hiei and Kurama listened to Tasuki's tale intently. Torasin propped himself against a tree and closed his eyes, occasionally looking towards the sky. Minx grew sad with memories of her childhood and buried he face in Kurama's shoulder. He held her tightly and stroked her hair while Tasuki continued.

"I saw the dancers flying through the air, falling down to the ground in pools of blood. One of the beams from the stage shattered and pierced through my arm and killed little Kaede. My brother Daniel had been struck down by a hail of arrows, trying to reach his wife and two children as the shadow demons charged into the village. They were soon cut down by a rider. Alysandra, Siren, and their husbands were trying to get their young ones to safety when a burly shadow demon threw a barrel of kerosene at them and tossed a match on the trail of liquid. My father had also been struck by a fragment of the stage. My mother was closest to the explosion, and died instantly. Minx had managed to leap into a nearby tree and avoid any serious injury. Lelldorin and Torasin had been out hunting for the banquet, so they were fighting demons out in the woods. The explosion had thrown Brigid into a nearby stable, the hay cushioning her fall. I pulled the stage fragment from my arm and laid my little sister's lifeless form on the ground next to our mother. And then I spotted them under a pile of wood and what was left of the dancer's tent.

"Sora had shielded Aria from the falling tent, taking a lot of damage. My youngest brother Achmed ran over and helped me carry the girls to safety. We had just reached the edge of our village when Achmed was brought down by a bowman. A friend of mine had caught up to us and grabbed Aria from under my dead brother. Raven had seen Achmed fall and tried to run to his aid, but Brigid and Minx dragged her away towards safety.

"We ran a few miles until we reached the crest of a hill that overlooked the village. From the safety of the trees we looked back to our home and watched as many of our people were dragged to the center of the village and executed. A friend of mine had a spyglass and tried to see if they were planning on following us, but it seemed that they believed they had destroyed everyone. We decided that we should probably make camp for the night. There were too many injured and weak to travel to the nearest hideout. Lelldorin and Brigid worked their way through the camp, doing their best to heal as many as they could. But by the time they came to Sora, it was too late. Many of her injuries were internal, and they didn't know where to start. Aria had finally woken up and immediately fell upon her dying twin. She looked up at Aria, smiled, and said that she was glad she saved her sister. Of all our people who died that day, only Sora died with a smile on her face.

"We traveled all the way to this village, which at one time had been like the capital city of Dracaria. As soon as the survivors healed from their physical wounds, we traveled back to our village to tend to the dead. We built a large funeral pyre and prayed to the dragon god for his mercy. But of all the bodies placed on the pyre, Sora's body didn't burn. Her spirit seemed to be protecting it. It was then that we met Koenma. He had come to inform us that his people had our attackers on the run, and that he wished for our forgiveness for not receiving intelligence on this sooner. We did forgive him, for it seemed inevitable that our people would suffer this fate. Aria had walked over to the dying pyre and lifted her twin's body from the ashes. She turned to Koenma and asked if he could keep her sister's body until she could be resurrected again. We didn't see how this could be made possible, but he agreed to do so for her. He had us bring her body to this cave, and we sealed her away. Every so often afterwards, Koenma would come to see how we were doing and offer us any assistance we needed. But every time he came, he told Aria that he couldn't bring Sora back. Aria grieved more for her sister than any other soul lost in the attack. So, as Koenma may have told you by now, she asked Ryuu to help ease her grief, and she sealed herself inside the cave with her sister."

"I am sorry for all the losses you and your people have suffered, Tasuki. I know how difficult such deep wounds are to heal." Kurama laid his hand on Tasuki's shoulder.

"Thank you, Kurama-san. You and your teammates have been very good to my people the last few days. I am glad I agreed to allow Koenma to move you here. You know, it's been the first time in almost fifteen years that my sister here has smiled. You have no idea how much your kindness and affection for her means."

Kurama smiled and pulled Minx even closer to him. They smiled at each other and embraced, pleased with Tasuki's blessing. Tasuki laughed lightly, and turned to face the cave. But he froze and stared with shock at the cave entrance. There standing in the mouth of the cave was Sora, in the flesh.

"It is time, Brother. The gods have granted me a second chance. Now I must help my sister earn the same."

Everyone was stunned. But, then, Tasuki and his siblings regained their senses and ran to their beloved sister and embraced her. There was much laughter and many tears of joy. But Sora eventually pushed them away and approached Hiei.

"It is time, Hiei-san. We've been waiting for you. I will forever be in your debt after this day." The young girl smiled up at him, and lightly tugged him towards the entrance of the cave.

Hiei wasn't at all surprised that Kurama and Minx stayed behind. Someone needed to guard the cave's entrance should someone come to cause trouble.

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They traveled for what seemed like miles. They had no need to carry a torch. The combined auras of Sora and Tasuki were bright enough to light the way. After what felt like an hour, they came to a large chamber. At the center of the cave's ceiling was a small hole that let in light from the outside. And just below it was a small crater in the cave floor. From within the crater, a beautiful lavender light was shining. Just beyond the crater was what looked like an underground chapel. Standing near a large stone alter covered with bowls of herbs was Lelldorin and a lovely young avian. Unlike Raven, this young girl had fairly tanned skin and golden hair. Her eyes and wings shimmered like molten gold. What a lovely catch Lelldorin has made for himself, thought Hiei. Lady Brigid walked around the crater and through her arms around Hiei. He tensed with shock at the gesture, but the lady ignored it.

"Our people will be forever grateful to you for this, Hiei-san," she whispered lightly in his ear.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we, my lady?" He wriggled uncomfortably in her arms.

"Yes, it is time, isn't it," she said, pulling herself away and holding him at arms length, looking him over very carefully. "I need you to stand right at the edge of the crater, please." She quickly ran over to the alter and began gathering specific herbs needed for the ceremony.

Hiei did as he was told and stood at the edge of the crater. As soon as he looked down into it, he found himself again entranced by the lovely figure that was Lady Aria, Star Child of the Dracari. Brigid knelt on the other side of the crater and began chanting an ancient hymn and scattering herbs over the sleeping maid. When she finished, she raised her serious, yet hopeful, eyes towards Hiei.

"Now, Hiei-san. Just a small amount, remember? I'd for your life to end in order for hers to go on."

Hiei nodded, and with that, raised his katana and made a small slice across the side of his arm, letting his blood fall upon the sleeping Star Child. Suddenly, the whole cave was filled with the lavender light emitting from the crater, and the ground began to quack ever so slightly. Hiei looked down at his arm and found his wound had been healed. Then he looked down at Lady Aria and froze in place as he saw her eyes flash open, glowing.