Fluffy's Futures: Cara Ch. 07

I finished the spell before really looking up at him. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him, pierced by Moon's Song through his lower abdomen, staring at me in obvious shock. I watched the poison flare through his pooled blood and into his body, both from the flesh wound I'd caused and from the sword wound. His reaction to it was greater then any I'd seen before. The scent of his flesh rotting from the poison filled the room.

Throat convulsing, I backed away from him, scared by what I'd done. Yukio sank to his knees, eyes blazing in hatred and anger. Before I could say anything, he ripped Moon's Song from his chest and threw the blade at me. I caught it from reflex alone, hand gripping the now bloody pommel with a surety the rest of my body did not feel before throwing it back at him, sinking the blade into his flesh once more, this time through his left upper thigh, piercing the femoral artery. Blood gushed forth from the wound in a rhythmic series of gushes.

"I..." I stuttered, unsure of what to say as Yukio collapsed to the floor, his body limp.

A voice from behind me spoke, proud and sure. "Well, this should answer anyone's questions about whether she can use the powers of a full yukoi or not. She wields my sword, Moon's Song, as it was meant to be wielded- to prevent the healing of wounds on the battle field and to increase the power of spells cast around it."

As I turned to look at Marika, my yukoi fled from me, draining away as horror in what I'd done filled me. I'd killed someone simply because they didn't want me to take their job, which I didn't want anyway. A horrid reason to kill someone, really. Claws became normal nails as I shrank to my human size, though my hair remained silver, my ears those of a dog. Meele would later tell me my eyes became split- the left human, the right yukoi. My voice seemed to echo though it felt as if I were whispering. "I killed him... I didn't mean to do that. Meele- how did I do that?"

"The sword amplified your power as it does all dog yukoi," Marika said, walking off the dais. She moved over the blood like it wasn't there and ripped the sword from Yukio's body. Smirking she slapped him in the face, making him moan faintly. "Come on, wake up, you fool. Time to admit she beat you."

"He's not... dead?"

"No, he is not," another voice from the dais said softly. A girl came forward, she couldn't have been more then ten. A yin and yang symbol flashed above her solid black eyes. I stared at her in a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment. What kind of creature didn't have irises? "At least not yet. You may kill him if you like, that is your right."

"Who are you," I asked, partly worried she was going to challenge me too. It had been one of those nights.

She tilted her head at me, pale skin framed by that odd lavender hair. A pink, jeweled headband kept most of it off of her face, her long bangs blending with the rest of it. "I have no name that I claim. I hold the Fifth Council Seat and am Ruler of the Spirit Yukoi, Master of the Gauntlet."

"Tama-chan, that's less then friendly," Shinkoru chided her. "Yes, she has forsaken her name, Cara-chan. We, for lack of anything better, call her Tama-chan, soul child. She's a bit cold to strangers."

"A bit," Tama said, raising her eyebrows. She looked down at me, head tilted, studying me. "You shall be interesting to watch, Inu Cara of the Moon Yukoi Clan. Interesting indeed."

I turned to my mother. "Am I of the Moon Clan now?"

Marika in turn faced her assembled people. "What say ye?"

"Aye!" came the assembled shout of the Moon Clan. I notice one of them remained silent, a female yukoi who bore the same cat ears that Yukio did. She strode from the mass to kneel before Marika.

"Mistress, I humbly ask to be allowed to tend my brother."

"Of course, Neko Shimori," Marika said with a negligent wave of her hand. She turned away from Yukio and returned to her Council throne.

Shimori rose and bowed to my mother before giving me a glare. "I am Neko Shimori of the Ko'ori Neko Zoku. Watch your steps, dog."

"Was already planning on doing that," I said with a shrug. Shimori turned in a huff and picked her brother up, ignoring his moan of pain at being moved so roughly. She left without looking back, blood leaving a trail behind her as she carried Yukio out the door I'd followed Marika through earlier. I guess that was their part of the building.

I looked around at all the bleachers full of yukoi, the council on their thrones once more, Meele who'd moved away from the Moon Yukoi to stand near Dokkasomaru's Fire Clan, murmuring in a woman's ear as she smiled wickedly and to a small boy standing next to the woman. He bore a striking resemblance to Dokkasomaru, though there was a kindness in him that was clearly a reflection of the woman next to him, obviously his mother.

I called out across the room, my voice loud and clear. "Meele, are we almost done with this?"

"I don't know," Meele said honestly, looking to Shinkoru. "Are we done with this? You've met her, seen her fight not once but twice. Cara's been acknowledged as the daughter of Inu Marika, been accepted into her Clan. What more do you wish of her?"

"Many things," Shinkoru said, his voice the same friendly steady tone it had been all night. "But we've done enough for this eve, don't you agree, my fellow council members?"

"For this eve, yes," Dokkasomaru said, his eyes on Meele instead of me. "She and her watcher can go home, for all I care."

"I am satisfied with tonight's work," Kanoko nodded. "A new yukoi has entered our fold, never a bad thing. At least one hopes this is not something that will bring us ill."

"And you, Tama-chan?" Shinkoru asked. "What say you?"

Tama left the dais and approached me with steady, decisive steps. She did not touch me but another step and she would have. Her eyes seemed to catch me, make me unable to look away. Inside my head I heard her voice. There are things I would speak to you about, Inu Cara and sooner rather then later.

If you like, I thought back, suddenly afraid of the small child before me. I could feel her power now, rustling around me like a web of silk. Tonight's almost over, but I'm off work, goodness, Thursday night if you'd like to talk then.

She smiled at me and it made her something else. Gave her beauty a warmth I hadn't seen before. I would like that. Akihito and I shall come visit you in your human home three nights hence, Inu Cara.

She finely blinked and I was free. Apparently no time had passed though and the smile she'd showed me was gone. "You can leave, hanyu. I've certainly nothing for your this eve."

Spinning on her heel, Tama left me looking bewilderedly after her as she returned to her Council Seat, pausing to bow to Shinkoru first. He acknowledged it with a nod of his head before addressing me again.

"Inu Cara, you and your guardian, Ryu Meele, may leave now," he said with a smile. It was rather odd seeing someone smile and not seeing if it reached their eyes or not. Made it hard to judge the sincerity of the smile itself.

"Thank you," I said, bowing to the Council. I turned to the Clan I was now apparently a part of. "Hopefully I will be able to meet more of you in the future. I would like to know more about my new Clan, the Clan of the Moon Yukoi."

There were mutterings through the Clan but no one said anything to me as I walked over to Meele. He nodded, whispered something else in the woman's ear and left. I followed him without turning back, happy to be leaving the assembled Yukoi in once piece. Relatively speaking.

Once outside, I studied the cut that ran from just below my elbow to just above my wrist on my right arm. It looked like it had been frozen shut and once I started looking at it, it started hurting like an icy flame. I would have fallen if Meele had not caught me.

"Why- why does this hurt so bad, Meele?"

He studied the wound for a moment. "Because he wanted it to scar and so froze it with his sword. I can stop the pain, but it will mean it'll scar. If I leave it in pain, it will not scar. Your choice, Cara-chan."

"Do it," I said, not caring. I had enough magic to hide the scars if I needed to. He shrugged and magic flared from his hand before he laid it on my arm. The world ran in icy colors, pain roaring through me before everything faded into a blessed black. My last thoughts were of how close the stars looked before my body shut down into a dreamless sleep.