Chapter Twelve
"So, they come."
Yuzuha materialised in the middle of her chamber, anger glittering in her eyes as she ran her mind back over the confrontation in the square. "They come, and they seek to defeat Yuzuha on her own chosen territory. Well, they are fools. In the sunlight, perhaps I am weak enough to be affected by their base magics...but I am no ordinary opponant. Here, in the depths of my castle - they will not leave here alive."
She narrowed her gaze, bringing her hands together as Isao blurred into view before her, looking confused and then afraid as he registered the expression on his mistress's face.
"Yuzuha-sama? You sent for me?"
"Yes." Yuzuha curled a claw-like hand in his direction, beckoning her to join him. "Listen to me carefully, Isao. The Priestess and her followers have managed to evade the restraints of your men. This is only possible because of treason among the pathetic beings that live here...and I will not tolerate it."
"Treason?" Isao looked startled, then, "But who would dare oppose your will, Priestess?"
"Fools who believe in Juraian illusions." Yuzuha spat out, her form shimmering as anger rippled through her body. "But it does not matter. I shall take care of them once and for all...have no fear of that."
"And me, my Lady? What would you have me do?" Isao asked hesitantly. Yuzuha rested her hand on his shoulder, offering him a slight smile as she drew back her cloak, revealing for the first time her true form. Despite himself, her companion let out a gasp, reeling away from her, and Yuzuha laughed.
"You are not serving any ordinary mistress." She said softly. "And to disobey me would be a very bad mistake to make, Isao. I rely on your loyalty - but I will know if you fail. And believe me, if you do, death will be a mercy, not a punishment."
Isao's eyes widened with alarm, and Yuzuha nodded.
"You understand me." She said evenly. "Good. Then you will do as I ask?"
"Yes...yes, mistess." Isao gathered himself, bowing his head towards her, and Yuzuha smiled, patting him condescendingly on the head.
"Good boy." She reflected. "I knew that of all of this heathen people, you were gifted with the most survival sense."
"What is your will, Priestess?" Isao asked quietly, and Yuzuha was gratified by the lingering fear in his gaze. She pursed her lips, her aura flickering as she contemplated.
"They will be here soon." She said simply. "The traveller and her allies - I sense magic on the wind. But the Priestess - Tokimi. She is not with them. I want you to find her, Isao. And no matter what you have to do to achieve it, you must kill her. I do not care who you slay in the process - your friend, your brother, your fellow Kii. Tokimi must be punished and she must be put to death. You must not allow her or her ungrateful associates to escape. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Miko-sama." Isao gabbled hurriedly, bobbing his head once more. "I will do as you ask. I will destroy Tokimi-sama, just as you say."
"Good." Yuzuha's eyes glittered. "Then go. And when you have done, join the search for Tadashi and his traitor companions. We will have a bloodbath and we will show the people of this world what happens to those who oppose the will of Rikishouki's priestess, once and for all!"
With that she flexed her hands, watching in satisfaction as Isao glittered and disappeared into nothing.
"He is a fool, but he is loyal and he will do as he is bidden." She murmured softly. "That wretch of a girl won't last long, even if she does have the protection of the Galaxy Police. Isao will not dare disobey my orders...they're all as good as dead. And with my men searching the palace grounds for Tadashi and his companions, it won't be long before I can bring them before my throne and declare justice on them, too. Rikishouki will have its sacrifice, after all - and then noone will ever think to question me again!"
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"Are you sure that you don't want me to carry you?"
Seiryo shot his companion a doubtful look as they made their way carefully out of the military village, towards the racing river and it's sturdy wooden bridge. "Tokimi, you look shaken - are you certain you're steady on your feet?"
"Tokimi is fine." Tokimi nodded her head, her arm slipped tightly in her companion's as she offered him a smile. "Now Nii-chan has helped Tokimi, Tokimi isn't scared. And Tokimi...isn't so very tired. Not now. Not really."
"Tokimi." Seiryo paused, then he sighed, shaking his head slowly. "Toki-chan, I'm sorry. For a lot of things, including bringing you on this little trip. But most of all for the fact that Suki and I kept things from you. It was wrong of us - you had a right to know."
Tokimi's eyes became shadowed, and she sighed, pursing her lips as she kicked absently at the dirt beneath their feet.
"Kihaku is dead." She said softly. "Tokimi...Tokimi remembers it. The World really is gone, isn't it? This is different planet. Not Kihaku."
"Right." Seiryo agreed. "I'm afraid so."
"It's all right." Tokimi sighed again. "It's all over now."
She sent him a troubled glance, then,
"Tokimi was alone on Kihaku for such a long time." She murmured. "Alone except for the World. Bit by bit, Tokimi didn't exist any more. Tokimi couldn't think, couldn't act, couldn't understand things any more. Tokimi...Tokimi died on Kihaku, didn't she? Tokimi was Priestess and Tokimi died."
"You didn't die, Toki-chan." Seiryo shook his head. "If you had, you wouldn't be here now, would you?"
"I don't know." Tokimi frowned, and for a moment Seiryo had the impression he was talking to someone fully in possession of all her faculties. "I think...I think the World became Tokimi, and Tokimi went away. Deep, deep down inside, like asleep. Tokimi...Tokimi was all eaten away, and there was only the World left. The World was angry, and it hurt such a lot...it made Tokimi disappear."
Seiryo frowned.
"I don't quite understand what you mean." He owned. "But whatever happened then, Tokimi, it wasn't your fault. And noone blames you for those things, not at all. Least of all me."
"Nii-chan?"
Tokimi eyed him questioningly, and Seiryo turned, meeting her gaze with an affectionate one of his own.
"Yes?"
"Why do you look after Tokimi?" His companion asked plaintively. "Why does Nii-chan always help Tokimi, when Tokimi was bad to Nii-chan? Tokimi was not Nii-chan's friend. Tokimi hurt Nii-chan a lot. Why are you so kind to me now? Why do you and Suki help Tokimi?"
"Because we're both pretty fond of you." Seiryo's lips twitched into a smile at this. "It's as simple as that. Like I said, noone blames you for what went before. And I'm by no means innocent either, Tokimi. We've both made mistakes, because of the magic that infected us. But it's all in the past. You and I, we share a bond because of that experience. Who else should take care of you, if not us? Besides..."
He hesitated, then made up his mind, nodding his head.
"Besides, it was my ancestor who first invaded your planet, all those years ago." He added quietly. "In a way, it's my family's fault your World died and all those things happened. If nothing else, the Tennan family owe it to Kihaku to take care of their survivors, don't you think so?"
Tokimi was silent for a moment, digesting this. Then she raised her gaze to his again, and Seiryo was relieved to see that some of the darkness had gone from the depths of her sapphire eyes.
"Nii-chan is not ancestor." She said softly. "And Tokimi is not World. We have lives now, yes? On Jurai? Past is all gone now. World is gone, too. Nii-chan's ancestor gone. And Tokimi wants to stay with Suki and Nii-chan always. I don't want to ever be alone again. I want to be with you."
"Then that's how it will be." Seiryo grinned at her. "And yes, you're right. The past is past, and things happened then that were out of both of our control. We can't change those things, but we can move on. And we are, which is why we're going to go back to the Unko and then home to Suki and Sasami. All right?"
"All right." Tokimi nodded her head determinedly, and Seiryo felt slim fingers slip into his own, squeezing his hand tightly. "Tokimi is coming to Seiryo's spaceship now. I won't be afraid, because we're going to go home."
"Right." Seiryo agreed. "I..."
He paused, a frown crossing his features as he thought he heard a sound from behind them. He pulled his charge to one side, glancing back the way they had come, but he could see nothing.
"Nii-chan?" Tokimi sounded anxious, and Seiryo shook his head.
"I'm on edge, but I could've sworn I heard someone behind us." He murmured. "And I think it's going to rain, by the looks of it. Damn this planet's primitive weather systems! Our best bet is to quicken our pace and get back to the ship as soon as we can, all right? Catch up to Mihoshi and Kiyone and get aboard the Unko ready to leave. Can you manage that?"
"Yes." Tokimi nodded her head, and Seiryo saw determination cross her face. "Tokimi will do what Nii-chan says."
"Then let's go." Seiryo said briskly. "Followers or not, I've no mind to be caught out in a tropical downpour longer than is absolutely necessary!"
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"This castle has more corridors than a spider's web has strands."
As they re-materialised in the ground floor of the expansive stone building, Ryoko gazed around her in displeasure, light glittering from her fingertips as she surveyed their surroundings. "Tenchi and I only found you because I had a sudden sense of where you were, Washu – but now we're looking for that demon bitch, where do you suppose we begin? This place is huge…and all the hallways look the same."
"Plus we don't know how many of her people she has on guard around this place." Tenchi added, his hand brushing against his sword hilt as he spoke. "They could be watching us – we need to decide on strategy, and get this over with."
He bit his lip, then,
"Washu, are you planning on killing this Yuzuha woman?" He asked hesitantly. Washu sighed, glancing at her hands as a faint bluish glow encircled them. Slowly she nodded her head.
"I imagine I'll have no choice." She said heavily. "Yuzuha is a demon, Tenchi. She's not just called a demon. She is a demon. Father used to say that such creatures were born out of the negativity and greed of people…and I'm starting to wonder if it was true. Yuzuha came here after being driven away from Jurai by some force or other – what force, it doesn't say, but I'd wager Tsunami's pure and peaceful magic was a part of it. She settled here and was able to take control like she has because these people are not as peaceful as they seem to be. She's drawn on their fear of invasion and their mistrust of strangers and with it, she's grown in strength. That's why she's weak against light, and strong in the darkness. Beating her is not a case of simply blasting her to pieces. She won't be killed so easily as that. I may have no choice but to use the strongest Kii spells I know against her – those I used against Yugi Kuroda, when she was haunting Ayeka on Jurai."
"You're going to exorcise her?" Ryoko's eyes became wide with surprise, then, "No, I suppose that does make sense. But you shouldn't look so stressed, Washu. That magic didn't kill Yugi – it just took care of her so that Jurai could deal with her properly."
"But Yugi was human, albeit twisted and evil." Washu sighed. "Like I said, Yuzuha is not. I think it might make a difference. And there's another thing. I'm not even sure my magic is strong enough to take her on. But I have to try…and I have a feeling I know where she'll be waiting. Follow me, both of you. There's one chamber in this place Yuzuha seems to consider home from home."
"So it's the negative energy of these people that makes Yuzuha so strong?" Tenchi questioned, as they followed her through the narrow hallways, cautiously checking for enemy soldiers at every turn. "Are you sure?"
"I wasn't to begin with, not wholly." Washu shook her head. "But then, when we were down underground last night…"
She pursed her lips.
"Yuzuha attacked me, but Shouhei saved me from her blast. He dived at me, and took the force of the blow in my place." She said softly. "It should have killed him, but it did not. When I asked him why he did such a thing, he said it was because he had faith in me. I think that faith – that hope in me being here – preserved his life. And more, it made me certain that the only way to defeat Yuzuha is to dispel that negativity. For that…for that I need the power of my father's tribe. I need to be able to nullify her, but also, I need to make the people surrounding her believe that I am the Priestess and I am here to help them. So…I must do what I have to do."
She paused, eying them sadly.
"You don't need to come further, now you know that." She added. "Though I'm grateful to you both that you came all this way to find me."
"What else were we going to do?" Tenchi looked confused. "Leave you in the middle of nowhere when you might be in trouble? Don't be stupid, Washu."
"Why are you so determined to fight these things on your own, anyway?" Ryoko demanded. "Is this some kind of hang-up from your past or something? Or what? Because it's really getting on my nerves now. For a genius, sometimes you can be really, really dumb. We didn't come all this way to look at the pretty scenery, you know. We came to get you, and whether you like it or not, that's what we're going to do. If that means fighting some monster demon woman, then fine, I could use a bit of target practice. But you can take it from me here and now – Tenchi and I are not leaving this dump of a planet without you. Do you understand now, or do I have to spell it out for you again?"
Washu's eyes widened as she glanced at her daughter, and then she smiled, nodding her head.
"All right." She said flippantly, though a flicker of light in her green eyes gave away her true feelings. "Then Yuzuha is probably in the chamber right ahead. And more, I suspect she'll be waiting for us to make our move – so be ready, both of you."
Tenchi glanced at his sword, pulling it once more from his belt and flaring it into life.
"Ready when you are." He said simply. "Are we going in?"
"We're going in." Washu exchanged looks with her daughter, then nodded her head, holding out a hand to each of her companions and grasping their fingers tightly in hers. "My way is quicker, and we'll more likely catch her by surprise. Hang on tightly, you two. This won't take long."
"Washu, if you're going to…" Ryoko began, but before she could finish Washu had closed her eyes, willing them all out of the hallway and into the chamber where she had first met Yuzuha, with the ancient painted ceiling arching high over their heads.
"Well, I wondered how long you'd take to come here."
The voice was low and even, and as Washu opened her eyes, she saw Yuzuha standing before them, alone in the chamber as she glanced in interest between Washu and her two companions. "And whether or not you'd bring friends. The Juraian Prince, I assume…he carries the sword of the Emperor as if he were born to wield it. Jurai's Power failed to kill me once, you know. You might have come all this way to destroy me, but you won't find it so easy on Rikishouki. The people here need me – they are helpless without my protection. I have shielded them from those they most fear – from you and your kind – and they will not turn so easily against their Priestess. Even now, Tadashi and your traitor Priestess Tokimi are being hunted down by my soldiers and they are closing in. None of you will leave this planet alive – on that you have my word."
"Ryoko? Mayuka and the rest?" Washu sent Ryoko an anxious glance, and Ryoko shook her head.
"She's bluffing. Or at least, if she's not, her people are useless at playing hide and seek." She said categorically. "Ryo Ohki says they're quite alone…don't worry. If anything happens, I'll tell you right away."
Yuzuha's eyes narrowed as she glanced at Ryoko with new eyes.
"What are you, creature?" She asked softly. "How do you pretend to know such things, when you are here with me?"
"You'd like to know that, wouldn't you?" Ryoko flexed her fingers, light glittering from their tips as she glared at the demon defiantly. "Pity for you you'll never find out. You're not dealing with idiot Juraian soldiers this time, Yuzuha. You're not even dealing with the Emperor. You're dealing with us, and you have no idea what we're capable of. You should surrender now, and flee this planet – otherwise you might find yourself regretting it."
"Flee?" Yuzuha's eyes widened with disbelief, then she began to laugh, shaking her head in amusement as her body was cloaked in a reddish aura. Before them, her form shimmered and changed, reflecting the true demon form that Washu had known she possessed all along. "You think that I will flee so easily? What do I have to fear, exactly? More slashes from a Juraian lightsword? I have survived those before."
"The sword Prince Tenchi carries channels the will and spirit of the Goddess Tsunami, who would never condone the way you treat the people here." Washu said quietly. "You would do better not to mock him, Yuzuha. He is more powerful than you can see."
"And what of you, who claims to be a Priestess, even when you consort with the planet Jurai?" Yuzuha snapped. "You may have acquired the appearance of a Hakubi child, traveller, but the Hakubi are dead. The daughter of the last Priest was killed by wolves. So it says in the annals of this planet, recorded by those who first came here so many years ago. She was buried and destroyed a long time ago. You are not her, and you do not fool me as easily as you fool some of my people."
She grimaced.
"And as for Tokimi, she is a shadow of her former self." She added. "Without Kihaku, such a Priestess holds no power. She is useless, quite mad, and certainly not worthy of anyone's veneration. Did you really think it would be so easy as that to claim another colony in Jurai's name, using a puppet Priestess and a web of lies?"
Washu's brows knitted together angrily at this, blue light flaring from Mayuka's mineral bracelets as she surveyed her opponent.
"I am blood of the Hakubi tribe." She said softly. "I am daughter of the last Priest. I am Hakubi-no-Washuu. Whether you believe in me or not is immaterial. I am still here to do what my father would have wanted me to do, a long time ago. Free my people, protect them, and let them live once more in peace. I didn't understand then the things I know now. Tokimi is not, and has never been the true Priestess of Kihaku. She took the crown because of my failure to act – my inability to see how much my World needed me to guide it. But I will not make that mistake twice. Tokimi has suffered enough. The Kii have suffered enough. I will not stand back and see them punished further for mistakes made in a lifetime before they were even born!"
Yuzuha's eyes narrowed, and she shook her head, clasping her hands together as her body became bathed once more in angry reddish light.
"Not if I kill you." She returned. "And I will take pleasure in doing just that."
With that she sent a volley of dark magic in Washu's direction, narrowly missing her target as the scientist hazed and blurred out of view, re-materialising several feet up as she prepared to take aim herself. Ryoko, sensing the battle had really begun, flared her own forcefield around her body, focusing her light energy into her familiar sabre as she prepared to launch into the fray. At her right hand, Tenchi had already raised his sword, poising himself ready to take the first chance he had to strike, but Washu held up her hands, deflecting a second wave of fire away from her as she darted ever upwards.
"No." She said firmly. "Not yet. This is my fight, both of you. Just be ready…but please, don't intervene unless you have no choice. Only my magic can take Yuzuha down, I'm sure of that – and when that time comes, I might need the both of you to help me. But if I can do this myself, I will. This is my fault, after all. I should be the one to remedy it, if I can."
Ryoko opened her lips to protest, but she faltered, her eyes widening as her forcefield flickered and dissolved into shards of light.
"Ryo Ohki!" She whispered, stumbling as she struggled to retain her focus. "Washu! Ryo Ohki's in trouble! She and the others…Yuzuha's people…"
"Ryoko, are you all right?" Tenchi was alert in a moment, as Yuzuha took advantage of the pirate's momentary lapse, casting a dark haze over her body and causing her to let out a yell. She stumbled to her knees, and Tenchi was at her side in an instant, wielding his sword angrily as he put himself between his fiancée and the demon.
"What did you do to her?" He demanded. "What did you do?"
"She was careless, and I thought I'd pick off the minnows before I tackled the main act." Yuzuha looked amused, interpreting the look of anger that crossed Washu's face at her words. "Darkness is my forte, traveller, or hadn't you realised it yet? Her pain, your dismay…it all feeds me and makes me stronger. I enjoy the suffering of those around me – and she was foolish to drop her shield so quickly against me. Now my magic is over her, within her, eating away at her and pulling her downwards. I will kill her, soon. Slowly, so that it causes you all great pain. You can't defeat me, traveller. Whoever you are, you can't hope to overcome the dark strength this planet has to offer. The foolishness of one self-destructive Kii boy and the glittering of some ancient rock isn't going to change what this world has become. In the last fifteen years I have made it my world…and you were fools to think you could challenge me here."
"Tenchi, Ryo Ohki is…" Ryoko grasped at Tenchi's arm, and he sent her an anxious look, reading the apprehension in her expression. "The witch has sapped my strength – Ryo Ohki's fear distracted me, and I let my guard down. But she can't hurt you so easily. Ryo Ohki…Washu's friends…they are being brought here. I'll be all right, but you have to help Washu defeat this creature. My magic is draining again – but she won't kill me, so don't let her convince you that she can. I've taken a lot of hits since you've known me, right? A lot of people have believed they can kill me – and none of them have succeeded."
"Ryoko! Tenchi!" As Yuzuha aimed a blast of light in the direction of her companions, Washu reacted with a volley of her own, deflecting the worst of it against the chamber wall and searing a dark scar across the whiteish plaster. "Tenchi, can you get Ryoko out of here? Ryo Ohki needs your help – Mayuka and the others…please. Will you go to them? Ryoko, if you can teleport at all, I need you to…"
"I can't." Ryoko shook her head, gripping hold of Tenchi's arm more tightly as she met his gaze with an urgent one of her own. "But Tenchi, you can. We need to help Ryo Ohki somehow – and the others, else Washu will be distracted and Yuzuha will win!"
"Too late for that, you foolish creatures." Yuzuha laughed, flexing her hand towards the chamber doors as the tall wooden panels swung open, revealing an armed guard, a struggling group of prisoners in tow. "I don't know what your Ryo Ohki is, but whatever it is is irrelevant now. Tadashi and his traitor companions are my prisoners, traveller. Tokimi and those who aid her will soon be dead, you can take my word for that."
She gestured, and the guardsmen surged forward, tossing Mayuka and her companions unceremoniously down onto the floor. From inside Mayuka's cape, Ryo Ohki poked a cautious head out, uttering a faint, despondant mew as she surveyed her mistress's weakened position. Mayuka reached out bound hands to grab her, but the cabbit was already gone across the chamber, leaping up onto Ryoko's lap and licking her fingers as she rubbed up against her companion. Yuzuha glanced at her, pursing her lips as she took in the small creature's appearance.
"Ryo Ohki, I presume?" She murmured. "How entertaining. I shall make space-meat of your pet, traveller – will that bring you pleasure, if I barbeque your animal familiar?"
"Ryo Ohki, no!" Ryoko rallied herself at this, projecting a faint forcefield around her companion as she did so, but Ryo Ohki was having none of it, and with a growl she flattened her ears, launching herself at Yuzuha with an angry yowl as she sank small, sharp teeth into the demon's arm. Yuzuha slapped away at her, but Ryo Ohki was determined now, and her jaw clamped even harder down against the woman's bone, her amber eyes glittering with determination as she clung on. Yuzuha muttered a curse of annoyance, red light blazing from her body as she repelled the brave young creature's attacks and Ryo Ohki dropped to the floor with a yelp, struggling to her feet and shaking her fur thoroughly as she sought to regain her composure. Yuzuha laughed.
"So this is how it ends." She said simply. "A chamber full of traitors. Men of my guard, watch closely. This is how your Priestess deals with enemies."
She raised her arm in the direction of the trapped Mayuka and her companions, her fingers glowing with light and despite himself, Shouhei let out a whimper of fear, burying his head in his arms as he tried to hide from the terrible fate about to befall them all.
"Wait." Washu had observed this all with a troubled expression, and now she moved forward, holding up her hands. Yuzuha eyed her curiously, lowering her hand as the scientist gently set down on the chamber floor, the blue light fading from around her body.
"Wait, Yuzuha." She repeated. "I made a promise to my people, when I came here. It's a promise I'm going to keep, no matter what the cost."
"Why should I let that trouble me, traveller?" Yuzuha demanded. "You are no match for me. None of you are. Your people, as you call them, they revere me as their Priestess. What does it matter, what words you said to them? I have no interest in any assurances you might have given to gain their trust."
"I promised them that no Kii blood would be shed." Washu stood her ground, shaking her head slowly as she cast Mayuka a troubled glance. "And I meant it. Yuzuha, it's not them that you want to kill. It isn't they who have come here, interfered with your rules and caused you inconvenience. It isn't even Tokimi – she's as you say, a shell of her former self – no threat to anything you might choose to do."
"And yet you believe you are, traveller?" Despite herself, Yuzuha's eyes glittered with curiosity. Washu nodded her head.
"I believe so." She agreed evenly. "And even if you won't acknowledge my name, I think you know it too, deep down inside. You're not a foolish woman. Tadashi and Shouhei have both told me so. You may take pleasure in their deaths, but such pleasure is impotent and short lived while your true enemy still haunts you."
"You seek to propose terms then, Washu of the Hakubi?" There was derision in Yuzuha's tone, and Washu inclined her head slightly, gesturing to the surrounding officers.
"These are your men and women. Sworn to you as Priestess of Rikishouki." She said evenly. "You seek to hold their hearts, and yet, you also seek to kill some of their own in front of them. You create fear in their souls, but you will never truly hold Rikishouki unless you destroy the other claimants to the role of Miko. Mayuka is not your threat. She is a descendant of a Scribe, not a descendant of a Priest. I am the true heiress of the Hakubi Priest and I think that you know that. Your business is with me. Not with them."
"Meaning what, exactly?" Yuzuha demanded. Washu shrugged.
"I seek to challenge you for the coronet of the Eagle." She said evenly. "That's all."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you will have to contend with me as an enemy for the rest of your existence, because I have already lived twenty thousand years without aging beyond this point." Washu said, her eyes steely and cold as she spoke in matter-of-fact, calm tones. "I want to fight you now, Yuzuha, one on one, to see who truly is suited to be Priestess of Rikishouki. If you kill me, then your domination is assured. You will show your people, perhaps, what you want them to believe – that I am not the one I claim to be, after all."
"And if you should defeat me?" Yuzuha raised an eyebrow. "I doubt you have the power to kill me, traveller woman. What do you expect to happen, should you manage to beat me? So long as I live, I will lay claim to Rikishouki. I do not believe in fair bargains. I take my chances – I do not deal in human honour."
"If I kill you, you will have nothing to claim at all." Washu said lightly.
"And if you do not? If the people here choose to honour me, even after your treacherous assault?"
"Then our battle will continue." Washu said evenly. "But even if I do not kill you, Yuzuha, if I am able to defeat you, I ask you to release Mayuka, Tadashi and Shouhei from your grasp…and Tenchi, Ryoko and Ryo Ohki with them. Exile them from this world, if you like, but let them leave here alive. They will take my spacecraft, and fly from here. You will not be troubled by them again. These are the terms I will fight for. I will not see more Kii blood spilled if I can prevent it."
"And you think I am such a fool as to accept a challenge from someone whose position is already so weak?" Yuzuha snorted. Washu offered her a slight, cold smile, something unreadable glittering in her green eyes.
"The question is whether you are such a coward as to refuse." She said levelly. "Before your people, in your own castle…are you so afraid of the last Hakubi Priestess that you do not see a way to defeat me?"
Yuzuha's eyes flickered with anger at this and she grimaced, flexing her fingers as her aura glowed once more with blood red energy.
"Very well, Hakubi-no-Washuu." She said grimly. "So be it. I accept your challenge…and when I have killed you, I shall kill your followers just as surely. You are the fool, not I – and I will show these people once and for all why I am the true Priestess of the planet Rikishouki!"
