Hikari felt a mess of negative feelings and hate them. She felt homesick for both the Alaric Castle and the capital, for Mother and for her vain boy prince. On top of those feelings, she felt overly frustrated that just over half the nomadic tribes up here in the far North both heard her and the other demons out, and sided with them. Only some of the other tribes had heard them out, and but the rest of them refused to side with her and her demon kin with her. It irked her to end that some of the tribes would not believe Father, a telepath, nor the word of the shinobi's leader, Touya, that Brother and the other shinobi were purposefully sent by Maesu to the Ice Mountain area to be caught and killed by the ice maiden warriors. One tribal leader who heard them out, likely because he was to catch a glimpse at Kotone the refugee ice maiden, demanded proof of their words with Yukina's letter that Maesu likely burned after reading. Another leader said they could not believe the word of the son of Ichiro that another refugee ice maiden, who turned out to possibly be the daughter of Ichiro, wrote a letter to the grandson of Ichiro to stay away from the Ice Mountain that Maeshu just so happened to commission the shinobi to go to before Brother even joined them. It was so frustratingly twisted. Hikari wondered why Maeshu just did not send Brother out their himself if she wanted him dead so badly without getting caught herself.

Hikari stood with her demon group in front of the assembled tribes of the far North part of Alaric. Maeshu stood on the other side of the tundra they were own with her quickly assembled groups of tribes. The tribes were never assembled in the winter, unless it was important. This was important. Maeshu amassed them quickly, considering she had found out last minute Hikari and her demon group were up here and ready for her blood for what she tried to do to Brother and the other shinobi. Maeshu had fewer tribes backing her than Hikari did at least, which would keep this from escalating to all out battle between the two groups. Ichiro had killed far too many demons up here, so Hikari was determined to avoid any and all bloodshed, beyond Maeshu's of course.

Hikari bristled, irritated at the sight of Maeshu smiling in front of her backing tribes. She wanted to slap the ocean demoness right in the face. On her left stood Uncle Kurama, shivering. She flared her energy for him once more to warm up. Father stood on the other side of him, flaring in turn. Uncle Kurama should have turned back en route, but he had insisted on staying with them and no one else was willing to turn back with him. Father had tried to convince Kotone, but she refused. Hikari figured that was why the refugee ice maiden challenged her to a spar. To prove she should stay with them.

To Hikari's right, stood Brother along side Kotone. Kotone half hid behind Brother. Even now, Hikari noticed Maeshu and the demons behind her looking at Kotone curiously. Likely none of them had met an ice maiden before, much less one who ran off from her sisters and lived to tell the tale. Hikari was hardly surprised to hear the ice maidens had a reputation of being fierce and fearless in battle. Hikari had caught a glimpse of it when she fought Kotone herself, even if it was just for fun.

Maeshu and the seven leaders from the tribes behind her stepped forward between the two groups. Hikari lead her group forward to match. The two sets of them met in the middle of the tundra. "After you avoided coming up here for years, I hardly expected to see you for quite some time, my lady," Maeshu sneered at her. "Not only are you back, but I've heard your brother rescued a runaway ice maiden, and now you've come back to declare war on us." Maeshu's eyes cut a quick glance over again at Kotone. Hikari wished she would not shrink away so much.

Hikari snarled herself. "You got it partly right," she sneered right back. "He happened upon her when you sent him and the other shinobi up to the Ice Mountain area in hopes the ice maiden huntresses would fall upon him and kill him for you."

Maeshu laughed boldly and loudly in her face, much to Hikari's chagrin. "Oh that story. The one that the son of Ichiro has been spouting to stir up some new drama among the tribes. With no letter from the other ice maiden to prove it."

Hikari bit back her temper, trying not to allow Maeshu to provoke her. Maeshu winced unexpected, hand coming up to her forehead. She looked away from Hikari and over at Father. Hikari looked over at him, too. "You burned the letter. Right after you commissioned Touya to take on Izo and go to the Ice Mountains to destroy the outpost there. You were happy about the potential death that would await him so close to the ice maidens. You hoped they would do the dirty work for you. You're disappointed he survived."

Maeshu seethed under her breath. She rounded on one of the men behind her unexpected, decking the unexpecting man in the jaw. The man staggered back. "You said you could shield my mind from him," she snapped at him.

Father laughed softly, breaking the tension around the two groups. "A person who trusts someone so feeble minded a telepath as that one, doesn't lead for long."

Hikari watched Maeshu look caught, unsure what to do or say. "So it's all true then," Hikari said as loud as she could. "Straight from your own mind. You allowed my brother up here to represent me, and not only did you try to have him killed, your actions also led to the death of half the remaining shinobi. How can you stand there and say you lead these tribes and then send one to die as collateral damage." Hikari felt her hands begin to shake with the desire to attack the bitch before her, but she bit it back. She could not allow this to escalate to a battle. Only Maeshu had to die, no one else. "I think would be best if you surrender," she offered.

Meashu shook her head, still noticeably shaken up from Father so readily reading her mind and proving what she did with hardly any effort. "You want to kill me, is that it? Because the ice maidens are the ones who tried to your brother and killed the other shinobi. While I may have hoped they would do that, I cannot be held responsible for their murderous actions at the Alaric Castle. Perhaps your brother should not have sheltered the ice maiden behind you. I imagine the other ice maidens would have never come after him had he not been trying to protect her. It's her fault more than mine the other shinobis are dead. Tell her to surrender."

Hikari heard a kerfuffle behind her. She looked back, seeing Kotone whimper into Brother's shoulder on one side of her. Hikari hated how weak that move made the two of them look. On the other side, she saw Touya holding Airi back. Airi looked like a spitting cat. "You leave her alone, you wretched bitch! It's your fault my father is dead! And my brothers! You should die for that!"

Maeshu looked almost intrigued by Airi's heated words. "I thought I was only to surrender," Maeshu oozed out. "Do you make a habit of killing those who surrender?" she asked Hikari.

"Only if they deserve it," Hikari said confidently. "Surrender now and see how merciful we can be."

"Hmm," Maeshu hummed under her breath, suddenly taking on an air of confidence that set Hikari on edge. "You say it's my fault that some of the shinobis died by the hands of the ice maidens who attacked the Alaric Castle. I say it's her fault that they died since she crossed their paths when she was being hunted. Why not let the gods decide whose to blame?"

"Decide how?" Hikari asked, not liking where this was going.

"She and I will fight. Only us. A trial by combat for the both of us. Whoever dies, is to blame for the four shinobi deaths," Maeshu suggested. "Or I could take your barging up here as a declaration of war and we can have the two sets of tribes behind us fight. Either way, a winner will be decided. Only one person will die today or many, my lady."

Hikari looked back behind her, at Kotone. Kotone looked like a spooked deer. Izo turned around to face her, but Kotone kept her eyes locked Hikari's. Hikari thought quietly to herself how unsure she was that Kotone could survive such a fight. They had fought just once, and Hikari proved the stronger of the two. Hikari had no idea where Maeshu's skill set lay, beyond that she was an ocean demoness like Airi was.

Brother looked between the two of them and then over at Father. With a pained look on his face, he stepped away from Kotone. She sucked in a breath, looking back over at him for a second. She looked back at Hikari. Hikari kept her mouth shut when she would rather speak and beg Kotone to accept the challenge. Kotone took one more steeling look over at Brother and then looked passed Hikari. She nodded over at Maeshu, even though Hikari could tell she was shaking.