CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Tokima waited in the labyrinth, growing angrier by the moment, for her sisters to arrive. Her anger stretched into the plants and earth around her, altering the appearance of the labyrinth. Rocks crumpled into dust, vines shriveled in the heat of her anger. She could sense both of their presences nearby, but they hadn't deigned to show themselves as of yet. Finally, Tokima couldn't wait any longer. Deciding to punish her fellow goddesses for taking so long, Tokima lifted her hand with the intention of destroying the entire palace. Maybe this would teach Tsunami and Washu not to treat her so badly…
As Tokima gathered her energies, she suddenly sensed Tsunami's altered aura. Tokima dropped her hand, letting the energies return to her. Footsteps crunched on the grass as a tall, proud figure stepped into the center of the maze. "Hello, Tokima," greeted the soft, sad voice of Tsunami.
As the girl came fully into view, Tokima scowled at her. "Tsunami," she hissed. The girl inclined her head slightly, still gazing sadly at her sister's assumed form. "It's about time," Tokima snapped. "Where's that other fool?"
A second form joined Tsunami. Washu's hair contrasted sharply with Tsunami's, but her emerald eyes were just as sad. "It's been a long time, Tokima," Washu murmured. Even Tokima's insanity allowed her to nod a greeting to the middle sister. The three of them hadn't been in one place in eons, and Tokima wanted to laugh at the irony of their situation. Still, her sisters had to be punished for their neglect. "Finally, we can get started." Tokima gazed long and hard at Tsunami, the stronger of her two sisters. "One last chance, Tsunami," Tokima said. "You can still join me, and together we can destroy the mortals. I will forget what you have done, though I will never completely forgive."
Tsunami shook her head, eyes heavy with grief. "No, Tokima. You know I can't do that. I couldn't abandon my friends any more than I could abandon you."
Tokima gave a quick, harsh bark of laughter. "Abandon me?" she howled mirthlessly. "You can barely even stand up to me! How, then, could you have enough influence over me that your leaving would make a difference?"
Tsunami's eyes drooped. "I'm already standing up to you, sister. Or have you so easily forgotten our last encounters?"
Anger welled up in Tokima, twisting her insides as painfully as a knife. "I have not forgotten. I never forget," she hissed, feeling pain shooting along her shoulder from the old wound. "You will pay for that, sister. You will pay with the lives of your friends, of your mortal family. Your power was never strong enough to defy me for long."
Tsunami shook her head, struck anew by her sister's folly. "It is not my power that you should fear, sister. You are correct when you say that I was never strong enough. You are my sister, and I could never willingly hurt you. But," she lifted her chin, "Sasami is."
Tokima stared at Tsunami. "What are you blathering on about?" she demanded.
Washu's eyes glinted. "You've thought, all along, that Tsunami changed her form so she could combat you herself. You never suspected that perhaps, just perhaps, Tsunami had a different plan in mind."
Tsunami cut in as her pink-haired sister quieted. "It is not Tsunami's power that will defeat you, Tokima. It is mine." Tsunami's pink eyes were hard. "You keep saying that my greatest weakness is my love for the mortals. In fact, it is my greatest strength. The first Tsunami could never hurt you; she let you get away for your own sake. But," her voice hardened to match her eyes, "I have more than one sister to protect. I also have Washu, and I have Aeka. I choose them."
Tokima stared at Tsunami, not understanding her sister's point. A tear trickled down Tsunami's cheek as she continued. "I care more for Aeka than I do for the entire universe. I would do anything for her. To protect her, as well as all that she loves, I will stop you." She sighed. "As much as it will hurt us both, I will protect Aeka."
"You can try," Tokima snarled as she lifted a hand to attack. She sent a bolt of silver fire at Tsunami, who dodged it with alacrity. The bolt hurtled past, narrowly missing a few wisps of blue hair. As Tsunami countered with a blue bolt of her own, Washu disappeared through one of her black portals. Tokima let the immortal genius go, knowing as she did that Tsunami was the greater threat. Tsunami, herself, didn't react much beyond a single nod of farewell. Still, her eyes glinted with knowledge, wisdom that Tokima feared. Too late, she realized her mistake. "Where is she?" Tokima screamed as she threw another bolt at Tsunami, who collapsed to the ground under the assault.
The girl grinned in spite of herself, a grin that sent chills down Tokima's spine. "Washu may not have our power, sister of mine, but she does have that miraculously swift brain of hers. She can't get involved directly, but she can put a shield around this place that will keep both your body and your power locked away."
Even as Tsunami finished speaking, a glittery ball of magic appeared in the sky high above them. The ball exploded in a flash of lightning, sending waves of sparkly mist cascading to the ground. By the time it was finished, a solid barrier stood between Tokima and freedom. She howled in rage and shock, throwing her own magic at the shields. The shields fizzled and sparked, but held strong. Tokima's powers recoiled back on her, stinging like wasps against her sensitive skin. She screamed again in fury, fighting for control of her own abilities. The shields were draining her powers.
Tsunami struggled to get to her feet, still using that feral smile that seemed so at odds with her astoundingly beautiful face. Sweat beaded her brow, but the power around her body was fairly overwhelming. "Having trouble, Tokima?" she asked sarcastically. "You underestimated us again, dear one. Washu may not be like us, but she has great strengths of her own, and she designed those shields just for you. She knew exactly how you'd react, and what they'd do to you." The girl grunted in pain as she pulled herself to her feet. "You can't leave to hurt anyone else, and your minions are cut off from your support." She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "Tsk, tsk, big sister. You should not have discounted Washu."
Tokima barely heard Tsunami's taunt. Her entire being was focused on the energies stinging her body. They lashed through her veins, causing more pain than anything she'd ever endured since time began. Tsunami's voice continued, not quite piercing the fog in Tokima's brain. "Such powers are not easy to control, Tokima, not even for one such as you. Give up now, and I'll make it stop, big sister."
Tokima turned her back on her sister, closing eyes whose pupils had suddenly turned red from anger. "Be quiet," Tokima hissed. She clenched her fingers into her palms with enough force that they bled. The pain in her palms was nothing compared to the pain in her mind. She latched onto that pain, letting it give her the strength to withdraw from the energy- draining shields. She jerked with such force that she fell over, coming to rest in on the hard labyrinth floor.
Growling in renewed fury, she wrenched herself from her undignified position and threw everything she had at Tsunami. Still, no matter how hard she tried, she could not get the better of her aqua-haired sister. Tsunami was stronger than ever; there was no doubt of that. She blocked every blow, every spell that Tokima tossed her way. Her responses were powerful and graceful, and much more than Tokima had ever expected to receive. Still, Tokima sensed immediately that Tsunami was holding something back. Tokima knew that Tsunami was more than capable of doing damage, but she obviously didn't want to hurt her elder sibling. Tokima hid her triumphant smile. She could use this…
Sasami ducked under yet another Levin ball of black fire. Her initial response was to return the attack with an even greater show of power, but she stayed her hand. She knew that she could beat Tokima quickly, if not easily, but she wasn't willing to hurt her sister. Tokima had been in her life for far too long. They'd been born only minutes apart, created by the universe at the moment of its own birth. They were two parts of a balance, two parts of a tightly knit family. They'd sprung into life as fully-grown entities, and so had never truly had a childhood. Still, when they'd first come to be, they'd been inexperienced, overly cautious, and much like children in spirit, if not in body. They'd made plenty of mistakes as they tried to rule over everything with sufficient wisdom. It had always been Tokima who'd led them, taught them the use of their powers. It was she who'd tested every theory, taken every chance. She hadn't wanted her sisters to get hurt if something went wrong. She had even trained Tsunami.
Now, though, something had changed drastically. Sasami could sense the imbalance in her sister's already fragile mind, and she suddenly doubted whether or not her plan would succeed. Tokima's link with reality was tenuous at best, and there was a twisted gleam in her eyes. Sasami realized that she must take the defensive, or neither of them would survive. She lifted her arms, and began her own strike.
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Kamadake waited beside Washu, huddled in a tiny alcove of the labyrinth. He glanced at the goddess beside him. As on so many other occasions, she seemed to know exactly what was happening in the minds of her two sisters. Kamadake didn't know whether to envy or pity the bright- haired genius. "That's it, Tsunami," she whispered, eyes still locked intently on the scene before her. "Fight back. Don't let her bully you."
Kamadake turned back to the perfect circle that Washu had cut into one of the bushes. Through it, the two of them could watch in undisturbed safety as the two goddesses fought. This was, of course, a mixed blessing, since Kamadake wanted more than anything else to be in there, helping Sasami in her struggles. However, he was smart enough to know that in a fight like this, he would only serve as a distraction. No matter how much he wanted to, he could not be with Sasami during this, her hardest moments.
As he watched, shaken to the core, Sasami lifted her arms high above her head. Winds sprang, unchecked, in the domed arena. They whipped around Sasami's hair and clothes, forming a maelstrom strong enough to knock Tokima off her feet. The goddess flew through the air, stopping only when she slammed against the white barrier. The shields crackled with disturbed electricity, but were not able to hold Tokima for more than a few seconds. As soon as she could stand, Tokima gestured with her own hands.
Vines whipped from the walls of the labyrinth, wrapping themselves around Sasami's slender body. Smaller tendrils escaped the plants around Kamadake and Washu, winding themselves through their hair and clothes. Kamadake brushed angrily at the strands entangled in his red hair, never taking his eyes from the battle inside the labyrinth.
The vines around Sasami grew, thickening until they were easily the size of tree trunks. They lifted the girl's slight form high into the air, tossing her around as though she were a doll in the hands of a careless child. Sasami gasped in pain, trying desperately to get enough oxygen as the vines crushed her lungs. Kamadake nearly gave away their position as he leapt to his feet in alarm. Just in time, Washu grabbed onto his robes, yanking him back down to the ground. She held a finger to her lips, and her green eyes sparkled in warning. "Tokima may not be able to send her power through the shields, but she can still use us as a weapon against Tsunami. We can't let her know we're here."
Kamadake shook her off. "Tokima already knows we're here," he snarled, shaking off her grasp. Indeed, the vines around them had already shifted, and Kamadake had to waste more effort to block them. The vines of the labyrinth were completely under Tokima's control. The only thing blocking them from Tokima's influence was Washu's shield. Finally, Washu, too, became sick of the vines yanking on her hair. She waved one of her hands negligently, and white shields of her own opened up around them, blocking the tendrils. Kamadake grunted gratefully, though he doubted that Washu heard. Like him, she was too caught up in the battle scene before her.
Sasami pushed against the vines wrapped around her body, but they were too thick and heavy to move. On the ground below her, Tokima watched with a cruel glint in her eyes. "Too tight, Tsunami?" She sneered. "Let me fix that for you." Tokima waved her hand once more, and the vines became even larger. They were so thick now that Sasami wondered idly why they hadn't exploded from the pressure within them.
Sasami abruptly stopped struggling. She knew that her answer lay in that last thought, but she was too dizzy to come up with a workable solution. As her vision became ever more hazy, another thought struck her pain-fogged brain. That was it!
Sasami yanked hard on her arm, trying desperately to pull it away from the vines. It was trapped between the vine and her body, and she was quite unable to move it. She did not give up, however, in spite of the pain. She just kept pulling at it, knowing that she would lose both consciousness and the fight at any moment. She tugged on her arm, feeling the skin tear as her limb scraped along the rough vine. Blood poured freely from her cuts, making it a little easier for her to pull free.
As soon as her arm was free, Sasami laid her hand weakly against the biggest portion of the vine around her body. She sent her power into the plant, adding it to the enormous amount that Tokima had already invested. Together, the energies proved to be too much for the simple plant. The energies sought a way out, being unable to stay together for long. The plant exploded, sending bits of leafy vine everywhere.
Tsunami dropped to the ground, unable to stop her own descent with her magic. She landed with a bone-sickening thud, limbs sprawled at impossible angles. Tokima waited for the movements that would show if Tsunami lived. When they didn't come, she crowed in triumph. "I have won!" she yelled.