"So... let me get this straight." Rumia said, after everyone else had left, except her friends. "You want me to sneak onto the moon, in your shadow, and kill you in front of loads of people watching your coronation. Aren't you afraid that would kind of... scare people?"
"I am aware, but if I was killed at any other time, the council and the Watatsukis would just cover it up." Kaguya said. "However, I must confirm one thing before you agree or deny my plan."
Kaguya looked away, up towards the moon.
"You will likely die afterwards. As soon as Yorihime realizes what happened, she will hunt you down. It is three nights until the next full moon. Yukari will not be able to save you."
Everyone went quiet, until Rika, who was still repairing herself, and thus, had not left dueto inabilty to do so, spoke up.
"I said I ain't gonna let anyone kill Rumia but me. I'll just open the portal. Rumia can just escape from the Moon's side." Rika said. "And I certainly ain't lettin' no Moonbitch kill her."
"And how can we trust you?" Wriggle said angrily to Rika.
"If you would like to suggest an alternative, go ahead." Rika replied, angrily.
"I have one!" Mystia said, flying into the area, clutching something.
Eirin looked shocked.
"How did she get that? That went missing ages ago..."
Mystia was clutching a small vial, with a glittering, silver liquid inside.
"Who gave you that, Night Sparrow?" Eirin asked.
"Yukari. Why?" Mystia replied.
Eirin chuckled. "Should have guessed. Damnit Yukari, I would have given it to her myself."
"I doubt anyone who didn't know you well would put their life in the hands of a shady drug you gave them." Kaguya said.
"What do you mean shady, Princess?" Eirin said, somewhat hurt.
"Well a drug that can inflict death by the slightest overdose is pretty shady master." Reisen said.
"Rumia, Yukari said this liquid increases your strength for a short time. There's three drops of medicine in it, and each drop will make you much stronger for ten minutes. If you take another drop before the first wears off, you get even stronger! The whole death thing dosen't happen unless you take four, but there's only three!" Mystia said.
Rumia looked at the vial, and then at Mystia.
"If it was Yukari, or even Eirin, I probobly wouldn't have trusted this." Rumia admitted. "However, if you're telling me this is OK Mystia, well, it might just give me the strength I need to get back to the portal and escape."
"Don't worry about me." Kaguya said. "When the public know I've taken the Hourai Elixir, I'll be exiled to Earth again. Most likely literally thrown to Earth. Yukari can then just dump me back in Gensokyo. When you've killed me up there, don't worry about me. RUN. Run for your life. Don't even look back. If you do, they'll catch you for sure."
"Rika, you'll have to be swift with closing the portal once Rumia's back, or else the Watatsukis will come through in chase, and they will certainly kill everyone in retaliation." Eirin said.
"Well someone's gonna have to take me back there. I won't be in a state to fly back. This repairing takes a while without my equipment!" Rika complained.
Daiyousei looked at Cirno, and then at Rika, and smiled with an uncharacteristically evil smile.
"Cirno, you can probobly carry her by encaseing her in ice and then controlling that ice, right?" Dai said.
"Yes." Cirno said. Rumia was a little surprised, Cirno couldn't do something like that before. She figured it was due to her increase in power.
"And that way we don't need to listen to her badmouthing youkai on the way back either." Daiyousei said.
"Good idea!" Cirno said, before she flash-froze the half-fixed Rika before she could object.
With that, Cirno followed Daiyousei off to the site of the teleporter, and Mystia and Wriggle followed, after wishing Rumia good luck.
Rumia looked at Kaguya, and sunk into her shadow.
Rumia had ever been within the shadows for such a long period, she had never noticed that when in the shadows, her awareness of the 'real world' was much, much worse. Voices were distorted. Vision was exceptionally bad. Smells did not exist, nor did the senses of touch or taste.
Rumia knew Kaguya was moving, and felt herself being carried foward. She had never been in someone's shadow as they flew. It felt strange. She was crossing Gensokyo without doing anything herself.
Then, she saw the light of the teleporter. She heard Rika. Cirno and the others had left, so as not to raise suspicion.
Then, the darkness became even greater. All Rumia could make out was a barren wasteland of rock.
Kaguya, Yorihime and Toyohime flew at a high pace, and Rumia made out something on the horizon. Massive buildings. Bright lights. She could sense large amounts of magic, but it was magic that felt completely different to that she knew.
She wanted to come out and look around, but she waited.
Kaguya went inside a building, escorted by the sisters. Rumia heard Kaguya's voice, and could make it out. She assumed this was since she was in Kaguya's own shadow.
"So the coronation will be immediate? You're not wasting any time, are you?"
Yorihime nodded, as a rabbit gave her an ornate crown, covered in beautiful gems. Then, the trio moved again, until they came out on a balcony. Rumia could see screens all over the city with Kaguya, Yorihime and Toyohime.
Yorihime's voice echoed all around the city. It was so loud that even Rumia could hear.
"Citizens of the Moon, Citizens of Lunaria! As you are aware, a few weeks ago, the last of the royal line was assassinated! However, she was not the last! Three generations ago, the King had a younger sister, the Princess Kaguya, who left to Earth to try and make it a purer land! Me and my sister went to Earth to seek out Princess Kaguya and inform her of the situation, and she agreed to take up the throne, of which she is the next, and last, in line for." Yorihime's voice bellowed.
She lifted the crown above Kaguya's head.
"The old Queen is dead. Long Live the new Queen of Lunaria, Queen Kaguya no-Mikoto!"
Kaguya smiled.
"I forgot to tell you, Yorihime. I changed my name while on the Earth. Please, use my new name when coronateing me. My old family name means nothing now, with my line ended. Let it signal a new beginning."
"Very well, Princess. What is your new name then?" Yorihime asked.
Kaguya flicked out the Jewled Branch of Hourai from her sleeve, and pointed the red jewel towards her shadow. That was the signal, and Rumia rose out, Dark Energy collected around her hand, like a spear.
"Kaguya HOURAISAN!" Kaguya said, as Rumia thrust her hand, laced with dark energy, through Kaguya's heart.
"YOU!" Yorihime roared, drawing her sword, as Kaguya started to ressurect, glowing with rainbow light. Rumia could hear the collective gasps and roars of the people.
"The Elixir!"
"She is an abomination!"
"She is not fit to be Queen with that impurity!"
"Banish her, as the laws dictate!"
But Rumia did not listen, she uncorked the Elixir, and drunk a drop, as she flew away.
Yorihime barrelled after Rumia, with Toyohime in hot pursuit. Rumia blasted a hole in the back of the palace, and flew out, with the sisters chasing.
'I've got to make it into the shadows! If I can do that they can't chase me!' Rumia thought, as she dove towards the shadows on the ground of the rock-wasteland, flying far faster than she ever had before. She had long felt the sonicboom.
"You shall not hide in the shadow when the light reveals all!" Yorihime roared, raising her hand. "Amaterasu-ōmikami!"
A figure of a beautiful woman appeared behind Yorihime, as light revealed everything. There was not a single shadow for Rumia to hide within.
"Sister!" Yorihime roared. "Don't let her escape!"
"I know!" Toyohime said, swinging her fan, and unleashing a massive shockwave, not towards Rumia, but over her.
Rumia's heart sunk, as the teleporter was crushed into dust.
"DARKNESS YOUKAI!" Yorihime bellowed. "You shall pay for what you have done! Without the tradition that formed Lunarian society, chaos will set in. A civil war is likely, as people will vie for power to fill the void of what they have known! We will be forced to turn our hands to our own people, most likely! For you, a quick death is too good! I shall beat you into submission, and humilate you. You shall then pay, in front of the Lunarian people, with a slow and cruel punishment. Only then, just before the Full Moon in Gensokyo, will I allow you to die!"
Rumia turned.
There was no escape.
There was only one thing she could do.
"You'll find taking me alive won't be that easy." Rumia said, defiantly. "Besides, I've saved Kaguya from a life she did not want. I've given her back her friends and allies. I've shattered the false figurehead you 'council' used as a puppet to control the moon. In the end, this will be the best for everyone involved!"
Yorihime growled.
"How dare you even think you know better than me, filthy maggot of the earth!"
Rumia grinned.
"I'm not of the Earth, but go ahead keep insulting me, for all your superiority, you've been outsmarted, and your plans have failed." Rumia said. "And this was Kaguya's own plan. Her own defiance! Her own choice! It wasn't even Eirin or Yukari, it was Kaguya!"
Yorihime had enough, and swung hr sword, sending out a massive purple wave of energy. Rumia flew down to evade, and felt the very air cutting her as the wave went overhead, making her not want to think about what a direct hit would have done to her.
"You face the might of the gods. The retribution of the Avatar of the Myriad. Know Divine Punishment." Yorihime said, as she raised her sword-hand.
"Would it surprise you to know, that I can use the powers of multiple gods at the same time?" Yorihime asked, as fire started to dance around her, and covered her sword.
"Homusubi no Mikoto, I call upon your power. Grant me the power of divine fires, to ravage my foes, yet keep my allies safe from the heat." Yorihime chanted. The woman moved over, and a man formed next to her, wearing a red robe, with flames dancing around him, like the fires around Yorihime.
"Ugh... so... you're stronger than even Gods? You can use the power of more than one?!" Rumia said.
"If they grant me their power, yes, my potential is even greater." Yorihime said. "This is the level of my purity and piety, and as well as my devotion to my people! I can control the pure, raw power of the gods themselves!"
Yorihime swung her sword, and unleashed a massive torrent of flames, engulfing everything in front of them. However, the attack was so spread that Rumia was able to shield herself with Dark Energy, although she took heavy burns.
The heat was intense, greater than any she had ever felt. She felt like screaming in pain, but wouldn't give Yorihime the satisfaction.
'And this is with my power increased by the first drop... how strong is she?'
Notes:
Kaguya's 'family name' is based on Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Shinto Moon God. The first Queen of the Moon was called Tsukuyomi.
Amaterasu-ōmikami - Shinto Light Goddess
Homusubi no Mikoto - Fire God of the Atago Shrine, a Shinto Shrine
The way I see Lunarians, they are like Elves when it comes to their mortality. They cannot die of age, but can die of injury or illness, or any other non-age factor. The moon has some anti-monarchy elements, which leads to assassinations sometimes, despite the Watatsuki's [Or anyone else's, such as their predecessors] efforts, but most of the Royals died of illness. Combined with strict birth control due to the fact that a Lunarian cannot die of age, and the moon's limited resources in terms of food, and the Royal line collapsed after a string of deaths in a short period.