Death threats and invitations brought the gang to the Foliage Fortress where one by one they were captured by their old friend Kurama. But as they learned, Kurama was not the one they were really against as the master mind revealed herself, another Kurama, but this one female. How she came about remains a mystery as she keeps Kurama from progressing further into the fortress. Will she succeed, or can Kurama defeat her before they run out of time?
Episode 19 : Face to Face
[In a large room, Kurama faces Rose.]
Kurama: [bored disbelief] You’re supposed to be me?
Rose: Amazing what cloning technology can do these days. They made me a better you.
Kurama: And yet you failed to stop the original.
Rose: [glares] Wh-who says I’ve failed?
Kurama: As you can see, I’m still alive.
Rose: I shouldn’t have entrusted that task to another clone.
Kurama: You think you can do better?
Rose: Let us see. Just try and get past me, your move.
[Kurama pulls out a rose. Seeing she won’t move, his rose becomes a whip as he lashes it towards her. Some vines reach out from her wall of bushes to block. Kurama strikes with his whip again. The whip cuts the vines, but more vines intervene. The whip gets tangled in the vines. He pulls it back while Rose springs into the air, brandishing her own rose whip. She swings her whip at Kurama while coming down. He maneuvers his whip to counter hers. Kurama hops back, and Rose lands in front of him. Both continue striking at each other. Kurama runs around Rose as the whips continue to clash. Kurama jumps with a strong down swipe with his whip. Rose dodges. Their whips continue to fly while they are suspended in air. Rose nears Kurama. At the same time, both move their arms across, causing their whips to crash against each other. Both flip backwards from the impact and land skillfully on the ground, then resume fighting.]
* * *
[Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei watch the fight while tied up in the other room.]
Yusuke: So where did Kurama get the girl look-a-like?
Kuwabara: Good question. Even with all the genetic possibilities, finding someone so similar is near impossible, even if she was a long-lost sister.
Yusuke: Could she be a twin?
Hiei: She’s a clone.
Yusuke & Kuwabara: Huh?
Hiei: They both emit the same energy. That is because the girl came from Kurama.
Yusuke: So does that mean there can be other clones? Who I fought before wasn’t the real Kurama, but a clone? And after I took care of him I saw him undamaged because he actually was another one that I hadn’t fought. Right?
Hiei: Most likely.
Yusuke: Well, that makes me feel better.
Kuwabara: Oh, yeah! I knew Kurama wouldn’t have turned on us like that!
* * *
[While the whips continue, Kurama runs towards the wall of bushes, holding up his free arm to clear a path. Rose makes a fist with her free hand. Mouths from the bushes pop out towards Kurama as he nears. He backs up and uses his whip to cut the mouths off of the bushes.]
Kurama: Who created you? Why?
[Rose’s whip hits Kurama’s hand. He lets go of his whip, which turns back into a rose.]
Rose: Why? [smirk] I’d like to know that myself. But in truth, I don’t care about those trivial facts any more.
[Rose pulls a blade of grass from her hair. The blade forms a sword around her arm. She lunges towards Kurama.]
Kurama: Then what is your goal here?
[Kurama likewise pulls out a grass blade that forms into a sword. He holds it to block Rose’s attack.]
Rose: Destruction, and the clock is ticking. You better think of something fast.
[Rose swipes her sword at Kurama. Kurama keeps on dodging or blocking the blows.]
Kurama: Why are you doing this? What do you hope to gain by your actions?
[Rose throws out her free hand, sending rose petals towards Kurama.]
Rose: My reasons are my own. Don’t think you can talk me out of them. I can play mind games, too, if you wish.
[Kurama jumps to the side, avoiding most of the razor sharp petals. He turns and fires seeds towards Rose. Rose pulls out her whip again, blocking each seed. She strolls towards him with the plant wall growing around the room.]
Rose: Such as some interesting facts I’ve heard about. So tell me about this Midori?
[Kurama’s eyes narrow. He spreads his arms to redirect the petals Rose had thrown out. They swarm around her.]
Kurama: [growls]
[Unfazed, Rose flips her whip to destroy the petals. A few cut her skin and clothes before she demolishes all of them.]
Rose: She didn’t come along on this little field trip, too, did she?
[A vine from behind Kurama wraps around his neck. His sword grows back as he cuts the vine from the plant wall.]
Kurama: [smiles] She’s nowhere near your slimy grasp.
[Kurama grabs the loose vine from his neck and swings it into a lasso. He ropes it around Rose, binding her arms to her body.]
Rose: So she’s back on earth, which will soon be destroyed.
[Branches extend from the wall, lacerating the vine that is between Kurama and Rose.]
Kurama: What?
[Rose picks up two of the fallen vines. They grow into whips. She swings both at Kurama. He grows his section and holds it in the middle with both hands to block. Rose twirls her vines at her sides.]
Rose: Haven’t you figured that out yet, genius? You know we are in space. [right vine strikes] You know where all the energy is being stored. [left vine strikes] And you know when the sun hits it at the right angle, that it will magnify and carry a powerful solar beam towards the planet.
[Rose strikes with both whips again. Kurama continues to deflect her attacks. He twirls his vine whip in front of him then swings one side under to trip Rose. She hops as the end nicks her ankle. They continue.]
* * *
Kuwabara: Whoa! Look at them go!
Yusuke: It’s like fighting a mirror. Kurama should just shatter that rip-off copy!
Hiei: He’s trying, but it appears that the clone inherited all of Kurama’s strategies as well as his techniques. She knows his every move before he makes it. Likewise, he knows what she is capable of and how she will react. Neither will expose their weaknesses to attack, and that is why this fight will carry out as a draw.
Yusuke: But hey, don’t video games pull this kind of deal with fighting an equivalent you? So there has to be a chance to beat her.
Kuwabara: Yeah. Wouldn’t this clone be as good as going against A.I.?
Hiei: Obviously we underestimated her once before and were captured. Let’s not make the same mistake again.
* * *
[Rose swings one vine whip towards Kurama’s head. It nicks his ear as he blocks with his vine whip. The other end of his vine whip snaps near Rose’s feet, which she blocks with her second whip.]
Kurama: I see we are equivalent in every way. This is getting us no where.
[Rose brings her vine whips in front of her, alternating as they spin. She steps closer to Kurama.]
Rose: True. But I do have one thing you don’t.
[Kurama uses his vine whip to continually lash at Rose while he backs away from her.]
Kurama: Time…so you plan to keep me here until your plan is complete.
[Rose snaps both of her vine whips at once, and they wrap around Kurama’s vine whip. Both are still. Slowly, they take steps to the side, causing them to circle each other.]
Rose: Oh no, I want to see the end of the world as it is now known. I’ll even let you off the hook so I can go see it…if you are still around.
Kurama: Are you still presuming a plan to overcome me?
Rose: As a matter of fact, the advantage I was afore referring to…I, [eyes spark] am not afraid of transforming into my demon counterpart!
[Rose releases her vines. She stands and transforms into a female version of Yoko Kurama.]
***COMMERCIAL BREAK***
[Kurama faces Rose in her fox demon form.]
Rose: Let’s see how you can handle this!
[Rose extends her hand, and the death tree sprouts from her. The mouths of the tree salivate and grow towards Kurama. He backs up. As the mouths begin to swoop down, he jumps out of the way. When he gets too close to the plant wall, which now surrounds the room, branches and vines attack him as well.]
Kurama Voiceover: Like this, she should wear herself out quicker. If I can reserve my energy, she’ll tire out, and I’ll still be well enough to move on.
[Three of the death tree heads hover over Kurama. He dodges one head, but finds himself under another one. A drop of its saliva lands on his shoulder. Kurama leaps further to the side as he grasps his shoulder.]
Rose: Getting tired?
[Kurama leaves a patch on his shoulder as he removes his hand. He pulls out another whip and ropes it around one of the death tree’s heads. He runs past Rose, then turns and pulls his whip in.]
Kurama: You wish.
[As the head is forced over Rose, it drips saliva and some hits her bear arm. She recoils the death tree so she can free her other arm and cover her wound. Rose eyes the plant Kurama left on his shoulder.]
Rose: I see you’re using the Strength of Dragon plant to help heal you as we go. Well, I can do that too!
[Rose pulls a plant out from her hair and patches it to the wound on her arm. Demonic vines wrap around her good arm, and she springs towards Kurama. She swings her arm at him. He shifts to the side as he backs up, avoiding each strike.]
Kurama Voiceover: I have acquired this plant only recently. Draconta gave it to me to after I assisted in his recovery. If she knows of it too, then she must have been created after we battled Zerka.
[Rose strikes down. Kurama leaps into the air, evading the blow. He flings his whip to latch onto one side of the plant wall, then throws the other end to hook onto another side. Kurama lands on the outstretched whip on his way down.]
Kurama: You must only be a few months old. No wonder you act so childish.
Rose: What? [growls]
[Rose holds her arm up. Vines shoot up and grab onto Kurama’s whip. The vines retract, pulling Rose up to the whip. Rose flips in the air and lands on Kurama’s whip. Her feet slide along the whip, bringing her closer to Kurama. She holds her arm towards Kurama, the vines in her hand waving and snapping in air.]
Kurama: You may feel advantageous to be fully demon, but the truth is you still lack discipline. I don’t need to transform into Yoko to succeed!
[Kurama pulls out his grass blade sword again. He uses it to cut his whip. He grabs onto one end, and Rose falls. Kurama swings towards the plant wall. Rose uses the vines on her arm to cushion her fall.]
* * *
[Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Hiei are starting to look weak as they watch.]
Hiei: If Kurama remains in his human form, the playing field will be offset enough for one of them to win.
Yusuke: Quite the show, I guess we couldn’t have asked for better seats.
Kuwabara: You know we really should try to find a way out of these things instead of gawking.
Yusuke: [sarcastic] And I was just getting use to my limbs being stretched in every direction. But if you have a plan, I’d love to hear it, genius.
Kuwabara: Hey, Hiei, can you burn up the plants around these things? Maybe that would undo the latches.
Hiei: I’ve tried. All the energy I’ve put out to free myself has been absorbed before it does its damage.
Kuwabara: Really? Hm. Urameshi! Have you tried to break out with a spirit gun?
Yusuke: Does it look like I can let off a spirit gun?
Kuwabara: Well, try it, and I’ll try my sword!
[Kuwabara and Yusuke make some grunts. A few muffled energy attacks are heard. Nothing happens.]
Yusuke: It’s like this thing clamped around my hand ate it all up!
Kuwabara: Whew. [panting] The energy for my sword was taken right away from me as well. Still, I don’t even have enough energy to make a decent dagger.
Hiei: You see what I mean, fool? You should reserve what energy you have left.
Yusuke: Is it just me, or are you guys feeling a sudden onset of exhaustion?
* * *
[Rose rises. She clasps her hands together and squeezes. A thorny branch binds Kurama against the plant wall. Kurama grabs the base of the branch and slices it off. The limbs of the branch release Kurama and he springs off the wall towards Rose. She summons a rose bush. Kurama swipes the branch at Rose while the rose bush blocks. Both plants grow as they intertwine and crackle. Kurama and Rose are pushed back as their weapons expand. A limb from Kurama’s branch shoots through the maze of limbs and hits Rose. Rose lets go of the rose bush and falls back. She stands up straight with a smirk.]
Rose: I must say that was invigorating. [transforms back to Rose] But neither of us can fight on much longer and the time has come.
Kurama: To concede?
Rose: No, to leave you with a decision.
Kurama: Which would be?
[Rose starts to circle around Kurama.]
Rose: If you win the battle, you’ll loose the war. What is more important? Where do your loyalties truly lie?
Kurama: What are you getting at?
Rose: We already covered what the Death Beam is going to do to your planet. But aren’t you forgetting your friends; the ones that were invited here?
[Rose lifts an arm to cross in front of Kurama’s face and snaps her fingers. Kurama follows the direction of Roses hand to see a solid wall through a tunnel of her plant wall. The solid wall rises, revealing Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Hiei in the Energy Extractors. Their eyes are barely open and have weary countenances.]
Kurama: [demanding] What have you done with them?
Rose: They helped supply energy to the orb. Now they are on the brink of death. Their demise shall coincide with the Earth’s destruction. Not to mention two uninvited brats and a pet in the corner who are about to be plant food. It will take some time to dismantle their cage, however.
Kurama Voiceover: She must have channeled the Spirit Detectives’ energy to fuel the extra plants she has been growing so as not to deplete her own energy in this battle.
[Rose wraps her fingers into a fist. The view of Kurama’s friends is blocked off with plants weaving together in the wall.]
Rose: But you do like puzzles right? You may have noticed the growth of foliage during our fight. I took the liberty to block both of your options with a giant Puzzle of Plants for you to untangle.
Kurama Voiceover: I must use my remaining strength wisely and maximize my resources.
Rose: Right now you only have time to save one: your friends or the world? The power orb is far down the opposite corridor. If you start now, you still may not have enough time to reach it.
Kurama Voiceover: There is no point in saving my friends if we don’t have a planet to go back to.
Yoko Kurama Voiceover: There is no guarantee for the world. Fail, and loose everything. Free our friends and they can help.
Rose: After all, the sun will hit in only a few more minutes.
Kurama Voiceover: The world would be gone before they’re freed.
Yoko Kurama Voiceover: But they would at least help you kill Rose. It sounds like she won’t let the world end without her.
Rose: Both choices hold a sacrifice; but can you decide? I suggest you retreat back into your little foxhole.
[Rose slips into her Puzzle of Plants, confidently disappearing.]
Narrator: Left with the choice to save the world from destruction or his friends from dying, Kurama struggles to make his decision. Which voice will he listen to? Which path will he choose?
“This is Botan checking in. Oh dear! Kurama seems to have gotten himself in quite a tight pinch this time. With no time to decide and running low on energy, you can be sure that Kurama will still find a way. But the show isn’t over after he makes his decision! Rose is still around and will continue with her plan. She can’t be allowed to carry on like this. And don’t forget there are things happening back on Earth and in Spirit World! Surprises and discoveries await next time on YuYu Hakusho Beyond!"
