[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?
