Starring:
Date: September 14, 2010
Summary:
It is said that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. The current situation would seem to be evidence to support that statement.
Poster's note: Profanity filtered in obvious places.
"Mirror Mirror - Another Stranger Me"
The Facility - Land of Winter
"Guh! YOU COULD AT LEAST PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, FIRST!"
Rurohashi Rinako was not known for being modest or self-conscious, but the thought that everyone present would see exactly what her body looked like without it being HER doing found her a bit outraged as she takes two aggressive steps forward, pointing accusingly like a scolding mother. The initial shock wears off soon enough, and her dark eyes turn from the image of herself (which wasn't all that startling since she lived with someone who looked just like her anyway) and onto her consort. Or harem model. Or whatever he was. It didn't really matter, she was going to squish his head into paste soon enough.
She doesn't turn her head when she speaks to the rest of their team, as she doesn't want to remove her eyes from what was sure to be a deadly threat. Whatever she was, she was strong enough, or smart enough, to outmaneuver her sister, who carried the same power she herself had. …If only she didn't have to confront this evil bitch in such a ridiculous outfit!
"She's not the one we came for, but she'll do just as well, right? Or should we just take her arms and legs off and not worry about capturing her?"
Before she's even done speaking, a few changes begin to come over the elder of the Rurohashi twins, the kunoichi's dark eyes turning a muted shade of yellow, the pupils turning into vertical slits as the bijuu inside of her slams at the walls of her mental concentration, demanding to be released. It's emotions only fed her own, raising her anger and aggression, increasing her natural killing intent. When she speaks next, her voice carries a subtle undercurrent as her legs tense, a voice not quite her own.
"Please tell me it's Option Two."
Shemri almost thinks she ought to stay back in the hallway and keep watch for more incoming enemies. Having too many bodies packed into one room could be detrimental to combat efficiency anyway, right? But nobody said anything about that in the plans, and the name of the game lately has been Trust, right? So Shemri opts to trust that Sheex has already thought of the best option, as he seems to have done whenever they had a question previously, and ducks into the room at the rear of the group.
…Oh. Looks like Sheex /did/ miscalculate this time. c.c; Shemri wonders if this is a golden opportunity, as Rinako hopes, or a Total Party Kill scenario. Well, the second of those doesn't sound like fun at all, so best shoot for the first one! Shiikaa slips down off Shemri's shoulder and attempts to slink around the shadowy edges of the room. Likely enough the enemy, being familiar with the group of rebels, is expecting such a move from Other!Shiikaa, but will they be surprised by two? >3 Shiikaa readies himself to unleash a sonic blast at the least signal to attack.
Out of all the assembled ninja, whether they be Team Ruri, Team Sheex, or Dark Triad, only one is likely to react completely differently from everyone else. The younger sister to Rinako — the REAL Rinako, not the Princess — overcame her shock rather quickly after being exposed to the unexpected sight before her. Now she is shaking — not with fear, but with anger. "SOUSA! OF ALL THE MEN IN THE WORLD, SOUSA!!!" She raises one hand to the bandages over her right eye, and sizzling blood drips onto her arm as the bandages soak through instantly. In a quieter voice, loaded with loathing, she hisses, "This is too much!" She rips the bandagess off, to reveal that the place where there should be an empty hole in her face is glowing from some bright-red, internal light source. Three eyes fill the hole almost almost instantly, but they launch no attacks. Instead, they extend OUT of the eyesocket, on tendrils of reddish-purple flesh, that continues to flow in a seemingly endless torrent that couldn't possibly all fit in Ruri's head.
The tissue weaves together into a long swath of flesh that turns pitch black. The ragged edges appear as though someone had shredded a length of shadow from the darkness and fashioned it into some sort of lengthy cape or curtain. Set in the blackness are EYES. Inhuman eyes, bright-red, and glowing brighter and brighter. The shadowy flesh and eyes sweep upwards into the air, curving over the bed that the doppleganger of Ruri's sister is seated on, along with the man she has identified as the Kazekage in her own world.
Though the darkness under the bed's canopy hides the details, most other people here will probably realize that the man in bed with the Princess looks NOTHING like Kokoroe Sousa. Instead, he has a thick mane of spikey black hair, and each eye bears something resembling a Sharingan… Though not of the typical design. This is lost upon Ruri, however, as all those Tomogan set in the shadowy skin-cloth protruding from her bleeding eye socket, begin to generate heat greater than any of the Stored Fire Streams Ruri has been using on the way here.
She is probably under the influence of a Genjutsu. This possibility has not occurred to her. Because what she sees is the only person she hates more than Sheex in bed with her twin sister. Maybe the 'Princess' is an alternate version. Maybe she's evil. But emotions are not so easily rationalized away. With an inarticulate scream, she releases the combined streams of fire from her multiple Tomogan at the bed, on a direct course with the Uchiha she sees as Sousa. The room becomes white fire.
Without even waiting to see the effects of her attack, Ruri somehow directs the blackened mass of flesh to spiral around and attempt to ensnare Princess Rinako, in order to restrain her. …And maybe to pull her out of the possible blast radius of the fiery attack Ruri just used.
Princess Rinako looks puzzled for a moment. Even with the disguises, she recognizes Sheex, Kara, Shemri, and Shiikaa, as well as her sister — apparently dressed like the Princess herself? But then she realizes what's odd about what she's seeing. The woman she is looking at looks a bit too >much< like her. Not as thin from hunger, her hair is not cut shorter to prevent lice infestations. And yet standing right next to her is her little sister, who looks much the same as last time they met. That would be confusing enough, but when one adds in a second Kara, a secon Shemri, and a >third< young woman who resembles herself — though apparently with some kind of eye problem — she must be thinking that this is Sheex's most convoluted assassination attempt to-date.
"…Hm." she responds to Rinako's question. She even sounds the same! …Though a bit younger. She dares to take her eyes off the rebels for a moment to check on her bedmate. Sure enough, the much older man has already begun to use his Sharingan Genjutsu. And yet from his frown, it appears it was not as effective as it should have been. Or maybe he's just as confused as the Princess is? Either way, she turns her attention back on the intruders.
Other-Sheex starts to mutter to Rinako, "Maybe if she was alone. But not with two of them. Get ready to slam the doors and get out of here. Our target is on the other side of the hall, apparently—" but he doesn't get to finish because that's when Ruri starts screaming and yelling. Other-Ruri didn't even get the chance to voice her own angry protests and pre-combat banter, because the room suddenly becomes very, >very< hot. And not in the good way. Kara has to look away from the blinding light of all those creepy eyes. Then the flames erupt and engulf the bed. Or start to. But before they can actually do more than set some things around the room on fire, they seem to be getting sucked into… The air? It's like there's an invisible hole or vortex or something and all that white-hot fire is getting drawn into it.
The look of concentration on the face of the Uchiha indicates he probably has a lot to do with this. But he can only do so many things at once, apparently, because he does nothing to stop the blackened flesh from wrapping around the Princess as she is pulled from the bed. She seems displeased. "This will >not< do." And with that said, the yellow jewel in the choker about her throat flares, and her already exceptionally fit body begins to become even more so, with the muscles becoming more defined somehow, though not necessarily larger. Other-Ruri heard her sensei's instructions, but this is too good a chance to pass up. Just like Rinako standing to her right, Other-Ruri's eyes transform to match a monstrous turtle's instead of a human's. She then lunges into the air, one fist pulled back, apparently ready to punch her sister in the face. Other-Kara is too exhausted to use Ninjutsu, so she just stands ready with her blades, prepared to fall back as ordered. Other-Shemri takes the opportunity to hurl a few poisoned senbon at the man in the bed just as he finishes disposing of Ruri's flames.
Then the Princess flexes her entire body somehow, and shreds the Tomogan flesh into scraps of black that fly away on the sudden air currents. While still in mid-air, but before Other-Ruri has the chance to complete her attack, the Princess spins in a round-house kick and strikes her sister in the face, sending her hurtling out of the room and back down the hall that lead here. The man in the bed tilts his head to the side, and the senbon thunk into the headboard.
The moment that the Princess actually lands on the floor, that is when the pain >really< begins. What follows is very undignified, but demonstrates that she retains her fighting prowess in or out of uniform. Sekhmet lunges into Rinako-hime's path, a fearsome sight with her claws and teeth bared, but the Princess elbows the metal Puppet aside, sending it stumbling. Pharaoh can't get a clear shot from behind everyone. Other-Shiikaa arches his back and his fur seems to rise straight up and become sharp, before spraying at the Princess in the form of needles. She takes the needles without flinching, even as they pepper her back and rear. Then she attempts to close with her counter-part, the one dressed like her, and calls out, "Sand Heavy Pummel!" Her fists become nearly invisible as they attempt to rain blunt trauma on Rinako. The only good part about being up close like this is that if Rinako can still fight when the attack is over, she'll probably be in a prime position to retaliate nice and hard.
Other-Sheex stands by and makes no move to help out. What is he waiting for!?
Unfortunately for Rinako, her raw speed and reflexes were likely the slowest of the group, save for perhaps this other world's Ruri, who was cursed with the mannerisms of the same shelled beast she was. When the real fighting begins, she's barely even begun to react, taking a mere step forward by the time her elseworld counterpart has landed and approached her. A hazy, indistinct chakra shape begins to form around her as her other-self shouts out her attack and slams it home.
The dark-haired jinchuriki becomes a blur of motion as she is propelled in the opposite direction by the attack, crashing into the wall with a thunderous noise that likely drowns out all others for a few heartbeats. Slate, metal, and tiles crush, crumble, and fall as the Suna kunoichi disappears in an avalanche of dust and debris.
The dust begins to settle, then explodes outwards, clearing the new pile of rubble that was once a section of the wall just as a large, boulder-like section of it comes hurtling out at the last known location of the non-Bijuu Rinako. Chakra crackles in the air as smaller particles are slammed away from Rinako's form by the power of her inner monster's strength, revealing her in her transformed state. But this time the form of the elder Rurohashi twin was barely distinguishable beneath the opaque haze of the three-tailed demon's chakra. And two tails, each flat and laced with spikes upon the end, extends from behind her.
The large, chakra-formed reptilian head rears back, just as those clawed hands begin to form the last of a line of seals. When it juts forward, it's amphibious beak opening wide, a stream of chakra-compressed water shoots out with tremendous force, it's bright yellow eyes focused on the object of her wrath as the water speeds across the distance between her and what used to be her mirror image.
Fun. :P Shemri's earlier idea of staying out in the hallway to watch out for enemy reinforcements is looking better and better. Especially since Sheex is now talking about a rapid retreat. Shemri carefully steps backward, clearing the doorway for the others to get through—and at that moment, one of them does, specifically Other-Ruri. c.c; Shemri turns and sprints after the flying jinchuuriki. Her sashes drop their kunai, then reach up to wrap around Other-Ruri's torso. Maybe this is a wasted effort considering how tough Other-Ruri must be, but softening her landing is the least Shemri can do. :P Meanwhile, Shiikaa lets out a roar to hopefully startle and stun the red-eyed jerk lying in the bed.
Ruri was not exactly at full strength upon arrival here. It was primarily her anger at the illusion placed before her eyes that drove her to such heights of power as she had just demonstrated. And now, with the Genjutsu broken for the moment, she realizes she has been duped and duped hard. Further, she realizes that even though the Tomogan flesh is technically not attached to her own nervous system, having a large amount of it shredded with brute force, extra eyes and all, REALLY *BLEEP*ING HURTS. She screams out in pain, and falls to her knees briefly, as her right hand comes up to clutch at her right eye socket. It is now an empty hole once again. No sign of extra eyes anywhere. The pain tears through her head, radiating outwards from her missing eye. Blood pours from the socket as though it were a fresh wound.
Just before she loses awareness of her surroundings, Ruri can't help but think that not all of the blood coming out of her head is actually hers.
Ruri wakes up. She's not where she was a moment ago. All around her is darkness. This isn't the Fake-Rinako's bedroom. Is this a dungeon? Has she been transported directly into some form of imprisonment? Or… Is this more Genjutsu!? She looks around wildly, trying to make sure she's not just standing there drooling while her sister and friends are fighting and bleeding and dying. Then she recognizes where she is. Her breath catches in her throat, turning into a rattling inhalation. Her right eye is intact. She can see with it. That means…
The ground pulses and undulates beneath her. It's warm, and spongey, and disgusting. There's only one place like THAT. Ruri is inside of Sheex's 'inner-space' again. His Jutsu he used to construct a mental environment within Ruri's mind in order to take her over. But why is she here again? She sealed Sheex. She ABSORBED him. There is nothing left of him! There can't be!
A seed of doubt
It exists
And it grows
Something shifts behind Ruri, and she turns slowly to look. Her eyes widen in terror as she does so, mouth hanging open slightly. The pillar of flesh composed of other people that Sheex had absorbed. It's right behind her. And Sheex's yellow, wolf-like eyes stare at her from its surface.
A glimpse of life
From somewhere deep within
Awake and understand!
Ruri leaps up and tries to get away from the pillar. She succeeds. Nothing tries to stop her. She waits, breathing quickly, forgetting for a moment that this is inside her head and she does not need to breathe. She stares into Sheex's eyes, and they stare back unblinkingly. She lets out a sudden exhalation. Then another. She releases the tension from her body slowly, and tries to regain her wits. She's here for a reason. She felt power inside of her before. Is this the source of it? Is it Sheex's power, that she has barely tapped into?
She has to find a way out of here. The power would be useful, but she needs to know she can leave first. She looks around for some sign of an exit. An attempt to force one to appear through concentration fails. So she resorts to yelling.
'Is there anyone else here?'
Somebody's screaming
'Please, help me'
Ruri screams for help, hoping she can somehow get someone's attention out in the 'real' world. But all she hears is her own voice echoing back at her from behind. She turns around to look. She can dimly make out a figure in the distance, on the edge of the darkness. It looks an awful lot like… Ruri herself. Facing away. She looks over her shoulder. She can see herself standing in the distance, looking over her shoulder.
"This is insane…" she mutters.
Let's find out now
That I am not dreaming
'Welcome to my damnation'
She whips around to face the pillar again. Sheex's eyes are still there, staring at her. They seem to continue doing so no matter where she stands. Like the pillar is turning to face her. She thought she heard a voice… Not hers, though. Sheex's. She glares at Sheex's eyes and bares her teeth. Finally, she sighs and says, "Fine." What is she agreeing to? She strides forward and puts her right hand on the pillar. The flesh gives way and allows her appendage to be sucked inside. She fights to withdraw her hand again, and eventually manages it. When she does, in her grasp is a sphere of blindingly bright light.
She looks up at the darkness, ready to leave now. She has more of Sheex's power. And now it's HER power. She absorbs it into her body and feels far stronger.
Here it comes — the real me!
Should she have done that? Too late. She already has. Time to return and kick ass.
Ruri wakes up again. Her head still hurts, but the bleeding has stopped. She feels renewed. She feels a bit giddy, too. Like maybe this is going to be fun. She stands up swiftly and notices that the man in the bed is NOT Sousa. Well, she'll take care of him in a moment. Genjutsuist bastard. Then she looks around to see where everyone else is, and sees her sister has transformed. She's using the Three-Tails's power again. Ruri was too late to stop her. Again. She snarls and decides she's going to finish this before Rinako has to do anything else.
I didn't know
I couldn't hear the answer!
My mind was blank
I should've known
Ruri once again sends out tentacles of Tomogan flesh from her right eye socket. Not black this time. Just individual tentacles. They shoot out and try to snare Princess Rinako around the throat from behind, and start strangling her. If nothing else, it will keep her stationary for the REAL Rinako to trash.
Then she turns several more tentacles with eyes on the ends to look at the Uchiha male. She doesn't use projectiles this time. She just sends the tentacles out like javelins to try to impale him through the chest. "Die." she orders.
I hold it back but somehow…
There is someone else…
Another, stranger me!
Ruri knows subconsciously she's not behaving normally. The grin on her face should be evidence of that. But she can't bring herself to care anymore.
Another, stranger me!
Princess Rinako had turned away when she saw her look-alike go flying into a wall, assuming she was done for. It was time to take down her REAL sister. The one-eyed imitator sounded like she was already down. Probably being dealt with by Madara. On one hand she wishes he'd get out of bed and help. On the other she is glad he has stayed put for the most part. She doesn't need help to take care of this trash!
Then the rubble in the hallway leading to the bedroom doors erupts and before she can react properly, she is hit with a boulder. It smashes into her and slams her back into one of the posts of the bed, snapping the thick oak like a twig. She hits the headboard and then lies there for a moment and glowers at what she is seeing. A real Jinchuuriki. Not a fake. And this one can go up to Two Tails… Interesting. But not so interesting she is going to lie still while a jet stream of water comes at her to take her head off. It punches through the headboard and through the wall behind it, leaving a deep crater. A bit surprising it didn't punch through into the next room, really. Thick walls?
Anyway, Princess Rinako has rolled onto the floor, and calls out, "Second Gate… Gate of Healaaaagggkkk!" She is cut off as the dark-red tentacles wrap around her throat and squeeze tightly strangling her. She reaches up instinctively to try to tear the restraints loose. While that's going on, she is more or less open for another attack from the Jinchuuriki Rinako. The Uchiha male seems to be more than startled by Shiikaa's roar, flinching away and closing one eye. The moment he does so, Other-Sheex snaps out of his stupor and slams his palms together in an Earth Release seal. "Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction!" he calls out and then point at the ceiling. The ceiling crumbles as a single rock falls out of place, resulting in the whole thing collapsing onto the bed. It appears that Princess Rinako and Madara have been crushed.
Shemri succeeds in catching Other-Ruri, who struggles to get her feet back on the floor. She may have a smudge on her cheek that looks like a friction burn, but she does not appear to be harmed too badly. Instead she is shrouded in a cloak of blue Chakra of her own. Unlike Rinako, she only manages her First Tail, but that should still be enough combined with everyone else to handle her sister. Other-Sheex yells, "Everyone out! Now!" Other-Ruri blinks her reptillian eyes and then snarls, "We can finish them! We can end this right now! We have the power to do it! We >have< to! This is our best chance!"
Other-Sheex, normally calm and in control, turns a desperate look on Other-Ruri and yells, "OUT NOW! THAT'S AN ORDE—" Then there's a green glow from the rubble and in less than an eyeblink, the Princess has crossed the room and landed a hook punch in Other-Sheex's face. Saliva and blood both hang in the air in the place where Other-Sheex was just standing. Where is he now? Out in the main hallway. He smashed through every door and wall on the way there, too.
Princess Rinako lands on one foot after her punch, and all her muscles tense audibly. A green glow surrounds her. Then she vanishes from pure speed, the floor being torn to pieces as she grabs Other-Shemri by the throat just as the Maneshi is about to spit a poisoned senbon needle, and throws her at Ruri. By the time the throw is complete, she has already gotten into melee range with Shemri and Other-Ruri. What appears to be a backhanded blow is sent at Shemri's face, but the way the fist is 'vibrating'… Well, it's actually about a hundred punches delivered fast enough that it looks like only one.
Other-Ruri slams her Chakra tail into the Princess's face as she continues to be held up by Shemri's scarves, snapping her head back. Rinako-hime performs a spinning clothesline strike, and breaks at least two of her sister's ribs, >even with the Chakra shell protecting her<. The Princess takes a moment to pause and breathe heavily, grunting in exertion. She looks to be in pain for some reason. Then she turns her eyes on Rinako. "R-right. The fourth Gate won't be enough for you, will it?" She sneers as blood trickles from her torn lower lip. "F-Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit!" She clenches her fists and her already darkened skin turns even darker red, as though there were a lot more blood in the tissue than normal. She has to be taken down >right now<. It's up to Rinako. Everyone else, with the possible exception of Shemri if she defends herself successfully, is going to be in too bad of a condition to grapple with her on an equal level.
The legs of the two-tailed jinchuriki bunch and contract, preparing for a mighty leap to launch herself like a demon-borne missile towards the bound Princess. A lone rock crashing out of the cieling takes her wide yellow eyes by surprise halting her ferocious jump, though her legs do not untense. Perhaps more telling of the bijuu-possessed kunoichi's mind than the murderous glare that nearly-opaque reptilian head turns on Sheex for interfering is the low snarl directed at him. For a moment, it looks as if the hulking, shelled form may have found a new target.
But it doesn't take long before Princess Rinako reapparates on the scene, taking out Sheex and re-earning herself the tailed beast's ire. Whether it was Rinako or the chakra demon in control of the form was unknown, but there could be no mistaking the deadly intent that shifts it's focus onto the one who looked like the body he inhabited.
The else-world Maneshi is taken out and flung at her sibling, but the elder Rurohashi twin doesn't so much as spare a glance away from her target, completely disregarding her team being taken down one after another with brutal efficiency. The thick, powerful forearms of the monster bulge as it's claws dig into the solid floor beneath, tearing up gouges even as the other jinchuriki is defeated with a single blow. Chakra gathers as the Princess begins to reach for an even higher gate, and the beast finally leaps.
Using all four limbs like a quadrupedal reptile, the two-tailed turtle hurtles itself across the room like an oversized bullet unable to alter it's course. Both of it's forelegs raise up, and it seems to be there that the chakra has gathered, thickening, hardening, rather than releasing, adding to the natural crushing force and strength behind the blow, increasing it two or threefold, more chakra gathering and congealing into a massive, bludgeoning barrier even as she travels through the air.
And through it all comes the inhuman roar of animalistic fury.
Hmmm, nope, no miraculous save for Shemri in this instance. She raises her arm to block the blow coming at her, but it is swatted aside by the rapid-fire smacking. x.x Microseconds thereafter, Shemri herself is swatted away. But hey, that might turn out to be a good thing, considering the titanic clash that's about to occur. Back in the bedroom, Shiikaa once again thanks his small size and dark coloration for making him unnoticable, then checks to make sure the other bad guy is dead. No point in leaving these things half-done. ^o.o^
Ruri's strangling tentacles are cut off by the falling rocks, as are the impaling ones. She thought she managed to stab the guy, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't see any blood, but it LOOKED like the tentacles had passed through his torso. Oh, well. Two down. None to go. Ruri turns an unstable smile on her comrades, and eyes Rinako. She has the odd urge to walk over to her and kiss her. And suck all the Bijuu Chakra right out of her in the process. Then she manages to shake it off.
'What the hell?' she thinks. 'That's… Why would I want my sister's Chakra!? That's weird! …I'll bet it's that lame Sheex! Bastard.' Then she moves to get out of the room. She doesn't want to think about the fact she just saw someone identical to her twin sister die under a ton or two of rocks. She REALLY doesn't want to think about that. And a moment later, she doesn't have to, because the Princess has just emerged from the rock pile and thrown Other-Shemri at her. The tentacles extending from her eye move without her willing them to. They snatch Other-Shemri out of the air, but the momentum still slams her into Ruri, knocking her backwards.
Shaking her head to clear it, she sets the older version of her team mate on the ground, having just performed a weird mimicry of what Shemri did to Ruri's OWN alternate self, without realizing it. Then she dashes out of the room, ready to help out with defeating Miss Psycho Princess. Only to be greeted with the sight of her sister transformed and hurling herself at her doppleganger with enormous speed and force, while the nude, dark-red skinned Princess is glowing green and looking like she's about to open a can of whoop-ass even if she gets killed in the process.
Ruri can't allow that. Not for either of them. She just can't let her sister die, no matter which one is the 'real' one. So she does the only thing she can. She gathers all the tentacles she can and forges them into a single limb wider than her own eye socket, probably stretching it further and making it bleed again. But the tentacle lashes out lightning quick for the Princess's blindspot, and attempts to plow into her side HARD. The tentacle is 'sharp' enough to puncture flesh if it hits. And if it does, then it could probably turn the Other-Rinako's insides to jelly.
But that's not Ruri's goal. Instead she just wants to knock her aside so that the incoming Two-Tailed Rinako's attack doesn't hit full-force and kill the Princess. She'll still be hurt badly. Maybe crippled for life. But she'll be alive. So the tentacle, if it hits, would split up into various seperate tentacles again if it hits, and spread out inside to avoid the vital organs, and then just squeeze on Rinako-hime's lungs to make it hard to breathe. Gross? Yes. Emotionally agonizing for Ruri? Definitely. But it's the only way.
Everyone is trashed, except for Other-Shemri, Ruri, and Rinako. And the two Shiikaas. And Other-Ruri seems to still be able to fight, even with the broken ribs, because she's getting up and trying to stumble towards the fighting. Other-Kara is attending to Other-Sheex out in the hallway, and Other-Shemri takes only a moment to help her counterpart up off the floor and try to get her out of there. This is not a healthy place to be.
The Princess grits her teeth at the pain and draws back her fist in preparation to counter Rinako's lunging attack. Perhaps not the wisest thing to attempt, but if it works, then she might get away without any further harm! But then a thick tentacle impales her through her rib cage, and the pain takes her breath away. Oh, no. That's just her lungs being constricted. And then the force carries her out of the path of Rinako — but only halfway. The powered-up Jinchuuriki smashes into the Princess's right half, crushing her right shoulder, arm, leg, hip, etc. into a mangled mess, and probably tearing her off of Ruri's eye tentacles.
She falls to the floor limply, as her flesh starts to turn back to its normal coloration — with the addition of blood everywhere. She fights not to scream in agony, and instead turns her hateful glare on first Rinako, and then Ruri. "Whoever you are… You'll… Pay for… This!" she manages to get out. Meanwhile, as Shiikaa investigates the pile of rocks, one of the larger ones tumbles free of the pile and rolls to the floor. Madara rises out of the hole, apparently having made an earthen dome of some kind to protect himself. Once he is out of the hole, he reveals he was apparently >not< harmed by Ruri's tentacle attack. They definitely went through his chest. But there's not a scratch on him. He can barely make out the Princess lying wounded on the floor. He panics a bit. Not because he cares about her, but because he knows that if the Dead King finds out the Princess was mangled on >his< watch, then he will wish he was dead.
He does the only thing he can do under such circumstances. He uses his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan to remove the Princess >and< himself from the field of battle. Too many unknowns. Too much uncertainty. He simply warps them both out of there and doesn't even wait to find out how there can be two Jinchuuriki with the Lord of Water inside of them.
And just then, Hibari pops out of her bedroom out in the hall, the doors opening. "…What's all this noise—" then she stops as she sees all the chaos and the destruction. "…." She turns around to try to go back into her room, but Other-Kara seizes her by the back of her bedrobe. "You're coming with us." she states in no uncertain terms. Hibari stares at Other-Kara for a moment, and then says, "…Okay!"
Shortly after that, everyone is bugging out of there via the Princess's personal teleportation pad. Injured come with. Enraged Jinchuuriki come with. Person who >made< the teleportation pads comes with. Everyone gets out. No one is left behind.
They'll get the information they need, Team Sheex will have what they need, and the people from the 'other' side get to go home. Home to some rest and relaxation…
…Right?
