Sureiyazu

Episode 17: The Monster Within

"I have no choice," Heishi sighed. "Go!" he told the guards next to him.

The soldiers glanced at one another nervously. One brave man stepped forward with his sword, pointing it at Yuri and ordering her to come with the guards of Hana Firudo. She must have noticed the quiver in his voice. She slashed at him with her claws and watched him stagger backwards, red spots decorating his armor. 

Heishi glanced at the other guards near him, and, seeing the fear in their eyes, took matters into his own hands, unsheathing his sword as he walked towards the monstrous Yuri.

"Yuri, don't be like that," Heishi laughed. With a clang, his sword fell to the ground. "I won't hurt you. You just have to come with me."

The other three Sureiyazu looked at each other, wondering what Yuri would do. Kasai gripped Inochi's handle. Akuma held her breath. Aya bit her lip, wondering if she should run in and help, though it might provoke Yuri.

Yuri snarled. "You have no power over me."

"That's quite true, Yuri," Heishi admitted. "But I'm asking you to trust me. I don't want to have to have the warriors tie you up."

"Bindings have no effect on me," Yuri growled. "And I don't want to go, anyway."

Heishi smiled brightly. "Well, uh, since about . . . the eighteenth of May a couple years ago, the bindings in the castle have been . . . improved. Not that that has anything to do with you." He laughed, but it sounded forced.

"Try me," Yuri dared him, balling her gigantic fists. "But if you want to live, that might not be the smartest thing to do."

"Oh, yeah," Heishi agreed. "Living would be good. But you could, you know, follow me back to the castle and then we can both live. Okay?"

"No!" Yuri roared, smacking him with her tetsubo. Heishi skidded across the dirt ground, and lay still for a few moments.

"Yuri!" Aya shrieked, running forwards, her bo staff's crystals starting to glow. "Don't -"

"Stay back!" Heishi shouted, getting up. "You haven't seen her power - don't get too close or -"

"Or what?!" Yuri dared him. "Come and I'll show you my power!"

"Yuri -" Heishi started. Just then a net was thrown over the girl, and she roared again, annoyed. 

"I told you, bonds have no effect on me!" As the monster thrashed, she found to her amazement that this was no longer true. "Traitor!" she accused Heishi. He didn't look at her as the guards began to drag her away, growling and trying to rip the netting. Following solemnly, he disappeared in the trees, nodding to Aya as he left.

Kasai, Aya, and Akuma exchanged glances.

"Now what?" asked Kasai.

"What happened?" Akuma was confused.

"I don't know," Aya admitted, "but I think it would be best if we went after Yuri."

Kasai laughed as if Aya had been joking. "Yeah, good idea. I don't know if you noticed, but she transformed into some kind of demonic . . . thing. And is trying to kill everyone."

"True, but she'll transform back, right?" Akuma thought aloud. "Maybe if she calms down she'll go back to regular Yuri and we won't have to worry about this anymore."

"There is something very big going on here," Aya told the team. "I don't think we'll ever 'not be able to worry about it'. We should find Heishi. He seems to know what's going on."

"Oooooooh," Kasai cooed. "'Let's find Heishi'. I get it. Do you have a cru -"

"Let's go," Aya said urgently. 

Kasai rolled her eyes.

"No, really," Akuma urged the others, "I think Aya's right. What are they going to do with Yuri anyway? And from the way they talk, it sounds like she's gotten out of control before."

"I don't know," Aya sighed. "I lived in a small village; nothing like the castle of Hana Firudo. I'm unused to their customs."

"I used to live in a big kingdom." Suddenly Kasai was deadly serious. She drew in a big breath, steadying herself from her realization. "And I think they're going to execute her."

The team of demonslayers took off running.

~~~

"Let's get this over with," the woman said. The queen of Hana Firudo. She stood up from her throne, trotting across the rough stone floor. She looked down at her daughter, tangled in the strongest net in Hana Firudo, her expression half distaste and half disappointment. 

"Yuri. I'm sorry."