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What a night it had been! Eternal Sailor Tsui wasn't expecting too much from her patrols, maybe running into a Negaverse officer or maybe a Dark Mirror Senshi, but this certainly took the cake. While she had seen a much larger gathering of officers in her time, it was still never a good sign to have seen so many in one area. Four officers? Yes, something didn't settle right with her when she felt their presence.

What was more unnerving than that was the fact that of all of the officers, two of which seemed eager for her blood, and one she could get a guess as to why. The other she didn't even know his name, but thankfully one of the other Captains was quick to point it out, and she'd lock that name away for now to focus on the much bigger problem before her.

General Benitoite.

"You seemed exceptionally bitter tonight, Benny," Tsui said in a mocking tone, all of it used to cover up whatever fear or nervousness she felt right now. She was always headstrong and brave, the foolishly so, and while she had tried to curb her enthusiasm and play it smart, for herself and the friends she promised, it was just hard. Maybe it made her blood thirsty, more so than she should have been, but she enjoyed a good fight, and she knew that Benitoite would give her one. She was just more or less concerned about why he seemed so out for blood. Her blood. "I guess you don't like it when Senshi you try to kill not only survive but get move up in rank."

Now that it was just the two of them, they could get this fight underway. Tsui intended on keeping her promise to Pasiphae, but she couldn't leave. Not until she knew what she had done to wrong a mellow general so much... however, she was determined that curiosity would not kill this cat.

"If it's pointless, then why bother trying to explain it to me?" Tsui shot back, knowing that in a battle of wit that she could never hope to defeat Benitoite, or anyone for that matter, really. No, words and talking the deep and philosophical just wasn't her forte, and the Senshi of Tigers had accepted this. She liked to think that she had learned her lesson from last time and that the enhanced agility and strength that came with her reaching Eternal status would have spared her from another near-death experience like last time, but the fire in Benitoite's slate colored eyes told her that he wouldn't make it easy for her. Still, she refused to show an ounce or sliver of fear, and her cheeky smile was to goad him on, something that could either be used to her advantage or backfire horribly.

She scoffed at his reassurance, not caring much for the distance he was trying to close between them and taking a moment to look at her surroundings, seeing what, if anything, could be used to her advantage here. Bunch of trees and foliage... perhaps she could take cover in the trees if things got a little hairy? No way he could swing that hefty spear of his easily in such tightly packed woods... unless his hatred was so great that he chopped them down with a single swing, but Tsui greatly doubted that. And if he could, then she'd have to roll with it and play things by ear, like the Tiger senshi had a want to do when she was without her strategist.

"Okay then, care to fill me in on why my blood is so desirable to you?" Tsui held her ground even when he was vastly approaching, and despite the steel in her voice, she couldn't ignore the very human fear beating within her small chest, and the sight of him twirling his weapon was a clear sign that the fight would commence, and forgetting his reasoning and the source of that anger, Tsui put all of her effort into dodging that blade. She knew he was efficient with that thing and she didn't want to feel its bite ever again, and she threw herself to the right, curling her fist and going for a quick jab to force him off balance more than to actually harm him. "I'm all ears!"

Despite his quest for her 'precious blood', it was still a sight to behold that Benitoite was just as calm and collective as ever, and while most would have admired this feat, Tsui found herself rather annoyed with it, and maybe just a tad bit frightened, if she was ever truly willing to admit this out loud. No, there was only one Negaverse officer that she was openly frightened of… two, but at least one of which she knew she had a chance of overcoming. The other was the highest ranking officer she had ever faced and hoped never have the misfortune of running into again, but neither of these was Benitoite. She was hoping that she wouldn't be adding Benitoite to that list this evening…

Tsui suspected that Benitoite would know of her ploy to use the woods to her advantage, but that didn't mean that the option wasn't readily available either. She'd simply have to plan ahead and hope for the best, but until then, Tsui would stand her ground and fight. Prove to her enemy, and herself, that she wasn't nearly as easy to beat down this time, and while it should have felt discouraged when her initial strike missed, she held onto some hope. The more he defended himself, the less that spear had a chance of digging into her flesh and that meant keeping her 'precious blood' inside her veins and that alone could be a victory for her tonight. She knew she couldn't strike Benitoite down for good, but remaining alive would not only make Pasiphae proud of her, but throw salt on that wound of her enemy, and Tsui couldn't help but wear a s**t-eating grin at his explanation.

"That's it? That's why you're mad?" Tsui wasn't openly mocking him… okay, she was, but it wasn't entirely her intention. Making Benitoite mad might work in her favor, but at the same time, it could have made matters a whole lot worse, and all she had to do was make sure that she was one step ahead of that blade of his. Long enough to get her answer and get the hell out of here, anyway. When that spear came crashing down, Tsui put her gymnastics and flexibility to good use, leaping into the air and twisting herself into a backflip, and while the spear nicked her decorative wings and pelt, it just missed hitting her blood, causing feathers and fur to explode but luckily for Tsui, no blood just yet. She took this opportunity to dart into the woods, calling back to him and hoping that he'd follow. "You know this is a war, right? What was I suppose to do, just let him keep hurting my friends?"

Meanwhile, she tried to recall this Captain, but no name or face came to mind. And she certainly didn't remember taking any pleasure out of it! But then again… she did sort of go overboard in her Super rank. But still, no face came to mind, and her next phase was to try and make an escape, despite knowing that Benitoite was likely hot on her heels and unrelenting.

"Well, I am a Tiger, and last I checked Tigers were excellent hunters," Tsui called back, knowing that he was still dangerously close but at least the branches and twigs would slow him down, if only for a little while. Now she understood why the cosmic tailor was strict on senshi not having capes, as her attire made navigating the woods all the easier than her Negaverse counterpart. That didn't mean she wasn't getting knocked or slapped by leaves and branches, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about her cape getting tangled like poor Benitoite. Maybe with just a little bit more taunting, she could get him to lose his temper and made her escape, but any thoughts of escaping were gone at his words. Life lost?

It almost caused her slow down, but the sight of him leaping over the fallen tree and continuing his chase made her forget that silly notion. Nope, definitely a 'keep on running' predicament. "What are you talking about? I didn't kill any captains, and I know that's for absolute certain, too!"

She wasn't lying, and she wouldn't lie. She had killed no one, only youma, though she couldn't deny that she came very, very close. She could still feel Carnelian's blood on her fingers and knuckles, but she had never killed him. They were getting to a clearing and any chance of escaping on foot seemed useless, so that meant that she had to either surrender, or fight. And Tsui never, ever surrendered. The moment they hit the clearing, Tsui came to an immediate halt and spun around, white aura flashing in her arms and trying to aim for Benitoite's legs, hoping to knock him back and give her time to flee once more, and hoping that the spear wouldn't leave its mark again. "Glorious White Tiger!"

Tsui knew Benitoite to be an extremely patient and serious fellow, their encounters in the past giving her an idea that of all the Negaverse generals in the dark kingdom's arsenal, he was one of the ones that even Tsui showed caution in facing. She hadn't noticed his struggle against the branches and his cape, but the moment his cape went off, she was thankful that she had opted to use her magic. He sounded serious, very serious, and knowing him not to be the type to make such idle threats, and she was thankful that the attack connected as she was certain that he would certainly hold himself to that promise if he ever got his hands on her. All instincts told her to flee, and if she wasn't recovering from her own attack, she knew she had to put as much distance between the two as possible...

Yet, damn her curiosity. Benitoite wasn't striking her out of petty revenge, at least not against him. She tried to think of the one he could possibly talking about, her mind drawing up a few faces but never quite comprehending who he might be talking about. Then there was the matter of the guilt that came with it. Her actions, directly or indirectly, caused whoever this was to lose his life, and it was easy to try and deny it. She could have said it was war and that the Negaverse had claimed just as many lives, if not more, than anyone she knew on her side, but somehow, as dimwitted as others claimed her to be, she knew that'd only make matters worse. It was a life, even if it was the enemy...

"Can I at least get his name?" Tsui asked, knowing that she should have ran, knowing Benitoite to be serious and completely willing, and capable, of following through with his threat. She wanted to think he was lying, but something of this magnitude and his bitter emotions felt genuine. She'd get his name, then try to escape... it seemed like a good idea. "Or am I not worthy of that anymore?"

Another option was to try and strike him again and capitalize on his anger, rid the world of another threat, but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't like that. She promised she wouldn't become that which she was fighting, and it wasn't just a promise made to Pasiphae or Valhalla, but to herself. That was why she lingered without striking Benitoite... if she did have a hand in his death, she had to know who it was.

The name did not ring a bell, but the physical description? She could not forget such a person like that, and immediately, her heart sank. Bazzite was the captain she fought against with Pasiphae and had gone a little far, though in retrospect, to say she went too far was a gross understatement. She had hurt that captain very bad... she had drawn blood, and she couldn't forget Pasiphae's anger and sorrow, nor her justified slap afterwards when Bazzite had fled. She could almost feel her cheeks stinging with the mere memory of it, but she wouldn't admit any of this to Benitoite. Any minute now, the effects of the attack would wear off, and the option to flee while she still had the chance to avoid that deadly spear's bite was rapidly closing, but she couldn't leave. Not yet.

"That's not really a fair assessment of throwing the blame on me for his inability to defeat two senshi, one of which was injured, by the way," Tsui said, taking a few steps back in case she needed to run, though well aware of his ability to teleport. The scars that were ever so visible on her side made it clear that she'd never forget such an ability again... "I know who you're talking about now... and he was attacking my friend, so I don't regret attacking him back. Maybe... I went too far, and I'm sorry for that, but I don't think whatever happened to him was my fault."

Which now made her curious about what he meant when he said 'might as well have'. What did he mean? What was he talking about? She needed to flee, but she had to know. Curiosity killed the cat, but what would it do to a tiger? "What's worse than being dead, anyway? What's become of him?"

Tsui rolled her eyes and gave a spat at Benitoite's guilt trip, foregoing her curiosity and allowing him to see her bristle though she was certain she'd be eating her words soon enough. "And how many of my kind and knights have you and your goons broken, or killed or made cry? Civilians too? What, does it only matter to you when it's one of your friends that get hurt?"

He stood before her and every normal instinct within her told her that she needed to go. His spear would be at the ready and she was certain that Benitoite wouldn't be foolish enough to get hit by her attack a second time, but damn her curiosity. This could have very well been a trap and she, the proud Tiger senshi, would willingly waltz right into it, but she was going to make her stand tonight. She wanted to counter everything he said- if Bazzite didn't want to get hurt then he shouldn't have attacked her friend. This was war- there'd be countless casualties in war! The scars on her side were living proof of paying for biting off more than one could chew, and yet according to him only Senshi should bear them? How fair was that?

Tsui wanted so desperately to fight back with words, but it wasn't her style. No, it was her weakness, if anything. Others could counter Benitoite's argument and pick it to pieces, but Tsui simply lacked that ability, so she did what this Bazzite failed to do. She didn't engage in a fight she knew she couldn't think to win, for now, even if it left her defenseless against his truth. A truth that confused her at first, as she was unaware of how the inner workings of the awakenings and promotions of the Negaverse worked, but the more Benitoite spoke, the more it made sense, and the more Tsui found herself trembling. Was it fear? Horror? Or was it anger? Maybe all of it, but Tsui could not deny the gasp as escaped her throat at Benitoite's confession as to Bazzite's fate, and her supposed hand in it…

Tsui wasn't a weak person, not by any means, but she felt her knees buckle, mere moments before she found herself on the ground before him. Bazzite was a youma? Benitoite had turned an officer he held so dear into a youma, and this was her fault? It was a lot to take in, and for a brief moment, she almost wanted Benitoite to take her life. Bazzite was a youma, and it was her fault.

"Beni…"

Helpless wasn't an emotion that Tsui was ever accustomed to, though it was one that she felt several times when in the Negaverse's shadow. When it came to a battle of wits and moral, she knew that there was no victory against one like Benitoite, and even in a battle of prowess it was hard to match a general that carried such a heavy spear and held the ability to teleport, and adding to that was his conviction. Helpless was certainly the word one would use to describe Tsui at this given moment, and it was a word that she absolutely hated.

Add to that the guilt she felt in regards to Bazzite's fate… she hadn't ever taken the life of an officer or anyone, and she had known that the youma she destroyed were beyond salvation, but to know that her actions, even as indirect as they may be, caused such a fate to befall Bazzite… it was crushing her, and that was what kept her pinned to the ground and enduring Benitoite's assault.

He knelt down to be at her level as he addressed her, and he was well within striking distance, but Tsui never once thought to strike against him. She couldn't even look at him. It just something she wasn't willing to face right now, and that was what kept her pinned to the ground instead of fighting back. To think, a tiger tamed so easily…

Even when he was threatening her life, Tsui couldn't fight back, and she knew she couldn't run. Even if she tried to use her attack to propel herself away and get a head start, she was certain that he'd simply teleport in front of her and finish what he had started so long ago. It was hopeless to run, but even in her distressed state, she thought of one way out of this that wouldn't involve her death. Maybe she should have died here to make up for what she did to Bazzite, but she had made a promise to Pasiphae and Chaldene to come out of this alive… as Benitoite grabbed his spear, she reached for her senshi phone, holding it up in the air as though she sought to directly challenge his spear with her device, and she hoped that her voice wouldn't crack as she addressed him, even as she faded away and retreated to her home planet. "Then maybe… there are no innocents in war after all?"