Chapter 2
PBS
(It's time for an introduction sequence, and this is inspired by the first opening of Overlord, Clattanoia, since this season of Senran Kagura is a lot darker than the first, but it'll also deal with one of our heroine's issues with dealing with losing something more important than anything else)
"Kotae wa doko e sagashite
Where's my soul?
It's like a fear warui yume no you de
Mezametemo All I've got is bones
I'm in a panic? Get out, hurry
Oh, there're mysteries and miseries
Dead or alive hazama ni yurarete
Samayoeba Right to left to hell
Ronri no shoutai emo no shoutai
Odoru 1,2,3 steps on this dark stage
Raise your flag, march on, fight
Kamen no fuchi e te wo kakedo tada hone ga naru nomi
Wars and swords, tears and blood
Afuru chikara ga fui ni waraidashita
Tada kono sekai wo ikinuke yo
Aa nakushita kanashimi ga mata uzuiteku...
Misery-World"
(Okay, that should be a good enough opening theme for this season, now on to our story)
Sometime later, despite being unaware of what happened to Asuka, Sora was now visiting Gessen Academy, the school that Yumi was currently attending. Normally, boys weren't allowed at that school, but the snow kunoichi assured everyone that he was someone that they could trust, after being told about him by her friend. Even still, despite all the training he'd have to go through, he stood back so as to see how Yumi and one of her companions fought.
"Let's fight fairly," both she and another girl with blue hair said together.
Sora watched as she saw the girl transform into her shinobi garments. It did look like a kimono, but the top part left her midriff exposed, while the bottom half did resemble that kind of clothing, but was open in the middle. It looked to be sea-foam green in color, which slowly faded into a dark teal color as it went down. The girl's clothes also had floral patterns and designs, a pale blue sash around her waist, decorated with white flowers. A pair long what tabi, and wooden sandals adorned her feet, but on her arms were large ornate gauntlets with pistons that did remind him of Yang's Ember Celica Gauntlets, until the RGRO had them rebuilt and refitted into the MK II variant. Yumi did the same as her friend, by turning into her white kimono, which Asuka explained was her shinobi transformed state. The other girl, called Yozakura charged at Yumi, and began attacking her furiously with a flurry of punches, but they were deflected by her fans, which did seem a bit odd to him, but the three other girls, Shiki, MInori, and Murakumo assured him that they were durable like swords. Suddenly, Yozakura stopped, and gave a quiet sigh.
"Listen, I think that's enough," she said to her.
"But why stop now? We just got started," Yumi replied.
"Maybe I got started, but you're not even here. I can't fight you when you're this distracted," explained Yozakura.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said the snow kunoichi, but Sora gently rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Yumi, it's not your fault. I'm also worried about Asuka just like you are, because she didn't meet up with us at the cafe. Maybe… something terrible might have happened to her, and it scares you as it scares me," he explained to her.
"Anyway, Sora, was it? I was kind of wondering, what did you think of both mine and Yumi's outfits?" asked the boxing kunoichi.
"I think they look great on both of you. Like I told Asuka and the others, every one of your outfits is like a representation of your personality. Yumi's is very similar to that of someone who dances like an actual snow angel, like Weiss Schnee. Also, Yozakura, when I see you using those gauntlets, it sort of reminds me of Yang Xiao Long, when she decides to get serious about defeating her enemies. Also, I did learn a very important lesson whenever someone dared to lay a finger on her hair: Never ever mess with a girl's hair," Sora replied.
Yumi and Yozakura seemed happy, but also amazed that Sora was much more respectful around girls, ever since his first encounter with Tifa Lockhart in Radiant Garden, who had been searching for Cloud when he was hunting down Sephiroth.
Suddenly, an arrow came towards them, but Yumi stopped it with her fan, while also assuring them that she was all right.
"Where the heck did that arrow come from?" Yozakura asked them.
"I don't know, Yozakura, but I'd advise caution," replied Sora.
However, their friend did tell them that they were being invited to a spa resort. Minori, Shiki, and Murakumo really wanted to go there, as the masked brunette believed that it could help improve themselves through their intensive training. Of course, Yumi had her doubts, but the three of them still believed that they'd still go, even if it was a trap. They decided to go into the classroom, which did have the feel of a traditional Japanese style of environment.
"Hey, you guys, what do you think of all this?" Yumi asked them.
"Well, it does seem a bit suspicious, but who knows?" replied Yozakura.
"Maybe, but sometimes you should learn to let go of all that thought of overworking yourself through intensive training. Believe me, sometimes thinking it's not a trap can be a good thing, but sometimes you gotta do something a little daring, like spring the trap, and fight your way out of it. That's something I learned from most of my adventures in a lot of the worlds I visited. Take what happened in Captain Jack Sparrow's world for example. We may have been helping him retake the Black Pearl from Hector Barbossa, who was cursed by the Aztec Gold from the treasure of Cortez. Both he and his crew were victims of that curse, but we still fought them off, and even helped Jack defeat him, as well as break the curse, thanks to that one shot he had for the man who ruined his life, and with help from Will Turner who had his father's blood in his veins. Barbossa was no more, and we even managed to have all the remaining pirates rounded up thanks to our temporary truce with Commodore James Norrington. After that, my friends and I decided to continue our travels, by following the stars, just like any astrologist would," Sora explained to the two kunoichi.
Shiki and Minori were surprised to learn that Sora did have a lot of stories from his adventures, and they also believed that they could let him join them at the resort. Murakumo had to agree, as they felt that the only way this could be settled was with a contest.
"How about we settle it with a coin toss? Heads, we go to the resort. Tails, we don't go to the resort. Does that sound fair, guys?" he suggested.
All four of Yumi's companions agreed, even a reluctant Yumi. With a flick, he let the coin he carried with him fly up towards the ceiling, and they all watched it spin round and round, then it came down and landed in Sora's hand. Finally, he placed it on his other hand, then pulled the hand that tossed the coin back.
"Heads. That means we're going to the resort," Sora said to them.
Yumi was surprised, and the others shared her feelings. Sadly, she knew that there was no point in arguing with someone who did want to have fun, even though she was still adamant in her training. However, one night, the rogues of Team Crimson had a mission of their own, which was to deal with a public official. First, Mirai would take out the front tire of the car, Yomi would incapacitate the security, Hikage would deal with the bodyguards, while Homura would take their captive to a secluded place, followed by Haruka using a truth serum to make the official confess to his crimes, which would be made public to the world. Their plan did indeed go off without a hitch, making the man be shocked to the core, but of course he was now in their clutches. However, something did go wrong. The New Hebijo Elite Five, Miyabi, Imu, Murasaki, Ryobi, and Ryona had arrived, making them demand to know why they had come.
"Duh, it's obvious," remarked the white haired kunoichi.
"Now I get it, you're acting as this man's body guards, aren't you?" Homura sneered from beneath her mask.
Of course the politician ordered the Hebijo girls to attack the Crimson group, but despite what happened before, following the death of Dogen at Sora's hands, it was a clash of attrition. Sparks flew from their blades as they clashed, even if it meant that they had to get desperate. However, they were suddenly interrupted with the same message about the spa resort, making them equally confused as Yumi. However, Miyabi, despite what happened to her garments, told the man that he would publicly announce to the world that he was a corrupt official. It was confusing, to say the least, but at the very least they could call off the misunderstanding for the moment. They soon parted ways with each other, despite Mirai's statement about the message, while the Hebijo girls would have the man confess to his crimes, until Sephiroth appeared and struck him down in cold blood, after he made himself be the public spectacle of humiliation. The next day, Miyabi and her companions made it to the resort, but Ryona was more excited about showing off her swimsuit. Of course, Ryobi would often be agitated by her sister, but still, Miyabi warned them not to get over zealous in their sibling squabble. However, Imu was more than willing to accept those odds, as well as the risks that came with it. Even still, she still had moments where she'd often fawn over Miyabi, despite her tomboyish demeanor. Unknown to them, Senkou and Gekkou were watching from above, their eyes fixed on their prey. Thankfully, Sora did keep out of sight, even after he changed into his red swimming trunks. Yumi was rather surprised to learn that he was indeed very respectful around girls, even though she admitted to disliking perverts.
"I wouldn't judge Yumi and the others too harshly, Miyabi of Hebijo's New Elite Five. Trap or no trap, being vigilant is a part of what makes us our own kind of warrior. Now, if any of you guys have finished changing into your swimming attire, then we'll have our fun," Sora said from outside the changing room.
It did make Imu and Ryona a bit surprised, but the other three Gessen Girls had to agree with him. Homura and the others had to agree as well, as they all knew that he was indeed strong enough to fight his way out of a nasty trap. At last, everyone agreed to change into their swimsuits, then they all walked out into the resort room. All the girls were now having fun, but Sora still kept his thoughts to himself, even when Ryona posed before him and the others.
"Ryona, don't make Ryobi go into her Doom Slayer phase," he warned her, as he walked past her, acting more like Cloud Strife when he was in a foul mood.
"Doom Slayer phase. Right. Does this mean I'd actually have to rip and tear and rip and tear and rip and tear my sister's guts out?" questioned Ryobi.
"Blech! I'd rather be taught a lesson than have to get ripped and torn to pieces by Ryobi!" recoiled Ryona, even as Sora walked off into the distance.
Of course, despite this, a super happy Haruka suddenly began hugging him. But it wasn't a bear hug, but more of a motherly hug, much like the ones his mother, Selena would give him, whenever he came to visit her.
"Oh, Sora dear, it's so good to see you again. And I see you've met both Yumi and Miyabi's companions," she said happily.
Yomi and Mirai had to agree, but of course, they could see that there was no sign of both Asuka and her friends from Hanzo Academy. The girls decided to have a bit of fun at the resort, but poor Yumi was worried. Did something happen to Asuka? Sora could sense that she was feeling somber.
"Hey, is something wrong?" he asked her.
"Yeah, we wanna know too, Yumi," added Shiki.
The others had to agree as well, but Yumi tried to assure them that she was alright.
"Yumi, you know as well as I do that nobody likes a liar. Believe me, I'm also worried about Asuka, ever since we learned that she's not met up with us yet," Sora said to her.
But Homura interrupted their moment, asking if they wanted a water gun fight, much to Miyabi's disdain, since their history was even more troubled than before, after she learned that Team Crimson were labeled as rogues. This suddenly gave Haruka an idea. She had concocted a little potion that could render anyone's clothes invisible to the naked eye. She then explained the rules about the gun fight, which did make everyone concerned, because Sora was the only boy there.
"Even though I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself, I'm afraid that Haruka's right. The one left standing without their clothes soaked by this chemical will be crowned the victor. Think of it this way. I'm the prime target, and you guys are the hunters. Win or lose, we have fun together," he said to them.
"Okay, then it's decided. Everyone get ready for some Peach Beach Splash, and remember that Sora's the target," added the chemist.
But then Sora turned and looked at Haruka.
"You know, I kind of like to do this with some music, preferably rock," Sora explained to her.
"Wait, rock?" questioned Yumi.
"Hey, I'm fine with music playing either way. Right guys?" said Homura.
The other kunoichi agreed, and Haruka decided to play the song "There's Only One Way to Rock," by Van Helen. With a touch of the button, the water gun battle began as the music played at full blast.
(Well, here we go everyone. Get ready to play There's Only One Way to Rock by Sammy Hagar for this water gun fight between Sora and the three kunoichi teams, but play the Steve Whitman cover.)
"Okay, let's rock!" cried Sora, and the match was on while he was blindfolded, but he utilized his other senses when he twirled his water guns like Dante did.
"I've heard it called by different names
All over the world, but it's all the same
Now there's so many ways to make love
A million ways I been thinking of, oh yeah
But there's only one way
There's only one way to rock, yeah
Now, so many things can get you high
I'm gonna try 'em all just once before I die
And you can analyze this situation
To me, it's all just mental affirmation, huh
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock, ow
Now quickly, check the hands on the clock
It's 8:05, it's time to rock
And this world can disagree
They don't understand how it can be
And it's not my point of view
It's a fact and you know that it's true, huh, oh yeah
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock, yeah
Crank up the drums, crank out the bass
Crank up my Les Paul in your face, yeah
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock
There's only one way
There's only one way
There's only one way to rock
Yeah, to rock
To rock, ow
One way to rock, ah, huh"
The match was officially decided by Haruka, when she saw that Sora, still blindfolded, had won the match, making everyone but Ryona disappointed.
"Jackpot!" he said proudly, despite not being able to utilize his sight, except for his sense of hearing.
"Hey, I should try saying it too. Jackpot!" squeaked Ryona.
"Oh, ha ha!" barked Ryobi.
But of course, all the kunoichi had to get their swimsuits covered in clean water, so that they'd be seen again. This was the perfect signal for Sora to remove his blindfold, and he breathed a sigh of relief. However, as Homura and Yumi were talking about Asuka and their friends, they felt a dark presence. It looked like a Kekkai barrier, but Sora turned and looked up at who was there, despite the dark-haired tan kunoichi's annoyance.
"Who are you guys?" Sora asked them.
"Hello everyone, I'm Gekkou," the girl in gold and black said.
"And my name is Senkou," added the other girl in the all black outfit.
"Were you the ones who sent the invitations and set up this trap?" demanded Yumi.
"We are," remarked Senkou.
"How about you start making some sense? What do you want with us?" asked the spiky brunette.
"Seeing as Sora's eager for an answer, we invited you here to see if you were worthy of proving yourselves after that challenge," said the first silver haired kunoichi.
"What do you mean?" Miyabi asked.
"We've come to invite you to a battle to determine who is the strongest shinobi. We're calling it the Shinovi Masters," explained Gekkou.
"Hmm… kind of sounds like a tournament of sorts, you guys. And the rules are, whoever wins this Shinovi Masters thing will be crowned both reigning champion as well as strongest of all shinobi, as long as there's no forms of cheating or dirty tricks in this tournament," he said.
"Oh my, so you've actually found out the rules of this. May I ask who you are, handsome?" Gekkou asked.
"I'm Sora," Sora replied.
"Well, Sora, then you and your friends may be surprised about who is really the prize of this tournament," she said to him.
The image she and Senkou showed him and the kunoichi shocked them all. There was Katsuragi, Ikaruga, Yagyuu and Hibari, all bound in chains and strapped to what looked like posts.
"If you choose not to play our game, these girls are dead," warned Senkou.
Sora glared angrily at them, then summoned his Keyblade and pointed it threateningly at them.
"What have you done to them!?" he snapped.
"I'm afraid we don't have a good answer for that, but we'll tell you the location later. Until we contact you, I suggest you keep on training," remarked Gekkou, and they both began to leave.
"Wait, you two!" shouted Sora, as he lunged furiously at them.
But they disappeared before he could strike at them. Angered at what he had just found out, as well as heard, all he could do was swing his Keyblade in anger.
"Where are you? You let my friends go now, or I'll make you suffer!" he raved, and continued to flail about in a blind fury.
This made everyone worried about him, but Minori was quick to run up to him.
"Sora, calm down! We'll find a way to save them, I promise!" she cried, as she held him in her arms.
Sora stopped, and slouched over, just as Yumi came to his side.
"Sora?" she asked.
"How could they? How could Senkou and Gekkou capture mine and Asuka's friends like that, and hold them prisoner?" he asked himself venomously.
"I know, but like Minori said. We'll find a way to help them," Yumi assured him.
The others voiced their agreement with her words, even though they were aware that Asuka wasn't at their side, just as the brunette turned away from the snow kunoichi with a bitter look in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Sora said somberly to her, only to feel her arms wrap around him.
"No, don't be sorry. I know that you care about them just as Asuka does, but being angry doesn't solve anything," replied Yumi.
Sora nodded, then gently hugged her back.
"Aw, I want a hug from Sora too," whined Ryona.
"You want a hug? I'll give you a hug!" snipped Ryobi, and she began squeezing her between her arms until her back was about to snap.
That evening, as everyone was leaving the resort in their regular clothes, Yumi received a call from Asuka, telling her to meet in secret, and to bring Sora with her.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Yozakura asked her.
"Maybe, but I get the feeling that we should be doubly prepared for what comes next, and to double our training at a reasonable time. You guys go on ahead without us. Yumi and I won't be long," replied Sora.
"Yes, I agree with Sora on this one. We'll all see you back at Gessen after that," added Yumi.
The others nodded, and bade them farewell. Then they raced off to a playground.
"Over here, you guys," Asuka said to them.
"Asuka!" Sora and Yumi said with relief.
"We're glad to see you're okay. We were so worried," she said to her friend.
"Did you hear about the Shinobi Masters?" Asuka asked in a different sounding voice.
"We did, but we discovered the bad news. All our friends are being held captive by Senko and Gekkou, and the condition is that if we don't participate, they'll die by their hands. That's something I won't permit," Sora replied firmly.
"Don't be a fool, Sora. I refuse to let any of you join that tournament," she said to them.
"What are you talking about?" questioned Yumi.
"I've come to realize there is no justice for us. Both the sword and the shield are utterly useless," she explained.
"You're wrong. How can you even say that, Asuka?" Sora asked in shock.