Chapter 4

Seaside Training: Shinobi Island

Aboard a small yacht, the students of Hanzo Academy were playing a card game with each other, which Katsuragi was having too much fun with, which made Yagyu and Hibari afraid. Unfortunately, the moment she made her move, she was outfoxed by her, which filled her with frustration, because of how both the blonde and Asuka had gained victory, as Sora watched them from nearby.

"Oh, this stinks. I can't believe they beat us so bad," whined the pinkette.

"Hey, don't feel bad, Hibari. The usual saying is if at first you don't succeed, just try, try again. Also, it's not about whether you win or lose, it's about how well you play the game. You and Yagyu did your best, despite everything you threw against your opponents," explained Sora.

"Yeah, Sora's right. I took it easy on the two of you," agreed Katsuragi.

But Yagyu sensed that although Sora was kind and considerate, she was still upset about not being able to gain victory.

"Hey, Sora. Thank you," she said.

"I'm gonna check in with Kiriya Sensei for a while. Also, make sure to bring it down a little, because Ikaruga is pretty focused on her reading right now," he replied.

"Can I go as well, Sora?" Hibari asked.

Sora wasn't sure want to think, but with a friendly nod from Asuka, he relented and allowed her to follow him.

"You know, I've never seen Sora act supportive around Hibari, despite how we won the game," she admitted.

"Oh yeah, you're right. But, on another related note, he does look handsome, even for a Keyblade Master. But, I'm kind of wondering if there's something that kind of connects you together. It's really making my head hurt just thinking about it," agreed the blonde.

"Oh, right. Let's just say that while Sora and I want to do our best, as well as stand above all others, regardless of what'll come next, it's because I love him. And yet, if the two of us do start having a moment where we have our disagreements, our bond will only grow stronger, rather than weaker, just like with all of you guys," explained Asuka.

Katsuragi jumped back in surprise. She had no idea that shinobi could ever feel something that seemed strange to her as love. But at the same time, she was happy for both of them.

"Alright, I understand. That's okay with me. When you guys are together, I'll try not to get in your way," she said to her friend.

"By the way. I just learned that he's never talked to us about his past at all. I think there's something that's bugging him. Something that's causing him pain," added Yagyu.

"I noticed it too, when he stood over Murasame, and told him that he lost the battle. He sensed conflict in his heart, but I had no idea that my brother would be overtaken by darkness, and if he did kill me, then Sora would be lost in a red haze of rage, hate, and vengeance. The longer we let ourselves be ruled by negativity, the stronger the darkness gets, until it either turns us into monsters, or worse destroys us completely," explained Ikaruga.

Everyone else nodded, until Sora and Hibari returned with Kiriya at their side. Katsuragi suddenly noticed something that looked like a lone island, causing them to look at it.

"I guess that's it," Ikaruga said.

"Yep, welcome to Shinobi Island, everyone," replied Kiriya.

"All hands, prepare to disembark when we make port," Sora called from above.

"Aye aye, Captain Sora!" Katsuragi remarked, making everyone laugh at them.

"Yeah, laugh it up," they said grumpily to their friends.

Moments later after stepping off the boat, they soon came to what looked like an ancient building that had seen better days. It was covered in thick moss all over.

"Wow, so this is where we're gonna be staying?" Asuka asked.

"Yes, it's quite an ancient building and a true historic landmark," replied her teacher.

But Katsuragi had her doubts, even though Ikaruga decided to reserve her judgment, as this place was to help them learn the ways of old, until Hibari dropped the bombshell about it being a haunted house, causing Yagyu to feel concerned, as some jokes would sometimes be funny, but others, not so much. Kiriya told them that this Ninja house was a place for training new ninjas since the Edo era of Japan, and that it took great pride to train here. Quickly Ikaruga apologized for the disrespect.

"Don't feel bad, Ikaruga. Ghosts or no ghosts, the spirits of previous ninjas who came and went before any of us are telling us to do our best, and it's our honor to acknowledge them. It's just like the people who often come to me when I ask for their counsel, because they live in my heart," Sora explained.

Then he turned to Kiriya.

"What's our task, sir?" he asked, seeing his teacher as a commander of the squad he was in.

"Ah, straight to business like Hanzo's old friend, Master Yen Sid, I see. Very well, I'll have some of the girls restore this place to its former glory, and you can begin your patrol of the island for any Heartless," he said.

Sora nodded towards him, and soon set off to patrol the island, as everyone else set to work cleaning off the roof, the porch, and the interior. It did seem difficult for the girls, but they knew that they had to restore it to its former glory, or it wouldn't be a place for them to stay for the night. Even though Katsuragi complained, when Hibari noticed something that was inscribed on one of the beams she was cleaning. As they continued the clean up process, Asuka wanted to know where Kiriya had gone, until Ikaruga noted that he and Yagyu had gone off to get some food they could eat for later, by heading to the ocean to fish. She was right on the mark, just as Sora arrived and saw what was going on. To his amazement, he saw a huge water cyclone rise up with a huge school of fish inside of it, sending them into a bucket.

"Good work, Yagyu," praised Sora.

"Thank you, Sora," Yagyu replied.

"Oh yeah, this is bad. At this rate, I'll be discredited as a teacher," murmured Kiriya.

"I don't think so, Sensei. I know that no matter what they choose to be, you'll always be proud of them, and they'll carry your teachings in their hearts while they walk their own paths. Teachers are what their students grow beyond. That's the burden of all masters. And it's a burden I carry with most of my apprentices," Sora said to him.

"I suppose you're right, Sora. I am proud of Yagyu due to her prodigious nature. And yet, I sense that you carry a strong burning fire of respect for those around you in your heart, thanks to the strong bonds you've forged with the other girls," replied Kiriya.

Nodding slowly, Sora decided to return to his patrol of the island, while Ikaruga, Asuka, and Katsuragi noticed that there were still some ingredients to make something to eat, but from above, Hibari saw that the inscription read "Hang in there. Super ninja or bust" on the beam, which made her confused. Later, Sora heard the blonde kunoichi kicking some trees with her feet, causing several logs to fall to the ground, and be used as firewood, and went to check on her.

"Hey, that's a big pile of logs you've managed to collect," he said.

"Oh, yeah, but I'm still hopeful about swimming in our swimsuits," she replied.

"I know what you mean. But, sometimes when I take things seriously, it leads me to putting work before my friends, and that I sometimes don't have any time for fun when I patrol the surrounding area around us. And I have three reasons as to why. 1: Since the day Ikaruga was beaten by that evil ninja, and when her own brother tried to steal her sword, Hien, it caused her to try and be more focused on our training as well as how she tried to give us a few pointers on how to improve ourselves. But at the same time, she wanted to try and avenge her defeat, by defeating that girl who said those horrible things to her. 2: I bet you anything that whatever her opponent did was to try and bring that information she got from us by returning it to what she considers to be her allies in whatever this Hebijo really is, that we're a bunch of weaklings, just so they can try to exploit our greatest weakness, which is to take away something that we hold near and dear to our hearts. I'm starting to think that she may have spies among their ranks to try and figure us all out so that they can dispose of us, one by one. And 3: If those evil ninjas did do those horrible things to any of you, and if they did succeed in getting you all killed, then my dark side, Vanitas, would ultimately break free. And once you all see him with your own eyes, then you'll all know the horrible truth and turn your backs on me, thus leaving me all alone," explained Sora.

He then gave a heavy sigh, which made Katsuragi look sympathetically at him.

"And I most certainly don't want to feel responsible for all the terrible things he'd do to you. Because I'm scared that when Asuka, Ikaruga, Yagyu, Hibari, Kiriya Sensei, and Master Hanzo realize the truth, you'll hate me forever. I just want you to understand that. Alright?" he finished.

But he was suddenly pulled into a comforting hug by the blonde kunoichi.

"Like Hibari said, Sora, nobody is ever truly alone. I'd probably be freaked out if I did see this Vanitas with my own eyes, but none of us would ever think of turning our backs on you. You're a great guy, who's positivity mirrors Asuka's, but you both give us strength to march forward so that we can kick the darkness' butt," she said.

Sora nodded happily as he returned the embrace. The feeling of his hands on her back suddenly made Katsuragi shudder a bit, but it made her feel at ease.

"Well, I didn't find any Heartless on the island, so I'm gonna head back to the others," he said.

Back in the ninja house, after bringing the firewood with them, Ikaruga stoked it as best she could, and Hibari began cleaning the bowls that had been covered in dust. Asuka then explained that she found wild leeks at the back of the house, which were about to go bad. It made the pinkette happy to hear that, but she wanted to ask Asuka about the message of the Super Ninja. This made Sora a bit curious, so he decided to follow after them.

"I'm guessing someone from one of the previous classes must've written it up there," she said.

"And I'm guessing that whoever wrote it in a place where no one would find it, must've been full of some serious motivation. It was probably their way of saying they'd work hard to stand above all others, and become a truly great legend like Hanzo did. Besides, that super ninja message is someone's way of saying they want to become the best of the best," added Sora.

Asuka and Hibari stood rooted to the spot, their eyes filled with awe. But they soon came back when Kiriya told them that they brought back the fish that Yagyu had caught, who was still happy that Sora praised her for a job well done. That night they all shared dinner, which Sora began munching down without any hesitation, but Hibari wanted to ask Kiriya about the message she found during clean up. This made him a bit suspicious, but he told her that it was a slang term or ultimate shinobi, just as Asuka's grandfather did. She began to understand that if the super ninjas did defeat those on the side of darkness, they'd do their best to make the world a better place, which he did agree on. After dinner, the girls were now having a pillow fight, save for Ikaruga who was reading, but Sora could tell that they were having fun. As the pillow fighting continued, Ikaruga was growing more and more irritated, until she tried to get them to stop, until one of the pillows landed in her face. She was about to strike back, just as Kiriya told them that enough was enough, and motioned for them to stand at attention.

"One more peep from this room, and none of you will be getting some breakfast. Understood?" he said quietly.

"Yes sir," everyone replied.

Thankfully, Ikaruga had to support his decision, making Katsuragi fall asleep at once.

"It's like Sora said, Yagyu and Hibari really are like sisters," admitted Asuka.

"Well they are in the same grade. I think it's great they get along so well," replied Ikaruga.

"That's right. Those two are the closest thing they have as a true family, but I can sense that Yagyu must be upset about something," agreed Sora.

"I know, but let's go and get some sleep," said the dark-haired kunoichi.

It turned out that Sora was right. Yagyu's sister, Nozomi had passed away some time ago, and she always saw traces of her in Hibari, even though they were different people. However, in the room upstairs, Kiriya was thinking back to a time when he had a pupil who would continue fighting to become the greatest ninja of all, thanks to what Hibari asked her. Memories of that student haunted him, even though he cared a great deal about his students. Sora on the other hand, was having a difficult time sleeping, as he tossed and turned in his bed. It did feel very much like his time with Team RWBYS back at Beacon Academy in the Kingdom of Vale on Remnant, but this was different. He slowly got up, got dressed, and walked out, leaving everyone behind, and decided to head out on patrol. This caused Asuka to wake up and follow after him, despite being in her night clothes. Once outside, Sora looked up at the sky, and saw all the stars above him.

"This place really does feel peaceful. It often reminds me of the Destiny Islands. But it's different from the place I call home," he said to himself, unaware of two other girls that were standing outside as he passed them.

"Hey, it's that Sora guy. Let's get him now, Hikage," Mirai hissed.

"No, leave him be for now. Let's wait until our moment to strike," the green haired girl called Hikage said.

Hikage had lightly colored skin, medium length green hair, and amber eyes in a furtive or feral glance, but was expressionless. Sometimes she'd extend her tongue when she was on the hunt, but she'd mostly keep it in her mouth. She wore a dingy torn up yellow and black striped shirt with snake pattern and black frill trim that was very short, stopping at the bustline, but managed to cover up one of her shoulders. She had a thin necklace around her neck black leather constricts going down her arms and legs containing knives, and a pair of bluejeans that had gashes and rips all over, with the zipper down, and belt unbuckled, with leather constricts below her knees, and a red snake pattern on her left thigh. She even had a couple of snake tattoos on the left most part of her person. Both she and Mirai watched as Asuka followed after Sora, but chose to keep quiet, rather than attack her unawares. Sitting just near the shoreline, Sora looked up at the night sky above, and noticed the shooting stars streaking by among the other stars. The sight was beautiful to him. He soon layed down on the sand, as the sound of the waves made him think of home.

"Now I understand how Ven felt when he saw those shooting stars," he said to himself.

He soon shut his eyes, thinking back to how his friend's heart had taken refuge within him all those years ago, before the big fight with Xehanort. He opened them again, as he still couldn't sleep easily, but he yawned and laid down, just as Asuka looked down at him.

"WHOA!" he cried, and turned to face her.

Asuka couldn't help but giggle.

"Gimme a break, Asuka," Sora said.

"Sora, you light sleeper. I knew you'd step out of the house to look at the stars," she replied.

"Yeah, I guess. Still, I kind of felt like clearing my head for a bit by looking at the stars. But I've learned that most of those stars are other worlds. They're all connected by one great big sky, with one destiny. That's something I believe," he explained.

"Yeah, it's kind of strange that there are other worlds out there, besides the one I live in," admitted Asuka.

She slowly rested her hand on Sora's, and took hold of it.

"A lot of people are made of light and darkness, which lingers in our hearts. The light shines down on us like a million lanterns. In a way, they're sort of like us. Even if it doesn't seem to make any sense to you, that's okay. Sometimes the answer we're seeking is always in our hearts, rather than right in front of us," he said.

He soon reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a star made out of seashells.

"I made this good luck charm for you. Sailors used to have these when they'd set off on adventure. Where I come from, there's a tree with star-shaped fruit… and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. That fruit is called paopu, and the legend states that when two or more people share one, they are part of each other's hearts forever, and nothing can ever tear them apart, ever. They'll always find their way back to each other. Normally they're made with seashells, but sometimes they can be made with other materials. Last of all, there's a powerful magic that binds everyone together: the Magic of Friendship, generated from Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, and Laughter. As long as you believe in those elements of harmony, a powerful magic is born. And sometimes, whenever people fall in love with each other, they're also bound by that same connection, like an unbreakable chain of light," explained Sora.

Asuka nodded, then without any hesitation, she and Sora shared a gentle kiss with each other.

"No matter what happens, Sora, we protect each other," she said.

Then without any sign of hesitation, she began to sing something that resonated with them.

(Hope your ready, because she's about to sing Tifa's Theme from Final Fantasy 7)

"Under the moonlight, into the dark night

I dream of you

Cause deep in my heart

I know one day you'll come shining through

And here I'm waiting

Under the starlight, thinking of you

I know that one day you'll come back to me

I believe in your promise

Under the moonlight, into the cold night

I see your tears

I feel your sadness and all your weakness

And all your fears

So here I'm crying

Under the starlight, still loving you.

Amidst of all I heard you calling

"I'll do everything to catch you if you're falling

Hold my hand and don't let go"

Through all the battles, through all the pains

Through all the good and bad, we'll fight together

I'll never leave you, no matter what

And don't you think, that nobody's beside you

I'm always here to love you

I would never leave you all alone

Take my hand!

Even if stars fall down I'm holding on to you

We'll live and together let us go into the promised land

If words can't tell you how much I love you

I hope you'll feel

Locked in my heart, my dreams and wishes

You made them real

It will be alright

I'll be your starlight, always with you

Wherever you will go I will follow

In the darkness I will help you find your way home

Under this starry sky"

After a bit of stargazing, they decided to return to the ninja house and sleep it off. The next day, everyone was now gathered on the beach, but they were to train hard, by order of Kiriya himself, who arrived by smoke bomb.

"Alright, everyone, today will begin by starting life or dash training," he said.

Asuka wanted to know what it was, and Sora did as well. Their answer was not what he expected, because he saw the girl's uniforms fade away in a whoosh of light, leaving nothing but their undergarments. Sora was a bit surprised at first, but he soon learned that life or dash meant throwing their entire being on the line. Kiriya asked Asuka, Yagyu, and Hibari to do the same, and they too entered the fray. Sora decided to do the same, because he too understood the meaning of laying everything on the line in this training. Looking determinedly into Ikaruga's eyes, he summoned his Keyblade as his eyes flashed crimson.

"May I have this dance, Milady?" he asked.

"Of course you can, good sir," she replied.

Sora lunged at her and swung a fierce blow, only to find Ikaruga had jumped clear, and landed behind him. Both combatants charged at each other and entered a bladelock, then jumped back. They charged again. Kingdom Key and Hien crashed against each other in a furious display of truths. Finally, Sora swung his Keyblade against her, but Ikaruga dodged out of the way, and swung a powerful two handed blow, which he quickly blocked. Forcing her back, Sora took a slow breath and relaxed himself.

"You're strong, Ikaruga. Stronger than I thought you'd be. But, I won't give up, or go back on my word," he stated.

The others were surprised to hear that even as they trained hard.

"Sora, I admire your conviction. I think I understand you a bit more. Your strength comes from the people you cherish. Therefore, I ask that we also be another form of power for you to wield. But, I've noticed how your eyes flashed bright crimson very briefly during our training match, like you've become stronger," Ikaruga observed.

"Oh, right. I had no idea I had this kind of power before, after my extremely close shave with death at the hands of Hyena R. Droid. I think it's because I wanted to protect someone I have an extremely powerful bond of friendship with, and her name is Usagi Tsukino. She's the reincarnation of a young princess who once lived on the moon of her own homeworld long ago, and become the Pretty Guardian of Love and Justice who represents that same moon, and is called Sailor Moon. And, she's very much like myself, Asuka, and another girl named Ruby Rose. Last of all, she's the main leader of all the Sailor Guardians who fight the darkness, has a strong bond with each and everyone one of them, and is the chosen Queen of Queens. It's thanks to her true mother, Queen Serenity, that I've become her brave and loyal knight," explained Sora.

"Hmm… You truly are unique, Sora. And no matter how strong you become, my friend, never forget the people around you," assured Kiriya.

By the time training was done, all the girls had now changed into their swimsuits, despite Katsuragi's perverted antics. Thankfully, Sora remained outside of the ninja house, keeping to himself for now, so that he wouldn't let his perverted thoughts get in the way of his overall goal of becoming stronger. As they played for a while, Kiriya soon began thinking back to how heard the familiar ring of a bell, when an arrow landed near him.

"What is it, Sensei?" he asked worriedly, when approached him.

Back in the house, Asuka was now stoking the fire, when Sora and Ikaruga asked if she'd seen Kiriya.

"It's no big deal. But, Ikaruga and I wanted to run something by him for a while," Sora assured her.

Kiriya stood on the cliff side holding the note that the mysterious person sent him, wondering who his precious student could be. Near a small brook, Hibari noticed the fish, but when she turned and thought that the person who approached her was Yagyu, the girl, Mirai gave a wicked smirk, causing her to cry out in shock, drawing the real Yagyu's attention. Elsewhere, Katsuragi was practicing her kickboxing, when the other girl, Hikage appeared, and kicked the log back at her, forcing her to jump out of the way, as it was embedded into the tree.

Where are you?" she asked warily.

"Up here. If you want me, then come and get me. Although it won't do you any good," Hikage stated from above, as she licked the knife in her hand.

Sora however, sensed that something was wrong, and without wasting a second, he quickly darted off, hoping to help someone who was in need of it.

"Yagyu, if you can hear me, go and help Hibari as best you can," he said quietly to himself.

He was right on the mark because Hibari was running as far and as fast as she could, until Mirai appeared in front of her.

"I never knew I'd meet a shinobi whose expertise was running away," she said wickedly.

Hibari saw that this girl was a ninja who was on the side of darkness, from the school that was called Hebijo Girl's Academy. She was about to strike at her, when Yagyu appeared, stopping her attack.

"Anybody who tries to mess with Hibari, will have to answer to me," she stated firmly.

Hibari was relieved, but Mirai decided to take both of them on, as Yagyu transformed before her in a brilliant flash of light. At the same time, Katsuragi stood before Hikage, as the two of them prepared for battle, just as Sora came to her side as she changed into her transformed state.

"Need a hand?" he asked worriedly.

"Sora, what are you doing here?" Katsuragi questioned in confusion.

"Sora, is it? Well, then I guess I'll be more than happy to take you both on," smirked Hikage.

The fight was on, as the two friends charged at the other kunoichi. Katsuragi attempted to strike at her with a couple of powerful kicks, but the green-haired antagonist struck back. Somehow the blonde's kicks had done little effect against her. But as they fought Kiriya looked around him, the sound of the bell still ringing in his ears, until he called out the image of the woman called Rin, who vanished. He realized now that he had been tricked, and sensed that the others were in grave danger. Yagyu carried HIbari to safety, even as the gunfire whooshed about him and grazed her garments, left and right. However, Mirai warned them not to underestimate her, which in turn unleashed a dark aura around her entire being. Both combatants resumed their battle, but Mirai decided that enough was enough, and assured her that they'd meet again in the future, as she whooshed away on a small fighter jet that appeared beneath her dress. Yagyu could sense that her new adversary was strong, but at the same time, Sora and Katsuragi fought furiously against Hikage who tried to bring them both down.

"You're even weaker than I thought," she quipped.

"You lie," countered Sora, and he lunged at her, in the hope that he could defeat her.

"Sora, no!" cried Katsuragi.

Hikage blocked the blow with her knife, but was surprised to see that he was stronger than she had realized, as she forced him back.

"Ah, of course. I should have realized that you're stronger thanks to your friends, Sora," she said observantly, and prepared to leave.

"Wait! At least tell us who you are, and why you know my name," he called to Hikage.

"Well, if you wish to know, I'm called Hikage. And I've learned much about you from Homura and Yomi, since we're from the same school. Luckily, though, she warned me not to underestimate your abilities, Keyblade Master," explained Hikage, and she darted away, just as Katsuragi decided to take things to the next level.

But it was too late. Their opponent was gone.

"Let it go, Katsu. It's best if we alert Kiriya about this tonight," Sora said.

Night came, and Asuka and Ikaruga began to feel very worried. They saw that they returned, just as Kiriya told them that they had been outwitted in their mind games. Moments later, they explained that they met two more girls who were part of the school that Hanzo had mentioned to him, as he told them about how evil ninja were trained in that clandestine place, in opposition to the school they were from.

"No way," Asuka and Sora said in shock.

"Whoa, you can't be serious," agreed Katsuragi.

"I had planned on throwing you in time here," Kiriya replied.

"I should have realized it sooner, after Ikaruga, Asuka and I met Yomi," hissed Sora, his expression dark and cold.

"And the puppet master too," added Hibari.

"I have no doubt that Hebijo is behind all of it," Kiriya told them.

"Funny thing is, the girl I fought, it seemed like she was testing me. It seemed like she wanted to see what I was made of. But even after she defeated me, Sora still fought against her, and agreed to tell us her name, which is Hikage," explained Katsuragi.

"That's right. But what about you, Yagyu?" added Sora.

"I got the same impression from the shinobi who attacked us," replied Yagyu.

"Whoever they are, and whatever they're planning, we'd better redouble our training so that we'll be better prepared for them," Sora said to them.

"Yes, Sora makes an extremely valid point about the situation. It really doesn't matter what their objective is. Just know that good ninjas must never yield to evil ninjas. Understood," agreed Kiriya.

"Yessir," the six friends replied.

But Sora was starting to grow sore about it, as he slowly walked off.

"Sora, where are you going?" Asuka asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Asuka. But I will let you and everyone else know this. The next time we meet those Hebijo students, We'll be more cautious around them, as well as defeat them without spilling blood. For now, you guys get some dinner ready. I'll be back after I take some time to myself," Sora answered them.

But as he left quietly, Kiriya wasn't sure why his enemies knew about Rin, as Asuka looked with concern in her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about Sora, Asuka. I'm just happy that he came to my aid to help me fight against that snake girl. But like he said, the next time we see them, we'll be careful around them," Katsuragi assured her.

"You're right, Katsu. I do love him, but at the same time, I'm worried that if something terrible happens to us, then this Vanitas will break free from within him, and make him responsible for our spilled blood," replied Asuka.

"Asuka, listen, it's okay to feel fear from time to time, but letting it overtake you is not the way of a true shinobi. And as he said before, it will always be our enemy, just like the darkness," Ikaruga said quietly.

Once on his own, Sora stood before the shoreline, as he looked at the stars once more.

"Everyone, I've met another girl who came from Hebijo Academy, but I require your counsel. My friends are being targeted by them, and it's making me feel uneasy," Sora said to the stars.

The spectral forms of Master Eraqus, Nehelenia, Galaxia, Queen Serenity, Prince Demande, and Saphir appeared before him, as they surrounded him.

"Even though I gave Yagyu the go ahead to help Hibari out against those who'd want to harm her, I feel like I should redouble my training with everyone, as well as focus my attention on the situation at hand," he explained to them.

"We understand your feelings, Sora, as well as your unwavering conviction to protect Asuka and her friends from them, but even you can't protect them forever, since they're also training hard to become stronger," assured Eraqus.

"Yes, Master Eraqus is right, Sora. You knew there was conflict in most of us in the Black Moon Clan, even when we were Wiseman's puppets. That proves that even those who are on the side of darkness will still have light burning inside their hearts, just like how you sensed it in the Specter Sisters' hearts, making you realize that they could be saved from that same darkness," agreed the former Prince of Nemesis.

"And just like how you sensed there was good in my heart, even though we'd barely gotten to know each other, before Wiseman killed me right in front of you," added his brother.

Nehelenia and Galaxia had to agree with them, as they nodded their understanding.

"I guess you guys are right. I know I have to be prepared for them, in our next encounter, but at the same time, I'm scared of what might happen to all of them. Especially Asuka. I don't know why, but I feel like any of those evil ninjas attempting to kill her will cause this unknown power to awaken again, or worse, release Vanitas," Sora said quietly.

"Feeling fear is a natural part of life, as long as you don't lose yourself to it, Sora. But sometimes, the best thing to do about it, is to face it, just as Asuka faced her fear of frogs, thus making her become better than what she was," assured the former queen of the Dead Moon Kingdom.

"Yes, and it's also allowed you to keep marching forth, so that you're able to face that fear and rise above it, no matter the difficulty. That's what's in your heart. You know that you can't let them down. We'll always believe in you," agreed Galaxia.

But as he looked up, he saw a woman wearing a teacher's uniform, with violet hair tied in a bun.