Chapter 10
Yin and Yang
The revelation of Rin still being alive, despite choosing to become an evil ninja was almost too much for him to bear, after she gave him the map that would lead him to Hebijo.
"There's no need to hide, everyone, so come on out," he said to his students.
One by one, Sora, Asuka, Ikarugai, Yagyu, and Katsuragi stepped out of the shadows.
"Even though we disobeyed a direct order from you, we're really sorry, Kiriya Sensei. But, I could sense that you were hurting over something. Also, do you know where Hebijo Academy is located, so that we can save Hibari?" Sora asked him.
"I do, thanks to this," replied Kiriya, and he showed them the map of that very school they would be heading to.
Sometime later, they all saw the X on the very spot, and saw that it was the location of Hebijo, where Hibari was at. Katsuragi saw that it was located in some sort of mountain site, but Kiriya explained that it was in an off limits cultural site. Everyone wanted to go and save their friend, but Kiriya was opposed to this, thanks to Ikaruga telling everyone that marching into enemy territory was a big risk. He told them that all ninja were to exist in the shadows, hidden from the public eye. Katsuragi had to object to this, mostly because of what happened before.
"We won't let Hibari succumb to darkness, or be transformed into a Heartless. That's not the way," Sora said to them.
Asuka had to agree, until her grandfather appeared explaining about Yin and Yang, and that one could not exist without the opposite. He decided that the time was coming for them to act and show Hebijo that nothing was absolute.
"Master Hanzo's right, everyone. And believe me, I get how Yagyu feels. I'm also worried about Hibari just as she is, because of what happened before. But she's family to us, and we never leave one of our own behind. And even though I told her that she didn't have to do this on her own, I was unable to stop her, because Master Eraqus told her that her decision was her own," Sora said.
He sighed quietly, making Asuka rest her hand on his shoulder.
"I know that she has to follow her own heart. But following our hearts is something that all of us can do. We can't let ourselves be overtaken by our own fears, doubts and negative emotions, just because someone's in trouble. Hibari's heart is calling out to us, because we're connected by an unbreakable chain of light, forged from the Magic of Friendship. So we're going to help her, for three reasons. 1: We won't let those evil ninjas turn her into a monster that we'll have to fight in a dangerous battle, just because she's inexperienced. 2: Even though we barely knew each other, Hibari was able to always brighten up our spirits, just like Asuka did when you all met her and Yagyu, and before you met me when Hanzo invited me to attend this school. And 3: I know I told you this before, but I knew that some of you were hurting like Yagyu, and I know that despite what happened, we'd always have each other's backs, no matter what. And after hearing that Rin was alive this entire time actually not only made our sensei relieved, but it hurt him to see that she's now walking the road of darkness. Except, I can sense a great deal of conflict within her heart, just like how I sensed conflict within some of the members of the Black Moon Clan, when I was visiting Sailor Moon's world with my friends. Therefore, once we set foot into Hebijo territory, there's no going back, regardless of the consequences we'll have to endure. But we're going, even though we'll instigate an all out war between the good and the bad ninjas," he explained.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Sora, everyone. But before you go, how would you all like to have a tasty snack?" Hanzo asked.
Then Kiriya stepped forward, and rested his hand on Sora's shoulder, after Asuka stepped back.
"Even though you apologized for disobeying orders, I can tell that you're not just honest, but kind, loyal, generous, and are always able to brighten up our spirits just like Asuka and Hibari. However, I'll let it slide just this once for all of you, so go and do what you need to prepare for the big mission," he said.
Sora nodded, then turned to the others.
"Ikaruga, will you allow me to be on my own for now?" he asked.
"Of course, Sora. We'll be waiting for your return, before our big mission soon," replied Ikaruga.
Once Sora stepped out, he stood alone in the darkened campus and looked up at the stars. He soon pulled out his gummi phone, and decided to contact someone who could trust him, no matter how bleak the situation.
"Hello," a voice said.
It was Weiss Schnee, former Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company from Atlas, now a Huntress and a Warrior of Light, just like all of his friends.
"Sora? Is that you, Darling?" Weiss asked worriedly.
"Weiss, I… when my home was destroyed, I was alone in another world. Donald and Goofy were the only friends I had when I searched for Riku, Kairi, and King Mickey. And now all of a sudden, I'm part of another family. What am I supposed to do with it?" Sora asked his beloved snow angel.
"You always know which path is right, and which is wrong. There's no need to doubt yourself," assured the Princess of Atlas.
Sora sighed quietly, then looked into the screen of his gummi phone.
"Thanks. I guess that's all I needed to hear from you. I'm sending you a map with the coordinates to Hebijo Academy, so that you can transmit it to Reeve of the RGRO in Radiant Garden. Once he's gathered enough forces to launch a coordinated strike at that school, we'll strike hard and fast, even if we have to suffer some casualties in war, like our friend Barret said. Once you've formulated your battle strategy, that's when you'll come to help us out, and round up as many students as you can. Also, before I go, tell everyone I said, may your hearts be your guiding key," he said with relief on his features, and clicked off his phone.
Taking a deep breath, Sora knew that this fight would be a difficult one, but he knew that he and his friends would save Hibari no matter what the cost. At the same time, Hibari was now crawling stealthily across the ceiling, being careful not to draw attention to herself. She saw that the security was light at most, and that the scroll was likely on the top floor. But on the way, she overheard an angry Dogen berating Rin for revealing the location of the academy, by giving Kiriya the map that would lead to them. However,Rin was still adamant in her belief that the chosen one was needed to inherit the scroll of light, but Dogen had his doubts. He knew that she had called the students of Hanzo Academy to their base, in a deadly clash with his elite students, resulting in a fierce battle to see who was worthy of the scrolls of light and darkness.
"Have you gone insane!? This is a secret facility! If our superiors ever found out…!" snapped the cruel headmaster.
"Let us not forget that you're the one who was so eager to succeed, you decided to act out on your own," argued Rin.
Dogen was aghast.
"You can either stay here and face the music, or you can run away and hide like the coward you really are, but whatever it is, leave me out of it!" she stated to him, and stormed away.
Enraged, Dogen ordered the guards to take Suzune prisoner, but Hibari knew that her friends were coming to the rescue. Meanwhile, everyone soon shared a drink in preparation for their big mission, with Kiriya saying that Ikaruga would lead the charge to save Hibari and recover the super secret ninja art scroll, and to return to Hanzo Academy alive and well.
"Remember, we're counting on your victory, everyone. So go out there and make us proud," Hanzo assured them.
"We'll do our best, Master Hanzo," replied Sora.
Then he turned to the others.
"Everyone, no matter what happens, don't you die on me," he said to them.
"We're not gonna die, Sora. Because you won't let us die," Asuka assured him.
The two shared a kiss, and soon, all four of the girls soon assumed their transformed state. Now was the time to strike, as they all surged towards Hebijo at high speed on their gliders, one by one. Before Asuka left, Hanzo wished her luck, which she gratefully accepted, and asked him to hold on to the scroll she held close to her heart, until she returned with the real deal. No longer bound by fear, Asuka followed after her friends, with Sora trailing behind her until they were side by side. But as they left, Daidoji warned Hanzo and Kiriya that the fight would be difficult, because of Rin.
"I suspect that she was acting on her own when she gave you Hebijo Academy's location. And if that's the case, when word gets out, she's sure to be punished. Which is why you planned to follow the girls. I may be old Kiriya, but you can't fool me," Hanzo said.
"I didn't think it was that obvious, sir," Kiriya replied.
"It wasn't, but it didn't take me long to put all the pieces together. Once I knew that Rin would be getting into this mess, I knew the two of you would end up getting involved," he explained.
"Then we've got nothing to hide from you," agreed the graduate.
Then she turned to Kiriya, and despite knowing that Kiriya had his reasons to worry about them, she discovered that the Hebijo Girls were being held captive by a dangerous new power that was unknown to them, which spelled trouble. At the same time, Haruka took Hibari to the training grounds, but sensed that she was thinking about something, as she explained about camouflage, as well as other types of techniques that proved effective, making her remember that Yagyu would always cheer for her. However she could see that it was difficult because of the severity of what would happen if they were detected. This made her question why the student's friends had failed, when Nuno wrapped her up in what looked like red strings and was absorbed by them, leaving nothing but bones.
"Friendship has no place in a school like this. There is only believing in oneself, and nothing else. Work hard, aim high, and all the power you've craved will be yours," Nuno said to her, and the others had to agree.
Soon Hibari was asked to follow Haruka down a secret passageway, despite her clumsy nature. At the same time, her friends had now reached what appeared to be the outskirts of Hebijo, as they were indeed coming to the rescue.
"Wait here, until the sun goes down," Ikaruga said to them.
"Roger that, Ikaruga. Also, the reason why I wanted to be on my own for a bit, is because I had to ask some friends of mine to help us out on this mission, even though Master Yen Sid approved it from Master Hanzo," replied Sora.
"What do you mean, Sora?" Katsuragi asked.
"I've got some other friends coming to help us out in what will become our final battle with Hebijo, and I'm really sorry for not letting you know sooner," Sora explained.
"Don't be. I know you have wonderful friends, Sora, as well as a loving family. Like you said, if your mother and father hadn't met, you wouldn't be who you are without them, that's a biological fact," assured Asuka.
"Asuka's right, Sora. We'd be honored to meet your friends during the final battle, and I know that Hibari would feel the same," agreed Yagyu.
Far out in the depths of the lanes between, a massive armada was formed with a flotilla of RGRO warships constructed of gummi blocks, and all other materials from other worlds. At the lead was the ark, helmed by Kenton Barks and his crew, Team KRYYSTAAL and the Specter Sisters, followed by a massive swarm of fighter craft, as they bobbed and weaved past the large ships.
"Admiral, we're in position, and all ships are accounted for," Kenton said.
"Proceed with the countdown," replied the admiral.
He then contacted the fleet.
"All units, assume your attack coordinates," he said.
"Are you really sure that we're prepared for this confrontation thanks to Sora's coordinates?" Koan asked.
"Don't worry, I know Sora's down there. He'll ensure that we'll win this battle," the dark hunter assured her.
"I hope you're right about that," quivered Berthier.
"Or this could be the shortest offensive of all time," sighed Akeno, as she and her teammates made sure everything was functional.
"Attention all vessels! Prepare to make the jump to hyperspace on my mark," Reeve said through the intercraft.
"Alright, stand by," Yohko replied, and nodded towards her leader.
The ark's engines whined, then they shot forward with all the fightercraft following it, then the rest of the fleet followed suit. Sometime after training, Hibari was with the elite students in the hot spring, but she had to recover the scroll, and quickly. She decided to ask about what they knew about Suzune, Homura, Yomi, Hikage, Mirai, and Haruka had their own answers as to why she had found them, despite how she heard Dogen order her to be taken captive and locked away. However, despite what was going on, Hibari could sense that these five were also like family, just as her friends were, even though they were on the side of darkness. She sensed something different about them. Night came, as Hibari continued in her own personal quest. Suddenly, she heard Homura talking to Dogen in a rather harsh tone. Quickly HIbari decided to pull out her seclusion drape, so that she wouldn't be detected by them, and listen well.
"Suzune sensei betrayed us?" Homura asked in shock.
Yomi was confused by the revelation.
"She leaked Hebijo's location to the Hanzo Academy shinobi," Dogen said to them.
Mirai was shocked by why that was the case, but Haruka sensed that her teacher was following in someone else's footsteps.
"She blindsided me. I knew Suzune had trained at Hanzo Academy, but I never doubted her loyalty until now," he explained.
Yomi was horrified by how the rumors were confirmed true. Homura saw that their teacher was indeed on the side of good before.
"Now that the Hanzo shinobi have found us, it won't be long before they launch a surprise attack. When they arrive, I want you to intercept them and wipe them out. Do I make myself clear?" Dogen said.
Homura and her comrades nodded once.
"It's imperative that you win this battle, ladies. Not just for the academy, but for the fate of all evil ninja. Failure will not be tolerated," he stated firmly.
"Never!" agreed Homura.
"That's the spirit, Homura. Such is the innate desire of a shinobi, but I don't want to take any chances. Therefore, I will be invoking the yoke technique immediately," smirked the headmaster.
Despite the risk, they had to agree, without questioning Dogen's decision on that matter, and soon began to head off. However, Hibari had heard everything, and she knew that trouble was coming, and had to warn her friends, only to be intercepted by Haruka. Hibari tried to explain what she was doing, but the dirty blonde could see through her lies, because she had sensed that the pinkett had heard everything. Binding her in her whip, Haruka refused to let her get involved, and the others had to agree that Hibari had ratted them out. Outside, there was a massive explosion, which meant that Sora and his friends were now on the attack, with Asuka and Yagyu taking an alternative route to reach the castle, while Ikaruga, Katsuragi, and Sora provided a distraction. In her prison cell, Hibari asked if Haruka would die for being defeated, due to the Yoke technique's deadly effects. It made her worried about them, when she learned that the conditions had changed, when she heard a sad fact, until she heard that Rin was also in the same cell as her. Outside Sora and his friends fought bravely, against the lower ranking guards and Heartless, while Sephiroth watched from above.
"It's time, Nuno. When they're at their weakest point, that's when you'll kill them. Show no weakness, my son," he said.
"Yes, Father," replied Nuno.
But Dogen soon received word of the attack, and although building the school was not only time consuming, it was also very expensive. But soon he would have everything he needed to erase all traces of light on that world, and that both his life and position were at stake. He had to use both scrolls to unite them into one scroll, so that everything would be in his possession. Below, everyone was not able to find the entrance to the castle, until they found out there was a hidden doorway that would lead inside. Yagyu could sense Hibari was alive, as she felt the tree that housed something within it. When she opened it, there was a crank system, and soon, a door opened before them. They soon raced inside the castle, hoping to recover what was lost, but Sora looked back, and sensed that his friends would indeed be coming to help them out, then he ran after them, hoping that they wouldn't be too late. Unfortunately, they were soon caught off guard by what appeared to be Yomi, who decided to challenge Ikaruga to a duel, with Sora agreeing to help her out.
