AN: Hey all, I'm really sorry this took so long. I know a lot of people thought I was dragging my heels on this, and I can't blame them because of my previous inability to keep a schedule. That's entirely my fault, so I take the blame for that. But I've been sick for a while now with a pretty bad flu, and I'm still not entirely over it. Better, but not free. Quick note, because they were entirely in bold in the original, I had to change soemthing so it was made clear when Shadows were speaking. Hopefully, it takes here.

Also, Vein Bloodborne, while you're somewhat correct in what I had planned, can you not read my mind? It's scaring me.

Edit 11/19/2020: I understand that, for whatever reason, the mobile version of the site is having format issues and is making words bold that never were. Trying to figure out how to navigate this problem to fix it. I'm aware of the issue, and I swear I'll do my best to rectify this situation.


As the group settled in again for the next segment of the story, Barkeep looked around the room, seemingly in thought. "Might be some room for more…" He mused under his breath. "Not sure though. Probably going to wait regardless, but still…" After a moment he shrugged. "Eh, whatever happens and all that. I'll decide later, maybe."

"Come ooonnn!" Futaba groaned from her seat. "I wanna see Akira fiiiiight!"

Barkeep chuckled as the others murmured their agreement. With a clap, the screen flickered to life and began again.


Chapter 3: Le Mat, L'Écureuil Heureux, L'Eon


"Uhh, might be me," Ryuji spoke up. "But I don't recognize those words. The hell do they mean?"

"It's French, numbskull." Morgana scolded. "Being more specific, the names of arcana."

"Arcana?" Ikaruga asked from her seat. "As in the arcana of the tarot?" She inquired further, looking massively intrigued.

"The very same, Lady Ikaruga." Morgana nodded with a smile while Ryuji grumbled. "'Le Mat' is 'The Fool' while 'L'Eon" is 'Aeon'. If you don't recognize that second one, it's because it comes from a different deck, the Thoth one, and it's not really that popular nowadays."

"And that other one?" Mirai asked, leaning forward excitedly. "It sounds really fancy, so it must be cool, right?"

"….." Mona remained silent before turning back to the screen. "Maybe we should save the conversation for now." He got out awkwardly. "Might be explained later."

"He's got a point." Makoto pointed out, casting a glance at Barkeep. Mirai pouted but let it go.

(4/11, Early Morning)

(Shujin Academy?)

This...was a very bad idea, straight from the get-go.

Homura groaned. "Oh it takes walking into a strange castle to suddenly realize that walking into a strange castle is a bad idea. We are geniuses." She commented sarcastically.

It was blatantly obvious that something was definitely wrong here and yet here they were walking towards the largest castle she has ever laid eyes on with the feeling that she should be as far away from this place as possible. And while it could be chalked up to the others being unused to supernatural events and such, the very air around her felt...off. Actually, everything about this castle just seemed off to her. Sure, it's not every day your school turns into a medieval castle overnight but this...wasn't normal. Not even by Shinobi standards. Whatever this place was, it was dangerous. Completely unknown. And very, very real.

This wasn't just some advanced Shinobi Kekkei...no...this was something much bigger than that. Much more powerful than that.

Akira perked up at that term. "Wait, I remember that term from the previous episode. What is a 'Shinobi Kekkei'?"

"It's basically a sealed space we shinobi use." Miyabi explained, drawing the attention of all the Thieves. "We use it to fight in public without exposing ourselves to non-shinobis and leave no evidence of our existence."

"So, secret dimension for ninja combat?" Futaba piped up.

Yumi blinked at that. "That is...a massively simplified and mostly correct summary, yes."

But Homura just steeled her nerves and kept up her confident stride. This wasn't her first time having the odds stacked against her during a mission. That was practically her entire life, so this should be nothing special. If there were actually any threats, she could easily eliminate them even without breaking out her swords. That's what Hebijo trained her for after all.

Whatever was in her path...she would cut it down without a second to hesitate.

Meanwhile, Asuka could sense an enormous amount of lust emitting from the castle itself. It almost overwhelmed her. She never felt such...evil from anywhere before, and she shouldn't. But she could easily tell that this place wasn't somewhere she wanted to be in, mission or not. Everything was telling her to be wary of the area. To escape as soon as trouble struck, no matter who got left behind. But that was against her very nature, the principles she prided herself on as a Good Shinobi. There were innocent people in the mix and she really couldn't stop them even if she tried.

"Huh." Ryuji tilted his head. "Starting to realize just how stupid we were back then. Wandering into a shady-ass castle like we were entering our own house and shit? Could have used an Asuka of our own back then." He commented, causing the mentioned girl to blush brightly with a happy smile on her face.

"Or a Homura." Ann added, making the tan-skinned girl grin bashfully while rubbing the back of her head. "Shit, any ninja would've been nice to have."

Plus, she was curious herself. Where did this castle come from? She considered maybe it was a Shinobi Kekkei but she has never seen one that made a castle appear and she would've felt herself entering the barrier in the first place. And there was no way this was a prank or a special event of any sort. She was going through everything she learned for the cause of a castle replacing Shujin Academy but there didn't seem to be an explanation that she could come up with.

"None that any normal person would believe, anyways." Morgana complained.

Maybe this was a breakthrough. A clue into the psychotic and mental breakdowns. Or maybe something different entirely they may have stumbled upon. Who knew? Asuka's top priority was to protect the civilians as they explored the castle, so her mission was more of a side objective for now. Something for her to investigate later.

Right now, all Asuka needed to do was stay vigilant and protect the innocent.

Ikaruga nodded, smiling proudly at Asuka. "Indeed, that is always the most important thing for us Good Shinobi."

Hibari bounced happily in her seat. "That's Asuka-chan for you! She's always wanting to protect everybody!"

After crossing the drawbridge and entering the castle grounds, they saw a large and elaborate door in front of them. "How are we going to get in?" Akira muttered before he walked up to the door and tried to push it open, despite the feeling that it would be pointless. However to their surprise, the door was a lot lighter than expected and he managed to create enough space for them to pass through into the castle. "Okay…" He then concluded.

Without another word, the four students went through the doors and continued making their way deeper into this strange world.

"In hindsight, that probably should have been our final clue to get the heck out of dodge." Akira admitted, dropping his face into his hands.


(Entrance Hall)

"Th-That's weird…" The vulgar boy muttered as they walked into the middle of the area.

It was...certainly grand, fit for a king, with marble flooring, chandeliers and candles to light up the place, with stairs leading to the upper levels of the castle and a painting with a golden frame, depicting an adult male with a rather bad-looking hairdo looking rather heroic. He seemed familiar but they all wrote it off as their imaginations. They did just see the front entrance for the school a second ago.

"Where's the school…?" The dyed blond soon asked as he looked around for any sign that Shujin Academy existed where he stood.

"A good question" Yumi spoke up. "Even if it said on the sign that it was Shujin Academy, I cannot believe that this is one and the same."

"I'm afraid that it is." Yusuke denied. "I recognize that alleyway that our on-screen counterparts exited from as the same one that was behind Akira when he was first brought to the school."

"You caught that, eh?" Katsuragi smirked. "Got the eyes of a shinobi there, pretty boy!"

Yusuke shook his head. "Merely an artist, actually. And to be one requires a keen eye for certain details that others might miss."

"Are you sure we didn't take a wrong turn?" Akira questioned. They did just go through a rather shady shortcut to get here.

"N-No! This has to be it!" The vulgar boy replied before the confidence in his tone faltered. "I mean, it… should be…" He soon stammered out in confusion.

"Maybe we got lost along the way. Maybe if we go back the way we came, we can find the school." Asuka suggested as the vulgar boy took out his phone from his pocket to look up a map to see if they did get lost somehow.

"Out of service? No Wi-Fi!?" The vulgar boy exclaimed in shock. "Where'd we end up…?" He once more asked.

"Okay, just putting it out there about checking the phone." Mirai started, raising her hand. "….that's the first thing I'd have done too. I have no shame, even if it was stupid."

"It said Shuijin Academy at the front right?" Homura asked, getting nods from everyone else in response. "And I definitely recognized parts of the area on our way here. I highly doubt we're lost. This place should be where Shujin should be." She confirmed.

"But if this should be the school, where did we-" Akira started to speak, only to be interrupted by the clanking of metal. They all turned towards the source and saw a large man(?) in knight armour with a blue mask over its face, holding a chipped sword and battered shield approaching them. Shivers ran down their spines as it drew closer to them, though they couldn't tell why.

Haruka tilted her head, confusion all over her face. "A strange castle, loss of service on phones, and a knight in dilapidated armor with a damaged sword and mask. I'm sorry, but at what point did your school return to medieval ages?"

"When they walked through the entrance, maybe?" Hikage got out.

"I'm more curious why nobody is really drawing attention to the KNIGHT WITH A VERY REAL SWORD!" Homura stated before raising her voice towards the end.

"Geez!" The vulgar boy called out. "You freaked me out...Who're you? You a student?" He asked as he approached the Knight. "Man, your costume's impressive! Is that arm-" He started to ask, however…

"SHINOBI TENSHIN!"

CRASH!

"Ah, there it is." Akira noted simply. "There's the attention drawn."

Katsuragi let out a low whistle, a little surprised at what she saw. "Gotta say, didn't see that coming from you of all people, Asuka-chan."

Everything seemed to play in slow motion as Homura's brain processed what had just happened.

The black haired boy just stared in shock, the vulgar boy looked like he just shit his pants and the tan skinned girl's eyes widened as they saw Asuka drop-kick the knight in the mask at blinding speed, something the Shinobi of Hebijo wouldn't have picked up if she was normal.

A speed only reached by other shinobi.

Asuka was no longer in her Shujin uniform anymore. She had a different uniform composed of a yellow vest over a white shirt, and a green plaid skirt to match her tie. Paired with it are black thigh high socks with brown loafers, and on each arm is a guard with bandages beneath them. On her waist are straps to hold two wakizashi sheaths, with the blades in each of her hands. The only thing Homura recognized was Asuka's red scarf around her neck.

"Oh hey, you're wearing it now!" Ryuji called out. "Kick-ass! That like your trademark or somethin'?"

"U-uh…" Asuka got out, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "It's a gift, a sort of lucky charm, I guess? My dad gave it to me when I was younger, and I've worn it ever since."

Ann chuckled at that admission. "That's so sweet! I wish I had something like that for myself!"

"I'm personally more impressed with that drop-kick." Makoto praised approvingly. "That was a rather small distance, and most people require a bit more in order to do a proper attack like that. But you did it perfectly."

"Agreed." Sae backed up. "Beautiful form and execution."

"Ehehehe!" Asuka giggled, smiling happily while swinging her legs.

In real time it was half a second, but it felt like an eternity as the cogs in Homura's brain turned to realise something.

The knight was holding a real sword...and Asuka was no mere civilian.

"...Asuka-san?" Homura managed to say quietly before time resumed as normal.

"HA!" Asuka shouted as she landed on her feet as the Knight was knocked away. Her feet stung but not by the actual landing, but the impact of her feet meeting its face. It was understandable, considering it was wearing armor but she thought she would make more of a dent. The mask didn't even shatter.

"Wait, w-what?" Miyabi stuttered. "How does that work? That was dead center in the face. Even if she wore basic sneakers, there should be at least a crack or two."

"That's basically the Metaverse for ya." Futaba explained, pushing her glasses up a little. "Those things are beyond the limits of basic human capability, and are a pain in the butt to hurt like that. To be totally clear, the fact that she was able to make it stumble at all is beyond what any of us were able to do at first."

"Maybe it's because she focuses more on her swords?" Katsuragi thought out loud. "I mean, Asuka's strong and all, but bein' able to do a kick is different than actually knowing how to kick, like I do."

"Regardless of that fact, it was still a strike to the face that only stumbled a man wearing heavy armor and what appears to be an iron mask, or even steel." Yumi pointed out, a worried look upon her face. "And yet there wasn't a single sound of discomfort, let alone pain from him. She put all of her strength into that attack, he should at least have a broken nose. Yet nothing."

"WHAT THE EFFIN' HELL!?" The vulgar boy screamed out. Before he could question the girl's actions, or anything else for that matter, another knight similar to the one she just kicked in the face arrived onto the scene. "W-What's going on!?" He exclaimed in confusion.

"Everyone, run! Get yourselves somewhere safe!" Asuka quickly ordered as she raised her blades. "I knew this place was bad. I'll hold them off while you guys escape!" She then declared.

"Holy shit, this shit's real isn't it!?" the vulgar boy exclaimed as he saw more of those guys in armor came into the area.

"…Um, Ryuji-san?" Yomi spoke, deadpan. "You weren't very bright back then, were you?"

"O-oi!" Ryuji yelped as the rest of the viewers laughed. "It ain't like I deal with strange shit like that enough to keep my cool, y'know?!"

"Looks like it." Akira replied, strangely calm about the situation, before shifting into a defensive stance as the knights closed in on them.

"….not a damn word." Ryuji growled while everyone laughed even more.

"On the one hand, nice to see you're not freaking out like your friend, there." Sojiro mused. "On the other, it's kinda freaky how you're barely reacting like that, kid."

"Cowardice, bravery." Akira waved off. "Honestly, back then I think I was still caught off guard by the whole situation.

"C-Calm down! Time out, man!" The vulgar boy tried to reason, but to no avail.

"There are too many enemies here…" Asuka whispered to herself as she grimaced. She never fought a heavily armored enemy before, and seeing more and more coming made her doubt her own chances of survival. But the civilians come first; her own safety was only on her mind so she could fight them off longer. "Why are you still here? If you can't fight, run!" She called out once more.

"What!? No way! We're not leaving you behind!" The vulgar boy called back.

"I must say, I find myself greatly impressed at your dedication to stand your ground." Yusuke admired. "Despite being terrified, you do not allow it to constrict your desire to stay by the side of others who're trying to defend you."

"Not sure I much like that mindset towards your own safety though, Asuka-chan." Sojiro mused. "It makes sense, sure, but it also kind of seems like you resigned yourself to not surviving beyond that moment."

Asuka could only shrug. "Maybe, but that's how we were all taught. Shinobi may fight and kill each other, but we're always going to put the lives of civilians above our own safety."

"I'm beginning to think the title of 'Evil Shinobi' is a bit misleading." Haru admitted, frowning. "If they were truly 'evil', then they wouldn't be putting up areas where they can fight without causing collateral damage or ending the lives of innocents. That doesn't really seem 'evil' to me."

"It's a bit more like 'we don't want to be interrupted'," Yomi explained. "But in essence, you're pretty much correct. Though after we aid civilians we usually have to have their mind cleared of our existence, either doing it ourselves…"

"Or sending somebody else to do so, in the event that our life is lost." Yagyū finished softly. "Regardless, both sides do their best to preserve innocent life."

"It's not like we have much of a choice." Akira pointed out as he grabbed the blond's shoulder, who could only nod, knowing it was for their survival. Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Before he could see who it was, a knife was placed in his hand. "Huh? Is this…" He started as he looked at the weapon.

"What the… Why do you have an effin' knife on you!?" The vulgar boy shouted out at the tan skinned girl.

Sae blinked several times. "Thinking on it, that's not a bad question."

Akira raised an eyebrow at her. "Do...do you not?" He asked. At her shocked look, the other eyebrow rose. "Yes, I do. You know why." After a moment, Sae nodded, conceding his statement.

"Does it really matter right now?" Homura asked rhetorically. "I'm gonna stay behind. You two head for the exit. Don't be afraid to use this." She then ordered as the black haired boy tightened his grip on the weapon before looking back at her. "What the hell are you guys waiting for? Go!" She soon demanded in a serious manner.

"Yeah, we better not mess around any longer." The vulgar boy stated.

Akira meanwhile hesitated before putting the knife in his blazer and started running for the exit, but they both stopped. They didn't have the heart to leave them alone to fight off the guards.

"Homura-san! We're-shit…" Akira cursed as he and the vulgar boy backed away from the knights blocking the exit. "Outta luck here…" He concluded.

"Homura-chan!" Asuka yelled out, causing the girl to turn around, just in time to see that one of them was about to cave in the back of her skull with its shield. "NO!" She got out.

"Oh, this is gonna be good~!" Futaba cackled, rubbing her hands and grinning madly. "Epic bad-ass moment is GO!"

"Heh. Shinobi...Tenshin!"

And before Asuka could react and defend her roommate...her roommate defended herself by countering and slashing the knight in the face with her left arm, three scratch marks upon its helmet and mask.

As Asuka processed what her roommate had just done, she noticed her roommate was in a completely different uniform wielding six katanas between her fingers and a nodachi on her back. Asuka realized it only meant one thing.

Homura was just like her; a shinobi.

"Six katana?!" Futaba gushed, a manic gleam in her eyes. "SO! COOL!"

"That seems rather difficult to perform." Makoto noted. "Holding six of them like that isn't awkward for you?"

"Not really." Homura confirmed, holding up one of the six. "I customized them right below the guard to be narrow and rounded for my fingers to hold, while the rest of the grip is thinner so I can clench my hands better to keep them from bouncing out of my hands every time I cut a bitch."

"Language!" Yumi scolded.

"...Homura...chan?" Asuka managed to get out before the tan skinned girl forced the knight away before slashing it again with her right arm, her limbs moving faster than the human eye could see. It fazed the Knight as much as she liked to but it was good enough.

"So, a drop-kick did about jack-all, and the swords did pretty much the same?" Sojiro gawked. "Are you kidding me? The hell are those things made of, kid? That's just nuts!"

"Welcome~ to my world~!" Akira sang sarcastically. "Made some of our later jobs really complicated, believe me. But get this. There were times where we wished we were fighting these guys again."

Morgana groaned as he dropped his head down. "And they're still sealed, that's the worst part!"

That statement caused all of the shinobi's heads to swing in his direction. "Se-sealed?" Hibari whimpered wide-eyed.

"You mean those things are holding back?!" Katsuragi gulped, paling.

"Let's be honest here." Barkeep spoke up. "The Shadows are a bit like shinobi in that way. You all don't normally start off going full out, right? Same with them. Before you all activate that Shinobi Tenshin- like what Asuka did just there- you all normally start off in your base clothes. The Shadows do the same thing. They have a base form, in this case the Knights you see on screen. You'll see their true forms in a bit, so just hold tight." The group nodded to that, though the girls were now worried. If the base forms of these 'Shadows' could take the attacks of a shinobi using their Shinobi Tenshin.

"Wh… Who are you people?" The vulgar boy wondered out loud, staring at the well-endowed girls he only met about ten minutes ago while the other boy stared at them as well.

The girls meanwhile only looked at each other, knowing that things were about to get really complicated really fast.

"Shinobi!" The two girls answered in unison before dashing in front of the boys to protect them.

They doubted their weapons alone could kill these guys, they needed to bring out their more advanced Ninja Arts if they wanted to get out of the castle.

"Got any ideas?" Homura quickly asked as she readied herself.

"Just one." Asuka replied as her swords became coated in a green light while the two boys decided it would be best for their safety to duck down. "I'll show you a dance cloaked in shadows! Hanzō-Style: Full bloom!" She shouted out, her voice echoing around the area as she went ahead charging towards the Knights without fear and unleashing a barrage of slashes upon her enemies before slamming her swords down, causing the perfect marble floor in front of her to rise up, causing a few Knights to get sent flying.

This time it was the Phantom Thieves' turn to blink in shock. "'kay." Ryuji finally got out. "I gotta admit: that was badass."

"You're telling me." Ann murmured. "A brag followed up by some kind of...super move? That was damn impressive."

Futaba was practically vibrating in her seat, stars in her eyes. "A real life Berserker Barrage followed up by a large AOE attack! So cool!"

"If that's the plan…" Homura muttered before going into a low stance. "Then I won't hold back as well. I sacrifice myself to the will of our dance! Sound of the Wind!" Homura called out as she spun around as fast as she could, her katana extending outward as Knights were beginning to get sucked into the mini-tornado she created. "Now get the Hell away!" She roared before releasing an explosion of energy, forcing the Knights away to give them breathing room.

"Meanwhile, Homura just spins around like some 'Top of Death' and ends with...an explosive Jojo pose?" Akira observed and then questioned.

"Draw 'em in, chew 'em up and toss what remains to the winds." Homura smugly stated. "Simple but effective, especially against trash mobs."

"What the hell is going on?" The vulgar boy wondered out loud, pretty obviously done for the day and wanting to go home. "Did they do it?" He soon asked.

"It looks like it…" Akira replied as they both stood up.

"Is everyone alright?" Asuka asked while panting slightly from exhaustion.

Homura meanwhile was a little dizzy from her attack but recovered pretty quickly.

"You know, I'm kinda pissed." Ryuji complained, crossing his arms. "We all needed to spend our time actually fighin' Shadows to kill them and shit, and they just gotta pull out one big move and BAM! Dead Shadows. I mean, how bullshit is that?"

"Maybe they're just better at killing Shadows than you?" Morgana snarked. "Wouldn't surprise me, really."

"Oi, shut up you stupid cat!" Ryuji snapped.

"Ryuji-san!" Yumi gasped, looking appalled. "That's no way to speak to-!"

"What's that, you moron?! You wanna go?!"

As the bickering duo continued, Akira just threw a sympathetic yet resigned look at Yumi who was sitting with her mouth open to continue her scolding. "Don't worry about it. They're always like this. And yes: you do learn to tune them out."

"I think so." The vulgar boy said after checking himself for injuries. "Okay, we better hurry bef-GAH!" The blond started but then cried out in pain as a Knight shoved him onto the ground with its shield. "Just what in the Hell…" He soon struggled out.

"Hey!" Akira called out before he was almost instantly knocked out by another Knight.

"What the-AH!" Homura shouted out as she was grabbed from behind, her arms painfully pulled behind her back, causing her to drop her weapons, and lifted off the ground. She looked around and saw that the guards had quickly recovered from her and her roommate's attacks. Even their armor was blemish-free and even the ones she and the other girl attacked beforehand no longer had any signs of damage on them.

"Oh come on!" Miyabi shouted. "That's bull crap! They were carved up like paper, how're they still standing?!"

"High-speed regeneration?" Haruka hypothesized. "I didn't see any of the wounded ones be approached by their comrades, so they didn't heal each other."

"I don't think that's quite it." Ikaruga shot down. "Their armor was damaged before, but now they're completely clean. Is there something we're missing?"

"Heh!" Ryuji snorted, looking smug. "Okay, now I feel better. This crap should be left to the pros!"

"Let go of me!" Asuka called out after a knight managed to capture her as well while she tried to break free. "Why didn't our Ninja Arts affect them!? ARGH!" She thought in confusion and panic before she cried out in pain as the flat part of a sword went across her right cheek.

Before Homura could even react, the pommel of another sword dug into her stomach. Despite her unnatural endurance, the strike caused her to hack up some blood.

Homura winced as she watched her counterpart take such a fierce blow. "Oof! Gonna be wizzing red after that one."

"Homura-chan!" Asuka called out once more.

"A-Asuka-san!" Homura called back.

RIP! TEAR!

The two then suddenly disintegrated their clothes, hoping Frantic Mode would give them enough strength to break out of their cators' arms and run.

The stunned silence returned, though it was tinged by many other emotions this time. While the shinobi were more anxious, hoping that this would be enough to help them escape. On the other side of the room, however…

"WHAT THE HELL!" Ann shouted, her face turning neon before she covered it. "Did your clothes just vanish?!"

"The hell is stripping gonna do here?!" Ryuji got out, though unlike his fellow blond he made no efforts to hide his staring. Sojiro and Akira had both covered Futaba's eyes (much to her annoyance) while averting their own gazes and doing their best to avoid giving into the urge to sneak glances.

Makoto just blinked repeatedly, progressively getting faster as if that alone would be enough to make her blush calm down while Sae just cast a baleful glare at the girls opposite her and their counterparts on screen for being so...well-bodied.

"Oh my." Haru giggled, a small blush on her face. "I think we can all safely agree that none of us saw that coming."

However, it wasn't enough. The two just kept struggling against their captors, fruitlessly kept trying to break out.

Their rewards were only a metal fist to their faces and the blissful peace of unconsciousness.

"And they never saw that." Akira muttered, getting some semblance of control back over his blush.


(4/11, Morning)

(Shujin Academy?)

H…

...ey…

...damn it…

"Wake up!" A voice managed to rouse Asuka from her forced nap. Slowly opening her eyes, she tried to recover from the massive headache a Knight kindly gave her and tried to refocus her eyes. After a few more seconds, her vision went back to normal and the first thing she saw was the vulgar boy's face. "Shit, those bastards...those assholes really messed you two up…" The blond boy got out.

Asuka could barely form a sentence, her mind still pretty foggy from earlier. She tried to move her arms to feel for injuries...only to hear the sound of chains instead.

"What the…?" It took a few more seconds but now Asuka knew what the situation was. She realized she was chained up to a wall, every limb becoming immobilized while she also tasted copper, which only meant that knockout punch split her lips and soreness of her right cheek made her guess correctly that it was badly bruised.

The Good Shinobi quickly looked down and let out a sigh of relief, seeing that she was now dressed in her Shujin uniform. She tried to escape her chains, she felt so weak that she couldn't even muster up the energy to transform. Next, she realized she was in a dungeon cell. It was dark and grimy. Even with clothes on her back, she could feel the slime on the walls.

"Well, at least you've got your clothes back." Makoto noticed. "So that's...something, at least."

"I'm still trying to figure out what even happened there." Akira admitted. "It looked like some kind of 'ace up the sleeve' technique, but I'm not sure."

"And they strung you up like a damn ornament." Katsuragi growled. "I mean, you're one of the sexiest people I know, but this just seems in bad taste."

Ikaruga stared at her friend while Asuka buried her face in her hands again. "How is that the most flattering and yet most tasteless comment I've ever heard?"

Asuka then looked around and saw the glasses wearing boy on a bed, though it was really just a hard piece of wood covered by a thin cloth, and he didn't seem to be conscious. She then turned her head and saw her roommate across from her, also chained up in the same fashion as her, unconscious with a black left eye and a little blood running out of her mouth and off her chin. "h-How… ugh… how long was I out for…?" She soon asked before wincing in pain.

"Felt like an hour or so. Could be wrong." The vulgar boy answered, before checking his phone. "Just woke up and my phone's clock's been screwed up for a while. Here, let me help." Before Asuka could respond, a water bottle was placed on her lips and tipped forward. Now realizing how thirsty she was, she dranks as much as she could before pulling away before she had drunk the whole bottle.

"You carry water bottles with you?" Yomi asked the scruffy blond. "I would have guessed soda or something else unhealthy."

Ryuji just snorted. "I drink soda, but only when I'm at home or with friends." He admitted. But for school and shit, I drink water a lot. Gotta say, back then I wasn't exactly the model for a healthy lifestyle, but old habits are hard to break, ya know?"

"Old...habits?" Hibari asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Why would that be an old habit?"

Ryuji heaved a sigh, looking somewhat down. "It's…ya'know what, forget it. Got a feelin' it'll come up later."

Hibari looked like she wanted to push further, but a hand from Yagyū on her shoulder got her to quiet down and accept the request.

"Thank you." Asuka got out as the vulgar boy threw away the empty bottle into a corner before pulling out another one. "I needed that uh… sorry, I forgot to ask you for your name." She admitted.

"Ryuji." The blond delinquent answered without a thought. "Ryuji Sakamoto." He introduced.

"I'm Asuka Shirokage." Asuka replied. "Thanks for the water, Ryuji-kun." She then added.

"You're welcome. I'm gonna go wake up the others now. Try to… uh… relax." Ryuji said before going over to the other girl, using a little of the water in the second bottle to clean up her face.

"Not...much else she can do, kid." Sojiro pointed out.

"Well, the hell would you have told her?" Ryuji pointed out indignantly. "Doing my best, here!"

"I mean…" Ann spoke up, twirling her hair in between her fingers. "There really wasn't anything else he could have said, that I can think of at least."

After the tan skinned girl was conscious again and started struggling, Ryuji went over to the black haired boy to wake him up. It took a little more effort, but before long everyone in the prison cell was awake and itching to get out.

"You all right?" Ryuji asked as the other boy sat up from the makeshift bed.

"I'll live. How's you and the girls?" Akira replied, spotting the girls chained to the wall.

"Sore." Asuka groaned. "But fine otherwise." She then added as she moved her jaw, only to wince in pain.

"We are not fine, tits-for-brains! We're frickin' chained up like dogs!" Homura snapped in anger as she struggled against her bindings. "Argh! Why can't I break out of these!? What are these made out of!?" She struggled out as she tried to break free.

"...is anybody going to point out that her breasts are just as big?" Haru awkwardly asked. "Anybody?"

"I'm a bit too respectful to do something as crass as that." Sojiro deadpanned, Akira and Yusuke nodding in agreement.

"And Ryuji seems a bit more focused on trying to keep calm in this situation." Miyabi followed up. "So no, nobody is going to point out that Homura's breasts are just as-"

"OKAY! I get it already!" A blushing Homura finally snapped in agitation.

"Aw… Homura-chan… that's mean…" Asuka whined out before looking awkward. "...We're gonna talk about this at home, aren't we?" She then guessed.

"If we make it home, Jugs." Homura instantly responded with a sigh before giving up her struggles.

"Doesn't she…" Akira thought in confusion before shaking his head. Now was not the time to look at boobs.

"Blasphemy!" Katsuragi declared, a gleam in her eyes. "It is always the perfect time to look at boobs! Ack!"

"Please. Calm. Down." Ikaruga hissed through clenched teeth, removing her hand from the blonde's head where she had chopped it.

The blond meanwhile blinked as he looked at the two girls. "That is not what I expected ninjas to be…" Ryuji admitted.

"Hidden in plain sight." Akira muttered. "Makes sense though." He calmly added.

"I thought they only existed in anime until today." Ryuji groined out. "But this place...this entire thing ain't no dream, is it? He soon asked.

"My face agrees with you." Homura mumbled to herself before wincing in pain. "And I think also my ribs." She then added.

"Just what the hell is goin' on!? Ryuji grumbled, pacing around the cell before running up to the cell bars. "Hey, let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!" He yelled out as he continued to shake the cell's bars before pushing off it in frustration. "Dammit, where are we!? Is this some kinda TV set…!? Are we on some stupid fucking reality show!?" He got out in confusion.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Suddenly, they heard someone let out a horrible scream of pain not too far from them.

"That…sounded far too real for something on TV." Hikage noted, her eyes wide.

"I-it didn't sound l-like any of the screams from w-when we trained at Hebijo, e-either." Mirai stammered in fear.

"No." Haruka said, her face stern and voice steady. "That was too long of a scream for it to have been that. And with the amount of pain that was in it…"

"That was straight up torture." Homura finished morbidly. "Really severe torture too."

"The kind that's only done to exude power and fear in the victim." Miyabi added on after swallowing heavily.

"My God…" Sae gasped, appalled at what she was witnessing. "It was this bad back then?"

"I mean…" Akira started, looking away.

"Like, this is still near the start, so…?" Ryuji continued, unsure how to answer.

"To think that whoever rules this castle could do something so horrendous." Yumi whispered, distraught by what she was seeing.

"Sister, you have no idea!" Ann spoke, her voice colder than stone.

The two boys immediately ran up to the bars to see what was happening. "Th-The hell was that just now…?" The dyed blond soon asked in fear.

"I-I-I don't t-think you can fake a sc-scream like that." Asuka got out; her eyes widened in absolute horror as the tortured man begged before screaming in more pain. "We-Where are we…?" She asked once more.

"I would like to confirm to everyone that this is all real." Homura spoke up as the boys stepped back from the bars. "And if that guy's screams are any indicator, death is the least of our worries." She then added.

"Whoa...whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…" Ryuji got out in a panicked tone. "You're shittin' me, right…?" He soon muttered.

"Ju-Just find a way out!" Asuka called out. "Don't worry about us; just get out of this place. We'll find a way out on our own." She concluded.

"Eff that! You're gonna die down here!" Ryuji said. "C'mon, dude, let's see if someone before us left behind a lockpick or somethin'." He then said.

Akira in turn nodded before they began searching the cell, checking inside barrels, underneath the bed and in the dark corners of the cell.

"Thinking on it, even if we had found a lockpick or something, chances are we wouldn't have really been able to do anything." Akira admitted.

"Yeah," Ryuji reluctantly agreed after a moment. "Much as I hate to say it, that stupid cat is the whole reason we even managed to start becoming as good as we got."

"Nye-hehe!" Morgana chortled. "Guess now you understand just how great I can be?"

"He's still an arrogant ass, though." Ryuji continued.

"Oh for sure."

"Hey! Akira!" Morgana whined as they all laughed.

"Even if we did get out of these chains, there's not much we can do to help you guys." Asuka admitted before wincing in pain.

"You're goddamn ninjas!" Ryuji called out. "Some type of help is better than nothing!" He then added.

"And we have nothing." Akira announced. "There is nothing here we can use." Suddenly, they heard a lot of footsteps, of metal boots walking on stone floors. And they were coming closer to their cell. Fast.

"Huh? You guys hear that?" Ryuji asked.

"I think those are guards." Asuka guessed.

"Maybe they have keys on them." Homura assumed. "Do you two know how to pickpocket?" She then asked.

Both boys however shook their heads.

"Again, doubt it would have helped. Considering the whole lockpicks' thing and all." Ann reminded.

"Still would have been something though, gotta admit that." Mirai pointed out, with Ann conceding that point.

Homura in response to that groaned in annoyance. "Damn it… um…" She got out as she tried to think of something.

"We'll figure something out later. Let's just see what these guys are up to." Akira suggested.

Having no other option, Akira and Ryuji went up to the bars just as guards approached their line of sight.

"Be glad that your punishment has been decided on." One of the knights said, its voice twisted and distorted. It sounded too natural to be a simple voice changer. Whatever these guards were… they weren't human. "Your charge is 'unlawful entry'. Thus, the men will be sentenced to death...and the women will become concubines for his Majesty, with disloyalty and/or disobedience being punished by death." He then stated.

"Okay, I'm sorry, THE FUCK?!" Katsuragi roared, her eyes burning in rage.

"Akira and Ryuji get executed… and Homura-san and Asuka-san get made into whores?!" Miyabi snarled in disgust.

Sojiro looked as if somebody had just done something to personally offend him, Akira only ever having seen something close to this look once. No, wait, twice, he forgot about Futaba's uncle…

Sae also had a nasty look on her face, but was more worried for how Asuka and Homura were doing. The Hanzo girl was pale and shaking, being held in Ikaruga's embrace while trying to comfort her. Hibari looked distraught about such a fate being given to her friend, with Yagyū seeming unsure about who to offer her comfort to and Katsuragi looked ready to bite somebody's throat out.

Homura, meanwhile, was being hugged by Mirai and Yomi, both of whom looked fiercely protective of their commander. Haruka's face was set into a dark scowl, her fingers twitching as if pulling at something, while Hikage's eyes had narrowed and seemed to be almost glowing. Yomi's face had gone blank while her stare seemed colder than ice, and Miyabi's gaze seemed to burn with a rage hotter than Hell.

'And to think,' Barkeep mused as he watched them all with pity. 'This was the easy part to deal with.'

"SAY WHAT!?" Akira, Asuka, Ryuji and Homura exclaimed; their voice mixed with shock, horror and rage.

"...If that's what it takes to escape…" Homura thought, already bracing herself for the long run.

"N-No...Asuka stuttered in her mind as she started to lose her cool.

"Who the fuck are you talking about!?" Ryuji shouted out, his rage barely contained as the other boy tightened his grip on the bars. "Who's the jackass you're serving!?" He then yelled out.

"Seriously!" Katsuragi snarled. "Tell me so I can shove my boots through their throats!"

"Don't you mean 'down their throats'?" Yusuke queried.

"I/She knows what I/she said!" was the unanimous response

"Don't you dare speak ill of the King, you filthy peasant!" A Knight yelled out, about to drive its sword through the boy's foul mouth… only to be stopped by a hand.

A human hand.

"That is enough." A familiar, yet distorted voice said as he approached the cell. "I'll take care of these pieces of scum personally." He declared.

"O-Of course, my liege." The Knight shakingly responded in fear as it moved out of the way of the King.

"Come on, show me the bastard to gut…" Growled Miyabi, her glare not moving from the screen.

Haruka, meanwhile, seemed to snap out of her anger enough to notice something. "That voice...it sounded...familiar..."

"Hold on… that voice…" Asuka thought before her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute… isn't that…" Homura started, realizing she recognized the voice past its distortions. It disgusted her, it made her angry and it made her never want to hear this person's voice ever again.

These were all the same feelings she had when she met Suguru Kamoshida.

"No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle." Kamoshida said as he walked up to the bars, wearing nothing but a regal cape covered in hearts, a bright pink man-thong and crown and having bright golden eyes that glowed in the dark.

That doused the flames of righteous anger on the shinobi. The king of this castle, the one who allowed such horrific tortures of prisoners, the man who ordered the executions of two young men and the enslavement of two girls...was the gym teacher of Shujin Academy?

"...Okay, I'll admit it." Homura finally spoke up. "I should have seen that coming, but it still caught me off guard."

"So the creepy guy in the car from earlier...is the king now?" Mirai sputtered, her brain seeming to have short-circuited.

"Ugh, and there's that thong." Gagged Ann, looking ready to vomit.

"So I was wondering if I should try a thong one day," Futaba confessed, her eyes dead. "I might have to be kept away from lingerie stores to keep from destroying them now."

"Don't look at me to do that!" Sojiro instantly refused. "Seeing that just took years off of this old man's life!"

"You know, I'm starting to want to murder him just for saying such things." Yomi managed to get out after resisting the urge to heave.

"Huh? Wait...Is that you Kamoshida?" Ryuji gasped in shock.


"Good morning." He greeted. "You want me to give you a ride to school? You're gonna be late." He advised before he then noticed the other two girls. "Come on, I'll even give your friends a ride." He soon offered.

"Um, they aren't my friends." The blonde girl replied before glancing at the other girls. "But, um, sure. Thank you." She then added.

"We'll just wait out the rain… er… Mister…" Asuka started but trailed off at the end.

"Kamoshida. Suguru Kamoshida. The gym teacher at Shujin Academy." Kamoshida finished as the blonde girl got into the car before looking at the boy. "Do you need a lift too?"


"That guy from earlier? The gym teacher?" Akira asked after having a small flashback. "He's… the king here?" He then added.

"So those comments from earlier…" Asuka started.

"I didn't mean this literally!" Ryuji shouted at her, panic in his voice. "Just what the Hell…?" He muttered in confusion.

"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto…" King Kamoshida said before putting on an irritatingly smug look. "Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?" He soon asked in a taunting tone.

"Wha-what is he talking about Ryuji-kun?" Asuka soon asked in confusion.

"...I'm guessing that has something to do with those 'old habits', Ryuji-san?" Yumi asked softly, the blond nodding solemnly in return.

Ryuji ignored her and decided to focus on why the man that ruined his life was here of all places.

"And look, you brought along a friend this time… because you can't do anything by yourself." King Kamoshida taunted as he looked at the chained up girls. "But at the very least you also brought along some niiiice offerings, so maybe I'll lighten up your punishment. A quick, clean death is much better than a slow and painful one." He declared while licking his lips. This only caused more disgust and rage to build up within them.

"Okay, as a defense attorney, I shouldn't say this," Sae said in disgust. "But I absolutely hate that man."

"Hear hear!" Came the cry from the Thieves and the shinobi.

"This ain't funny, you asshole!" Ryuji called out, wiping the smug grin off the King's face and switching it to a glare.

"Is that how you speak to a king?" The King growled at the boy. "It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me-the King. The punishment for that… is death." He then declared.

"Is every punishment for a crime here ends with death?" Akira growled quietly, holding back his anger despite a voice in his head telling him...no, shouting at him to unleash it. He squashed it down, his more rational side telling him it would make the situation worse. "Is that how things are run here? Why are these guards loyal? With fear?" He then asked in a low tone.

"I heard that." King Kamoshida growled as he slowly turned to the glasses-wearing boy. "My subjects all love me, and any who disagree will be executed."

"What an elaborate and completely roundabout way of saying 'yes, you are absolutely correct.'" Yusuke muttered disdainfully. "Truly scum of the earth, this man."

"I find myself in full agreement, Kitagawa-san." Ikaruga said. "How did he even become a king in the first place with policies like that?"

"Speaking of which, I think it's time. Take them out!" He ordered as the two boys quickly started backing away from the cell bars as the two girls were desperately trying to break out of their chains.

"S-Stop it…!" Ryuji uttered as a Knight went to unlock their cell and get in to murder them. "...Goddammit..! Hragh!" Deciding he had nothing left to lose, Ryuji charged into one of the knights and knocked it down. "I ain't down for this shit! I'm not gonna die without a fight! COME ON!" He declared before another Knight answered his challenge and shoved the guard of its claymore into his stomach. "Nnngh…! Ow…!" He soon got out.

"Damn it!" Akira got out as he tried to help, only to be blocked by a pair of swords and forced his back against the wall.

"Gotta say, blondie here's pretty tough." Katsuragi whistled, suitably impressed. "Managing to knock down one of those bastards with a normal person's strength is pretty cool."

"You said it!" Asuka nodded excitedly. "I barely even budged the guy when I attacked it, and Ryuji-kun just knocked one down on it's butt no sweat!" She then genuinely praised.

"Hear that, Ryuji? Somebody actually liked the way you used your thick skull!" Morgana teased, turning around, hoping to see Ryuji's angry face. Instead, he was shocked to find the blond was looking away bashfully, rubbing the back of his head with a soft smile at the heart-felt reactions his actions on-screen. "Oh COME ON!"

"RYUJI-KUN!" Asuka yelled out as she struggled once against her bonds, only for a sword to be placed against her neck. The blade was so sharp it had already cut her skin. If she moved anymore, it would be the end of her life.

"LET ME OUT!" Homura screamed out in rage as she summoned up all of the strength she had in her to break free, and it was working. The chains were starting to come apart, but that stopped when another one of the guards puncher her straight in the face. There was blood running out of her nose as she spitted out more blood onto the ground. Her vision then became red as she realized the knuckles left a large gash on her forehead, her own blood obscuring her vision.

"D-Don't worry about me…" Ryuji wheezed out. He was obviously in a lot of pain, but he just looked at the girls and Akira. The girls had no chance in getting away but Akira… "Dude, just go! Get outta here!" He then ordered in a serious manner.

"Akira-kun… run…save yourself!" Asuka begged, readying herself for her impending misery and death. She was a Shinobi, a protector of light… to die in a dark dungeon without anyone knowing where she was… to break her promise with her Jii-chan…

"No… I won't… I can't… I will never…" Homura whispered to herself, wanting to remain defiant, to deny that her end would entail being defiled and thrown away. She didn't survive this long to die like that. She didn't do so much, killed so many people, destroy so many lives including her own just to die like that.

"I'm guessing this is more because Asuka-san and Homura-san are shinobi, their willingness to lay their lives down for others is as much duty as it is being a good person." Sae noted with narrowed eyes. "But to see Sakamoto-kun just as willing to do the same, even before becoming friends with Kurusu-kun is just as inspiring to see, even if he can't do much."

"That's certainly true." Makoto chuckled. "'The delinquent with a heart of gold' indeed."

"Oh? Running away, are we? What a heartless friend you are." King Kamoshida taunted.

"Shu-" Akira wanted to yell, however…

"He ain't a friend… none of them are…" Ryuji groaned out. "C'mon! Hurry up and go!" He called out once more.

"What's the matter? Too scared to run away?" Kamoshida taunted as he looked at Akira. "Hmph, pathetic sum isn't worth my time…" He then looked at Sakamoto and the two Shinobi. "I'll focus on this one's execution. And after I'm down with Sakamoto and you, I'll have my way with these offerings you brought." He soon decided as he licked his lips.

"You...You…" Akira couldn't help but growl through gritted teeth but again was reminded of the swords in front of him. He couldn't do anything as the King had two guards pick up the blond by his arms as the King grinned madly.

"Take this!"

WHAM!

"Lowly scum!"

WHAM!

"Useless pest!"

WHAM!

Every punch was a thunder crack to Akira and the girls. More and more, rage started to build within them as they continued to remain useless in defending the blond boy's beatdown.

With each blow delivered on the screen, the entire group winced and cringed, none more than Ryuji. It looked just as brutal as it had felt back then, and seeing the strikes just made those phantom pains come back in spades.

"And you're sure you're not secretly The Hulk or something, Ryuji?" Futaba questioned as she saw a rather heavy blow land right in the on-screen blond's stomach. "Because I can't think of a single other reason how you even managed to stay away through that!"

"No kidding." Katsuragi agreed while Yagyū tried her best to comfort Hibari and Haruka was hugging a pale and shaking Mirai. "Some of those would- ooh that one looked real painful!- Some of those would have probably make me take a knee."

The King soon spat on the blond's defeated form as a Knight picked him back up by his blazer. "...Hmph. Where'd your energy from earlier go?" He mocked as the blond was thrown to the ground again. "A peasant like you isn't worth beating. I'll have you killed right now." He declared.

"Have you lost your GODDAMN MIND!?" Akira yelled out before instantly feeling good about it. He had wanted to say it ever since he saw this jackass' face but after everything he wanted to keep his mouth shut. After all, when he did he ended up expelled and punished by shitty corrupt cops and an unfair trial for something he didn't do. His caretaker hated him, he knew every single staff member in the school would treat him like a fucking murderer and his parents didn't even say good-bye.

He didn't give a shit who this guy was. All he knew was that he was an asshole.

"Akira? Are you…alright?" Makoto asked, looking over at the boy. His face was contorted, looking to be in discomfort as he rubbed his head with his eyes almost closed

"The...hell…?" He groaned out. "My head's kinda hurting. Like, every word that popped up on the screen just made it throb more." Suddenly, his eyes widened as he turned to look at Barkeep. "Wait a minute. The timing...is this…?"

Barkeep grinned widely. "Well, not fully, no. But I know how much you liked the design, so…" Joker couldn't help but to chuckle and match Barkeep's expression.

"Oi, Akira! What's going on, you okay?" Homura demanded in concern.

Akira merely waved her off, his expression never falling. "Something wonderful." Was the simple response. Homura looked like she wanted to push further, but let it go reluctantly.

"Going back to what we just saw, however." Ikaruga steered the conversation towards. "I think we got a bit more information on what happened with Kurusu-san prior to arriving in Tokyo."

"You're telling me." Miyabi grunted, leaning back against her seat. "Got arrested for something you didn't do and got record a because of a rigged trial? That's the kind of situation that would have gotten you recruited by an Evil Shinobi sect where we're from."

"And your parents just let that happen to you?" Haruka asked softly, her eyes conveying some level of understanding. Akira merely shook his head.

"It's not like I really expected different, really." He admitted. "My family was big on appearances, and me having a record was basically a social death sentence for them. I think they only told their friends that I was studying abroad or something while I was gone that year, helped them save face."

Hibari noticed that Sojiro hadn't said a word, instead looking down with a guilty and regretful expression. "Are you okay, Sojiro-san?" She asked, looking worried. With a jolt, Sojiro smiled kindly at Hibari with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Ah, I'm alright Hibari-chan." He said reassuringly. "Just realizing how I was coming off to other people back then. I can't really excuse my behavior back then fully, I had my own personal reasons for treating the kid with a lot of caution," He explained, casting a quick glance at Futaba. "But just as much, I didn't bother to ever really hear his side of the story. Only the gist of it, and I didn't care to hear anymore. He was a criminal with a record, and he was being hoisted on to me. That was all that I needed to know back then. Or, at least, all that I cared to know. I can't apologize enough for that, but it won't stop me from trying." He admitted while directing that last part to Akira. The boy just gave him a soft smile and a nod, relaying without words that he understood.

"What the…" Akira soon thought in confusion. That...came out of nowhere.

No...wait...not, it was from deep down within himself.

"Hm…? What…? Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am." The King said as he walked up to the boy, staring past his glasses and into his glaring, defiant… rebellious eyes. "That look in your eyes irritates me!" The King declared as he then kicked the boy in the stomach, his back hitting the wall.

"Please…" Asuka quietly begged. If she was stronger she could've- no, would've freed herself and yet she was useless like always. Her friends would've done much better than her and take care of these Knights in seconds. Hell, they probably wouldn't even be captured in the first place. They were much more suited as the successor to the greatest fucking shinobi to ever live. What a totally realistic and achievable goal to have set when she didn't even know violence existed. And after seeing this bullshit, she knew deep down all along that there were people without light. People, humans, those who were supposed to be born innocent, they were people who couldn't be saved. That they needed to die. Even with the purest light… it would create the darkest shadow. Thus, was the life of a ninja… unable to love, unable to have real friends, unable to have a life. Her own life.

But soon… she would show them… she was more than who she was born as.

"Asuka-chan…?" Hibari whispered, tears in her eyes as she looked at her friend. The rest of her friends were also staring at her in concern.

"Was that…? Asuka-chan, was that what you thought of yourself back then?" Ikaruga asked softly, concern and a bit of hurt in her voice. Not for herself, but for Asuka, their leader. Asuka meanwhile was doing her best to speak up, to deny that she had at any point thought anything along those lines...but couldn't. How could she? She'd spent a good amount of her time not fully believing herself. She'd gotten better in time, sure, but back then…

"Crap." Katsuragi got out, looking ashamed of herself. I didn't realize it was that bad for you. Gah, now I feel like a moron."

"You're not the only one, Katsuragi." Yagyū spoke up firmly. "We all attributed to Asuka-chan's viewpoints back then. We are all to blame for that oversight."

Asuka's eyes then widened to that mindset she thought up of. "H-Huh!? I… I… can't… I wouldn't…" She soon thought in confusion as she started to panic mentally. Where were those thoughts coming from?

"Hold him there… After the peasant, it's his turn to die." The King ordered his knights.

As soon as Akira heard that, he got up to stop him only to be pushed back against the wall and held there by two more Knights, each one holding his arms painfully and firmly.

"No...no I don't wanna die…" Ryuji sobbed out, just knowing his time was coming very soon.

"Dammit…" Makoto got out. "I know you make it out of this, but it's so frustrating to see it happen and not be able to do anything!"

"You're tellin' me." Ryuji said. "But somethin' tells me that it's goin' to be more impressive this time, ya know?"

"N… No…" Homura barely managed to get out, unable to form more proper sentences. She wanted to help, she wanted to fight, and she wanted everything that went wrong in her life to die in the biggest fire she could make and stomp on the ashes as well. This wasn't the first time she was forced to do something, to be trapped in chains. She had been trapped in chains ever since she killed in self-defense. Now she was no more but a puppet, a mere tool for Hebijo. They had lured her in and captured her and placed her in a zoo they called a school. She wanted freedom, she wanted to run wild, to escape the chain around her neck that was ready to be hung on the highest tree branch when she was deemed worthless. She was already defiled and was being prepared to be thrown away, and she knew it from the very beginning.

Fuck them. Fuck all of them. This was her life dammit!

Haruka turned to her squad leader, who looked uncomfortable about what was happening as Mirai looked confused about if she should try and help her or not. She didn't look ashamed of her words, far from it. But it was more from embarrassment; embarrassment that it was being revealed in this way. True, she understood the basics of Homura's past, they all did. And they knew the basics of her own. But not everything. She had a feeling that the two who knew the most about each other in their little group was, surprisingly, Hikage and Mirai. The two never said what had brought this about, but they seemed to have some deeper connection than the rest, almost like sisters.

"Th… That's…" Homura thought as a shiver ran down her spine after realizing what she just thought. Just what was she thinking about?

"And why do I hear my own voice then?" The three thought at the same time and they all came to the same conclusion.

"Was that… me?" The three soon thought in confused unison.

However before anything else could be done for the three…

"What's the matter…? Are you simply going to watch?" A booming male voice questioned in Akira's head, causing him to gasp as he tried to look for the source.

"The hell?" Sojiro got out. "Who even said that?"

Akira grinned as Barkeep chuckled. "Fun times, Mr. Sojiro. Fun times at Kamoshida's expense."

"It sounds somewhat familiar." Haru noted, tilting her head in thought. "As if I should know it from somewhere."

"But why would you know-" Sae started before her eyes widened. The attorney spun her gaze around to their host, whose grin had seemed to somehow grow larger. "Wait, is this what Akira was talking about before?!"

"Spoilers~!" Barkeep teased.

"Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?" The male voice then asked in a serious yet tempting tone.

Akira's eyes then narrowed to the questions as though he was remembering something. "...It wasn't…" He muttered out in his own serious tone before he started to struggle.

Asuka then looked towards the black haired boy, as she noticed him struggling. "A-Akira-kun?" She muttered out in confusion.

Homura on the other hand continued to struggle to try and break free as she noticed what was happening. "O-Oi!" She called out.

"Very well...I have heeded your resolve." The male voice declared as Akira gasped as he felt something within him, causing him to breath heavily. "Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I...Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release they rage!" It ordered as the black haired boy screamed loudly.

The two shinobis eyes meanwhile widened to the sight of this. "Akira-san!/Akira!" The two girls called out in unison.

The black haired boy however couldn't hear anything as he continued to struggle. "Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!" The voice soon declared as Akira soon fell limp and started breathing heavily.

"'Chained to hell'? Wait, was that voice telling you to do whatever it took to do what you wanted no matter how bad it was?!" Mirai asked, her eye wide.

"Yeah, really getting some 'Evil Shinobi' vibes now." Miyabi affirmed, crossing her arms. "That's the kind of mindset Hebijo instills now. Might have to send you an invite."

"Gonna have to decline, sadly." Akira refused. "It sounds like a blast, but I think I'm done with fighting for a while."

"Shame." Homura grunted in disappointment. "That kind of mindset can take you far."

When the two girls saw the boy go limp, their eyes widened in concern, however…

"So, you have finally realized it my dear…" A suave and feminine voice echoed from the Good Shinobi's head, causing her pupils to dilate. "That there are those that say that they are good but then deceive to obtain their own desires, and those that are evil to hide possible good deeds…" She then echoed.

"So now Asuka-san is hearing a voice?" Yumi gasped, bewildered. "What is going on here?!"

"Sounds totally different too!" Futaba exclaimed excitedly. "We've got a new one, folks!"

Asuka began to struggle in pain as she closed her eyes, her head feeling like it was about to burst open at any minute. Though strangely, she felt as if something was rushing through her body. "W-What…" She got out as she slowly opened her eyes, revealing them to be bright yellow before screaming out in pain.

Homura then gasped as she turned and saw this, but knew she couldn't help her roommate. All she could do was struggle against her chains. "Asuka!" She called out before her pupils dilated too.

Asuka then continued to struggle as she started to spasm in chains, her neck becoming bloodier as the sword against it tore her skin apart. Yet, she never noticed how close to death she was. Everything hurt. Her body. Her mind. Her heart. Her soul. She didn't notice the distant moans of pain. She didn't notice the blond being lifted up against the wall with a sword aimed at his throat. She didn't even notice her roommate thrashing around and the still limp boy. All she could hear was the voice from within.

"How did you not slit your throat, Asuka, damn!" Ryuji cried, wincing.

"Pure dumb luck?" Homura guessed, looking unnerved. "Pretty fucking hardcore though, gotta admit."

"Light and Darkness… good and evil…" The female voice then echoed in the girl's head. "Do you believe that this balance should stay intact?" She then questioned.

The short haired girl started to breath heavily to the question she was asked. "Y-Yes…" Asuka answered. "I believe that good can't be around without evil…" She then got out with a nod, still trying to endure the pain. "Light can't be made without shadows either…" She then answered.

"Then let us form our contract… one that will balance out your true self." The female voice offered while the girl started to thrash about again. "I am thou, thou art I…" She then began as sweat started to run down the girl's head. "Now that you see that one can't live without the other, show them all the true power of choice!" She then demanded in a serious tone as the girl's thrashing ceased. "Now...show them that you are no mere shadow, that you are LIGHT!" She soon declared while the girl started to breath heavily with some saliva running down her mouth.

"Well that looked to be an experience." Akira dully noted, looking across to the brunette. "Also interesting to see a person on the side of good who's okay with evil."

"Well, I mean..." Asuka gestured weakly towards the screen. "I said it myself just then, right? Need one to have the other?"

Meanwhile at the same time…

"You can't forgive people like that can you?" A tomboyish female voice echoed in the tan girl's head, whose eyes widened to hearing that as she started to thrash around in pain. "People like him were the cause of your own suffering and yet you fell for their same temptations, leading you down your current path, straying from what you originally desired." She then declared. "However you knew of their true plan didn't you. You always knew. Their desire for your power?" She then questioned.

Homura then started to breathe heavily as her eyes turned bright yellow. "Yeah… they knew...I knew all along about my power…" She replied in her exhausted state. "I… I can't forgive them… any of them… all of them!" She declared.

"Then form the contract with me already… such is the desire of the other self within you…" the voice then declared as the tan skinned girl started to growl, almost like a feral animal. "I am thou, thou art I…" She then began. "You can now truly let yourself loose and to slice through your own forged path!" She then loudly ordered. "A path no one will ever take… a path bathed in CRIMSON!" She soon declared as the girl's eyes narrowed with fury.

"So, basically, what I'm doing now. Great, nice, perfect." Homura said in a tone heavy with sarcasm. "Nice to see that that a creepy-ass pervert can give the same revelation as a giant creepy-ass demon snake!"

Morgana stared at the girl, eyes wide. "...demon...snake?" He asked, puzzled. "How- no, better question, why were you fighting a giant demon snake?!"

Homura blinked, this time being her turn to be confused. "What, you mean you don't fight yoma?"

"The hell's a yoma?" Ryuji asked, totally lost. The sound of something being cocked echoed nearby, causing him to continue. "Actually, know what, don't care! I'll wait, yup, I love waiting for answers!"

"Good man." Barkeep said simply, putting the toy gun down.

"Execute him!"

Suddenly, at the same time, something shattered within the three.

With a sudden burst of strength, both girls calmly broke their chains, pushed away the guards and landed on the floor, the cuffs and remnants of the broken chain hanging off their ankles and wrists while their hair covered their faces.

"That's enough!" Akira meanwhile shouted out, his barely contained anger echoing around the cell.

"What was that?" The King growled, glaring at the person who dared to speak in such a manner, the Knight let go of the blond's neck as he started coughing for air.

"Aww hell yeah! Ass-kicking time!" Katsuragi cheered.

"So you're finally gonna kill the bastard, good." Miyabi grunted, looking satisfied. "Should have been done years ago, but now is fine too."

"Not here, sad to say." Ann shot down. "He got his, but later on. Don't worry, it was amazing."

"Well, that's fine and all," Makoto said. "But first comes-"

"Fuck 'em up!"

EVERY eye turned to stare at the one who said that, nobody having expected it. "What?" Mirai asked innocently. "Guy's a pig. And I want to see some bloodshed."

"...Oh you and I are going to be the BEST of friends, kid." Ryuji declared with a wide grin.

"He said; To get. The fuck. Away from him. You piece of shit." Homura translated, her whole body shaking as if it was holding itself back.

"You are no king." Asuka quietly started. "You're a damn tyrant…" She then declared in the same tone.

"You people desire to be killed that much…? Fine!" With a quick tilt of his head, the King commanded his guards to shield bash all of them in the face, seemingly knocking all of them out in an instant.

Ryuji meanwhile struggled to stand as he saw everyone else get a sword placed against their necks, readying for the simultaneous execution.

Then, as the Knights raised their blades…something wonderful happened.

"Oh it's happening, people! It's fuckin' HAPPENING!" Ryuji shouted, jumping up form his seat.

"Akira-kun's Awakening...I always wondered what it would look like." Haru admitted, her eyes shining with anticipation.

"I cannot help but agree." Yusuke spoke up. "Let's see how it is our Leader first appeared upon gaining his power."

To fully understand one's self… to find their place in the world…

"Per." Homura whispered. Suddenly, a surge of power ran through their bodies as forced blasted their foes away. At that moment, they felt...good. Better than they had ever been in their entire lives.

There had been a weight on their shoulders they didn't realize existed, but when they noticed it felt as though they could fly.

"Come on come on come on!" Futaba chanted, bouncing up and down in her seat as Sojiro and Sae both stared, transfixed by what they were witnessing for the first time period.

The Hanzo group, Hebijo old and new, and Yumi were all staring in shock and anticipation at what they were witnessing. This was something new, something not a one had ever even heard a whisper about. Asuka was especially transfixed by the event, feeling something amazing was about to happen. And Homura had a manic grin on her face with a wild gleam dancing in her eyes.

To realize there are no simple answers… to take joy in the journey… to live life…

"So." Asuka mumbled out as they all stood up before noticing something on their faces.

Akira somehow had donned a white bird-shaped mask with a black design around the eyes.

Asuka meanwhile had a simple black mask with a white circle on her right cheek that covered her entire face.

And lastly, Homura had a white mask with a black circle on her left cheek, similar to her roommate's as the mask covered her entire face.

It was rough, it was irritating, it was worthless now. They wanted them gone.

So with a strong grip on their respective masks they struggled for a moment to get them off before in one quick and bloody motion, they tore them off.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" The three screamed loudly as the blood scattered.

"Ah!" Cried Hibari, caught off guard at the sudden blood spray. "Why is there blood?!"

"That looked...really painful." Hikage got out, a twitching eye her only outward reaction.

"But why rip the masks off? And why did they bleed like that? And were they screaming in pain?" Yumi asked, still shocked from what she'd seen.

"Basically," Barkeep spoke up. "The masks are 'the face you present society'. By ripping away that 'face', you're essentially revealing who you really are. But revealing yourself like that is painful, and can often times hurt. That's why ripping the mask off causes pain, because you're basically declaring 'this is what I'm willing to do to be myself."

Innocence, divine inspiration, madness, freedom, spontaneity, inexperience, chaos and creativity…

These are the values and aspects that would change the World.

"Ah… ah… ah…" Asuka moaned out as she panted heavily.

"Grrr…" Homura slowly growled.

"Hehehehe…" Akira laughed softly, before they all started grinning like madmen. "...Na." He concluded.

SHATTER! FWOOSH!

Engulfed in green flames, Asuka changed as her hair was released from it's ponytail. She no longer needed her Shujin uniform. Hell, she no longer needed her Shinobi uniform. Instead they were replaced with a pale yellow short kimono decorated with green and pink flowers, showing a fair amount of cleavage, thigh-high white socks, a pair of shinobi sandals and light brown gloves.

However behind her was a female frog-like woman wearing a light green strapless dress with a pink butterfly printed on the skirt complete with matching pull-on sleeves, stockings, heeled boots, and a giant orange obi bow tied around her waist while it was holding two wakizashi in it's amphibian like hands.

"Oh my God you are adorable!" Katsuragi shouted with a blush and her eyes sparkling.

"I want that outfit so much!" Asuka squeed, for once not even caring about Katsuragi's words. "It's so cute!"

"Yagyū-chan, Yagyū-chan!" Hibari cried, shaking her friend. "Look at the pretty frog-lady, she's so beautiful!"

Yumi and Miyabi were impressed by what they were seeing, while Sojiro and Sae were left breathless at the spectacle before them.

Then with her first breath, Asuka shouted a single name with a confident grin on her face. "BURY THEM KAERU!" She called out.

Meanwhile engulfed in crimson flames, Homura no longer felt restrained and let out a mighty, animalistic roar as her ponytail undid itself and her hair flowed freely. Her Shujin uniform had now been replaced by a black shinobi shozoku with red lining and a bright red snake curling around her left sleeve, with holes, tears and burn marks all around it and dark orange gloves.

Behind the tan skinned girl meanwhile was a large, female-humanoid with a stocky build, long flowing hair with red tips, white triangular eyes, furry dark blue arms and legs and a pair of two absurdly sharp blades prodding out of her knuckles and wearing dark yellow spandex with a cross slashed across her chest with a large purple Japanese Rat Snake wrapping around it's body entirely.

"Oh-ho-ho man!" Homura cackled in delight. "I look freaking bad-ass! Time to rip shit up!"

"I personally love the design of the lady behind you." Haru admitted with an appraising eye. "Beauty in savagery. At its finest."

Homura soon growled with a smirk on her face as she looked at the enemies in front of her. "SLICE THEM UP WOLVERINE!" She roared.

"Wolverine?!" Mirai gasped, shocked at the name.

"You got a freaking X-Man?!"Futaba instantly demanded. "So freaking AWESOME!"

And lastly engulfed in blue flames while a demonic laughter was heard, Akira never knew how good it felt to be rid of his mask until now. His uniform was now just a dream to him. Wearing an equally, it not better, stylish outfit consisting of a black trench coat with a gray collared shirt, black trousers, brown Cuban heeled boots, and a pair of red gloves.

Grabbing the chains of the being behind him, a red demonized version of a creature with jet black wings, he couldn't help but grin.

"Heh, lookin' cool there!" Morgana laughed in excitement.

Miyabi leaned forward, admiring his outfit. "I really like the clothes, personally." She stated, taking some mental notes. "Sleek and stylish without being needlessly gaudy. Might get myself something like that."

He was done being a bystander.

The demonic creature then spread its wings as it pushed back all the guards surrounding the male. "I am the pillager of Twilight, Arsene!" The being then declared.

"Wait, Arsene?" Ikaruga questioned, her head tilted in thought. "As in Arsène Lupin from the stories by Maruice Leblanc?"

"One and the same." Barkeep confirmed. "Personally, I find him to be a fitting choice."

"Wait, you're telling me that...Arsene, was it? That he was created by a guy who's got the same name as my cafe?" Sojiro wondered. "Wondering if there's some kind of irony with the kid living there back then."

"Maybe." Barkeep admitted with a shrug. "I personally like to think so."

"Wh...What the?" Ryuji got out in shock and confusion to the sight of the three.

"I am the rebel's soul that resides within you." Arsene revealed. "If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis." He then offered.

Akira in response to this only nodded in acceptance. "Give me your power." He then said in a serious tone.

"Hmph...very well…" Arsene replied. Akira could feel the evil grin his Persona would've had.

To the sight of this, the King was shitting himself, his Knights were no longer intimidating to the awakened.

The being known as Arsene then looked at the boy that brought him out with his arms crossed. Although Arsene knew he was merely the physical representation of the young, rebellious boy's mind, as soon as he awoke to his power he knew there was something special about him.

"Ravage them!" Akira soon ordered.

Arsene in turn chuckled in amusement to that. "With pleasure." He responded before blasting away the remainder of the Knights. With three people with the same power at their beck and call, Akira just cracked his knuckles and uttered the next phrase with such conviction there was no doubt that no matter how many guards he threw at them, no matter how strong they were...there was no stopping them now.

"Okay, so Kamoshida, tell me… who's next?" Akira questioned with confidence.

"Okay, that was kick-ass!" Katsuragi declared as the episode drew to an end. "Gah, now I'm all pumped up to see the next one!"

"You're tellin' me." Ryuji chuckled. "My pal here handled them pretty well by himself before." He continued, giving Akira's shoulder a friendly punch. "But with backup, I'm expectin' this shit to be even easier!"

"...Wolverine?!" Mirai shouted again, apparently not past that little revelation.

"I must admit, I do not know that name." Yumi confessed. "Who is Wolverine, exactly?"

"And who's 'Kaeru'?" Yomi followed up.

Barkeep decided to speak up, drawing the group's attention. "Wolverine was a member of the X-Men, a group of mutants who were hunted by society for what they were even as they defended those that wanted them dead, who was also known as 'Logan'. Had a bad attitude, but he could heal any injuries he got which made him perfect for an experiment that coated his entire skeleton in adamantium, a super-strong fictional metal, and gave him claws. The name went to his clone-slash-daughter Laura, also known as X-23 because she was the twenty-third clone of his after he committed suicide by trapping himself in adamantium and suffocating."

"...Dark." Yagyū dully noted.

"You're telling me." Homura agreed. "Now I'm not sure how I feel about him...her? Shit, the Wolverine we just saw."

"And Kaeru?" Ikaruga prompted.

"Not much to say there." Barkeep admitted. "Japanese mythology says frogs are pretty much seen a lucky animal, mostly for returns of money and fortune as well as coming home safely. Kaeru there is just that belief given an actual form."

"As interesting as all this is," Sae spoke up. "I'm rather anxious to see what happens next. Could we proceed?"

"Not a prob." Barkeep assured. "Next episode and the one after that, we'll be out of the castle for a bit. Afterwards, break time and then we'll get back to it. That cool with everyone?" At their nods and words of affirmation he prepared to clap his hands, until...

"Uh, Asuka-chan? Yumi spoke up, her gaze darting between the brunette, the tan-skinned girl and Akira. "...why are you three wearing the clothes from the episode?"