Kagura Hearts
Chapter 20 ~ Forbidden Love
A boy, who had a dream to explore the vast world beyond what he and his friends could see, unexpectedly got his wish when his world was eaten by a literal collective of evil, thus stranding him in the same world as two world-exploring servants of a great king. With these newfound friends, the boy went on many adventures, to worlds beyond, or worlds hidden within worlds. Of course, when it came to danger, he was not defenseless. Granted a mystical weapon upon his world's destruction, the boy wielded a blade of light and vanquished the darkness that devoured his world. Unfortunately, events and wars kept getting in the way of him getting a proper break, until the hero reached his breaking point…
…when the girl he loved was killed.
His heart became heavy with guilt and regret, until he found and defeated her killer, while gaining the power he needed to cheat fate itself. He went back in time, set the stage for many events and many victories to come, until he finally restored his love's heart. They were together, until the end, when the boy's price was paid, and he was taken from her by force and by the conditions of his time traveling Power of Waking…
Sora and Kairi were separated once more, this time, the separation seemed permanent…
…but each of them would NOT give up. They remained strong, focused, and held the belief of their reunion in their hearts. Sora would wander the Afterlife while the princess of Radiant Garden would attempt her own search…within her dreams, her heart, in the realm beyond Light and Darkness, the Final World…
And while Kairi would continue her search beyond reality, Sora would be given a chance to return to the living realm, or rather a realm his friends could reach, called Quadratum, a world seemingly based on the very gaia humankind are familiar with called Earth.
However, Sora could ONLY be resurrected properly, if he paid his due to his Summoner, which was to save her world from a legendary evil called the Four Fiends, who were under the thumb of a sorceress named Toki. And so, Sora would carry out his duty with a Halo over his head…
…while unintentionally grabbing the attention of new friends of the opposite sex. Each girl aims to have him, romantically or otherwise. Poor Sora was indeed surrounded by enemies and love-stricken allies at the same time, but his kindness managed to convince some, such as Asuka, Hibari, Homura, and Yomi, to take it easy on him, and understand he isn't looking for a lover, but allies against the growing darkness. Asuka and Yomi still have feelings for him, but they cherish the roles they have with him already, as his friends…
…and now, Sora is alone with a fellow Hanzo student, who is lacking any self-control, thriving on her perverted tendencies, who has enjoyed her time with Sora, as a friend or as a monkey/leech WAY too much…
…until Katsuragi realized she wanted to spend her life with this boy…
"Tasty stuff, right?" Katsu asked. Sora bit into the Ramen on his fork and slurped in the delicious and chicken-flavored collection of noodles and nodded. Katsu smiled happily and said, "And here, I thought a boater like you would be more favorable with seafood." Sora shook his head and explained, "Well I have been almost everywhere in the universe, so I know more than just seafood is delicious." Katsu then asked, "Oh-HO, a gourmet chef, eh? You gotta cook me something someday!" Sora happily nodded and said, "It's a plan! How about after I clobber the next Fiend, I can show everybody my cooking skills?" Katsu then cheered, "Now THAT sounds like a plan!"
Katsu then slurped her Ramen up and said, "I figured you'd be a naive little rookie, but who would have guessed the Keyblade Master here is a pro when it comes to food? You gotta feed me some deets!" Sora then asked, "Um…what do you mean by 'Deets'?" Katsu answered, "DETAILS, duh! I wanna hear about your adventures!" Sora agreed, "Alright, well, where do I begin?" Katsu then answered, "Well, I'm guessing your origin revolves around a loss of your world, THEN you find that nifty club-key to compensate for something…and THEN you explore more than just the world you landed in after your planet got eaten away!"
"...what's a planet?" Sora asked.
Katsu stares, shocked at how stupid her friend might actually be…
"...we'll talk about that later. Anywho, go ahead and tell me some of your adventures!" Katsu asked.
Clearing his throat, Sora began to tell Katsu his adventures…
"Well…I don't compare my adventures with others', I'm sure from perverts to pilots, there were some who had the best and worst adventures in existence, but mine…I feel like I was exploring old Fairy Tale stories. Kat, I was in a world of Gods where I fought Titans, Rock Titans, Ice Titans, you name them, I've squashed them. Then I was in a jungle world where a guy was raised by Gorillas, and we had to fight a possessed hunter before he could nail each Gorila between the eyes with his gun. There was also a world made of vast desert and temples with Genies, and a Halloween-themed world that tried to mix with Christmas, until the Boogieman tried to kill the rulers and become the sole ruler of them both. I also traveled under the sea and met Real Live Mermaids, then into the sky while fighting Pirates of all types, whether flamboyant with a hook for a hand, or cursed into becoming the ruler of the seas with an octopus for a head! I even traveled to different time periods where many castles, kingdoms, churches, and empires were either cursed or threatened by different forces. (chuckle) I got to fight a TON of dragons too. There were even worlds where I became a lion, saved the digital world, went into a whale's stomach, became a monster and traveled through strange warp-doors, got caught in a snowstorm where I kept falling for some reason-still feels like there was more to that story than I thought, oh, and get this: I was a TOY in a world fit for giants!"
"...Jesus, the shit this dude went through." Katsu said.
Katsu then asked, "Sounds like you've been to Hell and back. Were there any adventures that stood out as the best?" Sora answered, "...There were a lot of adventures I enjoyed, but I suppose the best adventures…may have been the ones where I was up against more than I thought I could handle. The first was the world where one of my best friends became my worst enemy. Simply by stealing the Keyblade while saying I didn't have what it took to save Kairi."
"Ah yes, 'Kairi'..." Katsuragi annoyingly mumbled.
Sora then continued, "With the help of a new beastly friend, I was able to get into the Castle and fight him for my weapon back, and even then, I needed the help of my friends…I hope they're OK…" Katsu then said, "H-hey, I'm sure they're alright. You wouldn't just be friends with weaklings after all." Sora then said, "...Kat, it doesn't matter if my friends are strong or unable to fight. Friends and friends, and that's power enough for me."
"Friends? POWER? Whoa-whoa-whoa, hold on, what are you talking about?" Katsuragi asked. Sora explained, "Well I'm not exactly fighting on my own in battle. Whenever I'm facing threats beyond imagining, I think of and remember my friends. Each friend I met is an important part of my adventures. They taught me many things, life lessons, abilities, even magic, and every time I fight…it feels like I'm fighting with all my friends with me." Katsu gobbled more Ramen and said, "...so, what you're saying is…your friends are your power? Hmm, that's…kinda cute…it's a nice thought to have while you're fighting an enemy, reminds you that you are what you are today thanks to the bonds you've made…"
Sora nodded, "Every battle, my friends have been my power…just like your friends are yours, right?" Katsu nodded, "Yeah…the girls and I have handled the roughest and toughest of trials together. We relied on our own power though, YOUR method, it just seems…a bit too cutesy for me." Sora however asked, "So…I don't give you power?" Katsu shook her head and said, "Friendship is a different power for a Ninja. But hey, you do you, bro."
"...so a pervert can't have friends then?" Sora asked.
Katsu shook her head and said, "That's NOT what I meant. I'm just saying, you can't get distracted by thoughts like 'who's waiting' or 'loved ones', you have to focus on the mission and the mission alone." Sora, annoyed by Katsu's comment then asked, "Is that why you sexually harass your teammates? Because you don't take their feelings to heart? What you're doing is violating them, taking away their confidence and replacing it with vulnerable fear." Katsu then argued, "A Ninja is merciless, and they will do anything to get the job done. There's a reason the police couldn't catch THIS ass after all. And besides, they wouldn't know how to approach an unstoppable and sexy killing machine like me. One wink, and they're as open as my targets."
Sora stood from his seat and said, "Targets? So a Perverted Ninja HAS to be heartless to kill her targets? No understanding, no appreciation, nothing but victims to feel up and abuse to your amusement?!" Katsu answered, "What can I say? 'Kat's got Claws' for a reason, dude." Sora then asked, "Well who am I to you? A friend? An ally? A tool? WHAT AM I IF I'M NOT POWER FOR YOUR HEART?!"
Katsuragi stood up and said, "...look, you're taking a Ninja's lifestyle too negatively, try seeing things our way, and not like some kids' cartoon show."
"-SO I'M A KID TO YOU?!" Sora asked. Kat then argued, "A KID?! YOU'RE AN ADORABLE TEEN AT 17 WHO NEVER EVEN KISSED A GIRL! TO MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE, YOU'RE JUST AFRAID OF BEING 17! YOU CAN'T FIGHT WITHOUT THINKING OF THE PEOPLE WHO SAVED YOUR ASS, AND THINKING YOU HAVE NO SKILL WITHOUT THEM IN YOUR LIFE? THAT'S A SIGN OF DEPENDENCE A TRUE WARRIOR DOESN'T NEED! I MAY BE A PERVERT, BUT I KNOW MORE ABOUT THE REAL WORLD THAN YOU EVER WILL! For starters: A world isn't just a chunk of a city or mountain or WHATEVER floating in space! A WORLD, A LITERAL WORLD IS A SPHERE OF CLOUDS, WATER, AND LAND! READ A GOD-DAMN BOOK TO FILL THE BLANKS I LEFT FOR YA!"
Sora clenched his fist in rage, never believing such a frustrating and heartless girl could exist, but instead of continuing the argument, Sora said, "...I've been hit on since I came to this world…and ever since I met you, you have been confusing. You have friends who adore you…and they're not enough for you. Why is it that of all the body parts you grabbed, you couldn't grasp their friendship?"
Sora began to walk away from the table…
…however, considering how she made him feel regarding his beliefs, Katsu grabbed him and said, "...I LATCH AND GRAB BECAUSE I NEVER WANT TO FORGET WHO I'M HOLDING ONTO!"
She had Sora's attention, she didn't intend to say anything, but she wanted to still spend time with this hero who has traveled the stars for others, so, she gave in to this growing appreciation she gained from spending a day with Sora, and explained…
"...the truth is…I forgot the faces of the ones who held onto me when I needed them the most…my…may parents. They were all I had…until one day, the mission they were supposed to do…ended in failure. Disgraced, they were ordered to offer their lives. But instead, they became renegade Ninja, leaving me out of the danger they would face as the years went on. I was safe…but I had no one left but my dog…and what the Hell was I going to do alone?! With the image of my family leaving me behind, I didn't have anything left, not even a photo…so I vowed to myself to become the Shinobi they would regret abandoning! I would be the strongest Ninja they ever knew, and when I atoned for their sins, they would know the mistake of abandoning their only child…the same child who they never bothered to cradle in their arms before ditching her in the rain with NOTHING…"
Katsu then began to cry…
She cried more than she ever did, getting the attention of several people, either working in the restaurant, or eating in it…
Sora then asked, "...you were just trying to be unforgettable…you wanted your teammates to remember someone who would hold them close…before you would have to disappear someday…" Kat then said, "...at least YOU won't be forgotten for the hearts you touched. A ninja…lives and dies by their missions. Man or Woman, a Ninja has to carry out every mission they're given…until the end." Sora then said, "...then the reason you don't think about your friends when fighting…is because you don't want them a part of the danger you're up against?" Katsuragi explained, "Memories…they work both ways, Sora. They can be the anchor that holds you close to cowardice when cornered with no way to live except confessing from memory, or they can be the lingering thoughts that distract you during a dangerous mission where your mind HAS to be. If you're going to be a Ninja, if you're going to see your friends again, then you have to stop living by the same rules and accept some new ones."
Sora however shook his head, "...no Kat…I won't abandon who I am to win a fight. I'm Sora, I cherish the people in my life, and I fight knowing I'm blessed with knowing them. Kat…you're a brave woman…and I feel empowered knowing you of all people would want to not only walk alongside me, but face the same demons as me...Kat…no matter what people say about you, my memories of you are worth the power."
Katsuragi's face turned red, her eyes were overcome by tears, and her heart was beating faster than any hit combo can produce…
Sora then noticed Katsu's dress strap was coming loose, so he pulled it back over…
"...people like you don't exist in my world. Those people…were the princes in those Fairy Tales…"
Katsuragi then grabbed Sora and gave him a passionate kiss!
She held him close as she kissed him, wishing he would never leave him…
…until she knew in her heart that this man belonged to another woman…
Kat then released Sora, simply caressing his cheek with her hand, and then giggled at the sight of his astonished stare…
"...I would take you home and give you the reward a prince deserves…but you're not that kind of prince…and I can't take you from your princess. So…"
Taking his hand, Kat tugged the ever-blushing Sora back to the boathouse, where she asked Asuka and Yomi to take him to bed with a nice glass of water.
As they helped the dumbstruck boy into the house, Kat glanced romantically at the boy she kissed and whispered, "...good night…"
In his PJs, Sora was taken over to his bed by Yomi, who presented the glass of water for Sora before asking, "...so, THAT was a Date…remember to take Kairi on a nice one when you see her again, OK?" Sora gave a heavy sigh and nodded. Yomi smiled happily and rested his head onto a pillow before leaving him to sleep…
Asuka then asked, "...how is he?" Yomi answered, "I may have worried over nothing…Katsu seemed really happy, and Sora didn't have much to say against the whole situation…" Asuka then said, "We'll ask him about it later…we WILL have to talk with him anyway, since Gessen Academy just asked for him personally." Yomi sighed and said, "Gessen Academy…now THAT is worrisome…"
End of Chapter 20