Last Chapter, the Keyblade War ended in the heroes favor, and yet, saving the lives of his friends and loved ones, including Kairi, ended with his banishment to the Realm of Limbo, the Final World, once more. It seems he was destined to disappear in the same place he met Chirithy, only this time, his end would be certain...
Until he was found by a ball of light, with an elderly voice echoing through, saying she was a Summoner, who was calling for a spirit to help her save her world from a mysterious group of 4 called the "Four Fiends". The summoner also made a deal with him...
Since he was in Limbo, and since he desired a second chance to be alive and see his friends again, the higher-ups in the realm of the dead would allow Sora to prove he was worthy of a Second Chance by completing the summoner's task. However, his resurrection would NOT be in the same realm as his friends, but in another realm, one that they believe Sora's allies would be able to find him in.
This was Sora's only hope of reaching Kairi and the others again, so he accepted the Summons, becoming a living resident in a world once more with a Halo above his head to make his role as a deceased, as well as a summoned spirit bonded to his Summoner.
That summoner was the elderly yet responsible shinobi, Sayuri, who brought Sora aboard a boat with the aid of the Mikagura Sisters, her apprentices, and took him to the place where his mission takes top priority, Kabukicho, the city where Sora's adventure before Kingdom Hearts IV would begin...
Kagura Hearts
Chapter 2 ~ Sora meets a new Friend
Sayuri's boat finally reached the docks, and thus, Sayuri took Sora into the large city of Kabukicho, JUST as the sun was setting…
Sora looked around the massive city and said, "...I'll never get tired of these larger-than-life cities. The lights, the shops, the people…just looking around this place…makes me forget I'm dead." Sayuri then said, "Well you're not dead at the moment. You just have a Summoner's permission to stay among the living. Or haven't you noticed the Halo above you yet?"
Sora looked above, and sure enough, there was a shining, golden Halo hovering above his head! Sora grabbed it and examined it, almost amazed he even had one, and asked, "So…this Halo…is mine?!" Sayuri nodded and explained, "This radiant little thing is the symbol of one who has passed away, yet walks among the living. I gotta say, yours is probably the SHINIEST Halo I've ever seen!"
Sayuri then took a chance and gently scratched Sora's head like he was a pet while saying, "You must have been a REALLY good-hearted kid, and cute too! I can tell, the girls are going to fawn over you!" Sora blushed while saying, "Let's…try not to get their hopes up though, I'm not exactly here forever, I have a job to do after all."
(SMACK)
"OUCH!"
Sayuri smacked Sora on the head with her giant pipe and said, "You may be dedicated, boy, but you can sure as Hell be thoughtless!"
Sayuri then took Sora through the shopping district and said, "I didn't summon a heartbreaker, lad. I summoned YOU, a hero who died to save a woman he loved. And since you're in this realm, you might as well consider the lifestyle of a single young man until your job is done! So first, before we get to work, I want to see how well you can handle a new atmosphere, new territory. Yes, I want to see you get along with others! If you fail, if you break a heart, IF YOU SLIP UP, BOY, then your second chance will be revoked! And you will be drifting in the Final World forever, just like earlier!"
Sora then said, "It's not exactly an easy feat when you have a Halo above you. When people see this, they'll know I'm-." Sayuri however said, "-Now-Now Sora, I'll have no complaints from you regarding your status! This Halo above you will not harbor any negative reaction, it can only be seen by those with a Spiritual Connection to the realms beyond, Like me and my Husband…wherever that lazy old pervert is." Sayuri then took Sora to a shop and said, "Here's a good spot to show me your people skills, kiddo! Behave around the nice folks, and remember, slip up, AND IT'S BACK TO THE DIRT YOU GO, ZOMBIE."
Sora nodded as Sayuri gave him a shopping list and sent him in…
As Sora walked in, Sayuri smiled and said, "...Such a modest little Angel I summoned. He's going to work splendidly with everyone, including dear Asuka! Oh, speaking of which…" Sayuri then picked up her phone and made a call, "...Hey Asuka, it's Grandma. I have a Birthday Present for you."
Inside, Sora just picked up Tamagoyaki and Gourd Strips. While looking at the list, Sora said, "Let's see…Cucumber, Mitsuba, Shiitake Mushrooms…strange, these sound like…" Sora suddenly realized what he was shopping for, "THESE ARE INGREDIENTS! I think I know this recipe! I remember hearing about this from a few customers in the Le Grand Bistrot from Twilight Town. They were sad that the restaurant wasn't familiar with this Sushi recipe, calling it…'Futomaki', I think. It was somewhat of a rolled up delicacy, comparable to other rolled-up foods, except…Sushi. Hmm…is the master thinking about cooking Futomaki?"
"Did I hear someone say 'Futomaki'?"
Just then, a girl with short brown hair and eyes walked over from a corner over to Sora and asked, "You're here looking for Futomaki, right?" The girl's cute and curious face made Sora blush as he said, "S-SOMEONE I KNOW, she wanted me to pick up a few essentials. The listed things were…familiar. I heard they could be used to make Futomaki, at least, according to a restaurant I used to work in."
"...hmm, hey, so what do you have?" The girl asked. Sora nodded and let her see what he picked up…
The girl then said, "Looks like you have 2 of the ingredients. Great! Keep searching and you'll find the rest." Sora nods, but then, he asks, "Um, can I ask you to show me around the shop? It's my first time inside another store since-...(ahem) since my hometown! I just moved, so I'm…kind of a stranger here." The girl giggled and said, "Aww, lost little lamb in a new barnyard, huh? I guess I can show you around. Let's start with the next subject…" The girl then looked at Sora's shopping list and said, "...Looks like the Cucumbers are next on the list. Follow me, sir! We'll go pick some up together!"
The girl took the initiative and guided Sora through the shop, helping him pick up the Cucumbers, then the Shiitake Mushrooms, as they spent their time together, Sora said to her, "So these ingredients were for Futomaki all along, I gotta say, I wouldn't have figured it out sooner if it wasn't for you. Are you a chef too?" The girl answered, "Well, I AM living on my own, a girl's gotta know her recipes, same as the boys, right?" Sora nodded and said, "Y-yeah, living on our own kinda forces us to get used to doing things for ourselves. But now that I think about it, it looks like you're buying the same ingredients. Are you going to make some too?" The girl nodded and said, "I sure am! I'm actually a pro when it comes to Futomaki. I literally LIVE for Futomaki as if it was a second way of living for me."
"Heh, that's cute. Well then, I hope I can cook to your standards when I'm given the chance again."
Sora's words made the girl blush red all over, as Sora asked, "Um…hey, are you alright?" The girl nodded and said, "Y-Y-YOU BET! W-well then, how about we take our ingredients to the cashier?" Sora nodded and followed the girl over…
Back outside, Sayuri smiled at Sora as he was happily conversing with the cute girl…
"Good boy, Sora, you earned that radiant Halo. Now, you know your mission, to save our world from the Four Fiends, and now…I leave you to my Granddaughter. She'll take care of you while I'm watching…"
Sayuri began to walk away from the shop, and then, like the sands of a beach and the desert, she vanished into the wind…
Sora then approached the cashier and purchased the ingredients. The girl was about to pay for hers next when suddenly…
Crowds of people were running for their life!
Sora sighed and said, "And JUST when I finished picking up what Miss Sayuri needed!" The girl suddenly asked, "H-HEY WAIT, DID YOU SAY-?!" Sora then said, "STAY IN HERE, WHATEVER THESE PEOPLE ARE RUNNING FROM IS DANGEROUS!" The girl watched as Sora left with his groceries while heading to the danger…
"...Sayuri…that's my Granny's name…"
"Asuka dear, I know Granny hasn't been around to see you lately, but I wanted to tell you something amazing since it's your Birthday. Yer old granny summoned someone to help you and the girls against the demon shadows called the Heartless. You'll meet this person very soon, so be a good girl and show this whipper snapper the ropes while he's in town. Happy Birthday my beloved Granddaughter, your gift will be coming in 3…2…"
Remembering how she coincidentally met Sora the same time Sayuri's call ended, Asuka knew what she had to do next…
Back outside, hundreds of people still ran for their lives, making it hard for Sora to reach the source of their anguish and horror. Despite the difficulty of squeezing through the crowd, Sora still knew this HAD to be settled with if he wanted to return to the Realm of the Living…
"Glad YOU'RE not here Simba, seeing a stampede would set you off. Still, maybe I can reach the Heartless by…rooftop?" Sora then sneaked into the alleyways and climbed up by the ladders and balconies up to the rooftops.
As Sora reached the rooftops, he released a breath of satisfaction while rushing towards the danger, "Climbing and Exploring, MAN I love it! THIS is why I love exploring other worlds!"
After a few minutes of running through the rooftops, Sora soon began to slow down as the sounds of screams and cries began to lower, making the area sound eerily quiet…
…and in the screaming's place…
…came the sudden rumbling of a massive rushing horde of mad runners!
The Heartless were INDEED in the world, attacking the city! As Sora witnessed the massive amount of Shadows rushing and climbing over each other for a taste of Heart and Flesh alike, he hopped down in front of them and pointed the Keyblade towards them while saying, "These Four Fiends that are threatening the world, it would only make sense their army would be a number of you Heartless. Devour Hearts until there isn't a layer thick enough to protect the Heart of this world from being devoured…"
The Shadows then attempted to pounce on Sora, who surprised them by decapitating the approaching Heartless and throwing his Keyblade into the group, destroying every Heartless in his direction!
"I fought so many of you already, so would it kill at least ONE of you to learn from our encounters?! I am so sick of fighting you creeps! LEAVE THE WORLDS ALONE!" Sora then charged towards the group of Heartless and began slashing and demolishing the tens of thousands that came at him…
From the rooftops however, one familiar girl watched over him and wondered, "Granny, this boy…you summoned HIM to save our world? Poor thing…he's…he's so angry…"
Elsewhere, 4 large creatures were bowing before a beautiful brown-haired woman wearing revealing red and white clothes, on a throne with a large sash over it featuring an insignia of a thorny rose. One approached her and reported, "The elder succeeded Mistress. Forgive us, but the hag succeeded in summoning a warrior. He is…a Haloed Keyblade Wielder…named Sora."
The woman opened her eyes, blue with pink flower-shapes inside her pupils, and smiled…
End of Chapter 2
Next Chapter...
Asuka reveals herself as a Ninja of Hanzo, and aids Sora against the Heartless!