Well, it's finally time for the aftermath chapter of what happened during the previous chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters for the Senran Kagura series. I only own the story.
Warning: This chapter is more somber and somewhat political (for this world) compared to my other chapters. Plus, of course, all of the other typical things you can expect from the SK world. Minor homophobia from Kafuru near the end, just a heads up.
Chapter 32 - Sayuri Hanzo
It had been a week since Mistress Sayuri had passed away.
Her funeral was today. I looked out the window and saw an overcast sky that seemed to want to weep as much as those around me. I couldn't believe that we lost her. I've been crying so much that my eyes hurt from dusk to dawn. I got up, took my shower, and headed downstairs. I needed to go see Kat as she had regained consciousness a few days ago. Minori needs some company too as she regained consciousness way before Kat.
After eating, I left and went straight to the hospital. After I got checked in and headed to Kat's room, I opened the door and saw Kat smiling, "Hey there, cutie! I'm glad you showed up."
My smile grew, but it twitched at the end and struggled to stay up. "Hey, Kat."
Kat leaned forward, "Renka-Honey? What's wrong? Is there any reason you haven't been to visit me the last few days?" I took Kat's clothes out of the bag I had with me and she saw them. "Those are my clothes. What's going on?"
I also took out Minori's clothes, "I'll tell you as soon as Minori gets here. I asked a nurse to bring her here."
Right on cue, the nurse knocked on the door, "Here's Minori!"
Minori smiled, waving from her wheelchair, "Hello, Renka!"
I went to the girl and gave her a light hug. "Hey, Minori. You and Kat and I are going out today. I've got your clothes right here."
Minori looked at me confused, "Why? Where are we going today?"
I paused handing the clothes to the nurse so she could assist Minori in dressing. "I-I need to tell you two something." I was choking back tears.
Kat saw this, "You've been acting weird ever since you got here. Would you please tell me who won the Tournament already?"
I took a step back so I was equal distance between the two. My arms tucked behind my back. "Kat, Minori, I've got some bad news to tell you."
Kat frowned when she noticed I ignored her question, "Renka, who won the Tournament? Why aren't you answering me?!"
I dropped black armbands in front of them. Mourning armbands, complimentary of the school. "Put those on girls. We're going to a funeral."
Both Kat and Minori's eyes went wide. Kat sputtered, "A-A funeral? Wait, who died!?"
Minori picked up her armband, tugging at the cotton fabric as she read the kanji sewn into the seams. "Mistress Sayuri..."
The look of shock that took over both their faces was like a knife in my heart. Kat stuttered, "Wait, Mistress Sayuri, the 30th Kagura and one the strongest Kunoichi around i-is dead!? Wait, what happened!? And who won the Tournament!?"
I looked at Kat while the nurse by Minori dressed her. "I did Kat, but that's not what we need to talk about. I've got a lot to tell you guys."
While helping Kat dress and Minori received her own help, I explained the whole story. I made sure to not leave out a single detail, and if I couldn't explain it in clear enough detail, I was straight with it. There was no time, no place to hide anything. "That's pretty much everything."
Minori was crying and Kat was at a loss for words. I picked up Minori's armband and fastened it to her sleeve. She was shaking her head. "I still can't believe it."
Kat just brushed her hair out of her face, "I still can't believe that Yagyu had a Shadow Mark! Makes so much sense since she was so powerful, but I don't understand how you beat her though."
I turned my head towards Kat. "What do you mean?"
Kat put her hand to her chin, "Well, I was at my best and couldn't beat her. I even had help from this strange surge of power and still lost. I know you've been getting stronger but you beating her just seems ridiculous."
I got Minori up and steady on her feet. The nurse got most of her clothes on correctly, but I had her hang onto me while I pinched around to adjust her skirt and stockings. "Alright, make sure everything is on right, Minori." As Minori did so, I turned to Kat, "What do you mean Kat? Are you saying that I'm too weak to beat Yagyu?"
Kat rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Well, you're not exactly the next in line for Kagura, Renka-Honey."
After Minori sat back down, I focused my full attention on Kat, "Ouch Kat. Ouch. Real supportive."
Kat waved her hand dismissively, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. "Come on, Renka-Honey! You know I didn't mean anything by it. It's just hard to imagine someone of your level defeating someone like Yagyu."
I gave one of my looks and placed my hands on my hips. "My level?"
Kat put her hands up defensively, "Come on, Renka-Honey. You're taking too much of an offense to such a little statement."
Minori shook her head, "Kat, I may have the mind of a child, but even I can tell that what you said was mean."
Kat gasped, "Wait, you too, Minori!?"
I took ahold of Minori's wheelchair, "Come on Minori. We'll get your stuff."
I walked out of the room with Minori in tow and pushed her back to her hospital room. I closed the door and stood Minori on her feet, not thinking about how weak her legs were. "Renka! I still can't stand! Please don't pull me like that!"
I looked to the poor girl holding onto her wheelchair like a lifeline. "I-I'm sorry Minori. I'm not thinking right now."
Minori smiled, "It's alright Renka. Could… you help me get my bra off? My uh… boobs still hurt and the nurse put it on too tightly."
"Yeah, of course. I didn't think about that when I packed your clothes."
We relocated to her bed so she could sit while I removed her shirt and bra. We opted for a loose, cotton camisole to both preserve Minori's modesty and give her some warmth. It never occurred to me that she would be in pain, the poor girl had such a horrific back injury. I went back to grab Kat after she got dressed and we went to Sayuri's funeral.
My mom, Hanabi, and Kafuru showed up to help me out, pushing the two wheelchairs was hard. We all showed up and attended the memorial service. As the priest spoke, I looked around at all the familiar faces that showed up.
Asuka, Sayuri's granddaughter, was already in tears as Homura was holding her. Asuka was also sitting in a wheelchair and had bandages still wrapped around where her leg was severed. I heard Asuka say, "Grandma, thank you so much. For saving me, and for giving me permission to go search for Homura-Chan. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here now."
Homura placed a hand on Asuka's shoulder, "Yes, thank you, Mistress Sayuri. You gave us a second lease on life and for that, I'm eternally grateful."
I looked around a bit more and saw the Shinobi Sailors standing in line with each other. Mirai was in front of them and she was also crying. Hibari was right behind Mirai. She was letting the tears fall but wasn't physically sobbing. Ryōbi was noticeably absent. Maybe she wasn't healed up enough to be here, I thought. Next to Hibari was some girl whose face I had never seen before. She was standing so close to Hibari that I almost mistook her for a Sailor. She was also crying but when she saw me, she hid behind a very familiar Oni Mask.
My eyes widened as I thought, 'Wait, that was Murakumo!?'
As I continued to look around, I saw both Rin and Kiriya both standing next to each other and holding each other's hands. I also noticed Rin's new fashion accessory on her ring finger. I was kind of surprised that they were going to tie the knot already! Well, I guess they see this as life is too short, I suppose.
A little over to the left, I saw both Hikage and Yomi standing next to each other. Of course, mother and daughter would be together. Yomi was crying but Hikage just looked sad. It might've been hard for Hikage to display her emotions.
I looked over and saw Ikaruga with her brother Murasame, and he was holding some kind of kid with him, a young boy no older than seven. It was a strange sight. I couldn't imagine that big lug being a father. Suddenly, the kid looked at Murasame, "Uncle Murasame, can I go to the bathroom?"
Murasame shook his head, "Don't ask me. Ask your mother."
The child looked to Ikaruga, "Mommy, can I go to the bathroom?"
Ikaruga didn't budge nor blinked, "Yes. Murasame? Can you take him? I need to be alone right now."
I saw Murasame nod, "Right, sis."
I didn't even know that Ikaruga was a mother. She never talked about her home life, so it was hard to imagine her having a kid.
I looked over and saw Yozakura and right next to her a very beautiful woman with pale white skin and icy blue eyes. Dark gray hair, about medium length and all down. I didn't know who she was at the time, but I could tell she was really lady-like by how she sat. Like someone taught her how to be a proper lady. Both her and Yozakura were crying.
Over more to the right, I saw Murasaki with Imu standing next to her. Both sisters sat side by side as they felt the loss of Mistress Sayuri. Right next to the two, was a masculine-looking young woman who had short, yet scruffy clean white pixie cut hair. Gleaming yellow eyes staring at the other two. This woman wasn't crying, in fact, she didn't seem to care about being there. She blankly stared off into space with a glaze in her eyes that fixated on nothing in particular that I could see.
I looked over to the trees and saw Nurse Haruka hiding away from people while having a drink of something in a flask. Every now and then a stray tear fell, and then she would proceed to take another drink. It was as if she was swallowing her sorrow through the drink, using it to dry her tears.
Over to the right, a bit was Naraku against the fence, arms crossed and head down. It seemed like everyone was here to attend the funeral. Well, almost everyone. I looked over to my family. Kafuru, Hanabi, and mother were all crying. Along with Minori and Kat who just looked… empty.
Kat soon looked at me, "So... what happens now?"
My mother sniffed, wiping her face with an already damp handkerchief, "Most likely they'll choose a new Kagura."
Hanabi looked to mom, "Already? Don't they care that Mistress Sayuri just died!?"
Mother patted Hanabi's back, "They do, honey, they do. It's just... Now that Sayuri is gone we need a new leader. If our enemies discovered we were leaderless, they'd use that chance to launch a surprise attack."
I quickly looked at my mom with my eyebrows pulled up painfully high, "Enemies?"
My mom tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sniffed again, "Our neighboring countries. We're not the only community using Shinobi out there. There's our neighboring country of Shoales to the west. There's Badrax to the east. Not to mention the Tiger Territory to the south."
Kat put a hand to her chin, "What's to the north then?"
My mom cleared her throat, "The ocean. Along with the island nation of Hawken. Another of our neighboring countries."
I shift my weight from one foot to the other anxiously, "You don't think they would actually attack, do you?"
Kafuru sighed, her voice scratchy and her eyes puffy. "We don't know, Renka. Peace treaties are usually just only verbally binding contracts. We learned that 5 years ago. When the 19th Great Shinobi War happened."
Kat nodded, "True. We have 4 teachers that are survivors of that Great War."
My mom coughed to get all of our attention, "Let's just say, it's better if we find our 31st Kagura as soon as possible."
I nodded in agreement, "Yeah... that might be good. How do they usually choose the next Kagura?"
Kafuru scoffed, "Might be good? Do you hear yourself at times?"
My mom shushed Kafuru, "The current Grand Council and the leader of our country will choose our next Kagura from any of our able-bodied Shinobi. They can either select some random Shinobi who's immensely powerful or they usually select from among the Grand Council."
Kafuru made a noise of frustration, "That's what's been worrying me! You saw that woman with the white hair and yellow eyes, right? That's Miyabi Hirata! Word is she's been aiming for the seat of Kagura for years! With Mistress Sayuri finally gone, this gives Miyabi her chance to claim the spot of Kagura! We need one of the other three to put their own names forward. I don't think Asuka or Homura will put their own names up. Which means if Yumi Hara doesn't put her own name up, Miyabi will be selected as the 31st Kagura."
My mom spoke up, as if sensing the question on the tip of my tongue, "She has a history of being violent, so there's no telling what would happen if she became Kagura."
I shifted from foot-to-foot, "That's a... little scary, actually." If we want to avoid war, then picking someone who has a reputation for being violent sounds a bit… what's the word Kafuru says at least once a week? Counterproductive.
Kat took a hold of my hand, "I'm worried too, Renka-Honey. Let's change the subject. How does it feel to be the leader of the next class of Elites?"
I shrugged, "It hasn't really hit me, to be honest. I know I won the Tournament, but it hasn't truly sunk in yet."
Kafuru scoffed, "I can't believe you of all people made it through, given how weak you actually are. God, the Kohana Tournament standards must have really fallen since I participated."
I felt my anger rise, "Why must you always downplay my accomplishments! Are you really that jealous that I actually beat you at something!?"
Kafuru scoffed again, "Beat me!? Lucking out isn't beating me, Renka!"
My mom put her hands between us, "Alright, enough! Do not disgrace Mistress Sayuri's memory by fighting at her funeral! If you want to humiliate yourselves further, leave our sights and go fight outside the city."
Hanabi rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, "Well, it would help if Kafuru didn't always instigate a fight."
My mom sighed and gave Hanabi a look. It wasn't a scolding look, but I could almost feel the two meeting the same thought process.
The rest of the service went on quietly. We all got the chance to place a flower on Mistress Sayuri's grave. Afterwards, as soon as the service ended, I saw both Asuka and Homura heading straight for me.
I gave them both an awkward wave, "Hey you two. How're you both holding up?"
Homura shrugged, "We could be better right now."
I looked away, "Right. After all, Asuka's grandmother did just pass away."
Asuka looked to the ground looking like she was about to cry, "Yeah I know." Her voice cracked.
Homura cleared her throat, "Listen, we didn't come here to have some light chit-chat. As the leader of the Elite class, we need to see you tomorrow. Can you come around to the Grand Council Offices tomorrow?"
I nodded, "Sure. Anything for you two." I gave them both a smile.
Asuka chimed in, "Early too. Like 9am. There's something special I want you to take part in."
Homura jumped, "Wait! You want her there for that!? Don't you think it's too soon!?"
Asuka shook her head, "Homura, we were leaders for each of our respective years we tried out for the Elite class. She might very well be the next Grand Councilwoman for New World House."
What?
Homura put her hand to her chin, "True."
Kat wheeled over, " You're taking a while. Anything wrong, Renka-Honey?"
Homura shook her head, "No, Katsuragi. We were just having a conversation."
Kat nodded, "Please call me Kat, also. I really don't like being called Katsuragi. It sounds old when people say it."
Homura crossed her arms, "Will do... Kat."
Asuka tugged my shirt and got in close to whisper, "It might be a good idea to leave your girlfriend out of this for now. We've got no idea if she passed or not. The results will be in tomorrow."
I just nodded, "Well, alright."
Kat saw they were trying to be secretive, so she turned her wheelchair around looking rather ticked. "Well, I'll be over with your family if you need me."
I quickly ran over to her, "Kat, wait!"
Kat just looked back, "Yes, Renka-Honey?"
I bent down and then in front of my friends and family, I kissed Kat. After pulling away, I smiled down at her. "I love you, Kat!"
Kat's face was red as she covered it in embarrassment.
Homura laughed, "God, this takes me back. This reminds me of when Asuka would kiss me. I did the same thing. It was always super embarrassing and always public."
I looked to Homura, "Are you saying that I'm like Asuka!?"
Asuka chuckled, "Don't act like it's a big thing. I'm not anything special. I'm just me."
Homura smiled, "That's what makes you so incredible!"
Asuka blushed, "Aw~ thanks, sweetheart."
I took Kat back to my family, and Kafuru had a sour face. I placed my hands on my hips, "What!?"
Kafuru shook her head, "No, not you! I'm fine with the Grand Councilwomen dating, but they should be dating male Shinobi, not female!" Kafuru shook her head. "What's this world coming to?"
I frowned. It's always like this, one step forward, two steps back with her.
My mother turned to Kafuru and rested a hand on her hip. "Kafuru, don't be homophobic! I didn't raise you that way!"
Kafuru looked to mom, "Excuse me!? You can't seriously be endorsing this juvenile behavior, are you!?"
"Love," Mother started, trying to speak in a softer voice. She only used pet names when trying to reason with us. "Shinobi have short life-expectancies, especially during war times. They should be able to love who they want."
"No, that isn't the case! You're supposed to find someone to continue your bloodlines! That's how it works! You find a man, have a kid, and then you can go find some stupid side lover or die young!" Kafuru sneered seeing us looking at her with varying expressions, ranging from disappointment to annoyance. "Well, fuck you all too!" She soon vanished after that.
My mom sighed, "I thought I messed up raising you, Renka. But it seems like I may have messed up with Kafuru. I'll talk to her later."
I nodded, "Thank you, mom."
"It's so odd… Those are not ideals in our household. At least a third of our relatives, dead or alive, are in some kind of homosexual relationship. Kafuru was raised around that…" Mom ran a hand through her hair, walking off muttering to herself. But before she was out of hearing range, I heard, "Who is feeding my daughter those kinds of thoughts?"
I took both Kat and Minori back to the hospital. They had to stay a few more nights to make sure they were stable. With the nurses' permission, I bought them take-out of their choosing after both complained about hospital food. After I went back home, I got things ready for tomorrow. Energy flowed through me and I bounced around my room, the reality of what happened these last few weeks finally sinking in. I won the tournament. I was going to teach the Elite.
I was… stronger!
Chapter End
Well, this wraps up the Kohana Tournament Arc. Thank you so much for your patience with how long that Arc actually took. The next chapter is the start of Arc 3! Till next time, Ayame out!
