Welcome to chapter 20 of my Story. Man, twenty chapters, it's amazing that I even got this far tbh. Anyway, the next match is incoming so I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Senran Kagura series or any of its characters. I do however own the plot. And not the plot plot, the story kind of plot… you know not the….. 'Sighs'... let's just start the chapter.

Warning: Same as always, harsh language, adultish content, and this time, mild violence.

Chapter 20 - The Princess and Peasant

I slammed my right fist into the flat of my left palm, "Oh yeah! I pounded you into the ground on the first day of school!"

Poor Ikaruga-Sensei looked so confused by this. Apparently, she didn't know of her brother's activities on that day, so I decided to enlighten her, "Murasame here was bullying some poor young girl out of her money when I found him that day. So I kicked his ass."

Ikaruga-Sensei's face went from confused, to angry in a split-second. She quickly smacked the back of her brother's head with enough force to kill a normal man, "What the hell do you need money from a little girl for!? You come from a rich family, Murasame! If you really need money, all you had to do was ask!"

Murasame rubs the back of his head, "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to ask my more successful sister for money!?"

Ikaruga whacked him in the back of the head, harder this time, "It's even more embarrassing knowing my brother steals it from young girls!" I bit my lip to keep myself from grinning at the amusing sight.

Kat let out a sigh and got my attention, "Renka-Honey, let's go watch the next match. Princess is in the next one, plus that one girl, Chikasa Kitase."

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we need to find out what Yomi will do in this match."

Kat and I headed out into the stands and just in time too as Mirai called out, "Yomi Kayano And Chikasa Kitase, would you two come on out onto the field now."

I took a deep breath, "This is it. This is where we find out if she made it or not!"

The two girls came out from the stadium and Kat smiled, "She did make it!"

I nodded in agreement as I saw the same terrified girl as the same day of the preliminaries, alongside a very confident Yomi carrying her giant broadsword with her. How she can carry something that heavy is beyond me.

The two girls approach Mirai and the loli looks to both of the girls, "Are you both ready?"

Yomi nodded confidently, "Yes, ma'am!"

Chikasa shields away as the overwhelming confidence swallowed up any of her self-esteem. Mirai looked to the scared girl, "Chikasa Kitase, are you ready!?"

The girl just cried out in fear, "D-Do I really have to do this!?"

The crowd all started to boo the instant they all heard this. There were jeers, lewd remarks, and overall just disgusting words being thrown out, all because a kid was scared to die in a battle… man, people are the worst when it comes to their "sports".

Mirai sighed and rubbed her aching temples. I could see her muttering something, but I couldn't hear what it was though I'm guessing it was swearing, "You can forfeit the match, but I cannot guarantee your continued enrollment at this school if you do."

The look that appeared on Chikasa's face was one of utter defeat. I could only sympathize with this poor girl. She must've been dragged into this by her teammates like I was. The fact that she was the only one that made it must've weighed heavily on her too. The poor thing, her head hung there for a second before lifting it up, "I'm ready then!"

Mirai nodded, "Alright! Let the third match begin!"

Mirai backed off almost instantly as Chikasa got ready for Yomi's attack. Yomi examined Chikasa menacingly and the scared girl started to back off. Yomi scoffed and pointed at her, "You might as well just take your chance with getting expelled, rather than fight me! I'd destroy you!"

Chikasa gasped but looked away, "But my team sacrificed everything to get me here. I can't just disgrace them now by forfeiting now. I couldn't!"

Yomi was instantly next to Chikasa, as the poor girl gasped and tried to get some distance, Yomi's hand shot out grabbing Chikasa's shirt, pulling her closer with an audible ripping sound.

The crowd went silent.

Yomi glared, "Do you really think you're strong enough to do that!?"

Yomi pushed Chikasa back so hard that she fell back and rolled and tumbled a bit. I gaped at this display of cruelty, "Why is Yomi being so mean right now!?"

Kat sighed, "You got me, Renka-Honey. Princess always acts so high and mighty like everything is about her. That it's the reason I call her princess."

I nodded, "I see. She acts like a spoiled princess. I get it."

I watched as Chikasa quickly gets up and noticed the collar of her shirt was so stretched out that a bit of her cleavage was showing off. Chikasa however, had no time to complain as Yomi's fist was coming her way. Chikasa dodged to the left as she then stabbed Yomi's right arm with one of her Senbon. However, Chikasa could not get the senbon out of Yomi's arm and had to leave it behind.

Yomi looked to her arm like someone would look at a beetle crawling up it, "Going to have to do a lot better than that to defeat me!"

After pulling the senbon out, Yomi's arm suddenly fell and went limp. She looked at the noodle appendage in surprise, "Wh-What the hell just happened!? Why can't I move my arm?"

Chikasa held up her senbon, "My weapon of choice is soaked in a paralyzing agent. Whoever I use this on the body part I use this on will be paralyzed." Yomi glared at Chikasa as she continued, "So let's say, if I stab your heart with this, you'll die instantly."

Yomi looked at Chikasa with surprise, grabbing her arm which reminded me of a wet ramen noodle, she continued glaring, "Looks like you are not to be underestimated. That's good, I would hate to start this with the humiliation of a weak opponent."

Chikasa's face went blank, "I'm sorry, really. Please forgive me, but I need to make this quick."

Chikasa then came at Yomi with quick feet, but Yomi appeared right behind the girl, taking a swipe at her head with her left hand. The sudden movement caused Chikasa to fall to the ground the moment it connected. Yomi looked to Mirai and coughed, "I believe she'll be out for several hours! Now would be a good time to call the match!"

Mirai smirked, "Think it's over, do ya? Why not take a second look, Hmmm?"

Yomi gasped, looked over her shoulder and saw Chikasa getting up for more. Yomi glared at the girl, "I see... I didn't hit you hard enough then!"

The poor thing didn't look stable on her feet, but still getting into her defensive stance against Yomi. Yomi continued to glare at her, "Just stay down already! You can't win against me! You'll only just end up injured or worse."

Chikasa tried to throw her senbon but it didn't even seem to get anywhere near her target with how sloppy her arm throw became. She rubbed her eyes and I saw her rapidly blinking when her hands moved away, "D-Darn it. I'm seeing triple right now..."

Yomi closed the gap between them instantly. Chikasa gasped, falls back, and tries to get away, but Yomi grabbed her leg to stop her.

Chikasa cried out, "No, let me go! Stay away from me, you monster!"

Yomi's eyes clearly twitched as she registered what Chikasa had just said. Yomi then puts her foot on top of Chikasa's leg and applied pressure. Beside me, I feel Kat wince in anticipation when we heard an audible snap ring throughout the stadium as the crowd had gone mute shortly after the match started. I heard Chikasa crying out in pain, as my stomach did a somersault, almost as if the pain she felt went into me.

Yomi glared, her voice near screaming, "What the fuck did you just call me, bitch?! I'll rip that pathetic tongue out of your mouth if I feel like it!"

Yomi connected a kick to Chikasa's side and she coughed out blood, landed on her back due to the force of the kick. I have not seen Yomi so mad before! She had a look of pure rage on her face, like a tiger aiming for the kill. As Yomi stared at Chikasa, the other girl quickly turned over and tried to run.

However, Yomi's hand quickly snagged Chikasa's skirt. Chikasa cried out again as she tried to get away as fast as she could, "No, stop, please! Leave me alone!"

A very audible rip was heard as the skirt separated itself from Chikasa's body, which caused her to roll forward violently, in turn causing her nose to smash into a rock on the ground. When Chikasa got up to all four, her nose gushed blood.

Chikasa grabbed her nose to stop the bleeding and started sobbing. My heart began to break while Yomi, in all of her unbridled rage, went over to Chikasa and glared at her now sobbing opponent. She was staring at her butt which was only covered by her pink panties at this point. The other girl didn't get any rest as Yomi's foot connected with Chikasa's crotch, causing both me and Kat to recoil in both sympathy and disgust for Yomi's behavior.

Chikasa let out some kind of choking sound before her body hit the ground again. Squeaks and gasps could only be heard as Chikasa struggled to breathe. Yomi soon picked Chikasa up by the hair and glared at her, "Had enough yet!? Huh?! Have you?!"

My stomach started to become queasy watching all this, "Please, Yomi, stop!"

Kat saw my internal struggle and pulled me close, "I know, I can't stand what she's doing too."

We both continued to watch despite all this, Yomi dropped Chikasa to the ground and put her foot on Chikasa's head and started to apply pressure. Chikasa started screaming as Yomi did this. At this point, my lunch was ready to leave my stomach, and if it did I wanted it to greet Yomi, "Kat, I think I'm gonna throw up if this continues."

Kat went wide-eyed and got up, "Let me get you a bag, Renka-Honey!"

As Kat hightailed it, Chikasa's screams got louder and louder as Yomi put more and more strength into crushing Chikasa's head. When blood started to leak out of her eyes, a hand grabbed Yomi's ankle and lifted it off the other girl's head. Yomi glared, "Why are you stopping me!?"

Mirai smirked, "I thought I said arguments weren't permitted." Yomi yanked her leg away and Mirai raised her hand, "This match is over. The winner is Yomi Kayano!"

Yomi scoffed and walked back into the stadium like none of that ever happened. No one in the audience moved except for me as I quickly got up and ran past Kat, who had a bag for me and quickly made my way to the restroom. I barely had a moment to spare as my lunch all but went into the toilet, some chunks missing and hitting the seat. I couldn't stop either, I think I hurled five or six times before nothing else came out beside the spit my mouth made. I went stumbling out of the stall and found Kat waiting near the sinks, "How long were you there?" My throat was croaky, shaky at best, and my energy was drained.

Kat rubs the back of her head, "I heard you throwing up in there, Renka-Honey. That match really got to you, huh?"

I nodded as I went over to the sinks and proceeded to dry heave a bit as I rubbed my aching muscles in my abdomen. After I washed my hands and we both left the bathroom and found mom watching over Minori. My mom shook her head in disappointment, "Why do you guys insist on sucking out each other's chakra. The amount that was taken from this poor girl... she'll suffer for a few days cause of this!"

I looked away tearing up, "It's cause I was dying, mom. We ran into some trouble yesterday and I almost died! Minori gave all that she had to make sure I stayed alive!"

My mom looked shocked at me, "If you almost died, how did having just her chakra save you!?"

Kat jumped in the conversation, "She had the Elixir of Life."

Mom flinched and looked to Minori, "S-She has clear chakra!?"

Kat crosses her arms, "Yeah! Never thought something like that would save your daughter's life, huh!?"

My mom, however, was in deep thought, "Could this be why your powers changed too...?"

Both Kat and I looked at each other, tense in our own skins, "Wait is something like that even possible?"

Mom shook her head, "I don't know. Shadow Marks are just power enhancements, the marks travel all over the body to resemble the thing they represent. In total, there are twelve Shadow Marks out there. Each representing one of the astrology zodiac signs. So far only five marks have been discovered: Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Sagittarius, and Taurus. But the other seven are a mystery."

I tilt my head in confusion, "Then how can you be so sure I have one if my sign is already taken? My sign is cancer, you know!"

Mom sighed, shaking her head back and forth like even she was at a loss, "We don't know if those five shinobi, in general, were born in those set time periods. Little is actually known about the Crimson Shadows shinobi, other than that they are all female. But we do know a certain objective they have, has something to do with this year's Kohana Festival."

Both Kat's and my face twist into shock as mom said this. Kat was the first to speak after a few moments of tense silence, "What do they want with some tournament hosted by this school to find the Elite class!?"

My mom shrugged, "We don't know. Even the Shinobi Sailors are stumped by this. That's why they're helping with this event this year. They want to find out what the Crimson Shadows are up to."

My head began to pound with the new information forcing itself into my brain. I sit down next to Minori's sleeping form as I was almost ready to faint. Kat was getting angry and balled her hand into a fist, "Why!? Why mess around with this tournament at all? All I wanted to do was become an Elite on my last year here at New World Academy so I can make my way to become the Grand Councilwoman for Hebijo."

Both my mom and I looked at Kat in surprise. Mom opened her mouth, "You want to become a Grand Councilwoman? Well, that's a lofty goal you've set for yourself."

I looked at the girl before me. She had found herself a goal, while I was sitting back here, wondering why I had no such dream.

Kat suddenly stood in front of my mom, "Anyway, you need to apologize for earlier!"

Mom looked at Kat straight in the eye with a tilt of her head, "Excuse me?"

Kat pointed to me, "You slapped Renka-Honey earlier, remember? I want an apology for it since it seems like she doesn't have the mark!"

My mom then gave Kat a certain look, a look that told her to back off immediately, "We don't know exactly yet. It could be the Shadow Mark for all you know."

Kat grit her teeth, "Still apologize to Renka-Honey for slapping her across the face, goddamnit! You're her mother, not some police officer!"

Mom walked towards Kat to tower my friend, arms crossed and hip swayed to the side. "I only did that because Renka is jeopardizing her chances to become an Elite. Something Kafuru tried for and failed at. I want her to succeed, and if I have to get physical to make her open her eyes and grow up then so be it."

I was the next to speak, however, "But that seriously hurt when you slapped me. You overreacted for something that may be nothing, mom. I know I don't have that mark, cause it wasn't anywhere on my body this morning. Nor has it been any other time. I can safely say with one hundred percent certainty."

My mom laughs, which caught me off guard, "Well, the shinobi world needs a little more than your word for this. It needs the opinions of certified professionals."

I looked away from her, refusing to see this person my mom has become, "Well, you're not gonna get it any other way. I'm not stripping in front of other people!"

Her expression hardened, eyes becoming cold,, "You are going to do exactly that. Unless you want me to rip the clothes off your body right now." What's happened to her!? What happened to the mom that hugged me close and accepted my decisions in life even if it was usually never the best? Where is my mom in this… this stranger!

I used my arms to shield myself as Kat jumps in front of me, "Just you try it! I won't let you touch her, got it!?"

My mom's murderous intent came off of her in tsunami-sized waves as the blonde's threat sunk into her head. Fear crept into me and I watched the room's tension fill up as the two stared each other down. I got a little worried for Kat cause my mom is crazy strong. Suddenly, my mom's hand shot towards me and Kat quickly caught it and held it back.

My mom glared at us, "How can you girls be completely stupid? Were you both born under a stupid star or something?"

Kat glared back, "Stop it, or I will be forced to do something drastic..."

My mom scoffed, "Please like you could ever hurt me at all, child."

This was going somewhere I didn't want it to, so I spoke up, "Mom, stop! If you don't stop this, I'll hate you for the rest of my life!" She's still trying to control my actions, and I needed to tell her that this is not okay. I'm a person, not something she can bend to her will.

My mom's face went to shocked, "You really are ungrateful... I raised you for eighteen years and this is how you repay me!? By throwing away everything? All we want to do is check for a mark!"

"And I said no you can't! Just stop forcing me to do stuff I don't want to do!" I shouted.

My mom yanked her hand away from Kat, "Fine! Just don't come crying to me when you can't become a ninja!"

My mom walked off, the angriest I've ever seen her. My eyes burned as unshed tears begged to be released. I sat next to Minori and remembered her match was next. She was set to fight that Kou Asakura guy. I looked to her and saw her still snoozing away and I hear Kat sigh, "I hate the fact that you got her as a mother. She needs to be more aware of your feelings about this."

I smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Kat, thank you for standing up for me. I don't have enough confidence to actually back talk my mom unless it's something I really don't want. She's… not always this bad..."

"When you do as she says." Kat snorts, crossing her arms. I kept quiet and she took hold of my hand, "She really needs to understand that children aren't something that you can control. They have feelings too."

I smiled again as Kat said this. I returned Kat's hand hold and intertwined our fingers, "Kat, thank you. I have something for you, and if you want it, then you have to close your eyes."

Kat smiled, "Sure thing Renka-Honey." After Kat closed her eyes, I had the weirdest smirk on my face.

I proceeded to get as close to Kat as possible, put my hand underneath her chin and drew my face as close to hers as I could, to the point our lips were touching. I didn't know what I feeling at this point, it was like my mind instantly went blank. Kat didn't even respond properly, she just opened one eye and looked at me. Kat even tried to return the kiss, but I backed away and broke it, "Sorry. That sort of went differently in my head."

Kat smiled, "It's okay, Renka-Honey." I just smiled back. It felt awkward, but that's only cause it was the first kiss.

Chapter End

Hope you liked the sort of sweet/awkward ending for this chapter. More to come next chapter as Minori is talking on Kou Asakura. Look forward to that. Ayame out.