Last Chapter, Sayuri's world was under the thrall of a new danger in the form of four creatures called the Four Fiends. To keep her granddaughter's world safe, Sayuri contacted with a spirit in the Afterlife. That spirit, was Sora, who accepted her summons in exchange for the rulers of the Afterlife to allow him to return to a Living World, alive and able to be located by his comrades from the other Realm...
Haloed and ready to serve his summoner, Sayuri brought Sora to the city of Kabukicho, a red-light district where many shops and civilians spend their time. Sora felt rather lonely and unable to take the matter as seriously, so Sayuri gave Sora an ADDITIONAL task: to make friends and build up on his people skills.
Sayuri then set the stages for Sora to become stronger, by asking him to pick up a few things for Futomaki, a Japanese delicacy, and coincidentally meeting someone who she KNEW could help Sora. That someone was Asuka, her granddaughter and one of the students of Hanzo Academy.
Sora and Asuka conversed and built up a small friendship while they shopped together, making Sora even more interested and eager to try making Futomaki, but just when Sora made a new friend, they were interrupted by a large number of Heartless Shadows! They attacked the citizens, forcing Sora to end his conversation, and rush over to stop them. Sora prepared for another fight with the same monsters he fought for years while Asuka watched from above...
But as known forces conflict with one another, the Four Fiends report to a mysterious woman...who may in fact be more dangerous than the 4 combined...
Kagura Hearts
Chapter 3 ~ Night of Fate, Asuka Flies
"SONIC BLADE!"
Sonic ripped through the numbers, trimming down every Heartless Shadow that came at him, one by one! He then finished his attack by shoving the Keyblade through the last Shadow like it was nothing, and grabbing the nearest Heartless by the antennae and swatting away the Shadows that came at him until he booted the one he used to clean their clocks at them. He THEN summoned his Keyblade back into his grasp and used a Thunder Spell on that very same creature, annihilating it and all surrounding Shadows in the blink of an eye!
The Shadows then took drastic measures and started throwing objects at Sora to throw him off, but the Keybearer simply batted them back at the monsters, literally blowing each thrower's eyes or heads CLEAN OFF!
The last object they threw was batted straight through the group of Heartless, making a clean path for Sora to run through! Sora then ran past them while saying , "Catch me if you can, you Gluttons!"
The Shadows then chased Sora while Asuka watched from the rooftops. She knew Sora was trying to lead the monsters away from the frightened civilians, but she felt he was enjoying this way too much…
"Doesn't he know how many are chasing him? Why isn't he scared of those shadowy monsters?" Asuka asked. Following Sora still, she said, "According to Granny, these Yoma-like demons were called 'Heartless', but looking at them, they could literally pass as disgusting bugs! If I was the guy down there, I'd rather lead them to a trap they couldn't escape…but still…maybe I should trust WHY Granny summoned this boy…"
As Sora ran, he made it to a large crossroads section of the city, where Sora had more space to fight the Heartless…
Sora turned around and said, "OK, now we have room for a REAL Party! LET'S GO!"
From then on, Sora was DESTROYING the Heartless, his expression however, it felt like seeing someone revel in their battle, and yes, Sora was indeed enjoying the fight too much, as if he was holding in his personal feelings for so long, that he was finally allowed to cut loose, and release ALL the regret and pain he felt when he was abruptly taken from Kairi, by the unseen fate, by Xehanort, and especially by the rule makers who decided he HAD to disappear and never return…
After killing one thousand Heartless, Sora glared at the remaining 100, and said, "This…is a riot. I keep getting thrown into these-...these STUPID FIGHTS! Save a bunch, then lose a bunch, the loss?! It's either Memories or Loved Ones, either way, all the power I gained, used up against the big bad villain of it all! Sure, I won, my friends lived, and the bad guys lost, but do I get a break? Do I stay to celebrate long enough?! NO! BECAUSE YOU HEARTLESS…you're just always in line to get my freaking Autograph, aren't you? AREN'T YOU?!"
Sora angrily swung his Keyblade at the Shadows, but he missed 3 of them, and started breathing heavily, as if he gave too much of his energy to destroy the large number of Heartless from earlier…
Asuka could tell, after killing the massive amount of Shadow Heartless, Sora was starting to reach his limit…
Sora still couldn't help but remember his time with Kairi, who was killed by Xehanort, and brought back to life by his risky gamble with the Power of Waking…
"...GOD DAMN IT! WHY CAN'T YOU MINDLESS FREAKS STOP EATING OUR WORLDS?!"
(SWAT)
A Shadow Heartless caught Sora by surprise by clawing at his leg, then giving another a chance to pounce on him, giving the others a chance to grab his arms and legs…
It was at that moment that the Shadows who weren't holding Sora down started to merge…
…into a Demon Tower!
Sora could only watch as his executioner was taking shape, and as The Demon Tower was forming, Sora said, "...No Friends…and no Power…in the Afterlife, I'm just as much a puppet as the Heartless now. And even with strings attached, I couldn't make the right choices…and here I took a chance, for her…but Kairi, if I was back…would any of you have the time to look for me? Or…(chuckle) I can hear Mickey saying they found a new Keyblade Wielder. It makes perfect sense, especially since anyone who wasn't me…would have done better. I could have told Kairi to stay home…I could have evacuated everyone before the Tide was formed…I…I'm a joke…"
The Demon Tower then slithered around Sora, who's smile was seen by Asuka as someone who had given up…
"Go ahead. I destroyed so many Heartless, and I lost more than I won every time…you win. I'm done with friends, and I'm done with power…just…take me. Even my summoner abandoned me-."
Suddenly, standing next to him, was the same girl who helped him shop for the Futomaki ingredients! Asuka instantly slayed the Heartless who were holding him to the ground and asked, "You have been Summoned because you CAN save my world. Because the Keyblade you have can destroy the Heartless. Tell me, are you-...no, WERE you at least happy to save the lives of those who were on every world you visited?!"
Sora noticed Asuka's…figure under the skirt and blushed, looking away in embarrassment while Asuka realized what he saw…yet she still grabbed him and carried him away from the Demon Tower, who tried to devour them by reaching at them!
Asuka dodged the Demon Tower and kicked it away, gaining the opportunity to escape with Sora.
Minus later, Sora was ready to talk to the girl he met, he was ready to talk to Asuka…
"...So, do you always go out in two different uniforms?" Sora asked. Asuka blushed and punched his arm while saying, "Do YOU always peep up girls' skirts?" Sora shook his head, "I-I DON'T! But maybe that's something to consider for the future!"
"-Just stop. Please, just stop clowning around and be honest with me. My question from earlier…please answer it?" Asuka asked.
Sora then answered, "...I was happy. I mean, seeing a new take on a world, what I used to consider normal keeps getting thrown out the window, and…and there were amazing people in each of them…so yes. For them, for their home world, I would keep fighting the Heartless…whether it's forever…or…heh, a guy and his Hobbies, huh?"
Asuka then said, "You know, a few minutes ago, we met in that tiny store. And from what I saw, I assumed…I was talking to someone who knows how to get his house clean. Someone who met any danger that challenged him, and faced it. I never thought that person would end up being a real hero though…especially one who's been holding in his personal feelings. I saw you snap…and I-...I know I can't give you the help you need, Heck, that could be a psychiatrist's job or something…but…I didn't want you to suddenly give up. It just didn't sound like a fitting death for you."
Sora smiled and said, "...Asuka…have you ever been stuck?"
Asuka nodded and said, "Well, it's not like I DIDN'T slip into a tight squeeze once and a while. I mean, 'them's the perks' of being a Ninja Trainee, I guess. But it is important to slip WITHOUT boys looking at you because they might get aroused if they see something inappropriate-."
"NOT THAT KIND OF STUCK! Have you been stuck doing something, since you were 14, nothing but a recurring job that keeps you away from everyone in your life?! Always fighting Heartless, always fighting people who suddenly have it out for the universe, ALWAYS SUDDENLY BEING PULLED AWAY AS SOON AS YOU HAD THAT FIRST MOMENT OF REUNION WITH YOUR LOVED ONES?! I SURE HAVE! …I have been fighting the same Shadows, losing the same Kairi…for so many years. I understood how fun an adventure was…but I thought wrong…I was wrong about so many things! I'm just fighting for nothing but a short break for as long as it lasts for a rat and his loyal-..."
Sora was indeed one of the most depressed heroes Asuka had ever seen…
"...Yes…your Grandmother summoned me…to fight the Heartless. With the world in danger, she needed someone to help, and so, here I am. But after what happened…in the last adventure…how can I save anyone, knowing that I won't be with them for long?" Sora asked.
Asuka then answered, "...you just…embrace the time you have with them."
Sora questioned what Asuka meant, and so she explained, "Listen, a Job is important, you'd be lucky to have it, it keeps the house you live in, or the apartment you sleep in, and your fridge is always stocked thanks to that job, you're great doing it too. But the same can be said about your friends, not just you. You and your loved ones can bond, hold hands, and even share the same tastes for movies, but the thing you have to understand…and this is important…is that the same rules apply to them."
Asuka's words touched Sora's heart as he looked at her with a surprised expression, as if these words neglected his ears for so long that it literally took him till his 17th year to gain such enlightenment as a Birthday Present…
Asuka then continued, "They had their own jobs and choices to make, and maybe what hurts you the most…is when they want the same thing as you…to fight for their friends. When you love your friends so much that the thought of someone hurting them drives you crazy. They felt the same thing as you, and like their choices in life, you can't change them…and in the end, isn't such uniqueness worth fighting for?"
Sora nods slightly. And then asked, "...Thank you for telling me…I think…I have someone waiting for me at home…who I owe a huge apology to…
Elsewhere, after the events of "Melody of Memories" and this story, Kairi met with Aqua, and bowed while saying, "I hope you're not busy, Lady Aqua…but I was hoping to ask you to train me."
Aqua was somewhat surprised, however, she smiled and said, "Of course I will. We can't save Sora from Quadratum without a little preparation, can we?"
End of Chapter 3
Next Chapter...
The Keyblade and a set of Willows & Blossoms dance together as Sora and Asuka join forces and continue the fight against the towering Heartless!