Kagura Hearts
Chapter 22 ~ The Snow Women
While hopping from one rooftop to another over Kabukicho, Sora and Hibari kept their eyes peeled for any sign of a Gessen ninja…
Sora reported, "Nothing on my end, how about you, Hibari?" Hibari shook her head and said, "Sadly, I'm not getting anything either. It's almost like they were picking on you just to get you out in the open." Sora then said, "They were highly spoken of too, Asuka wouldn't just be friends with anybody, not without good reason…as far as I can tell at least." Hibari then explained, "Well don't you worry, Sora. Asuka meant every word when she talked about them. She even thought you'd be a great boyfriend for their leader."
"-HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY 'I'M TAKEN'?!"
Suddenly, the rabbit they were riding hopped through a peculiar object…
"...Hibari…why did the rabbit jump through a giant Donut?" Sora asked. Hibari nervously answered, "Because we're dealing with the magic of a candy fanatic from Gessen…and THIS Candygirl may be…(gulp) well, you can say she's like a smaller version of me-KOOL-AID GUY!"
"OH-YEAH!"
Sora managed to swat away the giant juice mascot while to Sora and Hibari's surprise, their path was met with thousands of giant raining sweets, treats, and candy brands…
"Sora, I can't let my bunny friends eat that stuff, Chocolate can REALLY weigh them down and get them hooked on the stuff!" Hibari said. Sora then said, "This 'Candy Blockade' was probably set up to catch us! They know I'm here, and they were after me from the start! Hibari, you try to find the others! I'll take their trials, whatever they are, and manage on my own while you guys find me!"
"SORA, WAIT!"
It was too late, Sora jumped off the rabbit while it was in the air, and plummeted down while managing to avoid the giant gumdrops, Pop Rocks, and broken sharp pieces of lollipops! After avoiding most of the incoming dangers, a giant cup of broiling-hot cocoa came in Sora's way, forcing Sora to take measures in his own hands by using Gravity to lower nearby licorice and grab it RIGHT before he fell in the boiling liquid. And after a while, Sora managed to climb up to the top side of the strand of licorice, and found the entire city, covered in sweets…
Sora then said, "Alright Gessen Academy…let the trials begin."
Sora went from rooftop to rooftop, fighting off candy themed Heartless, like Candy Apple and Poison Apples, Round & Large Rice Cakes, Bitter and Mighty Macarons, Gummi Hammers, Swaying Cactuses, Candy Plants, and several Sweets Squads…
After a few rooftop jumps and Heartless fights, Sora started getting a little antsy and called out, "HEY, GESSEN NINJAS! THIS CANDY STORM IS RIDICULOUS! SO IF YOU DON'T STOP RAINING CANDY HELL ALL OVER THE CITY, I WON'T ACCEPT YOUR TRIALS! ASUKA TOLD ME EVERYTHING, HOW A GROUP OF YOU GUYS APPEARED WHILE I WAS GONE, AND WITHOUT MY APPROVAL, YOU SAID YOU'D JUDGE ME JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T TRUST ME! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SOUNDED LIKE?! COWARDS! SO IF YOU HAVE THE STOMACH FOR YOUR STUPID TRIALS, THEN QUIT BRINGING WINTER OR FATTENING FOODS ON THE CITY AND LET THE KEYBLADE WIELDER SHOW YOU WHO HE TRULY IS!"
And at that instant, the candy dematerialized, leaving only snow to calmly fall…
"The snow will fall until you prove your heart. And as far as I can tell, Keyblade Master, you are no different than the Yoma we slay. You are violent, you are disastrous, and what's worse, your original summoner stuck you with a simpleton like Asuka. So tell me, how can a dog convince us he is not a stray when he's already thrown away?"
Appearing from above, standing on a taller building, was a girl in a white and sky-blue kimono, with short gray hair, piercing sky-blue eyes and bladed fans attached to her sash.
What was strange was how this girl almost looked like Kairi, similar to Hikage…
Sora then rubbed his eyes and wondered, "...I think I'm getting delirious. Short-haired girls look WAY too much like Kairi in this world…either that or I…what was the phrase Donald used? I…had a type?"
"-Does that mean, you have a Button, Mister?"
Sora jumped back after a voice from behind came up out of nowhere!
And standing before him, was a small girl, somewhat around Hibari's age, who was dressed in strange kindergarten-based clothes while exposing a ton of cleavage with a backpack and pockets stacked with candy and sweets…
Sora then realized, "Wait a second…YOUR THE PERSON WHO MADE IT RAIN CANDY AND CAKES!" The girl nodded, "Yup, it's nice to meet you, Mister Sora! My name's Minori, one of the many Gessen Academy Girls!" Sora then noticed he was surrounded by exposed and half-naked girls in odd clothes, similar to the other ninja girls he met earlier, but more…suggestive.
Sora then said, "...so you're the Gessen Academy Ninjas who have a bone to pick with me? Gotta say, I'm not seeing a bunch of 'heroic' ninjas. Asuka must have been describing less-suggestive-looking ninjas, I mean, sure, I was called dumb and simple by others before, but even I wouldn't go out dressed like it's summer during winter, or even a bunch of perverse Supervillains."
The blonde witch-reaper then smirked and said, "Hey, he's snarky. The spies didn't mention this doofus having a sense of humor." The masked girl then said, "Humor is one thing, but where is the flare? The courage? The conviction of a true hero? He's presumably less of such without his precious Keyblade." Minori then said, "They're right Mister, what can a robot man like you do without that magic rod?" Sora then said, "I'm not a robot, why would you say that?" Minori explained, "Well when you said 'Type', I just assumed you had a button on you. Speaking of which, where is it? Is it on your back? Take off your shirt and reveal your secrets, Robot!"
"-HE'S NOT A ROBOT, MINORI! Now get back here, we have a word to give this boy." said a girl with dark blue short hair, wearing giant brown and gold gauntlets. Minori pouted and walked away while Sora said, "OK look, you guys have your reasons, so I won't call you out on them, but I still have to know, what's your problem with me? You didn't have to freeze over the city to get my attention!"
The girl with fans appeared behind him and said, "Darkness threatens our world, our Ninjas struggle with their monsters, and coincidentally, YOU show up, bearing the only weapon that could banish the demons! Who's to say you're not really the mastermind behind these events? How can Sayuri trust a BOY of all people to make things right? And why…WHY DO YOU POSSESS THE KEYBLADE?!"
The girl's tone surprised Sora, as if she was accusing him of something. Just then, as he turned around to speak to the kimono girl, Minori surprisingly pushed him in the back while yelling, "TYPE THE BUTTON!"
(BUMPA-BLUMP)
Minori's childish attempt to push a 'button' caused Sora to fall onto the girl, and into her cleavage! As Sora opened his eyes, he noticed the fangirl wore her kimono rather low, exposing much of her shoulders and breasts!
Sora swiftly got his face off her chest while she fixed her Kimono back up to her preferred length, glaring frustratingly at him while he struggled with how to apologize…
The gauntlet girl grabbed Minori and glared angrily at her while Minori said, "Hey, come on, Yozakura…I thought his button was on his back…" Yozakura then grabbed Minori by the backpack and chastised, "NO CANDY FOR A WEEK, MINORI!"
As Minori wined, Sora finally got down on his knees and said, "I'M SO SORRY FOR VIOLATING YOUR SPACE! I AM SO SORRY! Please, I'll do anything to make up for what I did-!" Yozakura however helped Sora back on his feet and said, "It was Minori's fault to begin with, not yours. You're OK, don't worry." Yozakura's motherly kindness made Sora cry in relief while the leader sighed and said, "...Well…at least you weren't some degenerate. And despite your earlier attitude, you…(sigh) You answered my invitation, so we might as well honor our arrangement. The Winter Kekkai will be dispelled, in exchange for your participation in our Trials."
Sora nodded and said, "...I could use a Trial Run, I haven't been in a good obstacle course since my training in the Olympus Coliseum." The fan girl then said, "Well-well, someone's been in more places than one. Prepare yourself well, Keyboy, each of us will be hosting one Trial, and your task is to meet us each and complete each of the Trials."
"-Hey…this may be a bit random, but…you guys know my name, right? Well, what are your names?" Sora asked. The fan girl answered, "Well…we do owe you since we know enough about you. Sora, is it? I'm Yumi…I'm trained in the art of the Shinobi, often codenamed the Snow Woman." Sora suddenly found himself flirting with Yumi when he said, "You come off as more of a 'Snow White', from the old fairy tales. You are pretty like her, so it's no surprise-WAIT, NO, S-SORRY, I mean, you are beautiful, I just-NO…Oh crud, I think my time with Kat screwed my brain…"
As Yumi blushed, Yozakura said, "The way Yumi dresses IS rather suggestive, with her exposing more of her top and legs. It's only normal for boys to fall for her beauty. After all, beauty is a Kunoichi's greatest weapon when they're aiming for a target's life, their alluring appearance could weaken a man's focus, making them susceptible to any suggestion a cute girl can ask of them. The temptation can be strong enough to make a man betray his original faction for her…only for a Kunai to take his life at the last second!" Sora shuttered at the thought and said, "I-I guess I should really watch my back and keep my mind on the job then."
Yozakura then giggled and said, "Of course, she's as nervous as YOU when it comes to the opposite sex. So don't worry about losing your head around pretty girls…in fact, don't worry at all since you don't seem the type."
"I KNEW IT, YOZAKURA THINKS HE'S A ROBOT TOO!" Minori yelled.
Yozakura shook her head in annoyance and said, "Alright, before this goes out of hand, we see the Halo above your head. We know you're not a robot, you're a Summoned Spirit." Sora then said, "You got it, miss! This baby's hanging over me until my task is complete." Yumi then said, "So we've heard…"
Yozakura then said, "Anyway, you don't need to call me 'Miss'. My name is Yozakura. I'm who you'd call Yumi's 'Right-Hand Man'...except a Girl and not a Man. It's a pleasure!" Sora shook Yozakura's hand while blushing at her cute smile…
Yozakura then introduced Minori, "You've met our sugar-she over there, Minori. And I apologize for her behavior, I really do. And since 3 of us were nice enough to introduce ourselves, allow the other two to introduce themselves next!" The girl wearing a scary mask suddenly popped up next to Sora and laughed while scaring him, "HA-HA-HA-HAAA! THIS IS SAYURI'S SUMMON?! He's quite a scrawny specimen, isn't he?" Yozakura then made introductions, "This is Murakumo, I'd tell you more about her, but maybe that's better saved between the two of you." Sora then said, "Well, I hope you'll give me a good trial at least." Murakumo then said, "I'll have you know you'll be dining with DEATH the second we start-!"
Suddenly, the blonde girl with a witch's hat, a double-sided scythe, and a revealing black bikini, kicked Murakumo aside and said, "Move over drama queen! It's my turn to say Hi. Hi cutie, the name's Shiki, and I gotta say, you are HAWT as Hell, with a face I could kiss for years to come!" Yozakura nudged her aside while saying, "Each of us are talented in more ways than one, so don't let your guard down."
Sora then asked, "Yumi, Yozakura, Minori, Murakumo, and Shiki…OK, so what kind of Trials do you have for me?" Yumi answered, "Ones that will prove whether or not you are truly here to help, or not. The Trials for you are as follows: Speed, Endurance, Strength, Skill, and Heart. Pass our 5, and Gessen Academy will accept you as much as Hanzo Academy does. However, you should be aware that no man has ever proven themselves worthy of our trust. So don't feel too bad when we take your life."
Sora then said, "...I clearly don't have a choice. Besides, I need to do something before the 2nd Fiend shows up." Yumi then said, "Confident, are we? Even though you'll probably die?" Sora however argued, "As if I'd lose today. I have too much to lose, so in order to see Kairi and my friends again, I'll take anything you can throw at me."
Yumi glared at Sora, annoyed by his conviction…
"...so be it, Sayuri's puppet."
End of Chapter 22