Kagura Hearts
Chapter 39 ~ Kiriya's Instruction
Asuka wrapped an exhausted Sora into bed and left for school while Yozakura was trusted with guarding Sora while Yomi went to pick up food supplies…
At Hanzo National Academy, Asuka had a hell of a story to tell the team…
"So…after our meeting along with the Crimson Squad about protecting Hibari from Toki, Sora, the 2nd baby we have to babysit, went off on his own to handle the final Gessen Trial, and unexpectedly had a showdown with the 2nd of the Four Fiends while reasoning with the Hebijo freaks?" Katsuragi asked. Asuka nodded, "He was a TANK, guys! You would be proud-!" Hibari however said, "But he almost got killed! I'm not sure if it's just me that has to be protected anymore."
Yagyu however said, "He knew you were in good hands with us, Hibari. I'm sure he felt he could handle himself alone." Hibari still argued, "I could handle myself alone! I'm not some defenseless animal anymore, guys! Didn't I prove myself when I tried getting Hanzo's Sacred Scroll back from Hebijo? I was also partially responsible for convincing the Crimson Squad to leave Hebijo Academy-!" Ikaruga however reasoned, "Sora told us Toki's questionable actions in his mind while she was intruding. He wanted YOU safe. As far as we know, the poor boy feels that his mission to return home MIGHT be a failure, and…as sad as it sounds, maybe he wants you to live more than he wants to return to life."
Hibari shook her head, "NO! He's…he's told us his adventures, and…he was literally STOLEN from Kairi! If we don't help him out, he'll never be alive again! We HAVE to give him hope for the mission he's on!"
Yagyu then asked, "Hey, out of curiosity, some of you guys have a crush on our boy wonder, right? Have any of you…well…TOLD him how you feel? Sure, he's devoted, but if he DOES lose…he might wallow in agony forever like some Ghost."
"WHAT THE **** YAGYU?! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SAY THAT!" Katsu said. Yagyu however said, "Well, maybe I did! He's not the type who wants and throws away women, he's a good person, and what I'm trying to say is that if a good person was pulled away from his reality JUST for saving the girl he likes, then I'd be pissed off! I'd want Sora to live happily ever after with friends and-...and someone who might want him in their life as much as Kairi. He's a member of our team, we worked together with him on minigames, misadventures, even when he was fighting the Heartless, we were there with him, so…"
The girls looked at one another, until Asuka said, "Yagyu, it just wouldn't feel right. We can't just replace another person in someone's life. It's cruel, and it deludes the one we're trying to help." Yagyu then said, "Well ONE of you should at least tell him! Otherwise, if he DOES succeed in his mission, then there's a good chance we'll never see him again. Can any of you live your life without telling him how you feel?"
Asuka then said, "...L-Lets keep this conversation on pause until AFTER Sensei gets here. It's almost class time anyway." Ikaruga looked around and said, "Correct, but still…Sensei would at least make his presence known by now. What is taking him so long?"
Suddenly, Hanzo popped into the classroom with a giddy expression while greeting, "-G'DAY, GAL PALS, YER OL' PRINCIPAL IS HERE FOR YOUR *wink* GUILTY PLEASURES FOR CLASS TODAY-." Asuka however asked, "Grandpa Hanzo! We were just wondering where Sensei was?" Hanzo fixed his composure and explained, "W-Well, kiddo, the young man heard Sora had quite the encounters this morning and went off to give him his school assignments. Doesn't matter if that boy's an alien or a Summon, he was assigned to our school, and our students can't be allowed to neglect their studies."
Yagyu then asked, "So Sensei's just dropping off some paperwork for him to complete?" Hanzo chuckled and said, "Stern Yagyu, remember that Kiriya is your Sensei. It's not always paperwork with that teacher. After all, your lessons have all been the reasons many of you are still alive, Kiriya's gone off to give Sora enough instruction to prepare him for his eventual encounter with the curious and DANGEROUS High-Class Students of Hebijo." Asuka then said, "Hebijo Clandestine Girls Academy. That's right, they told us they were hired to kill him!"
Hanzo then handed Asuka several scrolls while explaining, "Then time IS of the essence…I'm sorry Asuka, but his-AND your mission will be to infiltrate the school once more. Reports of the gravest have come to my attention, and of all my academy's students, your group is the most familiar with such a hive of Scum and Villainy. You and your team are the only ones who I can trust with this mission. So my beloved Granddaughter, are you kids ready to enter Hebijo once more?"
Elsewhere, Sora had just woken in bed, stretching while getting up. He then noticed a bowl of Chicken Bean Soup, hot and ready for eating.
Sora decided to enjoy the soup before heading out of the bedroom…
After he had the soup, he looked at his Charm, hoping what he recovered was still as pristine as when Kairi handed it to him.
Age has shown on the charm, as its paint almost seems to be rubbed out while several cracks were seen on a shell or two…
Suddenly, a loud explosion of mist came into the bedroom, shocking Sora while placing the charm back in his pocket!
"A goal is always a noble aim for a ninja, but stare at your Wayfinder any longer, and the Darkness will take whatever sanity you have, and turn you into another desperate maniac we have to eliminate."
Kiriya's presence in the bedroom was shocking enough as Sora jumped out of bed to try and compose himself when in the presence of the Sensei.
After dusting his shoulders and fixing the pants and buttons of his pjs, Sora asked, "K-Kiriya Sensei! I know I missed class today, I'm really sorry, but the truth is-."
Kiriya however said, "-Gessen Academy can be rather hot-headed when they see newcomers. The same can be said for Keyblade Wielders, given their past relationships. I won't hold it against you, Sora. Not THIS time, but I expect you to report to Hanzo Academy BEFORE making such a careless decision. Do you really want your teammates to worry about you? As far as you should be aware, the school is the only family you have here until your mission is completed."
Sora sighed and said, "Sorry sir, Yumi was…stubborn. I thought facing her Trial alone would prove to her that I wasn't afraid to risk my life instead of your students." Kiriya then said, "I guess it makes sense…still, please don't assume an Atlassian Role, you're not holding the weight of the world on your own. You have a team, and no matter their flaws, I want you to work together. Understand?" Sora saluted and said, "You got it sir! I'll cooperate with my classmates from now on."
"-Do you really mean that though?"
Kiriya's question surprised Sora as he answered, "O-of course I mean that! Nothing is more important than friendship!" Kiriya however said, "Yes, you have demonstrated a desire to protect more than a need to harm an enemy. However, call this a hunch…but I feel that you aren't being honest. You went off on your own…BECAUSE THEY WERE WOMEN."
Looking back, Sora could understand why Kiriya would say such a thing…
…he compared the Kunoichis he befriended to the one person he failed…
"You need…PERSUASION!"
Xehanort's malicious murdering of the girl he loved, Kairi, still haunts his memory…
"WHY HER?!"
Despite the victory in the end, despite the rescue, his actions did very little for him as he disappeared from a resurrected Kairi's eyes, and into the eternal limbo of water and sky. The place reflected what he gained after the Keyblade War…NOTHING. Nothing but calm skies at day and nighttime, and a watery realm where he could choose to continuously walk, or fall in and drown in the deepest of waterbeds until his existence was truly gone…
Kiriya scowled at Sora as he said, "Priestess Saiyuri saw you and brought you here to help you see the friends you were forced away from in that other realm. And though you are tethered to our world, you have been given a mission that can grant your wish once completed. Your classmates are ALL women, just like this girl who made your charm, but they are strong. Take my word for it. Each of those women are as capable as the very warriors you fight against OR alongside."
Sora however said, "B-but…but I'm the one being targeted! How would their involvement be something to accept when they aren't even from my world?! I'd be letting your students-MY FRIENDS die for me! I can't let them die for a complete stranger, I have to fight alone until I can leave with a clean conscience, knowing that I've meddled enough."
Kiriya sat on the edge of the bed and said, "It's true…there are evil people out there who will try anything to win, and clearly, your Halo proves how evil that person was, he ruined what normality you could keep, and despite your heroism, the damage was done…but Sora, by that logic, if you are to blame someone for disappearing from your reality, would the blame NOT be for Kairi rather than Xehanort?"
Sora then argued, "KAIRI WASN'T RESPONSIBLE!" Kiriya however said, "Then if she WASN'T, why did she die only for YOU to die in her place? I'm sure there were many strong women on your side, but Kairi was the one who couldn't keep up. You are struggling with the question of 'Why' when you should instead be focusing on 'How'. As in 'How are you going to return to Kairi now?', and 'How can WE save this world together?'. The Key, Sora, is in Trust. You must trust in the Ninjas you've befriended, trust that together, your friends can help you get home, and lastly, you need to trust the power and skill you-...ALL of you, have together, because only through Trust can a team of Ninjas, regardless of gender, be victorious against the unnatural evils our world is being attacked by."
Sora felt overwhelmed by Kiriya's advice, realizing how stupid he was acting…
Sora then said, "...Asuka, Kat, Ika, Yagyu, and Hibari…when I first felt…when we became friends, I never wanted them to get hurt. It was because Kairi held the same courage they had. If I had the power, I'd shield them all…but you're right, Sensei, I was…blinded. I won't think of them any less or any weaker. From now on…I WILL trust in them. We'll fight together, HANZO STYLE! Thank you for telling me off like that." Kiriya patted Sora on the shoulder and said, "Happy to enlighten a student. (ahem) Now, before I forget, you have an important mission with your friends tomorrow, and I want you to be prepared for the worse."
Kiriya then handed Sora a few scrolls detailing the mission at hand…
As Sora read them, Kiriya said, "I trust you'll have a good long sleep tonight. Because tomorrow, you and the other 5 Hanzo Students will be infiltrating Hebijo Clandestine Girls' Academy, where our rivals aren't the only ones waiting to strike. We have reason to believe one of the remaining Four Fiends left has made her base in their school. This Fiend is Tiamat, the Hydra Queen."
Elsewhere, in an enormous period-based Japanese Castle, many 'Evil Ninja' Students walk freely and/or train to better their skills at ninjutsu, all completely unaware of the Heartless and snakes crawling around their school…
And within a chamber, a beautiful and voluptuous woman with glasses and purple hair approached someone sitting on a throne of giant stone snake heads!
Out of the woman's massive cleavage was a snake who seemed desperate for air, and after regaining its breath, the snake slithered over to the one on the throne and hissed a report…
"Yesss…her body CAN be rather…sssuffocating. But enough about thisss…puppet, how wasss the mission?" the mystery woman asked. The snake hissed it's report, which merely made the woman SQUEEZE the life out of her informant!
"It ssseemsss your bessst…hasss FAILED me. I THOUGHT your ssso-called 'High-Classs' bratsss could make short work of the Keybearer, your ssstudentsss are as empty-headed as the puppet I made you into! I will let them try once more, BUT, if they fail-."
"They will not, Mistress. By my word, they will bring you his head…or I will." the zombie-voiced woman said.
Tiamat then said, "Sssuch…conviction! Hmmm…very well, but do not fail me, my dear plaything, Suzune."
End of Chapter 39