Heaven's Senses

X

~~~~Soma~~~~

The entire dorm was sitting in the dining room staring at a little blue pamphlet with a picture of a happy chef and a peaceful background.

"Huh? A training camp?" I asked.

"So, it's that time, is it?" Yuki said as my sister took the pamphlet and started flipping through it.

"So, what's the deal with this training camp?" Hikari asked, "You all look like it's a kick to the gut."

"We had training camps back in elementary and middle school." Ryoko explained, "It's where you camp outside for a few days."

"Oh, okay. So this is one of those wilderness adventure schools or whatever." I said.

Just then, I saw Megumi's face turn whiter than a ghost and her entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Yo, Megumi, you all right over there?" Hikari asked.

"She knows." Zenji answered ominously, "This trip is like a trip to hell, and we all have to face it to survive."

"All of the freshmen students get sent to the mountains and are subjected to a whole bunch of brutal tests." Yuki continued, "If you don't manage to pass everything, you'll be told to leave the academy. They say it's for the spirit of friendship, but the truth of it is... THIS TRAINING IS FOR THE SPIRIT OF PAIN AND TORTURE!!!"

"It's not that bad." Isshiki said casually, "Just a little competitive education. In the words of the principal 'This is the process that reveals the best of the best among us'." 

I glanced over at my sister and saw the stars in her eyes shining even brighter than normal.

"Sounds like a lot of fun!" She exclaimed and rushed over to Isshiki, "Say, tell me everything you can about the training camp? Was it fun? Was it tough? What kind of things can I expect from it?"

Isshiki smiled at my sister, "It was very grueling, and the only way I survived was being very careful in every single decision I've made. Even back then, dozens of students were forced to leave the premises, and few others were even expelled."

"What? Expelled?" Shoji said shocked by the revelation.

"At the camp a few years ago, they apparently got rid of more than half the students?" Shun added.

All of a sudden, Megumi collapsed onto the ground, whispering her last words to the world. Yuki cried by her side at the same time.

But was I was muttering about bath times.

"Hey Soma!" Yuki shouted at me, "How could you be worried about your bath schedule at a time like this? Did you just not hear Megumi say her last dying words?"

Hikari laughed and pat Yuki on the head, "Calm down for a minute, Yuki. Half of the students get out of the camp, right?"

"so, we'll just have to make sure that we're in the percentage that doesn't get kicked out." I finished for my sister.

Everyone was quiet for a minute until Isshiki broke it by chuckling.

"I have faith in all of you." He said, "I'm sure that everyone at Kyokusei will make it back with grand smiles."

We all went to bed with a new sense of determination in us. But before I went to bed, I followed my sister to her room to help her pack.

"You know, big brother, you don't need to help me pack. I'm not a little kid anymore." She said as she grabbed a few sets of clothes and put them in her duffle.

"I know you don't need me to help you. I just want to double check some things in your bag. Don't want you forgetting your meds and papers."

I grabbed her papers from her desk and carefully put them in her carryon bag. It caused a few problems back in middle school when the teachers didn't believe her story about her condition, so she was required to start carrying her medical papers with her to show them proof of her condition. As I put the papers into her bag, I noticed a new one on her desk. A paper signed by the headmaster himself.