Senran Kagura: Heart of Fire

Chapter 14: Second Sun

After walking for half an hour, they come across Rei, who was walking on her own with her head looking at the snowy ground beneath her. She stops and looks up towards Tokei and Shizuku and turns her head back down. "Shizuku, I'm sorry." says Tokei softly. He goes up to her and lifts her head, then slowly moves her bang out from over her eye. "Cheer up, I'll be back, I promise." he says. "You better not break this promise you hear? I'm gonna miss you." she says, almost crying. "It's not like you can't come visit me, just not all the time okay?" he answers. "I'll come around." she answers back. They all say their goodbyes and they head back to their homes. The next day Tokei goes outside and looks up at the bright blue sky, he takes a deep breath and walks down the stairs. As he reaches the final step, Naraku walks out with adult Kagura dressed in excercise clothing. "So you're joining me today huh?" he asks. "Might as well, we need to stay fit too." Naraku replies. After running for a half hour, Naraku and Kagura stop to take a break and Tokei continues without noticing. Naraku tries to call him but Kagura stops her and lets him keep running. They return to the shrine and they encounter Tokei almost reaching it as well. Himeko Yoichi is sitting on a rooftop nearby where she can see them, she was eating an apple, and spectating closely. Tokei senses her, and starts looking around but can't find her. They head inside and Kagura starts giving Tokei more intense training, as the previous training wouldn't be effective anymore. At night, after Tokei washes the dishes, he goes outside, he sits on the ground, closes his eyes and starts meditating. While meditating he starts visualizing his power. After some time, little glowing yellow orbs start floating around him. The once shadow of a sword started taking the shape of a human being covered in a black fire, all red eyes and a red grin appear on the face of the shadow and it starts walking towards him. The orbs starts shaking and turning red and the ground beneath him starts quaking. The shadowy figure puts its hands on Tokei's face and Tokei starts shuddering and falling to his knees. Naraku runs out and sees that Tokei is being engulfed by the black fire. She shouts at him to fight back and Tokei hears it in his mind, very far and echoing. He stands back up and also puts his hand in the figure's face. They both stare at each other intensely and the ground starts shaking harder and the orbs explode. Finally, Tokei, with a powerful scream and immense power, pulls the figure inside of him and consumes it. As soon as he does that he wakes up and falls backwards. A mark is carved into his hand, a circle, with a triangle within and line going througj the middle of the triangle. and he swings it up to take a look at it. Naraku runs up to him with little Kagura and she sits his head on her lap. "I understand it now, I can see my power, I can suppress it, look." Tokei says. Naraku looks at the mark in his hand and helps Tokei up. "You have far exceeded our expectations, you have done it in so little time, what drives you to be so diligent?" Naraku asks. Tokei smiles and says, "Well, like any other hero in a book or a manga, I have people I want to protect, that's my main reason." Naraku stares at him for a few seconds and tells him and Kagura to come back inside. That same night, Himeko senses a disturbance with the sword she used to take Tokei's powers, it was shaking violently, and after some time it exploded into many tiny pieces. A black aura starts to fill the room she was in and it escapes through the windows. Himeko runs to the window and watches the aura disperse in the air. Shizuku feels this and immediately gets out of bed. She looks outside to see the aura filling the sky. After a few minutes, the aura disappears. That next morning Tokei wakes up with a headache, he puts his hand in his forehead and goes to the living room, there was Shizuku, talking to Naraku and Kagura. "Shizuku, what are you doing here so early?" Tokei asks, squinting his eyes from the light coming from the windows. "Early? It's 3 in the afternoon." Shizuku answers with a chuckle. Tokei quickly turns his head to check the time. Shizuku stands up and walks up to Tokei and pats him in the shoulder, saying "Tokei, I saw something yesterday, I think it's time to go get your powers back." she says. Tokei looks at Naraku and she nods with a smile on her face. "Isn't it too early?" he asks, confused. "Don't you understand? I know it was fast but there's nothing else for you to do that will be beneficial for you." Shizuku explains. Naraku shakes her head in agreement and then tells both Shizuku and Tokei that there is one more thing for them to do.