Yukio opened his eyes as he gasped and collapsed from his standing position.

S-So cold.

He curled himself into a ball, and rubbed his arms and legs.

That was unlike any death I've witnessed, I couldn't even breathe because my lungs were frozen.

"Who the hell was she? What was up with that ice stuff." Yukio said to himself.

"Ice, you say?" A familiar voice joined in, and snapped Yukio back to reality.

Yukio looked up, and saw Kagura standing before him. He looked around, and found himself at the entrance to a familiar shrine.

"So my new save point is at the shrine? What time is it?" Yukio asked.

"Doesn't matter, I know what happens in the other dimensions, and my discussion with you about your powers lasted only a couple minutes in real time." Kagura explained.

Time stops when I'm using my Soul Travel power until I'm back in my body, so that ice girl will be ready to attack my dorm within the next minute or two. I have absolutely no time to prepare.

"On the contrary, you can make an extra minute to figure out what to do." Kagura referred to his Timer ability.

"Oh yeah, Timer!" Yukio said, and everything around him stopped moving. "Ok, now what should I do?"

"I have a suggestion." Kagura said inside Yukio's head.

I forgot that you were still in my head. What is it?

"Why don't you just fight her? It could be worth a try." Kagura suggested.

Yeah, but I don't think I could win. I can't fight her one-on-one. Let's say I use Timer, and I landed a hit. She could easily brush it off and instantly freeze me. I don't want to waste lives anymore. I have to be more careful. There's only one thing I can think of.

Kagura didn't reply, and Yukio's timer ability deactivated. Yukio went up to Kagura, and bowed his head to her.

"Please, help me." Yukio asked for Kagura's aid.

"What do you want me to do?" Kagura countered his question.

"Anything so that I can survive this, please!" Yukio replied.

There was a moment of silence before Kagura finally answered. "I'm afraid that I can't interfere with this event."

"What? Why not? I thought we were allies." Yukio was taken aback by her response.

"Yumi is but one part of this event, there will be a more important obstacle that you will have to survive against." Kagura said, as she turned and walked into the shrine.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Yukio asked.

"I know about everyone in this dimension." She replied.

Well crap. Now there's more in store for me, I won't stand a chance against this Yumi girl, and the only person I trusted my power with refused to help me, so what am I even supposed to do?

"I don't wanna die again, damn it!" Yukio cursed as he left the shrine.

He started walking to his dorm, but he stopped himself from entering.

My room was enveloped by ice in my previous life. That means she's coming here, she might already be in my room.

Yukio chickened out, and walked away from his dorm.

I have a new person hunting me, my home is compromised, and I have school tomorrow morning. Wait...that's it, I can stall time with the girls' until Yumi gives up on hunting me.

Yukio didn't want to bother them, but he didn't want to face death again. He could easily cover up why he wanted to spend time with them. So he came up with an excuse, and rushed towards the girls' dorm.

He arrived at the dorm, and knocked on the door. "Hello, anyone there?" Yukio asked.

He didn't get a response, he started to become paranoid. "Girls?" He knocked again, as he tried to calm himself down.

Luckily, Katsuragi answered the door. "Yo, Yukio, what's up?" The blonde hotheaded Shinobi casually greeted him.

He sighed with relief. "I'm good, how are you, Katsu?" He responded.

"Great, Ikaruga and Asuka are out shopping, but the rest of us are chilling here." She replied.

"Mind if I join? I don't have anything fun to do today." Yukio said.

Yeah, the only thing happening to me is being hunted.

"Sure, come on in. I'll get everyone else." Katsuragi said, as she let Yukio inside and left him at the entrance to go get the others.

So...I made it here. Hopefully that ice witch Yumi girl won't find me here. Now that I think about, I didn't really look around the last time I was here.

Yukio looked around the dorm. The walls were peach-colored, and the floors were made of wooden tiles. The paint on the walls seemed slightly worn down, and some spots were missing paint, but the floors felt nice and smooth to walk on.

Yukio took off his shoes, and walked around the entrance hall. He saw a small table, near the end of the entrance hall, with a picture of the six of them; Asuka, Ikaruga, Katsuragi, Yagyu, Hibari, and Yukio. Next to the picture was another one of just him and Kiriya-sensei.

Heh, the two guys get a photo all to themselves. I didn't know they had these pictures. It's nice though, shows that I actually matter to them, and that's all I'd ask for.

Katsuragi returned with Yagyu and Hibari. Hibari, the short pink-haired childlike Shinobi, approached Yukio first.

"Hey, Yukio!" Hibari greeted him.

Yagyu, the white twin-tailed serious Shinobi, approached him second.

"Welcome." Yagyu greeted him.

"It's good to see both of you again. We haven't talked in a day or so." Yukio greeted back.

"So you came over to check on us? Well, we are doing just fine." Yagyu said.

"Ooo, how about we let Yukio hang out for a bit?" Hibari suggested.

"Is it ok if I do?" Yukio asked.

"I-I don't mind." Yagyu replied, bashfully.

"I'm down for that." Katsuragi responded. "I'm sure Asuka and Ikaruga wouldn't mind either."

Yukio sighed with relief. "Well, alright then. One question though, what should we do?" He asked.

The three girls stood there silently thinking, then Hibari was the first to speak. "How about we go to the arcade?"

Yukio raised his hand. "I second that."

As someone who spent a lot a time at the arcade before becoming a Shinobi. I really miss going there.

"The arcade?" Katsuragi was a bit hesitant.

"If that's where Hibari wants to go, then I'm ok with it." Yagyu supported Hibari's suggestion.

"Aw man, I wanted to go to the beach." Katsuragi suggested.

"The beach? Wait, don't tell you want to go there because-" Yukio didn't want to finish that sentence.

"Swimsuits..." Katsuragi stared off into space and started drooling.

"You really think like a pervert, Katsu." Yukio facepalmed. "Let's just go to the arcade."

"Alright! Arcade time!" Hibari said cheerfully.

Yukio waited for the three girls to get ready, and they headed towards the arcade.

"Hey, Katsu? Do you know how long Asuka and Ikaruga are shopping for?" Yukio asked.

Katsuragi scratched the back of her head. "Not really, it usually takes them around an hour. I just texted them saying where we're going, so they'll know where to meet us after they are done." She responded.

"Ok then, I was just wondering." Yukio replied.

Yukio started to feel chilly, despite the fact it was still daytime. He started to remember his previous death, and grew anxious. However, he wasn't the only one feeling cold.

"Um...is it just me, or is it getting cold here?" Hibari asked.

Oh good, I'm not the only one. Wait, I'm not the only one?

"Yeah, It's strange. It's supposed to be hot outside today." Yagyu replied.

"Maybe it's the wind?" Katsuragi wondered.

An different voice suddenly responded, "I'm afraid it's not the wind." A grey haired girl with folding-fans appeared before them.

Shoot, it's Yumi again! How the hell was she able to find me?!

"I'm here for the boy, this doesn't involve any other fellow Hanzo academy Shinobi." Yumi said, she aimed her fans at Yukio.

Yagyu stood in front of Yukio. "Do you really expect us to give him to you?" She spawned her umbrella.

I don't want them to fight her, they'll freeze to death like I did.

"I'm aware of your actions at Hebijo academy, I don't wish to fight against such fierce and talented Shinobi. However, I'm not afraid to take him by force if I must." Yumi responded.

"Heh, I didn't know Yukio had a fangirl." Katsuragi teased.

Yumi spawned and fired off a small icicle at Katsuragi. She equipped her iron boots, and sidekicked the icicle, which destroyed it.

"He is dangerous, so he must be brought in. This is my last warning, get out of my way." Yumi threatened.

Katsuragi turned to Yukio, who was still panicking over the situation. She chuckled. "Get out of here, Yukio. Go back to the dorm and find Asuka and Ikaruga." She ordered.

Yukio snapped out of his thoughts and chucked. "I never thought you could give orders so seriously." He teased.

"Come on, I'm the senior here, so that means I'm in charge. Me, Yagyu, and Hibari will keep her busy. You run for it, Yukio." Katsuragi said.

"Yes ma'm!" Yagyu and Hibari took fighting stances.

"I'll come back for you as soon as I find Asuka and Ikaruga." Yukio said, and he ran away.

"Oh no, you're not leaving." Yumi fired another icicle at Yukio's feet, but Katsuragi kicked it out of the way.

"Alright! You want a fight? Come and get some then! Shinobi barrier!" Katsuragi shouted.

Yukio didn't look back as the barrier surrounded the girls. He rushed to the girls' dormitory, and slammed open the door.

"Asuka! Ikaruga! I need your help, everyone else is fighting an ice witc...huh?" Yukio didn't see anyone in the dorm. He looked through the rooms, yet still found no one.

Come on, what now? Am I supposed to go out looking for them? I don't even know which store they went to.

Yukio rushed back outside, and ran through the streets. He avoided the streets where Katsuragi and the others were fighting, but passed through every street besides that. However, still no luck.

"Where the hell are you two?!" Yukio shouted.

Yukio rushed through an empty street, and he made eye contact with a girl, who was walking opposite from him. She had short, spiky white hair and yellow eyes, she wore a black and red school uniform that looked familiar to Yukio, but he couldn't tell what. He looked away, and rushed past her.

Suddenly, Yukio felt a burning sensation in his stomach.

What the...

Yukio fell on his knees, and put his hand over his stomach. He looked at his hand, and it was covered in his own blood.

"Ugh! Ah-" Yukio wanted to scream, but someone grabbed him and covered his mouth.

He looked to see who it was, and it was the girl he just saw. However, his vision was too blurry to make out a clear figure of her.

The girl pulled out a katana, and stabbed Yukio in the chest. His screams were still muffled, but he tried punching the girl to get her off. She uncovered Yukio's mouth, and grabbed both of his wrists.

"Burn, just like what you did to Hebijo Academy." The girl whispered to Yukio, he felt a burning sensation in his wrists. The sensation spread through his arms, then to his chest, then to the rest of his body.

He was engulfed in flames before he blacked out and died. The girl left Yukio's corpse in the middle of the street.

"Ah! What the hell was that?!" Yukio screamed, as he fell to his knees in front of Kagura's shrine.

First I froze to death, then I was stabbed and burned to death. It feels like I'm still burning.

"Well, it seems that you've already found your other obstacles." Kagura said, as she stared down upon Yukio.

Yukio tried to calm down, as he got back up, and approached Kagura.

"Who was that? Does she have the ability to burn people or something?" Yukio asked.

Kagura went quiet. Yukio was confused about her silence.

"Do you not know her?" Yukio questioned.

"I know who she is, where she comes from and why she killed you. However, I will not speak a word of it." Kagura responded.

"Oh, you're kidding me." Yukio was frustrated. "I thought you were on my side!"

"I never said I was on your side. I only find you interesting, nothing more." Kagura replied.

"Then why did you even help me?!" Yukio exclaimed.

"Because you needed someone to guide you with your powers. You don't 'need' me for anything else. Therefore, I will not assist you anymore." Kagura explained.

"Are you kidding me?! You're just gonna leave me in the dark like this?" Yukio exclaimed.

"Would you help someone in the dark if they were carrying a flashlight? You have the keys, you just need to find the door." Kagura said.

"Ugh...and now you're using weird examples that don't make sense?! What's up with you?!" Yukio exclaimed again.

"Goodbye Yukio, I hope you get through your obstacles." Kagura said, as her bodyguard, Naraku, dragged him out of the shrine.

"What the hell was that for?" Yukio asked himself.

"If you know what's best for you, don't raise your voice against lady Kagura again, got it?" Naraku threatened.

"You're also against me? Actually, I'm not even surprised." Yukio said.

He left the shrine, and wondered the streets.

Ok, so I have Yumi, the icy queen, and that flame samurai to deal with. The girl who burned me said something about Hebijo Academy, was she out for revenge or something? Was she the sole survivor aside from me, the girls, and the ex-elites?

"Why did she kill me?" Yukio wondered to himself.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Yukio?" Asuka's voice snapped him back to reality. He looked around and saw Asuka and Ikaruga with grocery bags.

"Huh? Weren't you two..." Yukio stopped himself from saying anything else.

That's right, they were at the store when I was at their dorm. Wait, are they already on their way back?

"Did you girls go shopping?" Yukio acted clueless.

"Oh, yeah. We're on our way back to the dorm. Wanna come with us, Yukio?" Asuka, the gentle brown ponytailed Shinobi, replied.

"I'm sure the other girls would be happy to see you." Ikaruga, the honorable black haired Shinobi, added.

"Yeah, sure. Ladies first." Yukio said, as Asuka and Ikaruga went ahead of him.

Since this 'fire girl' was after me because of what happened at Hebijo, she might be targeting the girls as well. If so, I've got to make sure that doesn't happen.

Yukio followed Asuka and Ikaruga to their dorm. When they arrived, everyone else greeted Asuka and Ikaruga back home.

Ok, Yumi hasn't pursued me yet, and nothing from the fire girl yet either. This time is going pretty well. I just need to find a way to deal with both of them. Let's see...

"Yukio? You're spacing out." Ikaruga brought Yukio out of his thoughts.

"What should we do, now that Yukio's here?" Katsuragi asked.

"Maybe we should go somewhere? Somewhere we can all hang out together." Hibari suggested.

"I agree, now where should we go?" Asuka asked.

"The beach!" Katsuragi answered, her eyes sparkled.

No, Katsu. Bad pervert.

"You just want to see us in swimsuits." Ikaruga said with an annoyed look on her face.

Bingo, Ikaruga.

"Oh, come on! We have a guy with us too, I'm not gonna be the only one looking at the swimsuits." Katsuragi pointed at Yukio.

Oh, don't try to drag me down with you!

"I think we should go to the arcade. I used to go there pretty often, before I became a Shinobi and all." Yukio changed the subject.

"Ooo, I wanna go to the arcade too." Hibari agreed.

"I don't mind going if Hibari and Yukio are going." Yagyu was the third to agree.

"Yeah, let's go to the arcade." Asuka was the fourth to agree.

"Well, I believe you've been outvoted, Katsu." Ikaruga stated.

"Damn it, Yukio. You betrayed me!" Katsuragi exclaimed.

"I wasn't on your side to begin with!" Yukio countered. The group laughed, then got ready to head to the arcade.

Both Yumi and the fire girl are going to show up during this outing. I need to create a plan for both of them. The girls could help me and take them both down. However, I don't know the skill of the opponents. I also refuse to put the girls at risk.

All of them left the dorm, and walked towards the arcade. Yukio started to feel anxious.

There's also a chance that they could be working for or against each other. The two have different objectives, but they both have something to do with me and the girls. What if I have to fight both simultaneously?! It's game over at that point.

Yukio suddenly felt an elbow poking his right arm. He looked and saw Katsuragi staring at him.

"What's up, Katsu?" Yukio asked, he tried to act calm.

"You're really stressed about something, right?" Katsuragi countered.

"Oh, um...it was what you said about the beach." Yukio lied.

Katsuragi raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Wishing we could go to the beach?"

"No, what you said about the swimsuits bugged me." Yukio continued.

"Hehe, admit it. You want to see the other girls in swimsuits." Katsuragi teased.

"Ok. If I wanted to, I wouldn't tell any of you that. You especially would be the last person I'd tell." Yukio said.

"Huh? Wait, does that mean you want to see me in a swimsuit too?" Katsuragi asked, surprised.

Yukio was confused. "If all of you girls were in swimsuits, in front of me, of course I would look at all of you." Yukio responded.

Katsuragi was also confused. "So you would look at me if I was in a swimsuit?" She asked again.

"Yes, that's what I said." Yukio simply answered.

With that clarified, Katsuragi suddenly went silent, and looked away from Yukio. He didn't understand why she acted that way.

Is she...embarrassed? She's the last person I'd expect to be embarrassed from getting stared at. I thought she was just a plain pervert, but I guess I just stumbled upon her vulnerable side.

"Don't worry, I'm not as perverted as you." Yukio whispered into Katsuragi's ear, and patted her shoulder.

Yukio suddenly heard a 'whoosh' in the wind. He looked around, and noticed someone suddenly missing.

"Uh...guys? Where's Ikaruga?" Asuka noticed the missing girl as well. They heard another 'whoosh'.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I don't see her anywhere." Katsuragi replied.

"Hibari's missing too." Yagyu added, which put the others on edge.

They were here just a minute ago. I doubt Yagyu would just let Hibari get lost either.

"Is someone there?" Yukio questioned, as he heard another 'whoosh' in the wind.

"Guys, Katsu's gone too." Asuka pointed out Katsuragi's sudden disappearance.

"Who's doing this?" Yagyu asked, then suddenly got swooped away from a blurry figure.

Asuka grew scared. Yukio grabbed Asuka's arm to make sure they don't get separated.

"Yukio, what's happening?" Asuka asked.

"I don't know, but I think we're about to find out." Yukio replied.

Asuka grabbed onto Yukio's arm, and the two of them were suddenly swept away by a blurry figure.

"Indeed, you are going to find out." A deep and serious female voice answered, the two of them were dropped into some trees.

"Ugh!" They both grunted as they fell to the ground.

"Yukio, are you ok?" Asuka asked.

"Yeah, what about you?" Yukio asked back.

"I'm fine. What was that?" Asuka questioned.

The serious voice answered again. "So you are the powerful Shinobi? Hebijo was disgraced and destroyed by you little brats?"

Asuka and Yukio spotted a figure in the distance, the figure had wings that sprouted from her back. Yukio recognized the figure's face, and clenched his fists.

It's her, the flame samurai.

"I am Miyabi, I've swore upon my life that I will bring Hebijo Academy's glory back. Starting with...killing the ones who have caused it's destruction!" Miyabi announced to the two.

To be continued...