"What do you mean escaped?" The Shogun ask with a hint of worry in his voice.
Ai walks up to the men as if a predator is looking at a prey. The men brings his other knee to the ground.
"I hope this is not a joke by Kōshin."
"No Shogun, I was present when he left Mizaru Town. I apologize I could not stop him as Damiyo Kōshin ordered us to let him go."
The Shogun and Ai both take glances at each other. Only one question inside each of their mind.
What should they do?
"Sho…" The Shogun interject her.
"Ai, I will leave everything to you. If anyone gets to this stage I want you to go with that intelligent mind of yours and decide the remaining ninjas."
Ai sighs to add, "I will give you two days. Any longer he will be the one to remain."
"That's so harsh."
The Shogun grabs a coat that is hanging on a wall with the imprint of the word Shogun on it. He proceed to walk to the door, but he comes to a stop.
"And you." Turns to the men on his knees. "I want you to inform the scouts at the Forest of Truth to immediately stop the confrontation between Kōshin's child and Nero. I wouldn't sleep if I allowed a child to die because of adults argument. One more thing, minimize the death rate to only that spy."
The door closes leaving the Special Force ninja and Ai who's head is facing down.
On the other hand, Reiji's eyes sprout open like a flower and he sucks in the air into his lungs.
He stands up on all floors, crawling to a tree and leans his back against it. Each and every muscle in his body screaming in pain.
"Huff…what happened?" Grasping his twitching heart.
The ground yells a huge 'thud'. Reiji directs his attention to the sound. To his wonder a men in black with a mask covering his face is standing in front of him.
Reiji knows without needing to be explained that the men standing in front of him is a Special Force.
"Reiji Kōshin, son of Damiyo Kōshin in the Kōshin Region. I will keep it short." He walks to Reiji. "Whatever happened here will be a secret between me and you. If they question me I will create a fake story that I killed this spy. Of course using some elements from your fight."
It all comes back. The one thing he never wished or wanted to ever do. To kill another person.
The men noticing his expression says.
"Based on those tears, I will take that as a yes."
The men holds the shoulder of the flabbergasted Reiji. Like his colleagues he and Reiji disappear in a blink of an eye.
***
The Promotion Exam came to an end. With 108 students participating in this exam, only 42 of them were able to gain the status of Rank 1 ninja.
The news spread all around the State with every village that sent their children to the Sora academy rejoicing with celebration.
Those who's children failed were left disappointed, however they never lost hope in their children graduating.
As the academy rules state that students who fail can continue to learn in the academy for another four years.
After meeting with every person who passed, Ai mentioned to each one of them to gather in the academy's training ground in two days.
Which every Rank 1 is present for. Though they are expecting some sort of news from the Shogun, they never expected that the Shogunate would go out of their way to present them with such decorations in front of them.
A big stage as if a concert is about to be held and the Police Force patrolling everywhere.
Reiji wonders if this Police Force are listening to the chatter of the other Rank 1's. Like some whispering that the Shogun may give them a mission and others whispering that they may be put in groups.
This exciting possibilities sadly do not interest Reiji. During those two days Reiji has been having flashbacks of Nero's last moment.
Each time he remembers, his heart feel as if someone is holding on to it. The only way his been able to stop it is by pressing on where it hurts.
A rough sensation massages on his shoulder. He turns quickly and it's a Special Force.
"Someone wants to see you." Whispering in his ears.
The men walks away and Reiji trails right behind him. Their five minutes of walking comes to an end.
Standing in front of a door, Reiji looks up realizing the room his about to enter is the principal's office.
He and the men enter. For the first time in his life has Reiji seen a room so well taken care that it has any features drawing his attention like the one his standing on.
A scoff wakes him up from his gawking. He directs his eyes to the two people in the office. A women with pink hair and none other than Lia.
"Hey Prince!" A smile across her face. "You seem to be in a worst condition yourself. Did you sleep."
Though he should be laughing at Lia's comment, a tear is on the edge of falling from his eye.
"Very funny." Reiji adds, "Anyways, why are you walking around with crutches?"
A "scoff" again echos around the office. Reiji and Lia both turn to Ai. Who Reiji notice has a likeable face.
"This girl has explained to me the situation on how she got involved with Nero and I have chosen to let her go."
Ai stares at Reiji.
"She also mentioned that you also had a vendetta against Nero alongside your friend who is currently unconscious. So I ask you son of Kōshin. Why were you after Nero and what happened in the Forest of Truth with your clash with him?"
Reiji brings his head down and his hands trembling. Ai gets up from her desk - walks up to Reiji and stands in front of him.
"Don't be afraid. Be honest and nothing will go wrong."
Her voice lifts Reiji's head. Sensing the pressure coming from Ai, he understands being quiet will not help him.
"I…I don't know."
"Meaning?"
"All I remember is that when I came to it, Nero was already…"
"No need to continue. Seems he was telling the truth. But, you still have not answered my first question."
"We just wanted to make Nero apologize to all the people he killed in the entrance exam."
Ai glances at Lia - then back to Reiji. No doubt in her mind their stories have some similarities. For now she has to focus on solving the actions that Nero did to the family of all those he killed.
"I will give you two five minutes. Say whatever you want to each other and come to the training grounds."
Ai and the Special Force ninja both exit the room leaving the two friends embracing in a hug.
Their hug comes to an end; with both wishing it would last long. Reiji leans on Ai's desk. He rubs the water from his eyes.
"So how've you been Prince?"
"Not great."
Reiji begins explaining to Lia everything that happened in the Forest of Truth and how his been struggling after he killed Nero.
Just as how he keeps avoiding to talk with Hinata - to the point where his afraid to look her in the eyes. This stem from the fact that when he looks at her eyes he sees Nero's face.
And worst is that he has not even once made am attempt at visiting Kazuki at the infirmary.
"Guess even people like you have nightmares."
"Shut up."
"Even so, don't let that nightmare make you forget that by killing him you saved the people he could've have harmed."
Reiji pivots his eyes to Lia. Lia catches that maybe her comment may have lit a flame of anger in him.
"That does not justify that I took someone's life."
"What are you talking about? You are a ninja now Prince. If you want to protect people you have to get used to killing."
"You're wrong. You don't have to kill to protect."
"Prince, you're the son of Damiyo Kōshin. You should be experienced with killing, I bet you had to see it all the time. So you should know protecting people comes with suffering."
Reiji pauses before he can say anything - understanding that Lia is right about what she is saying.
From the day he was five he kept getting kidnapped and that lead to his father having to save him multiple times. Sometimes his father ended up having to take the kidnapers life.
Even so, he can not accept that.
'Why should I make the decision to kill another person?'
Reiji always believed that the people who had relatives or someone they loved. How would their family feel if they heard they were killed? He realized that this may only create a cycle of hatred where more people will die.
Imagining such a scenario, Reiji made a vow to the Iwazaru Statue that he will never kill anyone no matter the reason.
'Yet I have broken that vow already.' Inwardly thinking he continues, 'All that talk was for nothing. What kind of ninja am I?'
Looking at Reiji's gloomy eyes, Lia realizes that whatever she may say will not have an impact on Reiji.
"Reiji the ninja. I wish I had a name like that. Well not like that will happen. So please just leave with that title."
"What are you talking about?"
"Since you are worried about killing one person then you don't deserve to be a ninja. So leave being one. There are countless people who are willing to take your spot."
"What are you trying to get at Lia?"
"That…" She turns her face away from Reiji. "Stop whining about what you did and think about what you can do. There are people out there who have every right to be upset, but you don't see them acting like you. Rather they have accepted what has happened to them and right now they are looking ahead into the future with hope."
Lia hops to a nearby chair, still trying her best not to show Reiji her distraught look.
"Um…"
The door opens. The Special Force from earlier steps inside informing Reiji the five minutes is over. He leaves without having to finish what he was going to say.
The office that was filled with warmth when they saw each other has now become cold and it estranges two birds who shared the same dream.
TBC.
NEXT CHAPTER: END OF A PRELUDE.