"There's too many!" Hikaru yells as she fends off a swipe from a mantis-like Aradama.

"We just need to hold out until reinforcements arrive," The group leader Aoba tells the Toji around her. "They will be here."

Everyone is forced to duck as three flying Aradama before jumping out of the way as the mantis-like Aradama tries again to swing for them. Falling rubble from the burning buildings fall all around the Tojis as more Aradama move in to join the mantis-like one.

"We need to get out of here!" Hikaru cries, backing up.

"Stay calm!" Aoba orders. "Help is coming! We just need to hold out for a little bit longer."

As if on cue two missiles crash into the ground between the Tojo and Aradama. As the smoke from the impact clears up a pair of Toji wearing S-Equipment, step out drawing their Okatana ready for battle. The group of Toji can do nothing but stare at the Minoseki and Heijou who step out looking like angels to the exhausted girls who came to their aid. A sense of calm and confidence washes over the Toji as they recognise the two newly arrived Toji as the hero's who stopped an Aradama princess on two separate occasions. Hiyori Juujou and Kanami Etou.

"Let's do this Hiyori," Kanami smiles before she and the Heijou Toji charge the approaching Aradama.

Meanwhile, overhead countless more missiles fall from the sky reinforcing the many groups of exhausted Toji's scattered across the city. Through the flames of the burning city and over the screams of the people trapped within it, those who look up can help but feel hope return to them after fighting in this losing battle for so long. Thoughts of victory start to return to the battered troops as they continue to fight for the city.

Two Months Earlier

Sitting in the car seat next to the president of Heijou Institute Iroha Gojou, Kanami can't help but feel nervous as she looks out of the window at the pouring rain. It wasn't just the powerful woman making Kanami nervous, but the thought of what she is about to do that has the Minoseki Toji worried.

"Hiyori can't quit being a Toji,"

Kanami could still hear her friend on the phone telling her that she was going to be turning in her Okatana and transferring to a regular school. Kanami can't let her quit, not after everything they have been through together. Fighting side by side against Princess Tagitsuhime, Kanami thought she finally found someone who could stand by her side against any Aradama that threatened the world. Kanami did have Mai and plenty of other friends she trusted to go into battle with, but none of them made her feel as safe and secure as Hiyori does. Kanami can't lose that feeling. She knows her friend is making a mistake by quitting like this and Kanami can tell that president Gojou agrees it was a mistake as well by how quickly she decided to take Kanami to Hiyori's country home.

"Here we are Kanami," president Gojou says as the car pulls over. "I'll wait here and let you talk with Hiyori alone."

"Thank you," Kanami replies jumping ou of the car feeling butterflies in her stomach, and her hands start to shake.

Now that she is here in front of her friend's house, Kanami still doesn't know what she is going to say to convince Hiyori to continue being a Toji with her. Walking up the stone steps, Kanami can't shake her nerves as she gets closer and closer to Heijou Toji's front door. Feeling the rain soaking her doesn't make Kanami hurry up as she struggles to find the right words to say. By the time the Minoseki Toji reaches the front door she is soaked to the bone wishing she listened to Mai and took an umbrella with her.

Knocking on the old wooden door, Kanami still hasn't figured out what she has to do and say to convince her friend to continue being a Toji, but she knows she has to do just that. Kanami can't lose the feeling she gets from fighting beside Hiyori or even from when they spare together. There is something there that Kanami can't be without and the thought of losing that bond with Hiyori makes Kanami's heart hurt.

When Hiyori opens the door, she jumps at the sight of the Minoseki Toji. The Heijou Toji's eyes widen at the sudden appearance of her friend, and for a few seconds, she doesn't say anything or even move. But after she recovers Kanami sees her friends face harden and a glare form in Hiyori's eyes.

"What do you want, Kanami?" Hiyori asks in a distant tone that hurts the Minoseki Toji a little. "Of you are here to make me reconsider you your wasting your time and should just turn around now."

"Please Hiyori," Kanami pleas. "Can I come in and talk with you about it?"

"Fine…" Hiyori sighs, noticing the droplets of water dripping down from her friends face. "You have until you warm yourself up to say what you need to say and then you are leaving."

The inside of Hiyori's house is just like Kanami imagined, tidy and well organised with nothing out place. Kneeling in the main room of the home Kanami dries her hair with the towel her friend gave her will she waits for the Heijou Toji to finish preparing the cup of tea Hiyori offered her. Looking around the room, Kanami can see how much this place means to her friend with how well the place is looked after, but the Minoseki Toji eyes spot a small shine on one of the walls she can't help but feel down. It's just like the one at her own house for her mother.

"I'm serious Kanami," Hiyori tells her as she returns with a pair of cups. "I am not changing my mind about this, so you will be wasting your time if you try to convince me not to quit."

"But Hiyori," Kanami looks up at her friend ignoring the stern look of the Heijou Toji warning her not to try it. "You are a gifted Toji Hiyori. It will be a waste for you not to continue being a Toji."

"Kanami I told you that the only reason I became a Toji was to finish my mothers work and defeat princess Tagitsuhime," Hiyori explains. "The only reason I didn't quit after we defeated her the first time was because I was told she was still around. Kanami now that I know that Tagitsuhime is gone for good there is no reason for me to continue being a Toji anymore."

"What about are friends Hiyori? If you quit you won't be able to spend as much time with us anymore," Kanami can feel tears form in her eyes. "What about me, Hiyori? I thought…"

Kanami pauses to wonder what did she think and where she was going. Kanami didn't mean to say those things they just came out of her mouth, but the Minoseki Toji meant every word. If Hiyori quit being a Toji, she won't be able to her friends again. She won't be able to see her again. The thought of never seeing her friend again causes a pain in Kanami's eyes that feels like someone's stabbed her.

"Hiyori please I can't…" Both Kanami and Hiyori jump at the sound of the Minoseki Toji's phone ringing. "Hello… yes, I'll be right there…" Kanami looks to her friend seeing a look of concern on the Heijou Toji's face. "I have to go. A rift has appeared over Echizen, and I need to go back to my school."

"How bad is it?" Hiyori asks.

"No Aradama have appeared, but the rift looks similar to the one Tagitsuhime created during the end of year disaster, so Toji's from Ayanokouji and Renpu are being sent to assist us, and the city is being evacuated," Kanami tells her. "Please don't quit Hiyori."

Hiyori can't move. She can't even say anything as she watches Kanami put down her drink and walk out of her house. She doesn't want Kanami to leave, but she can't stop her from going. "Kanami has a duty of a Toji to uphold," Hiyori tells herself as she watches Kanami go not wanting to see the Minoseki Toji put herself in any danger. "I have to forget her," Hiyori concludes. "We live in two different worlds." Stepping forward and looking out of her window, the Heijou Toji's can see her school presidents care driving away through the pouring rain. "We live in two different worlds. It will never work out."

Takefu Central Park it the heart of Echizen has become awash with activity as the cities library has been turned into a field command post. The park itself has become a staging area for the efforts of dealing with the rift in the sky. As Kanami arrives at the front steps of the cites library see can see helicopters landing all around her bringing in supplies and reinforcements as trucks and cars continue to pill into the car park. Looking up, Kanami can see why everyone is so worried about the rift.

"It looks just like the last one," Kanami notices. The rift is smaller, but it still looks the same as the one Tagitsuhime created. The same orange glow admits from the creak in the sky, and the black patches in between the glowing orange lines look darker than anything Kanami has ever seen before. Kanami considers it a miracle that no Aradama have appeared as the Minoseki Toji remembers how the last rift caused countless Aradama to rain down from the sky.

Stepping inside the library, Kanami is surprised to see the head of the elite guard Maki Shidou herself waiting for her. With a simple follow me, Maki turns, leaving Kamani no time to question why she is here as she follows after the elite guard member. Maki leads the Minoseki Toji through the library and down into the basement where she sees her schools president Ema Hashima and the new head of the Origami Family Akane Origami have set up a command room. Kanami can also see her friend and another member of the elite guard Sayaka Itomi stood behind the two women. Looking around the room, Kanami can't see the other two members of the Elite guard Kaoru Mashiko and Suzuka Konohana. The Minoseki Toji guess they are both off protecting Yukari Origami right now.

"Please take a seat Kanami," Doing as her school's president tells her to Kanami can't help but feel like she's in trouble, but she can't figure out why.

"Is it because I damaged one of the school's windows when I had a sparring match with that Osafune Toji last week?" Kanami shakes her head free of thoughts like that. "There no way I would be called here over something like that."

"Kanami what we are about to tell you must never leave this room," Akane says but her voice is missing the caring tone everyone is used to hearing. "What we are about to ask of you will require you to make a great sacrifice, but there is no one else that can do this but You Kanami. I'm truly sorry to have to ask this of you after everything you have done, but we have little choice if we want to stop that rift from opening."

"Please take a look at this photo," Ema says as Maki pushes a picture in front of her and Kanami's eyes widen as she stands up.

"Where do you take this?" Kanami asks, shocked by what she just has seen.

"It was taken by a security camera one hour before the rift opened," Akane tells her. "That is why you are the only one we can ask to do this Kanami. If you want to back out now is your only chance because once you start, there is no turning back."

"I'll do it," Kanami replies, crushing the photo in her fists. "I'll do whatever you need me to."

One day later

Hiyori couldn't shake the feeling that something is wrong. Ever since Kanami walked out of her house the day before the Heijou Toji just can't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. "It's probably nothing," Hiyori tells herself over and over again. "It's just my imagination, thinking the worse would happen." Hiyori can't believe the effect the Minoseki Toji has on her. When they first met each other Kanami found a way to convince her to accept the Minoseki Toji's help, and now she made Hiyori reconsider quitting her life as a Toji after just one visit. Hiyori really can't understand just how one person can get through the defences she spent years building up to isolate herself from the world so quickly. "Kanami really is a one of a kind girl." Hiyori smiles.

Getting back to sweeping the floor, Hiyori keeps mentally going over her list of chores in her head, making sure she hasn't missed or forgotten anything. Looking out of the window Hiyori can see the life she wants, despite Kanami tempting her back to the life of a Toji Hiyori knows this is what she wants. To live a quiet, peaceful life growing rice just like her mother after she retired. Working the fields and maybe meeting someone along the way to start a family with. "That's the life I want," Hiyori tells herself, but every time she pictures the man she wants to be with, it never feels right. The only person Hiyori has ever wanted to be by her side in her idea life is Kanami. "But it will never work out, we are both girls and live in completely different worlds." Hiyori knows she can never keep Kanami in her life. Her sword loving friend wants a life of excitement that Hiyori knows she can't give her.

A knock at her door brings Hiyori out of her thoughts. Feeling something warm on her cheek Hiyori is surprised to discover it was a single tear when she wipes it away. "I was crying?" Hiyori asks herself before another knock snaps her out of it. Putting the broom down and opening the door, Hiyori is shocked at the state she sees Mai in. Usually, the well-endowed Minoseki Toji is well kept and graceful, but when Hiyori sees her she sees Mai's hair messy, and her expression tells the Heijou Toji that her friend is so worried and scared that Hiyori is scared she might break down.

"Hiyori I need your help," Mai pleas sounding despite as she quickly moves to grab both of Hiyori's hands. "It's about Kanami…"

"What happened?" Hiyori asks feeling herself start to panic.

"Both president Hashima and Akane sent Kanami on a mission yesterday, but she's gone missing," Hiyori feels like she might throw up as the fear inside her threatens to overwhelm her at that point. "I tried to ask what she was ordered to do, but no one's telling me anything and no one else can help me. Please Hiyori you are the only one I can ask to help me find Kanami."

"I'll help you," Hiyori tells her without hesitation. "Give me a minute to get Kogarasumaru."

AN

Who was the person in the photo, and what connection does she have with Kanami? Where has the Minoseki Toji gone, and what is her mission? Continue reading to find out more.

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