Dragon Heart | #Wattys2022

I - Road to Senshi

Takibi, Present Day

Hurry-up, Haru! We're going to be late!" Red called over her shoulder to one of her two best friends. She was in an unusually high spirits this early in the morning. It was their first day of their senior year at the Academy and this school year marks as a special milestone for each Senshi-in-Training as it determines whether they make it to become a Junior Senshi or they remain a Senshi-in-Training for another school year or so.

Red was really, really excited to graduate to Junior Senshi.

"Jeez, Red, it's not even eight o'clock yet," complained a not-a-morning-person Haru while stifling a yawn. He was literally dragging his feet to school since he had a pretty late night last night and wasn't prepared to be awakened before his alarm went off; Red called him nonstop starting at four-thirty in the morning making sure that he was up and ready to kick-start their senior year.

Mak, the tallest of the trio, looked down at his two best friends. He was used to seeing Red and Haru argue about almost everything and anything. It doesn't even matter if what they were arguing about was as mundane as Haru or Red's choice of sock color to wear, they'll just go at it like their very lives depended on it.

As transplants to Takibi, the three of them bonded on that very reason: they were all forced out of their home villages and sought refuge elsewhere. Thankfully Takibi, Kasai's capital, was a welcoming village and the Chiji made their families feel welcome even though they initially came from a different village. Also, Takibi was the only village in all of Kasai that houses Senshis and their families who were forced to relocate from a non-Senshi community.

Of course Haru's case was different since he wasn't even from this realm, but he had a very valid reason for transplanting to Takibi: he was the Chiji's son, although that fact was only known to five people excluding the man who was his father.

"She's just excited to find out who she ends up in a group with," Mak chuckled.

Haru stopped on his tracks as well as arguing with Red to frown at his other friend. "I thought we three are it?"

Mak gave out a nervous chuckle and slapped a hand on the back of his neck as he did so. "Just because we three spent the last couple of years in a group don't mean we'll be together for the missions," he said.

"Weren't you listening to that lead Mudaris, Gil, as well as the Ippan when they explained to us what's happening our senior year during Orientation Day?" Red cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms over her midriff.

"That's what he was rambling on about?"

Mak and Red's jaws both dropped to the ground.

"Are you for real?" they said at the same time.

"Haru, you were listening intently to what he was explaining to all the incoming seniors to the Academy," Mak said.

"I was?" Haru gave his friends a sheepish grin. "I was trying to keep myself awake and wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. I mean, I've been on the receiving end of Uncle T's sermons so many times that whenever he starts talking it starts sounding like a sermon to me so I automatically tune him out," he admitted.

"Haru!" Red scolded, hands planted on her hips and her eyes shooting daggers at him. "Seriously, how did you manage to make it all the way to senior year with that kinda attitude?"

"Sheer dumb luck and awesomely killer good looks?" He flashed her what he hoped was his jaw-and-panty-dropping grin.

"Idiot," Red wasn't able to control herself and one of her fisted hands made contact with the top of Haru's head, bonking him harder than she normally would.