Ryu Hayabusa stood atop the roof of the wrecked house, flames licking up into the air and sending dancing sparks of light flickering towards the clouds. He gazed out across the horizon as the sun was rising, watching it bathe the land in the dull orange glow of early morning and streaking the land with the shadows of clouds. A movement in the alleyway below made his attention turn. He swore he had seen a shadow just now, shuffling into the respite away from the sun. He had sworn to eradicate every single fiend he could find. It was his promise to Rachel and he planned on keeping it. He leapt down, landing on the ground with all the silence of an early morning breeze and shot towards the alley. The flaming houses of this wrecked village sent shadows dancing in ritualistic patterns on walls and the ground. there was an calming, yet disturbing, beauty to them. Who knew such beauty could come from such horror. This had once been a shining town with much beauty and culture but now it lay in ruins after a ravaging fiend attack which Ryu had only just managed to stop. He had been too late though and the tonw was now a hollow shell of its former glory.

Ryu stopped at the entrance to the alley, drawing the Dragon Sword and holding it ahead of him. He leapt forwards without a sound and stopped the blade mere millimetres before it struck a young girl who was sitting in the dirt. Her face was filled with terror and covered in blackened dust and ash. Her eyes flickered a little before rolling back and she fell unconscious, slumping to the ground from the sudden shock. Ryu stood back and sheathed the Dragon Sword before kneeling down and lifting the young girl up into his arms and carrying her out of the alleyway. He couldn't make out her features for the amount of dirt which covered her face. blood spatters covered her once-white dress. It wasn't her own as she had no wounds. Ryu felt it best to keep her safe as she may be the only survivor from this town. After walking tot he stables and slumping the girl over the back of a remaining horse, Ryu clambered on and cracked the reigns.

'Go.'

As if commanded to by the gods the horse shot off, galloping out of the town and dodging between fires and debris which lay strewn in the street.

Within a few hours of riding, they arrived at the remnants of Ryu's home village. It had been all but destroyed in the attack to steal the Dark Dragon Blade so long ago by Doku and his minions. Flashbacks of the screams and the fires echoed through Ryu's memories as clear as if they had been yesterday. Seeing Kureha's face in his mind alost brought tears to his eyes but Ryu shrugged it off. After all, he wasn't the sort to dwell upon the upsets of the past. He brought the horse to a halr outside his house, a repaired shack just on the outskirts of the village. He lifted the girl onto his right shoulder and stroked the horse's head.

'Go. Be free.'

The horse looked at him and whinnied before galloping off as it had been told to. With that Ryu turned on his heel and carried the girl inside of his shack.He lay her down on the futon which lay in the corner and began to boil some water over the small fire so that he could clean the girl's face. Within seconds the water was boiling and bubbling away with heat. Ryu gazed into the pot, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the water. He turned away quickly, closing his eyes in disgust at his fiend-like skin. He cursed the dark taint within him and yet blessed it because it did nothing but strengthen his resolve to eradicate every last fiend. He dipped a cloth into the water and wringed it out, the calm tinkling sound of the water dripping back into the pot echoing throuhg the small wooden shack. He wiped away a layer of dirt in a line down the girls cheek and then dipped the cloth once more. Within ten minutes the girl's face had been cleaned up and Ryu sat back. Now he just had to wait for the girl to awaken. He decided not to try and wake her himself, she had been through a lot and the last thing she would want was someone trying to stop her resting. Ryu closed his eyes and leant against the wall, slowly drifting off to sleep himself.

In his sleep he was haunted by terrible nightmares and faces. Each one was a different wound, a different memory which dug its claws into him and tormented his sleep. He suddenly saw the face of Kureha and watched in his nightmare as doku cut her down. He saw it in such detail he almost felt his heart break once more. Then he felt the Dark Dragon Blade cut through him. Even though it was nothing but a nightmare he felt the evil energy and the cold metal cutting through him and burning. He felt the pain and screamed out, his eyes shooting open and sweat pouring off of him. His breathing was heavy and he wiped a hand across his eyes to swab away some of the sweat which was stinging his eyes. He glanced at the futon to check on the girl. She was gone. Ryu leapt to his feet, shoving the nightmares back into his mind and drew his sword.

'Girl? Girl?! Where are you?'

He ran out of the door and was confronted with a young smiling face. He only now noticed the similarity in the girl's looks to Rachel. The facial features, the eyes, the hair. His mind was flooded with memories once more and Ryu fell to his knees.

'Rachel?' he strained.

The girl knelt down in front of him and angled her head to look up into his.

'I'm not Rachel. I'm Luna. Who are you?'

The girl had all the innocence and sweetness of a child and yet she resembled Rachel so much. He had never known how much he had felt for Rachel until recently. He had been haunted by many dreams of her death and his feelings for her had exploded into pain at her loss. Ryu looked up slightly, his eyes meeting the girl's.

'Luna? Of course. You can't be Rachel...she's...well...'

Ryu stopped mid sentence to try and force back the upsetting memories of her death. The girl had a child-like look of bewilderment and confusion. It was probably the first time she had been confused for someone, let alone someone named Rachel. She got back up to her feet and held forwards a small bucket filled with crystal clear water.

'I just went to fetch some water and wood.'

Behind her was a pile of small kindling and branches. Ryu gazed around, the mid-day sun blinding his eyes slightly. He raised his arm to mask his face and then got to his feet, nearly stumbling slightly. He looked down at the girl through a gap in his fingers. He was still trying to cover his fiend-like appearance so as not to startle the girl. This just seemed to puzzle the girl even more.

'Uh...thank you. I'll help you bring it inside.'

Ryu walked past her and scooped the bundle of twigs and branches up in one arm and then walked back past the girl and into his house. the girl never took her eyes off of him and she still had a look of sheer puzzlement etched on her face. She shrugged and followed Ryu into the house, closing the sliding door behind her. Ryu lay the wood down besides the fire which must have burnt out while he slept. Heat still emanated from it but there was no sight of an ember or flame at all. Luna poured the water into the pot which hung over the fireplace. She then sat down opposite Ryu and placed her hands on her knees. Ryu looked at her, still covering his face. Suddenly the girl spoke.

'You know. You don't need to cover your face from me.'

Ryu looked away for a moment and seemed to ignore what she had said, still keeping his hand covering his shame. Luna simply sighed.

'Well are you going to tell me your name Sir Ninja?'

'My name is Ryu Hayabusa. This is...was...my village.'

'What happened here?'

Ryu remembered back and quickly stopped himself before he succumbed to his feelings. He just looked to the floor.

'A nightmare...nothing more.'

There was a cold, emotionless feel to Ryu's voice all of a sudden and Luna noticed it. It was one of those voices which made a shiver run down your spine which doesn't let you know whether to be scared or remorseful. Luna shifted around and sat directly beside Ryu. Ryu looked down at her and shuffled slightly to the side, away from her.

'What are you doing?'

Luna shrugged then suddenly leapt up and gave Ryu a huge hug. Ryu's eyes widened with confusion and he sat there stiff as stone. Luna slowly released her hug.

'Thank you for saving me. I'd probably be dead if not for you.'

Ryu was still slightly taken aback by the girl's hug. He wasn't used to that form of affection or appreciation. Slowly he regained composure and loosened up.

'You're welcome Luna.'

Luna smiled and placed a few logs in the fireplace, lighting them carefully by leaning forwards and rubbing sticks. Ryu couldn't help but noticed her slender figure which was shown off by the looseness of her dress which fell forwards and outlined her back and shoulders. Even her figure was similar to Rachel's. Her long blonde hair reached down her back and rested just above her waist in a long ponytail. He had to resist calling her Rachel again and closed his eyes to try and lock back the memories which he was finding hard to contain. Luna sat back up again, the fire crackling to life.

'There we go.' she said with a bubbly-bright smile.

Ryu looked at her through his hand once more and he smiled but he doubted she could see it. He sighed slightly and glanced into the crackling flames. Luna leant on him and closed her eyes. Ryu was once again stricken with a form of terror at this show of affection. Luna whispered slowly.

'I can hear your heart beating.'

Ryu didn't know if he blushed at that but he felt a sudden well of embarassment. He was not used to this kind of closeness. He had always been quite distant from people, even those closest to him. The girl suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled his hand away from his face. Ryu hadn't expected it and was taken by surprise, his arm moving easily away from his face and uncovering his appearance as his finger caught his mask and pulled it down. The girl looked at him with mild awe and shock, letting go of his arm and backing off slightly. Ryu quickly pulled his mask back up and turned his face away from Luna. He sighed loudly.

'Yes. I'm a monster. All thanks to the dark taint of Doku, Lord of the Greater Fiends. Because of him I am cursed to roam as a fiend for the rest of my life.'

Luna weighed the situation in her mind, feeling unmeasurable remorse for Ryu. She moved closer once more and touched his shoulder. Ryu looked up slightly, still facing away from her.

'You are no monster. You're no fiend. Otherwise you would not have a heart or protect those who cannot defend themselves. you would prey on them. You may have the appearance of a fiend but you are anything but one.'

Ryu shed a tear at Luna's acceptance of him. He turned back to her without his hand covering his face. He looked into her eyes and searched for some kind of false remorse but all he could find was honesty, acceptance and truth. He looked down at the floor for a moment then felt a sudden rush fo hope in him before looking back at her. He paused briefly.

'Thank you.'

Luna smiled sweetly at him.

'No need for thanks. I am the one indebted to you for saving my life. I will never see you as a fiend or a monster for that.'

Ryu pulled his mask down and smiled. It was one of the few times he had smiled since the destruction of his village and he was almost over-come with a sense of freedom and a feeling that he needn't fear that others may reject him for what he is. He felt an odd attachment to this girl. He didn't know if it was her resemblance to Rachel or her seeming affection for him which was all new to him. Whatever it was, it semed to raise his spirits. He looked back at the fire and Luna rested on him oince more, closing her eyes. She didn't fear him for what he was. To her he was a hero, a saviour to be loved for the gift of life kept going and kept away from the icy grip of certain death. She felt safe with him and he, for the first time in many years, felt safe because of another. Luna suddenly spoke.

'Promise me something. Promise you'll protect me forever. I have nobody else. Protect me from neemies and from hurt. Please.'

Ryu turned to the girl and rested a hand on her head, stroking her hair.

'Alright, I promise.'

With that Luna smiled contently and fell asleep, resting against Ryu's arm. Ryu leant back against the wall, careful not to disturb her, and fell asleep himself. For once his sleep was not haunted by nightmares or memories. He slept well and calmly for the first time in years. He was finally not alone anymore.