Disclaimer: I don't own Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, or any of its characters.

How the hell did he get himself into this situation?

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Eliot found himself lost inside an abandoned warehouse at night. At night for goodness sake! And this was totally the best time to find himself trapped! It was one matter that he was alone in this dark and creepy place; but given the circumstances, it was a whole lot worse.

What were these things exactly? They were hideous, complete with their gruesome fangs and deadly razor-sharp claws. Some had horns that looked lethal enough to rip you to shreds. Others had extensively-long tails which could be mistaken for whips. They came in all shapes and sizes; from giant ogres to pint-sized little demons. And they all seemed to have one purpose.

That is, to take out the only human they've set their sights on.

As to why these creatures were targeting him, Eliot had no idea. However, one thing he knew for sure is that he didn't want to be here, and he had to find a way to escape. Fast.

Armed with only a metal bar broken off the handle of a broom, Eliot plowed his way through the warehouse, fending off incoming attackers and vaulting over various structures. He barely dodged most attacks, having them miss him only by a couple of inches as he continued to run. Just as to how long he could keep this up for, he wasn't really sure.

Being a martial artist, physical combat sure did come in handy. A few well-timed kicks were able to send some of these creatures flying. However, that only did more to anger them, and they continued their assault with heightened ferocity.

He got himself injured in the process. Sure, a couple of scrapes here and there should be shallow enough to shrug off. It was the bleeding though, which was the problem. Eliot had never endured so much blood loss before. And it was weakening him in every way possible. His movement was beginning to feel sluggish, his eyesight blurry.

And he found himself cornered against a wall.

Eliot was surrounded. Every edge of his vision was obscured by a body of a sickly monster. There was not even a single crack he could slip through, thus no means of escape. Was this really the end? What had he done to deserve all this? Things just didn't seem to be going well for Eliot as his consciousness was fading, fading…..

The sound of a knife being plunged into one's flesh.

That was it. He was dead. The final blow had been dealt, as the blade continued to sink deeper and deeper into his chest; only not to feel any pain at all. How odd.

Instead of his body collapsing, Eliot heard the dull thud of another fall hard against the floor. He then heard another, and another, as murderous roars also began to fill the air in its symphony of eerie sounds.

His vision began clearing up. Staggering a little, he began feeling around himself to where his injuries were. There were no injuries. How very odd.

Eliot came into full consciousness before witnessing a spectacle right in front of his eyes. It was a blinding flash of violet light, taking out every creature as though they were a set of dominoes. With several strikes, the creatures fell to her hand, and dissolved into the air as the figure made her presence known.

"A-A-Ayane?"

"Hmph," the kunoichi smirked as she walked towards him. She pulled Eliot to his feet while he just stared at her, dumbstruck.

"You should be fine now. I just doused you with the only supply of elixir I had," Ayane said in a matter-of-fact tone. She then slapped Eliot on the shoulder. "Come on, liven up will you? You're not dead yet, so if you wanna get out of here, then get a move on!"

However, Eliot didn't seem to be on the same page. Still confused as to what was going on, he had only this question in mind.

"What are you doing here Ayane?"

Ayane rolled her eyes as if that question had the most predictable answer to.

"I'm saving your life, you dumbass! Now let's get going!"

And she grabbed Eliot's arm and took off. Bringing along someone who wasn't trained as a ninja took its toll on Ayane's movement, as she wouldn't be able to move as quickly as she'd normally would. Nevertheless, she still ran at an alarmingly fast pace, and Eliot stumbled a lot while trying to keep up with her.

It took a few moments for Eliot to register whatever was going on right through to his head. He was being chased by monsters for no apparent reason. He was nearly mauled to death by the lot of them, and then, Ayane showed up and took out all of the monsters. Now, they were both on the run, to who knows where, Eliot didn't bother to figure out.

And they haven't completely escaped the predicament either. Eliot could hear the sounds of clashing metal and wood; crates and fences being knocked aside as more monsters continued to chase the pair, hot on their trails.

"Ayane, what the hell are those things?"

"They're called fiends," Ayane responded, though still facing the path ahead of her. "They'll stop at nothing to take over all of mankind, though I'll have to admit that these ones are rather dimwitted. It's a shame that you got your ass whooped by those lowlifes."

"Well, aside from your smarminess," Eliot continued, a little affronted by Ayane's response, "Isn't that all from myths or something? How the hell is this all real all of a sudden? I just can't accept…"

"Then just accept it already! Unless you want me to leave you behind while the fiends feed off of you!"

"Okay, okay, I'm cool with that," Eliot raised his free arm in a gesture of submission while Ayane shook her head. She knew it was probably hard for him to take in all this information in an instant, but she had to complete her mission. She had to get to the vantage point Irene Lew had laid out on the GPS device she had handed her. It was only then she could get back to the village safely and report back to Ryu Hayabusa.

But then, why the hell was Eliot here? It was already a nuisance that Ayane had to babysit him given the current circumstances. Somehow though, he just had to get mixed up in all of this, and Ayane just had to come in and save his sorry…..

"Ayane! Look out!"

She had miscalculated one step, and Ayane found herself and Eliot falling off the banister they had just been running across. They crashed into a pile of wooden crates, breaking them and leaving splinters embedded along the surface of their skins.

Dammit! Why did she have to be so careless? If only she didn't have any distractions, she would've made it to the vantage point in only a few minutes time. It was just that Eliot, what was the point in dragging him along? And why did she not feel like herself whenever he was around? It was not like he had an important role in all of this or anything…..

"Ayane! Where are you? Are you okay?"

They were separated. Ayane groaned as she picked herself up, clutching her ribs as they had absorbed most of the impact. Great, she had already used up all the elixir on that idiot, and now there was none left for her. God, why was she foolish enough to do that? Ayane would have progressed further if it weren't for Eliot holding her back. If she could just leave, then it would be all over.

She thought about ditching Eliot and heading off without him. Yeah, that sounded like the most optimal plan. Not only will Ayane's mobility be increased, she would have both arms at the ready should she come into combat with any of the higher fiends that may have been lurking somewhere nearby.

However, Ayane thought about it again, and came to the realization that it was totally immoral. Well, aren't ninja infamous for being heartless, immoral beings? That wasn't the case, as ninja clans such as the Mugen Tenshin followed a strict code of honour when it came to life situations. She couldn't just leave an innocent life behind just to fulfil an objective. She couldn't use anyone as a sacrifice to pursue her own personal gain. Even if she was a ninja, Ayane was still human.

She couldn't leave Eliot behind. Ayane began to feel a little guilty as she began to search for him. She could feel his presence, albeit weak, but still drumming along. He seemed to be alive and well just a moment ago! Why did it seem that his life force was being drained away? Ayane was frantic now, getting a little more riled up as she rushed around a corner…..

Only to get slashed on her arm by an oncoming fiend.

Ayane let out a little scream as she felt her flesh rip out. Luckily enough, her reflexes were intact, and she quickly disposed of the fiend with a single kunai strike. The fiend dissipated into the mist, leaving Ayane with her back against the wall, clutching her damaged arm.

The injury wasn't fatal, as she had endured much worse than this. Based on her experience, Ayane could tell that she had been poisoned, though its effects weren't lethal. The poison only served one purpose, which was to null one's senses; as Ayane found herself currently experiencing.

She couldn't move her arm. It was as though it was pinioned to her side, like a dead weight. Feeling weaker and weaker by the moment, Ayane's legs gave in, and she knelt down on the floor, panting. She was out of healing items, and was in no fit state to move or defend herself. And the worst was just about the happen.

The fiends were able to detect her weakness, and began to make their way to her. Ayane could only stare helplessly as they slowly approached her, with their menacing grins and bared fangs sneering at her. As much as Ayane wanted to fight back, her body was in no fit state to do so, as she collapsed every time she tried to get up.

This was so pathetic. To be taken out in such a pitiful way; there was no honour in that. Coming to think about it, when were the fiends ever considered to be honourable fighters? From the depths of hell, they only knew how to bring forth and aura of despair and suffering, as Ayane had come to know.

And she had blamed Eliot for all of this. Heck, even if he did slow her down, he was a friend right? Even when she was young, Ayane had not been sociable, being an illegitimate child and all. However, that all changed when she exposed herself to the world outside the village, meeting new people and interacting with them in unfamiliar ways.

And the first time she met Eliot had been really significant. At first glance, he was just your average sore loser who couldn't pick himself up in any which way. Ashamed at his self pity, Ayane had lashed out at him, telling him to man up and take pride in whatever he had accomplished so far.

With most of her encounters, the person on the opposite end of the conversation would have retaliated. However, Eliot was different. Instead, he thanked Ayane for crying out loud! This was what made her feel uneasy, and it continued to be that way every time she had encountered that boy during her travels.

And now, he was nowhere in sight, and Ayane was just about to become the meal of a bunch of ravenous fiends. A pathetic way to die, Ayane thought as she closed her eyes, expecting the worst…..

The sound of blood splattering on the floor, followed by an agonized roar as one fiend fell. Another slash, and down went another fiend. Ayane felt a pair of strong arms lift her up and carry her against his back. Who was her saviour? Just what did he think he was doing with her…..

"Eliot?"

"Ayane, as much as I don't know what's going on here, I'm gonna tell you this. We're gonna get through. We're going to stay alive. Just tell me the way so we can get outta here!"

It was indeed Eliot. Not only was he somehow carrying a sword, there was something a little different about him. Using the ki flow surrounding her, Ayane could detect a subtle change in his emotional state, and it was definitely leaning towards the positive side.

Eliot had a huge surge of confidence well up from inside of him. He was feeling braver and braver by the second, knowing that a friend was in danger. And it wasn't just any friend. It was someone who had taught him how to think positively in life; to never give up despite knowing your own personal weaknesses.

And that person was Ayane, the ninja who Eliot fell in love with.

He understood that Ayane would probably never return his feelings, but Eliot needed to do this, to help a friend in need. And without further ado, Eliot took off with Ayane on his back.

"Eliot! What the hell are you doing? You're gonna get us killed!"

Eliot only smirked as he saw Ayane's perplexed expression. He only had this to say.

"I'm saving your life, you dumbass! Now, just tell me which way to go!"

It was Ayane's turn to be dumbfounded. He had used her words against her. She would normally have been super pissed at such retort, but different thoughts began to fill her mind as she continued to hold on tight to Eliot while they ran. He had definitely improved over time, and now, she was glad to have met him in this chance encounter.

"Right, I'll lead you, and you follow, understood?"

"Alright then, let's go!"

And the two dashed off, with the fiends hot on their trail. Despite the situation they were in, Ayane felt her heart beating against Eliot's back, not out of fear, but of some other emotion Ayane wasn't able to understand. But in the end, it was important that they two of them got to safety first. That was the main priority.

"Right there! Now jump!"

"Got it! Hang on!"

And they both leapt through an open window, out into the cold abyss.

A/N: I just felt the need to contribute to this pairing fandom. At least DOA: Dimensions seemed to be pushing it, so why not? While I don't really take a liking to tsunderes, I found Ayane's relationship with Eliot kinda cute.

Well, how did I do? Please leave a friendly review, and thanks for dropping by!