The Runaway

Through the forest she ran, not looking back; she could hear them jumping through the trees as they chased her. She jumped on a tree and went another way, shuriken sailing through the air in the direction she was just traveling. She knew she couldn't keep this up, and would have to fight them eventually, but she wanted to try and get them nice and tired first. She took out a shuriken, and not looking back, instead tried to hear where each one was. There were four of them, chasing her in a what would look like a curved line from above. She held it up to her face, then quickly threw it back; she heard it hit one of them and heard them fall to ground with a cry of pain. The other three were now on their guard, expecting anything to happen. She got out her dagger, and began slicing at the thin branches as she sailed through the trees. The thing branches fell on the larger branches that they traveled on. One of her chasers wasn't paying attention, stepped on a branch littered with the fallen mini-branches, and slipped. With two down, and only two to go, she now took to the ground, running so fast she kicked up the leaves on the forest floor. She came upon a cave, and kept on running. The two ninja stopped for a moment, then one chased her into the cave while the other went to try and head her off. Running through the cave, she took out a small bomb and, locating the exit, threw the bomb against the wall. The explosion caused the ceiling of the cave to fall, trapping the one ninja chasing her. Unbeknowst to her and the last ninja, they both traveled at the same speed and were right under and on top of each other. She left the cave and heard him stop and turn to see what the explosion did. She used this time to quickly, yet stealthily, run up the tree and hit him in the back of the neck. She landed and looked back, mentally yelling at herself for doing that to them. She didn't stop for long, for she knew there would be more. She took off through the forest until she came upon the forest's edge. Ahead of her was what looked like ruins to a large building, it reminded her of DOATEC's fall. She walked to the edge and saw a large, rusted sword sticking out the ground. She walked up and looked at it, admiring it despite the rust. She looked over the edge and saw someone on a motorcycle coming. She quickly ran and hid behind a rock as the motorcycle came up to halt by the sword. She peeked from behind the rock and saw a man with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes walking up to the sword. He wrapped a hand around the hilt and was muttering something that she couldn't hear. She leaned closer to the rock, trying to hear and understand him. Her foot kicked a rock and he was on his guard as quickly as she was back behind the rock. Slowly, he walked towards the rock, his hand on his large sword. As he was about to come around it, she leapt from behind the rock, surprising him. They looked at each other for two seconds before she dashed off.

"Hey wait!" he yelled from behind her.

She jumped from the cliff and looked back to see him getting back on his motorcycle. She slid down the hill, now jumping from rock to rock as he sped bellow. In her mind he could be another assassin, that giant blade on his back didn't help calm her nerves either. He eventually caught up to her, and she threw a warning shuriken at him. He deflected it with his sword, and swerved in front of her, causing her to stop. He got of the motorcycle, and she unsheathed her dagger.

"Hold on! I'm not gonna hurt you." He said, putting the sword down, his hands in front of him.

"What do you want?" she asked softly yet defensively.

"Just to see if you're alright, you have a cut on your leg."

She looked down at her leg to see a cut on it. She guessed it came from either the branches, the forest, or one of the shuriken just knicked her when she changed directions.

"I'm fine thank you." she said, still on her guard.

"I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?" he asked in a friendly tone.

She didn't answer.

"Well, I guess you don't have to tell me right away but, my name's Cloud." he said extending his hand.

She hesitated, it could be a trap. But their meeting could be purely coincidental, and he did seem like a nice person. She decided to give him a chance, and shook his hand.

"My name is...Kasumi." she said.

"Well Kasumi, you look pretty tired. Been traveling much?"

You have no idea...she thought.

"Yes."

"Well, would you like to come with me back to my town? There are a couple of places that you could rest."

She had to admit she was tired, and happily agreed...her luck seemed to be turning around.

Elsewhere, in a remote village in the mountains, the ninja who tripped over the branches approached a man who was staring out into the forest.

"Forgive my intrusion Hayate-sama, but she has eluded us again."

Hayate closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out whatever it was ringing in his head.

"Send for Ayane."

"Yes sir."

Moments later,"Yes Hayate-sama?"

"Ayane, go and find Kasumi."

"Yes."

Though Hayate wasn't looking, he could feel the bitter joy in Ayane's heart at her orders to once again go after Kasumi. For the last four months since DOATEC fell, the Mugen Tenshin have put their efforts to find and destroy Alpha 152, who escaped in the chaos. All their findings were met with one man out of a group of ten coming back and telling him the same thing. Hayate knew he would have to go to one of the only people who truly knew what Alpha was.

"Tell the village elders I am going to be gone for a few days."

"What is the reason Hayate-sama? They will ask."

"I'm going to find the one person alive who knows what Alpha is, and how we may stop it. I'm going to find Helena Douglas."