Author's Note: So, here is my second fanfic! It is, like my DBZ one, based off a dream I had...I don't have much insight on Ryu Hayabusa's personality in the DOA or Ninja Gaiden games, but I tried my best. I apologize if he's a little...OOC. This story is written slightly different, for those of you that peeked at my DBZ one, than the latter...for no particular purpose.
I don't know why I keep on having dreams like this. But as long as something good comes out of them, who's complaining?!
P.S.: I own nothing! Except my dreams. :
The story begins in beautiful, luxuriant dome in Feudal Japan. There is a large canopy bed in the middle, colored white, cream, and faint pink. The material is sheer, but the bed sheets are made of cream silk fabric, with feather pillows and soft, cotton pillow covers. The place is empty except for a bed, made specifically for Princess Miyu, daughter of the emperor, age nineteen, and a few smaller rooms for her commodity.
Princess Miyu is the only daughter of the emperor, and he has sealed her away in this dome, on top of a massive mountain, until he finds her a proper husband. Nobody is allowed to see her face, so she wears a cream-colored veil made up of various layers to shield her beauty. She is petite; her long hair cascades in rich, chocolate-colored loose curls down her back.
There are a scarce amount of glass windows in the dome, but sunlight lights up the room easily during the daytime. There is a large, wooden double-door entrance at the front, which is also the only exit. Miyu has one constant visitor, who visits her every day: Ryu Hayabusa, one of the many soldiers in the Japanese army – who, unlike the rest, is rising up in rank, and is also a ninja. Although he trains every day, Ryu makes the long trip up the stairs and keeps her company until the sun sets. He has also never seen her face. Princess Miyu is not allowed to step out of her canopy bed unless she is alone; otherwise, she must remain sheltered behind her canopy and speak to her guests that way.
It is dusk; a few months have passed since Miyu arrived at the dome.
There are soft, stealthy footsteps making their way up the mountainside, on the steps. One lone man is carrying a young woman in his arms, asleep. She is wearing a light pink gown, the fabric flowing softly in the breeze. She has a veil over her face, and the man is tempted to lift it and see this beauty everyone speaks of. He resists, however, and enters the dome through the large wooden doors.
He steps over to the bed, strong enough to hold the girl with one arm and part the canopy with the other. Once the fabric is out of the way, he gently sets the girl down and uses the sheets to cover her. He straightens up and begins to walk away, but a soft voice startles him and causes him to turn around.
"What? Where am I?"
The man hesitates, moving to rest on one knee and bowing his head to her, out of respect. His face is shielded by a ninja mask, and his voice softly muffled from it as well.
"You are in your new home, my princess."
The girl stares at him for a moment before looking around. She attempts to step out of bed but he rises and makes a motion that stops her.
"You may not step out of your canopy bed while you have visitors, my princess."
She looks up at him out of curiosity; she studies him. His eyes are a glowing green, but vulnerable as he looks at her. She smiles behind her veil, unnoticeable to the ninja.
"You brought me here."
She says it not as a question but as a statement; he nods in response.
"Will you come visit me?"
The question takes him by surprise. His gaze lingers at where he estimates her eyes to be before turning and looking to the side.
"Every day that I can."
His response warms her, she gently reaches out past her canopy and takes the ninja once more by surprise; her hand touches his gently and she squeezes it.
"Thank you, my knight."
The young princess sits on her bed, holding a letter from one of her many suitors. He is wealthy, the son of one of the country's most important people. He says that he will see her soon, and that he will gladly climb all those steps to be in her presence. She frowns at the letter; she has a feeling that this man may just have gotten her father's approval.
She hears a noise and looks up; it is her old friend. Her eyes light up at the sight and she sets the letter aside, not paying too much mind to it.
"My knight! What are you doing here so late?"
"Forgive me, my princess. I must've disappointed you when I didn't come earlier, but I was helping your father prepare for Tsuyoshi-san's arrival. He is to arrive in two days." He replied, moving to rest on one knee in front of her. At her elongated silence, he raised his gaze and smiled, hidden behind his mask. "My princess, you must not worry. Your father believes that he is the right one, and nobody can change that."
"I don't understand, my knight. Why must I marry someone I do not know, or love? He doesn't know me, what if he hates me? What if he treats me wrong?"
"He won't, your father will take care of that."
"I do not love him, my knight. I cannot."
"My princess…"
The girl looked up at his sudden soft tone. She could see in his eyes that he cared for her, but he wouldn't ever admit it. Their love was forbidden, wasn't it? Especially now that she was going to be engaged…but she had such strong feelings for her knight, why couldn't she marry him? Why couldn't it be possible?
"You don't understand, my princess…" He began, his tone suddenly cold and distant, "…we are of different classes. You are royalty, wealthy, and I am not. Now, please, you must not think of such things. Your father would not approve of wishful thinking…" He let out a soft chuckle, "My princess, this man will make you happy, and you will learn to love him."
Miyu turned her head away from him, clutching her bed sheets. "No, my knight. I have a bad feeling…"
After Tsuyoshi arrived, Miyu automatically felt something wrong. His attitude, the way he looked at her as if she was just a piece of meat, just another woman. She had heard from one of the scarce maidens that came to visit her that he was a womanizer, and that he had had plenty before Miyu. She was disgusted immediately, and when she spoke of it to Ryu, he achieved a grave look and told her to try not to think about it.
Deep inside, Ryu was burning. He wanted to kill this man who would hurt young and innocent Miyu, but he was just a soldier, destined to serve. He couldn't give Miyu the future she deserved, but he would at least make her happy while she was there. He was in love with her, even without seeing her face! He loved the way she laughed, or how she would sneak a touch at his hand every once in a while, always taking him by surprise. He loved everything about her, and he couldn't believe that this disgusting man would take her away. It enraged him completely…
Ryu talked to Miyu every night, even though now he was more wary. He knew that Tsuyoshi didn't like him much, especially with how much time he had known and had spent with Miyu. However, he wanted to keep her company, as he had promised himself he would. He wanted to keep her happy, even though she was officially engaged.
Three nights before her wedding, Miyu waited anxiously for Ryu to arrive. It wasn't until late that he arrived, surprised to see her awake.
"My princess? Shouldn't you be sleeping, and getting some rest for your wedding?" He asked, concerned. She usually never stayed up late, unless it was something very important.
"My knight, I want to ask you a favor…it is very important to me. Please?"
He looked at her in confusion, before nodding. "Anything for you, my princess."
Miyu reached out suddenly, taking his hands in hers. She was shaking. "My knight, please do not visit me tomorrow. I want to see you the night before my wedding…late at night. I cannot bear this any longer, my knight. I have been thinking hard, and I have reached a decision. I will tell you my decision then, but you must trust me. Do you trust me, my knight?" She asked desperately, her voice a hushed whisper.
Ryu stared at her a moment, in surprise, before nodding. "As you wish, my princess."
She squeezed his hands gently before letting go and nodding once, hiding behind her safe canopy. "Thank you, my knight. Thank you for believing in me."
As requested, Ryu didn't come to visit her the next day, but came late the night before her wedding. He made sure that nobody had seen him make his way to the dome, and seeing as he was a ninja, it was quite easy. He slithered his way through the doors and into the dome, shutting and locking the door behind him so everything would seem normal if someone came around.
As he approached her canopy bed, it seemed that Miyu was fast asleep. He was about to turn around when the girl stirred and whispered the words he was so familiar with:
"My knight?"
"I am here, my princess."
She turned; beaming with happiness despite there was a veil covering her face. Her feet, bare and petite, moved and pushed past the canopy, gently settling on the cold marble floor.
"My princess, you mustn't—" Her soft shush silenced him, and he watched as she stepped forth from behind the canopy and walked up to him, her feet making no noise as they moved.
He attempted to get down on one knee and bow his head to her, out of respect, but she wrapped her arms around him and rested her forehead on his shoulder. He stood there, shocked, before his body moved on his own and he returned the embrace, holding her close to his strong body and feeling how vulnerable she really was.
"My knight, I have made a decision." She spoke after a small moment, moving her veiled face to be in front of his masked one. She moved her arms to grab his hands, and she set them gently on her cheeks, on top of the veil. "My mother wrote a letter to me before I was born, which she wanted my father to give to me the day I became engaged. He didn't give it to me until a few days ago, and I realized that she helped me reach this decision." She paused, "She told me that she had been the one that had wanted me to wear the veil, and its true purpose was not to shield my beauty, but to hide it from the world until I found my true love. She wrote, 'Miyu, I want your true love to be the first to see your face…I hope that he is the one you are marrying, but if he is not, then you must make a decision."
Ryu stared at her in a mix of confusion and surprise. What did this mean? She believed that he was her true love? Oh, rejoice! He only wished he had been the one to put that ring on her finger…
Her voice snapped him back to reality.
"What I'm saying, my knight…is that I want you to remove my veil. You are my true love, Ryu Hayabusa…I would not be able to live with myself if I let Tsuyoshi see my face first. I want you to look at me first…and after you do, if you decide you still want to stay, I have something else to tell you."
Ryu stood, frozen in place. His mind traveled at light speed to figure out what she was saying to him – but it all seemed too surreal. When it all clicked, however, he smiled behind his mask and whispered quietly. "I love you, my princess. And it would be my life's pleasure to be the one blessed with the ability to see you first."
He could feel her trembling as he reached behind and untied the string keeping her veil in place. He slowly removed it, blinking twice when he realized it had fallen to the ground.
Ryu was stunned by her beauty. He had never expected her to be this gorgeous, much less the decision she had made for him to be the first one to witness her beauty. He felt so unendingly ashamed to stand in the same room as her, and he turned his head away and shut his eyes.
"What is wrong, my knight? Did you decide that you want to leave?" There was hurt in her voice, but she did her best to hide it, so she wouldn't affect his decision.
At her words he turned suddenly, shaking his head. "No, of course not, my princess. You are just…so beautiful, gorgeous." He watched her, trying not to smile at how young and innocent she was. She had never seen what he had, she had never done what he had done, but she knew.
Miyu raised her hand gently, setting it on his cheek. She then reached over, and with his help, eased his mask off, revealing the face she had longed to see ever since she had first met him. He was very handsome, and he smiled at her in such a warm and loving way that she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
"My knight, you are so handsome…" She whispered, staring up at his eyes and smiling at his short, fuzzy black hair. They stared at each other for a moment before leaning in, slowly, so as to not startle the other. In a matter of seconds they locked lips, and wrapped themselves in a deep and passionate kiss, filled with love and warmth. Afterwards they pulled back, staring at each other and smiling radiantly. Miyu's next words would give Ryu an even more shocking surprise.
"My knight, I don't want you to think lower of me, but…" She looked at her hand and slowly removed the engagement ring around her finger, allowing it to fall to the ground. She looked back up at him, "For tonight, I am not engaged to anyone but you. I want to spend tonight with you, my knight, my love…" She paused, watching as his expression went from shock to understanding. "You are my true love, my knight…and I want to give up everything to you. I do not want Tsuyoshi to have what you so rightfully deserve…so please, my knight…I am offering myself to you tonight, our special night…"
Ryu looked at her, moving his hands to rest on her cheeks. "My princess, are you sure about this?" He saw the determination in her eyes, and he smiled. After a moment of thinking, he spoke again. "What if you get pregnant tonight, my princess, my love? Won't they realize it after a few months?"
"If I get pregnant with your child tonight, it will be a great gift to me, my knight. A blessing." She smiled, shutting her eyes, "They will just think it is Tsuyoshi's child. It is custom that on their wedding night, the bride and groom make love…" She paused again, opening her eyes to look at him, "But by then the child will already be yours, my knight." She set her arms on his chest, watching as he analyzed the situation before leaning forward and giving her another kiss. After a moment they pulled back, and he stared at her, noticing that she was unfastening her gown. He began to remove his clothes and armor as well; afterwards he swiftly picked her up off her feet and carried her over to the bed.
They slithered inside the sheets, kissing passionately before they made love.
Miyu would never forget that night; she begged the gods with every fiber of her being that she would get pregnant with Ryu's child.
The wedding passed as planned, although Ryu had to watch his love get married off to a man she didn't want, and who didn't deserve her. Every time Tsuyoshi looked at Miyu he seemed hungry for her, as if he was a starving animal in front of a plate of delectables. Ryu was one of the guards for the wedding, and he envied and hated Tsuyoshi for taking his love away, in a beautiful white dress that made her look angelic. She was wearing her veil, of course, but they couldn't kiss, not until later that night.
Ryu realized then how unfair life was, and that someday, somehow, he would get Miyu back...
Time passed, and Miyu grew more and more distant from her husband, but ever closer to her son, which she lovingly named Ryuunosuke, after his true father and real love. Every day since he had been born she had whispered to him:
"Tsuyoshi is not your father, my darling; you'll recognize your father when you see him, I promise."
The child had always looked up at her in curiosity for her words, oblivious to the terrible world around him, even inside his home.
Tsuyoshi had kept his title as a womanizer; two weeks after they were married he was already sleeping with other women from the village. Miyu had walked in on the act, realizing that her husband was drunk as usual and the young woman looked horribly terrified. Miyu stared for a moment before shutting the door and walking off, moving up to her separate bedroom and crying herself to sleep – that is, until Tsuyoshi barged into her bedroom to slap her for her intolerance.
So had things continued even until now, but now that the child was growing up Tsuyoshi was more discreet, performing adultery at the late hours of the night, and waking the princess up only to beat her into sleep. Miyu had stopped crying for her own misery and instead focused every fiber of her being into taking care of her treasured son.
It had been five years since she had last seen Ryu Hayabusa, and she hadn't missed a single day in thinking about him, or reminding her son that the horrible wretch of a 'father' he was said to have was not his true one.
Everything remained that way until a group of women from the village came together and spoke in secrecy to the emperor. They told him of how they had been raped by Tsuyoshi, and once he had finished with them, had gone upstairs. They added the fact that they had all heard him beat Princess Miyu, and one of the girls reported that she had sneaked upstairs and found the small princess lying on the floor. She said that all the wounds she had seen had been made on her body – where nobody would think to look.
"Princess Miyu always wore long-sleeved gowns, so it was hard to notice any wounds unless you were looking for them." The woman spoke, explaining the mystery of why nobody would ever see any wounds on the beautiful woman's body.
Upon hearing this misery, the emperor took immediate action, and arrived at Miyu and Tsuyoshi's home late one night. He arrived just in time to catch Tsuyoshi taking advantage of another woman.
Miyu stood inside the emperor's palace, staring at his figure seated in the throne, and the empty throne next to him. Miyu's mother had died when she had given birth to the girl, and in order for Miyu to live, the woman gave up her life. The emperor, instead of regretting Miyu's existence, cared for her and treated her wonderfully, making sure that she would have everything she'd ever need.
To her left stood an angry Tsuyoshi, with two guards next to him to keep him from attempting an escape. There was a large audience of standing villagers, and close to the emperor was a large group of women who had admitted to having relations with Tsuyoshi. They were all shame-faced, but courageous in giving their testimonies for the emperor.
Miyu's son had been taken away from her for the trial, and she felt empty without him. During the women's testimonies she had managed to sneak glances, and had spotted Ryu to her far right, standing tall amongst the guards. He wasn't wearing his ninja uniform, but rather he was wearing the respected uniform of a marshal, hat and all. His hair didn't seem to have grown much, but now that he didn't have to wear his ninja mask, he had acquired a handsome goatee that added to his character.
Miyu had recognized him immediately, even though it had merely been a glimpse. She knew those green eyes and would recognize them anywhere; she knew everything about him too well not to know it was him.
For that brief moment Ryu had stiffened at her gaze. Even though she had been treated wrong by Tsuyoshi, deep inside she was still the Miyu that he had known five years ago, the Miyu he had fallen in love with. Had she recognized him? Surely she had; or, at least, that's what he convinced himself to believe.
The trial continued for another hour until it was Miyu's turn to speak. Her father spoke first.
"Princess Miyu, my daughter…you are married to this man, and you have borne him a son. Why didn't you speak for yourself, and save you this trouble for you and your child?"
"You are right in saying Ryuunosuke is my child, my father, but I must admit Tsuyoshi is not his father." Miyu replied, feeling her cheeks growing red with dread of the current situation.
The room was silent except for the gasps of the vast audience. Miyu kept her gaze to the floor until her father commanded her to raise her eyes. When she had done so, he made a motion to one of the guards and, within minutes, young Ryuunosuke was running up to hug his mother.
Miyu knelt to hug him, holding him close before standing straight again and holding his right hand with her left. She was trembling, and the child looked anxiously around at the crowd and the various faces. The emperor spoke again.
"If Tsuyoshi is not this child's father, then who is it?"
Miyu remained silent. She shook her head solemnly, not wanting to speak his name.
"Princess Miyu, I command you to speak the man's name."
"I cannot, father! It will ruin his reputation! I – I must not…I will not allow myself to soil his good name!"
The emperor stared straight into his daughter's beautiful hazel eyes, noticing the tears forming. He didn't realize the movement in the crowd until a voice spoke up – male, strong, familiar.
"I am the father, Emperor Hiromasa." The man was down on one knee, right hand over his heart with his left arm resting on his leg. His head was bowed to show respect.
Miyu opened her eyes to look at Ryu kneeling to her right. Her mouth opened and she whispered a soft 'No', before her eyes welled up with tears and she fell to her knees, letting go of Ryuunosuke's hand.
The emperor looked at the three figures, ignoring Tsuyoshi's squirming. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, grinding his teeth from habit before speaking.
"How are you so sure that this is not Tsuyoshi's child?"
Miyu moved her gaze to set on her father's, and she set her hands on her lap.
"On our wedding night, Tsuyoshi drank too much to remember anything. I wanted him to believe that he had gotten what he wanted, and taken me as his own, but we had no relations that night. I removed his clothes and my own, put him to sleep, and slept next to him on the bed; I knew very well that when he awoke and saw me undressed, he wouldn't care that he had been too drunk to remember what had really happened – and, instead, he believed that Ryuunosuke was his child when he was born, leaving no questions in-between."
"That still doesn't explain how my newly promoted marshal, Ryu Hayabusa, is tied in with this." The emperor spoke, realizing then how smart his daughter really was.
Miyu hesitated. "You had appointed Ryu to take me to the dome on the night that you moved me there, because he was strong enough to hold off anyone that tried to attack. I saw him more than I saw anyone else throughout my time at the dome, and our relationship grew steadily. I gained a strong fondness for Ryu, and him for me." She paused, shutting her eyes and feeling a strong hand squeeze her own, "When I learned I was to marry Tsuyoshi I did not want him to have the privilege of being the first man to see my face and take my virginity. The letter that mother wrote to me while I was still yet unborn – she told me that whoever sees my face first should be my true love. I followed her advice and three days before my wedding, gave Ryu a request.
"Of course he had no idea what I was planning, but all I told him was that he shouldn't visit me the next day; however, I wanted him to visit me the day before my wedding – late at night. Being Ryu, he humbly followed my directions and the night before my wedding, he came to visit me as I had requested.
"It was then that I told him of my plan, and I confessed to him that I loved him with all my being. I told him that I wanted to have his child, not Tsuyoshi's, and he lovingly agreed, admitting that he loved me as well. That night we made love, and from that was born Ryuunosuke."
The emperor stared, amazed and impressed by his daughter's tale. She seemed to have planned everything out perfectly, but he knew that everything was merely luck, chance, and love that it had worked out so well. Miyu didn't know that Tsuyoshi would drink too much that night, and she also didn't know that the emperor had wished Ryu to visit his daughter sometime that night to check on her.
He watched as his daughter stood, holding Ryu's hand. From behind her emerged Ryuunosuke, holding on to his mother's gown.
"My son, meet your true father." She whispered, smiling down at the child, who simply beamed happily in response before hurrying to hug his father.
Ryu knelt down and picked the child up proudly, holding him close and looking at Miyu past the young boy's shoulder. Miyu still looked young and radiant as ever – Tsuyoshi's harshness had not taken anything away from her.
Their moment was interrupted by the emperor clearing his throat. They all turned back to look at him, and Ryu set the child down, holding his hand. Miyu bowed her head and he did the same, noticing that he felt extremely nervous at what the outcome would be. Whatever it was, he was glad that he had gotten to see Miyu and his precious son.
"Tsuyoshi Matsubara, you are officially relieved of your duties as husband and caretaker for Princess Miyu Hiromasa. Japanese law dictates that in order to seal a marriage, the couple must have relations on their wedding night or within two years of the same date; it has been five, and seeing the conditions that you were brought here upon this trial, you are also sentenced to fifteen years in Imperial Japan's jail for adultery, rape, cruelty, and various other charges. The certificate joining you and Princess Miyu in marriage is officially null and void. As for my daughter…" He turned, looking at the small family and letting out a sigh.
"There is no law that states that an engaged woman may not have relations with another man previous to her marriage, especially an arranged marriage, no matter how wrong it is. You did not ever love Tsuyoshi Matsubara, and I must apologize for putting you through all that misery, my child." He hesitated, "However, there is still the matter of the child. My daughter, I want you to be happy, and I'm sure that's what your mother would want as well. So, in that case…" He turned to look at Ryu, who was ready for the worst, "You need not ask for my daughter's hand in marriage, Ryu Hayabusa, for you already have my approval." He nodded once before standing up, and the guards opened the palace doors to release everyone back to their homes.
Ryu picked up his son and brought Miyu close, kissing his son's cheek and his love's lips. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, smiling, "I am glad to have you back, my princess."
Miyu held his hand as well as Ryuunosuke's.
"You always had me, my knight."
Author's Note: I'm not entirely sure if everything with the whole 'Japan Law' was true; I made up most of it so probably not. : And I apologize for all the breaks in-between...that was how it was in my original document, so I included all of them except one. Thank you, everybody!