Author's Note: Just a one shot I made for my sister. Out of all the fandoms she chose this one. She gave me a color prompt to work with and chose red. Hope you like this, Serah! And of course, everyone else. :)
Red. It was a common shade and yet it held a lot of life to it. It was in her hair, her outfit, on the petals of a rose, a color some considered to mean envy or love and currently, it was the color of the blood that managed to seep from her shirt as her fingers clenched to her left side. The somewhat thick liquid trailed down her side from a deep knife wound and painted her pants as it slid downward to the ground. Kasumi looked battered, exhausted and beads of sweat clung to her face and neck, causing her red locks to cling to the back of it. Her breathing was heavy and somehow she still managed to look straight up at her opponent, staring them straight in the eye as she did so. A rival ninja clan had taken over a village nearby and when the ninja learned how close it had been to the Hayabusa's home, she knew more than anything that she wanted to take action for an old friend and lend a helping hand.
Though her harsh breathing told her otherwise, she acted quickly and raced up towards the ninja who had challenged her and with skill seemed to be wearing her down. Her body ached as she cried out before bringing a swift kick towards the ninja's head. Being blocked, she reacted quickly, throwing up a few punches before landing a successful blow to his gut. Kasumi knew she had to push away the pain if she were to defeat this opponent. She had yet to see Ryu anywhere, and she wasn't going to allow this rival to take that away from her. Clenching her teeth, she struck him again and again with her fists before allowing herself to drop to the ground and sweep him off his feet. Before he could rise, she pulled out a sword, slinging it over herself and piercing the man in the gut before ripping it through his skin and watching his own pool of red blood spill onto the ground.
The surrounding space had already been littered with limbs and gore, and yet somehow the rain that had kicked up during the thunderstorm was seeming to wash it all away. The droplets mixed with the blood, allowing a steady stream of water to form and trickle down the sidewalk before spilling off the edge of a curb, the crimson blood flowing to the same destination. Her ragged breaths shortly became less shallow though she slid the sword back into it's safe keeping, a sheath that was complete with a sash fitting her midsection as it was tightly secured around her. Finally, she let her other hand fall back onto her wound, her brown hues falling over her hands that were painted in her own blood. She needed medical attention and that was an understatement.
Before she could wallow in that feeling, a nearby clank caught her attention between rumbles of thunder. The lightning lit up the sky perfectly and the sound of clashing metals only meant one thing: someone nearby was fighting. She wondered if it would be wise to push forward and round the corner, or if she should lay low and stay back. Before she could react, she caught a glimpse of another rival ninja up ahead before a few more of them joined him. Gasping lightly, one of them noticed her and she braced herself for another fight, one of her hands coming into contact with the shaft of her sword, gripping onto the now slick handle. Three on one? Those odds weren't the greatest, especially since she had already been severely wounded from a large group of enemies as it was.
Having no time to react, one of them came racing towards her, their own sword at the ready. "Ahh!"
Rushing quicker than a flash of light, someone else came along and slashed the ninja in question directly in half. Before the lightning had time to brighten the surroundings around her, two of the other ninjas had been taken out with a few metal stars to the face and her eyes almost watched in horror as they slumped over to the ground, no chance of survival at all. Her eyes only rose when she noticed a new set of ninjas coming towards her and yet, someone quickly hacked and sliced them to their deaths as well. Once the surrounding sounds were back to a steady downpour from the rain, her eyes finally fell onto the back of a familiar ninja. His muscular arm flexing as he pushed his own sword into place on his back, the sheath blending perfectly with his attire as it too was black.
Spinning to face her, Ryu's green eyes pierced the darkened night, scanning Kasumi's expression before they landed on her wound. She looked soaked and worn out and yet he was ever so glad to see her where she stood. While a moment passed them as they gazed at each other, he watched as she too slumped onto the ground on her knees, clasping at her wound in pain. The dragon ninja wasted no time in walking over and kneeling down next to her. "Kasumi.." he trailed off and allowed one of his hands to fall comfortably onto her head before running through her red strands of hair. "Thank you for coming," he expressed his gratitude, though he was entirely worried about the state she was currently in.
She didn't need to say a word, Ryu lifted her off the ground and held her in his arms, wasting no time to sprint ahead and onward to a safe house where he could have bandaged her up. His grip was tight and soundlessly he darted through the city, the red lights casting a glow on him though he was unseen in the pitch black of the storm. And even though her body felt tired and somewhat limp against him, the slickness of the rain and blood had no affect on his tight grip around her. He would save her no matter what. The heavy rain decorated him as he trudged forward, trying to make every second count to help better save her.
Her brown orbs stared at the side of his face, a faint smile coming onto her face. Even through the cold of the rain, she could feel the warmth in his body and the beating of his heart against his chest while she tried to retain consciousness as he sped onward. One of her arms lay loosely around his shoulder as the other cradled her side. The droplets of rain sliding down Ryu's face as Kasumi peered at him in awe, entirely content that he found her and spared her from a terrible fight that most likely would not have ended well for her. "Of course," she responded weakly, catching one last glimpse of the lights and red decorations around them before resting her head on his shoulder.
Word count: 1,117