* Ryu Hayabusa, Hayate, and Kasumi belong to Tecmo. These shinobi are awesome…too bad they aren't ours. ^^;; There's also a little bit of reference to events and people in 'Ninja Gaiden.' *

UNTIL THE SUN RISES

R

yu Hayabusa glanced at the night sky, noticing the clouds' almost fleeting change in color. It would be dawn soon, he knew and with it, another harsh day in life as a shinobi. It was nothing that he could complain about; he chose this life in respect to his family traditions and legacy. It was what kept him living, even when his father Ken Hayabusa died from Jaquio's blast – something that still gave him pangs of guilt from time to time. Irene Lew had significantly lightened his dark heart but then she had to leave Japan to see her relatives. Ryu decided not to accompany her; he knew something of the tensions between the Chinese and his own race.

          Something for which he felt he was not responsible for. It wasn't his generation that caused the strife between the two nations. He didn't know what the hatred towards his generation was for – it was completely excessive, uncalled for.

          So was the defeat and disappearance of his best friend, Hayate. He remembered watching in horror as the last competitor snapped Hayate's legs like kindling, then threw him aside to bleed to death. By the time Kasumi, her father, and he raced up to the center of the fighting arena, the young shinobi was already unconscious. There was even blood streaking down the silk of his ninja attire.

          Hayabusa sighed. Hayate barely survived that fight, which turned out to be his last; the daring youth ended up badly crippled. It shamed his clan to no end, and produced in Kasumi an endless flow of tears. Often, when he went over to talk to his best friend, he also ended up comforting the younger girl. One of the promises that he made to Hayate was to take care of Kasumi.

          It was another burden that he vowed to carry until Hayate returned.

          Unless Hayate died…

          Ryu shuddered. He didn't even want to ponder over that thought. Hayate – dead? Impossible! The man was his equal in terms of their skill and knowledge of the ancient ninjutsu techniques. For someone to be able to kill him, his or her dexterity would have to better than the both of them combined!  And that, Ryu thought, would never happen. Hayate was too strong-willed to just lay down and die; Hayabusa knew that very well.

          Hayate's disappearance also bothered him. After asking his father and the clan if he could go out and meditate during a warm summer afternoon, the young shinobi hobbled out of the grounds. When he didn't return by sunset, his sister Kasumi became terrified and immediately told her father. Ryu only heard about it the day after; he felt like part of it became his responsibility.

          What if you decided to accompany Hayate? If anything bad happened, you could've defended him. You have two strong legs and a lot of strength. But what good is it now since he's gone?

          The young shinobi involuntarily shook his head. It did him no good to blame himself for something that he had no control over at the time. He just hoped that his best friend was all right. That the young man wasn't lying dead in some accursed, foreign land or that he was being brutally tortured by an opposing ninjutsu clan. Hayabusa remembered the look in Hayate's brown eyes when he'd realized that he'd lost the tournament and that he'd shamed his clan forever.

          Instead of being a regretful softness, there burned a furious fire in those twin pools that reminded Hayabusa of his younger years. He was like that when his father still lived…

          But his father was not. Ryu pulled back his long hair, retrieving it from the wind. There were things that he could change and events that he could not. What he could not avert or destroy he could only leave to destiny.

          Sometimes, that's the only thing that one can do.

          Hayate said something before his disappearance. Ryu could still hear his friend's strong voice speaking the words. I never think about the darkness surrounding me. I cannot judge it, for until the sun rises, it is merely the world that it hides. And I'm part of that world, and hence, part of that darkness. The words reflected the life of a shinobi.

          His life.

          A glimmer of gold caught Hayabusa's eye and he raised his face skywards. Already, the clouds were fading into hues of purple, red, and gold; Ryu never remembered seeing the Japanese sky as beautiful before. Perhaps because he worried too much and never gave himself a chance to thoroughly enjoy life. Maybe that was why his best friend could still go on even after such calamities befell him.

          He had to enjoy what he had while he still lived.

          Ryu Hayabusa stood. Another day for him to live up to his vows, to remember his friend by, and to give himself chances he'd denied himself before. It was always like that once the darkness lifted and the light declared itself supreme.

          Until the sun rises…

Author's Note: Since I don't know much about the first DOA events, I've read back histories of Hayate that were conflicting. One said that he died in the first tournament; another said that he became crippled. To fit my fanfic, I chose the latter because it gave more leverage to the story.