Ninja Gaiden: Legendary

Chapter 2: The Hayabusa Village

The two Hayabusa Ninja finally arrive home. Ryu says nothing about his nightmarish encounter with his past. It is quickly brushed aside as he is met with a sight for sore eyes. The Hayabusa village. The crown of his people and full of such vibrant energy. Even though it has dealt with its problems in the past, and is not most luxurious of places to live in, it is something entirely different. Everyone loves and appreciates one another; Not something you would expect from the most violent of ninja clans to ever exist. Ryu always feels revitalized everytime he sets foot in his village. He feels a strong connection with each and every member, and feels proud to be able to protect it. Because of this mentality, Ryu's exploits are reknowned even at the age of 16. Many respect the young Dragon Ninja's power, and even the morality of the boy underneath the ninja mask. As the Ryu begins to walk into the heart of the village alongside his father, he finds great pleasure in breathing in the delicious aroma of freshly cooked fish, the laughter and talk of the villagers and fellow shinobi, and a nearby blacksmith, hammering away at red hot metal to forge a new Hayabusa style sword. The villagers turn to notice the return of Ryu and his father and all greet the Dragon shinobi with smiles and nods of acknowledgement. In the distance, Ryu sees a small group of children gathered and giggling madly at whatever wild antics they had done or thought of. Three young shinobi break away from the group, Ryu instantly recognizes them and smiles. As if they felt Ryu's presence the three turn towards Ryu and their eyes light up.

"Hey Ryu's back!" the oldest of the group, Akira exclaims.

The other two Hachiro and the kunoichi Keiko beam at the return of the Dragon Ninja. The group runs to the Dragon Ninja's side at lightning speed.

"Ryu what did you learn today? Did you learn any cool techniques? Please you have to teach me!" Akira speaks up first.

"No way teach me Ryu-sama! I want to be as strong as you!" Then Hachiro.

"Um….Ryu-sama, do you think you can train me also?" Lastly, Keiko.

Ryu raises both eyebrows and chuckles in amusement before responding.

"All in good time kids, you have to get older first if you want to receive the training I receive. Make sure you focus on eating right so you can grow." Ryu lovingly parts Keiko's hair causing her to go beet red, and ruffles Akira's and Hachiro's hair.

"Hai!" the young group agrees with their living inspiration. Jo Hayabusa chuckles, watching the scene before him.

"It's good to see you stay true to your humanity my son."

Jo Hayabusa walks over to his son and proudly drops his hand onto his broad shoulder.

"Ryu. I'm going to head back home. Feel free to spend a little time with the townfolk and soak up the sunshine."

Ryu grins and nods causing Jo to promptly laugh and shake his head.

Still a kid I see.

"Sigh…..its a beautiful day today. There is nothing better than a good day of training in the cool mountains and the heat emanating from the sun in these warmer climates." Ryu stretches his arms after his father's departure and lowers his solemn guard.

"It does damn good for these muscles." Ryu begins to walk further into the village, looking at his village in pride and joy.

"What should I do? I have to cherish this free time I have before more training." He folds his arms in concentration, as he contemplates his next move.

"Ahh I know! I'll visit Kureha. I have not seen her as of late." Ryu sets his plan in motion and begins to head to the Dark Dragon Shrine. However, before setting on towards his destination his stopped by someone yelling behind him.

"Ryu-kun! Hello!" Ryu turns his head toward the sound of the voice and notices a man wearing a white headband followed by a blue kimono and tan slacks.

"Ahh! Hello Fuma! How have you been?"

"Good good! And yourself?"

"I'm doing great. I just arrived with my Father from an entire day of training."

Fuma is like a godfather to Ryu. When his Father was called for assistance outside the village Fuma would take care of the boy. The two would spend their nights sitting by campfires after fishing trips; Fuma would tell the young ninja about his adventures as a ninja and then subsequently as a fisherman.

"Haha you Dragon Ninja are so fully of energy. Day in and day out." Fuma chuckles as begins to pick up a sack of fish that he has caught from the river near the outskirts of the village. Ryu notices the numerous bags scattered around his shop and grins.

"I can see that you were successful in your endeavors. That famine was one of the worst we have suffered from." Ryu walks over to Fuma and helps him carry the bags inside the shop.

"Thank you son. And yes! Thank god the river is flowing again. Those fools up north had sucked the land dry after building that dam. I'm glad you and your father settled the disputes." Fuma states as his voice slightly escalates from lifting the heavy weight and setting down in the storage room of the shop. Ryu follows suit with his own and sack and walks back into the main room of the shop.

Ryu smiles, "Haha we are glad to help. I'm happy your business is doing well. Good luck to you."

"Same to you."

Fuma cleans the countertop of his shop with a thankful smile on his face. He blows the dust off of the counter and subsequently puts the rag into his side pocket. After giving much thought to his position, Fuma turns around and places his hands on his hips.

"My oh my, look at you, every day you are growing into a fine shinobi. I'm sure your father will pass on the Dragon Sword to you in due time." Fuma chuckles.

Ryu rubs the back of his head in embarrassment from the praise.

"Haha do you really think so? I have been looking forward to the day when I can harness its power but at the same time feeling slightly anxious about the responsibility I will have to face."

Fuma walks over to the sink to clean his hands from the remnants of fish oils and dirt from a hard days work.

"Ah don't worry about that. I'm sure you'll be a fine recepient of the Dragon Sword. Why, even now you're showing signs of surpassing your father! And at such a ripe age! Slow down a little son! Take time to enjoy your years because they won't last forever haha."

Ryu smiles in compliance.

Thanks Fuma. You've always been a great friend to me.

"Thank you I will. Well, I must be going now, I have business to attend to."

Fuma turns from the sink to dry his hands.

"Haha I'm sure you do. Take care Ryu!"

Ryu waves goodbye and exits the shop. He continues towards his destination: the Dark Dragon Shrine.

After a 20 minute trek, courtesy of scenic viewing, Ryu finally arrives at the shrine. He slides the door open and peers inside.

"Hello? Kureha?"

No response.

"Hmm…Well she must have already returned. The sun has almost set after all."

Before leaving, Ryu decides to inspect the shrine from the shrine is small in size; The walls are lined with sutras and sealing spells to repress the dark power of the Dark Dragon. But even in its most restrained form, the inmense power can taint anyone's heart. Ryu's eyes trace the contours of the blade which hangs on the wall opposite of him, more purposefully dwelling on the red scriptures that seemed to glow with the light shining into the shrine from above. Ryu notices that the writing begins to glow brighter. The red glow vertically warping the air around it. It is then that he notices a shrill sound in the air. The sound could be made out to be a disembodied voice. As each second passes by it slightly begins to escalate in sound. Eventually it twists into a horrific full blown scream that pierces Ryu's ears causing him to drop to one knee. A scream of a woman. The room seemed to shrink as the distance between the Dark Dragon Blade and himself begins to lessen. Sweat begins to form on his forehead. Ryu's eyes begin to shift between his shining emerald hue and a feral yellow colour. His blood feels like it is being stirred and mixed with a foreign acidic substance. The feeling begins to sharpen as if shards of glass travel through his veins, causing him to feel pain throughout his entire body. His blood pressure rises and an intense heat coats his body, making it difficult to breathe air.

You cannot hide….

Ryu gasps and suddenly the pain and shrill voice stops. A dark silence falls over the small shrine. Ryu can hear the ringing in his ears after his ears readjust to normal sound levels. Sighing he opens his eyes and they are once more emerald. All of a sudden, a horrific demonic creature with yellow eyes superimposes the glow of the dark dragon blade and launches itself toward Ryu; Its eyes exhibiting hatred and malice. The figure passes through Ryu, as an ghostly apparition. The scream is once again heard only it begins to distort and amplify to a higher pitch. Try as he might to cover his ears, the screaming would not stop. Ryu opens his eyes and finally notices that the source of the scream is infact himself. His eyes widen, before his eyebrows and face horribly contorts into a demonic scowl. He punches a hole through the side of the building, perfectly shattering the bedrock.

A malevolent chuckling is heard.

Ryu yells in irritation and anger as his heart rate once again quickens. He breathes deeply, savoring every breath like his life depended on it. Finally, Ryu calms and lowers his arms to focus his energy; as if he is pushing an invisible wall away from below. His eyes bleed as the Fiend in him sleeps. Ryu grips his face.

"It's becoming worse. I will have a chat with Father tonight about this." His eyes narrow and he tightly clenches his fists. He then realizes his objective.

"Oh I almost forgot! Kureha. I need to see her." Ryu begins to retrace his steps. He takes one last glance at the Dark Dragon Blade, before heading outside.

Disgusting Abomination..

He wipes the blood off his face and angrily throws it on the ground. After calming his nerves, Ryu exits the shrine.

"The sun has already set. How long was I hallucinating?" Ryu ponders.

"I might as well stop by Kureha's anyway. I came all this way, she is always happy to see me." Ryu smiles and begins to head toward Kureha's residence. He quickens his pace has he enters the path leading to the house. Eventually he arrives and slides the door open.

"Hello?"

Ryu calls but no one answers. The house seems cold, the polar opposite of its usual warmth from the hearth that is always burning. Ryu's looks around quizzically before hearing chatter coming from the bedroom in the laywardside of the house. He removes his boots near the entrance and investiages. As he travels down the hall, he notices a woman crying and other people trying to comfort her.

"What is going on?" Ryu arrives at the door and knocks on it two times.

"Yes?" Harumi, Kureha's mother answers. Ryu can hear the emotion in her voice.

"Hello Harumi, it's me Ryu, can I come in?"

"Oh my dear Ryu, yes please come in."

Ryu opens the door and finds Harumi sitting, with the lesser shrine maidens. Ryu frowns from seeing her beautiful countenance replaced by a pale wetted face. Her tears continue to fall and damp the wood beneath 's eyes lock with Ryu's. She feels the concern and compassion coming from Ryu simply by gazing into his endless sea of green. Eventually Harumi loses control and gets up to embrace Ryu tightly. Seeking his warmth and compassion up close. Ryu returns the gesture and brushes Harumi's hair with his hand.

"Miss Harumi, what is the matter?"

"Ohh Ryu, its Kureha. She has been missing for hours!"

Ryu's eyes widen.

"What?"

"She went into the forest to gather medicinal herbs but has not returned. No one can seem to find her anywhere. I fear she has stumbled to deep." Harumi continues to sob.

I knew it. I couldn't sense her energy anywhere.

Ryu calmly pulls away from Harumi's embrace and wipes her tears with his thumb.

"Don't worry Harumi. I promise you that I will bring her back."

Harumi feels a burden being lifted from her shoulders. She sighs in happiness and closes her eyes.

"Thank you."

"Pwease save my sister Ryu-chan" A young Momiji sits in the lap of one of the other shrine maidens. Ryu smiles at the child and nods.

"I'll be back shortly" With that last statement, the Dragon Ninja dashes out with his combat boots and teleports with lightning speed towards the forest.

Authors Note

Any form of criticism is appreciated! I'm a new writer. Just entering university of washington for the first time to carry on my ambitions lol. Please be sure to review and write! Its what keeps me motivated!

-Soul

EDIT: For all the questions regarding when the crossover will occur, Be patient my friends. I promise it will happen soon. Your reviews keep me motivated so keep em coming! Thanks!

-Soul