Sacrifices…
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters from Ninja Gaiden nor from Dead or Alive. This is a story meant for only a story…
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Chapter Two
Rachel looked around her surroundings but it was nothing but a vast space. She looked over at Ayane and she stood there like a statue, she had no life. She was most definitely not her self but where did her whole being go? Rachel then saw a black smoke come out of her body and the dragon…rather large dragon taking up the space of the area they were at. Ayane then collapsed to the ground and she was barely breathing but her eyes were back to their color and she worn out.
"Ayane," Rachel whispered and she was losing her life.
"Stupid wench…you still fight me! Either way, you are more powerful than that blonde wench…I will have you one way or other!" The dragon shouted as he zapped Ayane's body with lightening. Rachel had to turn her head due to the light but Ayane would not scream. Then she was thrown into the cell with Rachel. Rachel quickly went over to Ayane as she was struggling to breathe.
"I….I …. Will not….be…part of…." Ayane struggled to talk but the dragon just laughed at the attempt of the girl. He didn't know what was going to happen but it was one of those things that made Rachel cringe.
"What do you have to live for?" The dragon asked darkly. "The man you love is apparently in love with the blonde wench, the only one that loved you is dead…your foster father. You're alone and everyone that you have ever trusted as turned against you? Why do you watch over the blonde one and her twin? It only causes you pain?"
Rachel now knew that Alma was not lying when she said that Ayane was looking over them. Rachel then began nursing Ayane with a few healing ointments but knew if her soul was being sucked away from her, then there wasn't much she could do. Ayane's spirit was being broken and there was not much she could do about it. Rachel then began to feel a little guilty about her feelings for Ryu when Ayane was willing to go to great lengths to watch over her and Alma.
"It's going to be alright, Ayane…" Rachel said simply as she watched over the girl as she prayed that Ryu and the others could hurry up. She knew that Ayane did not have much time. She looked over at the dragon as he was apparently watching over the city to only cause terror with strange events. He had control of the elements and was making sure that the world knew his wrath. He was going to see that if he were to live that he would be the ultimate ruler and if he were to die…that he had left his mark.
"Well at least one of you is alive, I though because your blood was made a certain way that you would a better host but I was incorrect, your life has not been as harsh as this young one," the dragon said as he looked over at the girls. "If all goes according to plan than I will have my revenge against the whole Hayabusa clan…and their lineage but most of them are gone. Don't you think it is ironic?"
"How so," Rachel asked as Ayane looked over at the dragon weakly.
"Ryu Hayabusa is the last one left and I am also the last one left," the dragon smirked or at least what one could guess it was. "Now the one woman the loves him will die while the other one that loves him will live. It's beautiful…"
"You're sick," Rachel shouted.
"It doesn't matter…Oh there are more guests, I think I'm going to push the show earlier," the dragon took them in a mystical sphere. They appeared in front of Ryu and the others.
"RACHEL!" Alma shouted and Ryu turned to see that Alma and Kasumi had followed after him. He wondered why all the women in his life never listen to his advice. Then his eyes quickly fell back on the dragon as he laughed in a cruel manner.
"You pathetic humans," the dragon said with a laugh. The military was trying to take him down but it was no avail. The dragon and his mystical powers were able to deflect all of the missiles and bullets. "Now…young Hayabusa…which woman will you choose?"
"Stop these games, you're fight is with me and not with either of them," Ryu shouted.
"Yes, but I need a host…being rather large is not very convenient to see the people that I will rule over for the next thousand years!"
"You will not have either Ayane or Rachel…" Alma shouted but she knew that her weapons would be of no use.
While the arguments between the groups continued, Ayane used the last of her energy to open a hole. Rachel was too engrossed in the activities before her that she never saw what came next. Ayane pushed Rachel out of the hole. Rachel looked at the girl in surprised as she collapsed inside of the sphere and closed up quickly. The dragon was surprised at the turn of events but it worked slightly in favor.
Ryu caught Rachel and during the whole event Ayane was struggling to get up. Ayane looked down and shed tears, she was tired and worn. She no longer had the strength to fight. She then looked up to the dragon, "If you want to take my body, then do so…"
The dragon smiled, "Ryu Hayabusa…I'll wait your arrival by sunset tomorrow so you may watch this wondrous occasion. I have for the first time, I have a willingly host with out the full use of my powers."
"WHAT?" Everyone shouted minus Ryu as he looked up at Ayane. It felt even though he was such a far distance away he could see deep within her eyes. She had suffered and was tired, her fighting spirit was taken away and there was not much for her to push forward. He had broken her and he wanted to know how and why she would.
"It's a shame Hayabusa, this girl loves you so much that she is willing to sacrifice herself so you could be with the blonde wench," the dragon said as he slowly ascended to the sky. "I guess what I said was true…the only one that loved her was the one that is now dead. Poor girl, even you were cold to her…so she is willing to give up her life. How sad…you have some one who loved you dearly that will no longer be alive."
The dragon faded from the sight as Rachel was set back on her feet. Ryu stared up to the sky in disbelief but would not let his emotions show. Kasumi looked over at Ryu, she and Ayane never gotten along but for her to die that way was not acceptable. Kasumi was a runaway yes but she was not a person to give up on someone else regardless of the relationship. Everyone deserved life, the only time she had to take someone's life it was in self defense. Alma hugged her sister and was saying how relieved she was alive.
"Ryu…are you going to go after her?" Rachel asked as she looked down at the ground.
"I need to defeat the dragon," Ryu said simply and began walking away from the group.
"Do you have any feelings for her?" Alma asked, she was tired of his cold and distant nature. "She just gave up her life so that Rachel would live and that you didn't have to make a hard decision on who to save?"
"Alma…" Kasumi said softly. "If the dragon takes Ayane's body then Ayane would no longer live. He must destroy the dragon by killing the host body, and once her soul returns to her body only can we try to bring her to life."
"She would still die no matter the result," Ryu said simply. "Ayane's fighting spirit is no longer there, she has lost her will to live."
"So you are going to throw her life away?" Rachel asked in surprise.
"You all stay here," Ryu said as he vanished in a stream of light. The three women all looked at each other in sorrow. Ayane was still young and now her life was going to be cut short and there was nothing to be sad. The three girls could only wait until Ryu returned with Ayane's body for a proper burial. They would return to Rachel and Alma's home. Rachel knew that her feelings for Ryu were no where near the lengths of Ayane's. She was willing to sacrifice anything for him, for a brief moment she knew her heart and thoughts.
Life was not easy for the lavender ninja, she had a difficult life. Ayane was no where comfortable and her life style was not an easy one either. She had grown up with really the feeling of her foster father only being the one who loved her. She was treated as cheap trash and never wanted made Rachel sad at the thought. She deserved someone but she didn't think Ryu would be the one to do it. If she could live a little longer maybe someone would love her as much as she is capable of loving another person.
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Twelve hours later…approaching sun set
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The dragon waited patiently for Ryu's arrival he had already began the ceremony. Ayane was dressed in a lavender gown to match her hair and he smirked in a ceremony. She was a beautiful young woman and it was a shame that she lived such a terrible life. He began sucking more of her life force out of her body and her emotions that she buried deep within were now on the surface. She cried freely as her life was coming to an end, but as long as Ryu could be happy with Rachel she would gladly let her body die at the hands of the one man she cared for deeply.
"Soon it will be over," the dragon said simply as he did whole process slowly. The butterfly's wings were being clipped, she would no longer live as a free spirit but a wandering soul that is only able to watch her own body do destruction. She would be lost but at least she could at least watch over her clan in a distant way.
"Tomorrow night I will have your body," the dragon said simply as he still drained her energy. "Then the world can be mine!"
Ayane's strength was leaving her and her body felt as if it were no longer hers. She felt as she was floating away and one of the last images in her mind was Ryu's green eyes. She shed a few more tears as she feel into a deep slumber that would not be awaken by her but the dragon in her body. This was surely her last day on earth…she would be the sacrifice that Ryu could be happy. She knew that in order to save the world from utter destruction he must destroy her body…at least she could no longer be hurt. She would be some what free. If he killed her body she would be able to be free from the purgatory as well.
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Ryu raced through all the places he could think of where the dragon was at. If he didn't hurry the dragon was take Ayane's body fully and he would have to actually kill her body to save her. The idea did not sit well with him, when he went against Murai he wanted the evil but Ayane…she was giving up her life so that he could be happy with Rachel? Where did she get the idea that he had feelings beyond friendship for the girl? He quickly raced and then remembers the dragon went into the sky. He wondered if he went into another realm and if he needed to follow in that way.
He quickly used his ninja skills to teleport him to a vast area. He looked around and he heard laughter…he turned to see Ayane alone on some kind of alter and quickly made his way over. Ryu then was shocked and realized there was a barrier, he tried everything to get through but he could not. The barrier was not going to let him enter and then he saw the dragon appear.
"Ryu, it is not yet sunset and somehow you arrived early?" the dragon said simply as he floated around the area. "Are you eager to see this girl die?"
"I'm eager to slay you so that some order can be restored," Ryu said simply. "Let Ayane go…"
"No, that would be too easy for you to slay me in this form. Hence the barrier is up to make sure you do not interfere. I will fight you once I have possession of this body, my host is a lovely girl don't you think?" His clam gently went over her body and Ryu growled. He was going to force him to fight Ayane… "I will have all of her abilities and knowledge of her battles. I will become Ayane in that sense…but her body will be mine."
"You are a monster…" Ryu said simply.
"Are you ready to see it, I can always make sunset come sooner…" the dragon then sped up time and sure enough sunset had arrived. Ryu looked in horror at the scene as the dragon laughed. "At last…her life force is MINE!"
"NO!" Ryu shouted as the dragon forced his way inside of Ayane's body. There was a long pregnant silence as Ayane's body stayed still for some time. Then when it moved all his hope was gone as her eyes were black and not her usual crimson. Ayane's voice was there but it was not Ayane…he would have to kill her in order to save the world. Ryu drew his sword and Ayane looked at him…that is not Ayane…Ayane is gone…
The barrier lifted and a mystical sword appeared in the hands of Ayane and Ryu prepared for a battle. He had to remind himself it was not Ayane…and it was harder than he expect since it was her body he was staring at. "Come Hayabusa…let us see which lineage will live today, my kin's or your's…"
"As you wish," Ryu charged as the battle began. The outcome would be no matter what it was, someone's death.
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thank to those that reviewed the first chapter. sorry that it took a little while to post this but the one that wishes to be referred as a unnamed author wanted to make a few changes before uploading it. for those waiting for my other DOA story...well i'm having a huge writer's block and it's taking longer to formulate what i want onto the page. so be patient and thank you for the reviews...see you next chapter...
SeungLee