Hey everyone. Sorry that it's been a while since I last updated this story. Things have been happening for the past couple of days and I've been busy because of that. My apologies. Anyways, here's chapter 4. There's a bit of suspense, but no juicy lemons yet. Please be patient.

By the way, anyone surprised that Akira's gonna be in DOA5? I sure am.

Enjoy and leave reviews!


Chapter 4: Responsibility

Hitomi watched as the students fought each other in matches and Hayate and the instruction assistants gave the children their lessons. Seeing that everyone was at the dojo taking their lessons put her at a little ease. Even Ralph and Laura were there, since they have made a full recovery from the hospital and their parents have allowed them to return for their karate lessons. It was nice and peaceful Friday afternoon. But the brunette couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

It had been a week since Ralph and Laura were attacked by the gang of thugs. After Hitomi and Hayate rescued the children, they have not received any report of another attack on any of the students. But Ralph and Laura's parents were still afraid that their kids will be attacked, so they called the police to investigate. Much to their surprise, the thugs were nowhere to be found. The police have looked everywhere, but they did not find any clue about the gang's whereabouts. It was as if they have vanished without a trace. To make matters worse, the police could not find any clue about the gang's boss. They have interviewed their list of suspects, but have found nothing and no one was the leader. None of them could even provide any information. The police did not give up, but the investigation was going nowhere.

As she watched everyone with her sky blue eyes, Hitomi was deep in thought. Why can't I shake this bad feeling that something's wrong here? Everything just seems too quiet. Why have the thugs stop to attack the students? If Hayate was telling me the truth while we were at the hospital, then there should have been more attacks on the kids. Is there something going on within their gang?

She then tried to picture their mysterious leader. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember his face. It had been a very long time since he came to make her sell the dojo, and he didn't really seem to be a big threat. But it would appear that he's attacking the dojo, this time with real physical force.

If I don't find out who he is and stop him, then things will get real ugly. Who is he, and why had he decided to try to buy my dojo again? If only I could remember his face . . .

Suddenly, Hitomi's thoughts were interrupted when a little girl pulled on her gi and pleaded, "Hitomi! Can I have my lesson now? Please?"

The brunette girl looked down and answered with a smile, "Okay, sure. Let's get started."

As she set off with the girl to begin the lesson, Hitomi whispered a silent prayer to herself, Please don't let anything bad happen to anyone . . .


Around 5:30 p.m., out on the streets

After yet another long day at the dojo, Hitomi and Hayate closed it down for the day and were walking through the streets. So far, the day went smoothly, but the girl was still troubled by the fact that something bad might happen. She just couldn't shake off the bad feeling that was deep inside of her.

Sensing that she was a bit uneasy, Hayate asked her, "Hey Hitomi, do you want to go out somewhere tonight?"

When she heard his question, she immediately snapped out of her thoughts and turned to him, asking, "Huh? Go out somewhere? Why do you ask me that?"

"Well, you seem like you have a lot going on in your mind. Are you?"

"Uhh . . . Yeah . . . I guess I would be lying if I said I was alright."

"You're still worried about the children?"

Hitomi stopped dead in her tracks and hanged her head in shame. Hayate ceased walking and saw how depressed she had become. Slowly, she nodded her head as she spoke, "I am. And it's not just the children I'm worried about. It's everything. The dojo, that gang, their mysterious boss . . . I'm just worried about everything right now. And right now, I can't see clearly how things are going to be in the future. I promised Dad that I will have everything under control while he's in the hospital, but I don't. It's all in chaos right now . . ."

All of a sudden, Hayate stepped up to her and hugged her tightly. She was shocked, wondering why he was doing it. As he stroked her light brown hair, he said to her, "I've told you before, Hitomi, you must have faith in yourself. You will get through all of this chaos as long as you do not give up, no matter what happens. I know you will because I have faith in you. So please, Hitomi, do not give up."

After he pulled away, Hitomi looked up to him with tears forming at the sides of her baby blue eyes. She slowly nodded her head again, knowing he was right.

He then asked her again, "So . . . do you want to go somewhere before we head back?"

After quickly wiping her tears, Hitomi answered with a smile, "Yeah. Actually, there's this awesome pastry restaurant that has delicious cakes and stuff. I haven't been there in a while, so I kind of wanted to go back there."

Glad to see her smile, Hayate nodded and replied, "Alright. That sounds good."


An hour later, at a pastry restaurant

The two of them were enjoying dinner, and slowly, Hitomi was back to bubbly and cheerful self, much to Hayate's relief. As they were eating, they were telling each other stories that they haven't told each other before about their personal lives. Of course, Hayate had to be careful not to say anything about his clan, or else some stranger might overhear and his secrets might be exposed to the outside world. He dare not think of what would happen if the leaders found out.

For desert, they had chocolate sachertorte, with was Hitomi's favorite pastry. When she was eating the cake, she couldn't hold back her joy of savoring the desert in her mouth and gave out a funny smile, which made Hayate chuckle a little when he saw her face. She blushed and continued on finishing her desert, ashamed at herself for letting him see her goof off a bit. However, Hitomi forgot that Hayate did not mind her being silly, since she was just being herself.

However, after Hitomi finished her cake and cleaned her lips with a napkin, her worries of the future began to haunt her mind again. She looked up at Hayate, who was already finished and waiting for her to be done. As if he was reading her mind, he asked her, "You're still worried?"

With a heavy sigh, she silently nodded. "I'm still worried about everything. I mean, I know that you're here and you'll help me get through these hard times, but I'm afraid that my dad will-"

Suddenly, they heard a cell phone ring from Hitomi's bag. The brunette groaned as she reached over and pulled out her cell from her bag. After pressing the "Send" button, she brought it to her ear and asked, "Hello?"

"Hitomi, is this you?"

"Yes it is. Who is this?"

"This is Dr. Walden. I have some good news about your father."

"Yeah?"

"We've managed to cure your father with a procedure we've just performed on him. However, he still needs two weeks' worth of rest here. Therefore, he'll be out of the hospital, just like we've planned. Don't worry about him. Your father is doing just fine. He's just resting right now as we speak."

"Is that so? Well, can I come over and visit him?"

"Of course you can, as long as you don't disturb him from his sleep. Just come in as quietly as you can, okay?"

`"Alright. Thank you, Dr. Walden."

She then pressed the END button and hung up. She looked straight at Hayate and said, "It was Dr. Walden. He just informed me that my dad's illness has been cured. They've performed a successful operation on him. But he still needs to stay in the hospital and rest for two weeks."

The ninja nodded with a smile and replied, "That's good to hear."

"Yeah . . . Umm . . . Ein? Is it alright . . . if I go visit my dad . . . by myself?"

"Is there something wrong?"

"Well . . . there's something that . . . I need to talk about . . . with him . . . alone . . . So is it alright if you go back to my apartment by yourself and wait for me?"

"Of course, Hitomi. I don't mind."

Hitomi nodded and gave him her keys. After paying the bill, the two of them went on their ways.


Later, in front of Hitomi's apartment

As Hayate searched through Hitomi's keychain for her door key, he couldn't help but remember the sadness on Hitomi's face when she left to go see her father.

She seems a bit worried, he thought. Is she afraid that he will think that she's not responsible to handle everything in his absence? Why would she be afraid of something like that? Does she not realize that she's more than able to handle everything by herself? Oh Hitomi, I sometimes think that you worry too much . . . If only I can tell her that, but she would still be worried.

After a long search, Hayate finally found the door key and inserted it into the door handle. He twisted the key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. But he was still lost in deep thought.

I just don't understand why she's so worried about something like her father's thoughts. I guess she wants to go beyond his expectations for her. Plus, we still are uncertain about who is trying to force Hitomi into selling her father's dojo. I'm only helping Hitomi, so I guess that it would be natural for her to feel pressured . . . If only I can-

All of a sudden, Hayate felt a strong hand wrapping around him from behind, locking him in a tight grip. He tried to break free with all of his strength, but it was no use. Then suddenly, a cloth was placed on top of his nose and mouth. As he inhaled, he suddenly realized that it was drugged.

Oh no! It's ether! I've got . . . to . . . break . . . free . . .

Hayate lost consciousness and was dropped to the floor. As he lied on the ground, a few shadows hovered over him. A voice then said, "Well done. Let's bring him back, shall we?"


Meanwhile, at the hospital

As Hitomi stood outside her father's room, she took in a deep breath. She was preparing herself for what she had to do.

I have to tell Dad about what has been going on. I can't just hide from him about what has been going on with the dojo. The least I can do is to tell him. I have to get rid of this uneasy feeling that has been welling up inside of me. I just hope that Dad won't be disappointed in me. Well, he goes nothing.

She then gripped the handle, turned it, opened the door, and stepped inside. When she entered, she saw an old man in a doctor's coat standing next to her father's bed. Hearing her come in, he turned around and smiled.

"Hello, Hitomi. It's good to see you again."

The brunette nodded and replied, "Hi, Dr. Walden. How's my father doing?"

"He's doing just fine. Please try to keep your voice down. He just started taking his nap."

"Oh, okay . . . Sorry."

Suddenly, they heard a weak voice coming from behind Dr. Walden saying, "It's alright for you to talk, Hitomi. I don't feel like sleeping now."

The two of them turned their attention towards Hitomi's father, who was clearly and fully awake.

The old man in bed then asked the doctor, "Could I speak with my daughter in private, please?"

The doctor nodded and replied, "Of course. I'll be outside at the desk if there's anything you need. Just call me and let me know."

He then headed for the door and exited the room, gently closing the door behind him.

There was a brief moment of silence. Hitomi just couldn't find the words that she needed to tell him what she had to say. But she knew that she had to speak up.

"Um . . . Dad . . . there's . . . um . . . something that I . . . actually need to . . . talk to you about."

"Does it have to do anything with those thugs that attacked Ralph and Laura?"

Hitomi looked at her father with her baby blue eyes widened in shock. He somehow knew about the attack on the children, but she couldn't figure out how he did.

"Dad . . . how did you . . .?"

"Ralph and Laura's parents told me when they were checking on their children while they were in the hospital. They felt that they should let me know what was going on and how things are going."

"I see . . . I'm sorry Dad . . ."

"Sorry for what? Hitomi, sweetie, it's alright. You're doing your best to-"

Suddenly, the girl exclaimed, "It's not alright! I gave you my word that I would take care of everything and make sure that nothing goes wrong! I didn't want you to worry about everything! I wanted to show you and prove to you that I'm responsible and can handle everything on my own without your help! I wanted you to just focus on getting better and not get concerned about what's going on with the dojo! But I failed! Everything's just going wrong and I'm having a hard time fixing it without your help! The students' parents are getting worried about their children's safety! We don't know if that gang will attack another child! And now you know what's going on! I failed! I FAILED!"

Suddenly, Hitomi dropped to her knees at the side of her father's bed and cried. Her head was on her father's lap and her tears began to make his blanket wet. Her voice was very high-pitched and she kept on sobbing and sobbing. The only thing her father could do was to place his hands on her head and pat it gently as she continued to cry. He did not stop her because he wanted her to let out all of her tears and sadness first before he said anything.

After a long time, Hitomi's crying became quieter and softer. Then her father told her, "It's alright, Hitomi. You have already proven to me that you are responsible in handling hard situations like this."

The girl lifted her head and looked at her father with a confused look on her face. Her entire face was bright pink, her eyes were still wet from her crying, and her cheeks were very damp from the strands of her tears.

Hitomi then asked her father, "How was I . . . responsible?"

He replied, "When I was first admitted into the hospital, you took on the responsibility of handling the dojo during my absence. I never really taught you how to do, but I could tell that you already knew how because you've watched and studied how I've ran the dojo before. I knew that you were ready to take on the challenge of running the dojo on your own. Despite all of the financial troubles that were hurting the dojo, you were the one who kept it alive and going. Also, I've watched you for all of your life, and all during that time, I've seen you grown into a responsible and independent young woman. When you left home to live on your own, I allowed you to leave because I trusted you, which I still do. I've seen you overcome hard obstacles that were in your path. And I can tell you, Hitomi, this situation is no different. I believe in you, Hitomi."

Then he wiped the tears from his daughter's eyes as he continued, "Stop worrying about my reaction towards this problem. Just do what you know what needs to be done to protect the dojo and our students. I know that you can do it, and I know that you will do it."

A small smile slowly began to form on Hitomi's face. She got up and hugged her father, whispering into his ear, "Thank you, Dad."

Her father smiled and returned the hug, silently praying that she would make it through.

After making sure everything was okay, her father went back to sleep. Hitomi quietly slipped out, told Dr. Walden that everything was alright, and left the hospital, relieved that she didn't have to overwork to live up to her father's expectations.


Back at Hitomi's apartment

As the brunette climbed up the stairs to her room, Hitomi thought about how she was going to handle the thugs and their mysterious boss. The police had been doing all they could to solve this case, but she knew that it was up to both her and Hayate to step up and help.

Everyone's counting on me to do this, she thought. They all have their faith in me, especially Dad . . . and Hayate. I have both Hayate's faith and help, so there's no way I cannot fail and-

Hitomi's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she saw her door open from where she was standing. She was utterly confused at why it wasn't closed. She knew that Hayate was not careless and would not leave a room door opened.

That's odd . . . Why didn't Hayate close the door?

As she walked up to the door, she gasped as she looked into her living room. It was a total mess. Foods and paper scraps were all over the floor, the dining table and its chairs were knocked over, and although her windows were not broken, their curtains were torn off.

What . . . What happened here?

Suddenly, she saw a note on her counter. She rushed over and picked up the piece of paper and read what was written on it.

If you want to see your friend alive, then come to the central park and bring the contract for your father's dojo. If you fail to come by 9:30 p.m., then we're going to send your friend on a one-way trip to hell. You better hurry.

Hitomi dropped the letter in total shock. Hayate was captured by those thugs.

NO . . . HAYATE!


Will Hayate be alright? Will Hitomi find him? Will the dojo be safe from harm? Will they be able to confess their love for each other before it's too late? Find out when the next chapter comes up.