Hey everyone. I managed to quickly write this chapter and upload it. Like I said before, I want to be done with this fic before Dead or Alive 5 comes out in September. After this one, there's only a few chapters left. So this story is about to be done soon.

So enjoy!

Chapter 10: Wolf's Last Howl

Hayate was shocked at what he just heard from Alpha Wolf. This man wanted revenge on Hitomi's father for humiliating him? The ninja could not believe it.

"Hitomi's father humiliated you? But how? How could he have possibly done that?"

The raven-haired man sneered as he answered, "That man and I were training under the same master of karate. We both mastered karate, but only one of us was to become his apprentice and eventually take his place. I was supposed to be his apprentice. I was stronger, fiercer. I was never intimidated by anything. I had all the qualities of a master. That bastard was too soft and too gentle and was always a good boy; doing everything he was ordered to do. I was clearly the better man."

The ninja's dark brown eyes narrowed as the thug continued, "The master arranged a duel between the two of us to determine who would become the apprentice. I should have won the fight because I knew karate better. But somehow I was defeated, very badly. I was convinced that he somehow cheated because he pulled off moves that I never knew. He definitely had some special lessons with the master. After my loss, I vowed to make him pay for stealing what was rightfully mine. I tried to extract my revenge by entering the same tournaments that he entered, but every single time, he defeated me. No matter how strong I got, he was always stronger than me.

"So I decided to disappear from society and joined the underworld. I figured that I would have a better chance for revenge if I had an alliance with darkness. That's how I became a thug leader and got my pack of thugs. Then I caught wind of my rival opening up a dojo, and I decided that I should steal that which he had worked so hard and spilled so much sweat on. I would take his reward, and when he became ill, I took the opportunity. Of course, his stubborn daughter would not hand it over quietly. So I decided to use force by hurting the students. That way, they would be afraid of taking more lessons and not going to the dojo, therefore driving it out of business."

He then pointed his crowbar at Hayate as his gold wolf-like eyes widened in anger. "But then YOU came along and ruined everything. I couldn't have more students beaten up because you beat up my thugs. Even when I had you kidnapped to force Hitomi to make an exchange between you and the dojo, somehow you two slipped from my fingers. And now, you stand in my way for the last time."

Suddenly, the two of them heard a voice call out, "Not if I stop you first!"

Alpha Wolf quickly turned behind and saw Hitomi running up to him. She quickly knocked the bar out of his hand with a kick and fought with a few punches. But the thug dodged her attacks and soon caught hold of her wrist, bringing it behind her back along with her other arm. As he held her wrists with one hand, he drew a pocket knife with his other hand and held it at her neck.

He then said to Hayate, "Don't do anything funny or else I will slit her throat."

The ninja silently cursed at himself. He should have realized that Hitomi would not listen to him and follow him. Now she's in danger and might get killed. But then, he suddenly remembered something and drew his hand into his back pocket. He felt tiny spheres, which were miniature smoke bombs.

Flashback

"Here, Master Hayate," said Ayane. "You should take these."

The red-brown-haired ninja watched as his violet-haired companion placed smoke bombs in his hands. She then continued, "You never know if these will actually come in handy. It's better to be safe than sorry."

Hayate smiled, as he was glad that she was always having his back. He then replied, "Thanks, Ayane. I got a feeling that I might have to use these soon."

End of flashback

As he drew the smoke bombs carefully and silently, Hayate thought to himself, I better pull this off, or else Hitomi will lose her life. I have to, because this is my only chance to save her.

Meanwhile, back at the main hall

As Christie wrapped her finger around the trigger, she mockingly asked Ayane, "Do you have any last words before I take your life?"

The ninja secretly readied her needle as she coldly replied, "I'm not through yet, not by a long shot."

Suddenly, she stabbed her right arm with the needle. Giving only a yelp for the unbearable pain, she darted away to avoid getting hit. The assassin quickly fired for the ninja's head, but missed, as it just scrapped off a bit of her violet hair and ripped her dark purple headband off. Then Ayane quickly stabbed her left leg, giving off a small wince. Christie continued to fire, but the ninja swiftly dodged the bullets as she got closer and closer to her opponent. The assassin realized that Ayane was closing in on her and tried to back off quickly, but it was too late.

The ninja knee kicked the assassin in the diaphragm, flinging her several feet away. Christie got up as fast as she could, but Ayane gave her no time to rest as she attacked with several quick punches. The silver-haired woman could only defend helplessly as she was starting to become overpowered.

How can this be? Christie thought to herself. I've paralyzed her arm and leg, so she shouldn't be able to move at all. But now she's relentlessly attacking me as if she's not feeling any pain at all. What was that thing she stabbed herself with? What in the world did it do to her? Did it somehow get rid of the paralysis? Damn it! I can't think right now! I have to do something before I lose!

But as Christie tried to clear her mind, Ayane spun kicked her at her side, banging her on the wall. Trying to fight back, the assassin drew out her hidden knife and threw it at the ninja. But the violet-haired girl caught it by the hilt and threw it back, successfully pinning her opponent back against the wall. As Ayane closed in on her with a powerful kick, Christie quickly pulled away and dodged the attack, leaving a torn part of her black leather jacket on the wall embedded within the knife.

Ayane did not stop and continued to attack Christie with a series of punches and kicks. The assassin blocked them as best as she could, hoping to see an opening. When she saw her opponent's chest unguarded, she desperately aimed for it with her fist, hoping to successfully counterattack. But Ayane knew that she would do something like that and blocked the attack with such great forced that Christie was left stunned and wide open. The ninja then delivered several punches at her opponent's head and stomach before spinning around behind her and kicked her hard in the back. The assassin was sent flying towards a pillar and banged on it really hard with her stomach before falling to the floor.

Christie slowly got up and leaned herself against the pillar, as her body was still in pain. "I-Impossible . . ." she muttered. "How are you . . . still able to move?"

As she charged up her ninpo, Ayane smirked as she replied, "I used a special acupuncture needle that is designed to neutralize numbness and swelling. I got to admit that you did catch me by surprise, but I always prepare myself for the unexpected. That is why you will never be able to defeat a true ninja like me."

Suddenly, her body began to glow with a purple aura and she created a ball of purple light in her hands as she yelled, "Let's see if you can survive this!"

With all her strength, Ayane thrust her ninpo spell at Christie, who was unable to move and evade the attack. The assassin was hit instantly and flung out of a nearby window. Ayane ran up to the broken window to see where her enemy was. But it was pitch black outside, and there was no light that could help her see through the darkness.

That darn assassin might still be alive, she thought to herself. I have to admit, someone like her cannot die so easily, even from a ninpo spell.

Ayane turned and headed deeper into Wolf's Den. She knew that she had more important matters to attend to.

I'll let that bitch live for now. Right now, I must find Master Hayate and see if he's alright.

With these thoughts in her mind, the ninja ran as fast as she could.

Back outside

Hayate drew out his smoke bombs from his pocket, hiding them behind his back. But Alpha Wolf saw the ninja's arm move and pressed the blade harder at Hitomi's neck, drawing a thin stream of blood. The brunette panicked and started to cry, for she feared that her end was near.

The thug's golden eyes narrowed on Hayate as he shouted, "I said not to do anything or I'll kill this girl!"

The ninja calmly replied, "You will not kill her. I won't allow it."

In an instant, he threw the bombs, creating a gray cloud of smoke around them. Alpha Wolf's eyes were stunned by the smoke, forcing him to close them, and he began to gag. He lost hold of Hitomi, who was also stunned by the bombs and covering her mouth and eyes. He tried to reach out and grab hold of her again, but his arm was suddenly grabbed and his entire body was pulled. Before he could do anything, he was kicked really hard in the back and he skidded on the ground.

He lifted his head in pain as the smoke cleared. He soon saw Hayate in front of Hitomi, keeping her safe from harm.

When he started to get up, he yelled, "Hayate . . . Damn you!"

All of a sudden, Alpha Wolf drew another knife and charged at the two of them in desperation. But as he swung the blade, the ninja kicked at his hand, knocking the knife away. Then Hitomi punched Alpha Wolf in the stomach several times before she and Hayate performed a double kick together, sending him flying.

The thug got up again, but this time his attention was on the girl. He charged in on her with the intent on killing her. He didn't care about anything else anymore, not even Hayate. He just wanted his revenge no matter what, even if he had to sacrifice his own life.

As Alpha Wolf closed in on Hitomi, Hayate was about to stop the thug when suddenly he saw the girl's bright blue eyes. They were filled with determination and courage and he saw a desire to fight by herself. This was a battle that she had to finish alone.

With one desperate attack, the thug swung a punch at her, but she quickly backed away and dodged, causing him to stumble. She then double elbowed him in the chest, following with two punches and a kick in the stomach. Then for a brief second, Hitomi drew all of her strength into her right fist, filling it with her own power. Finally, with everything she could give, she delivered a powerful punch at Alpha Wolf's chest, sending him flying towards the generator. When he was banged against it, the machine short circuited and its powerful sent the man flying once again in the air before landing hard on the ground.

Much to Hitomi and Hayate's surprise, one of the cranes was suddenly moving and spinning out of control. The beams that were being held were swinging wildly in every direction. As Alpha Wolf tried to get up once more, he saw the beams flying across the air above. Suddenly, the chains of the crane broke off, releasing the beams that fell where the thug was.

Alpha Wolf could not move his body, and as the beams fell on top of him, he gave one last cry.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

In an instant, his voice fell silent as all of the beams fell onto the ground, crushing the man underneath. Hitomi slowly walked up to the debris to see if he was still alive, but quickly turned her head away in disgust when a large pool of blood began to form underneath the beams. Hayate quickly held her in his arms as she buried her head into his chest. The fight was finally over.

The two of them hugged each other for a long time before Hayate pulled away and asked her, "Why didn't you listen to me and stayed put? You could have been killed."

With tears in her eyes she replied, "I . . . didn't want you to fight alone . . . I'm sorry . . ."

The ninja gave a long sigh before he drew her back into another hug as he said, "It's fine. What matters most is that you're alright."

Hitomi wrapped her arms around his neck and let her fingers tangle themselves into his red-brown hair as they drew each other closer. They didn't care about anything else at that moment. All they thought about was each other, and how relieved they were of each other being alright. They didn't have to worry about Alpha Wolf anymore. It was all over.

From a nearby ledge, Ayane watched as Hayate and Hitomi hugged each other. She gave a small smile as she saw that they never needed her help. She had watched about half of the fight and saw the two of them easily defeating Alpha Wolf. Everything was alright.

The police arrived just minutes after Hitomi called them in with a phone she found within Wolf's Den. The thugs were immediately arrested and taken away to jail. Police officers managed to retrieve Alpha Wolf's body from the debris and confirmed that he was dead. They covered the body and took it away for investigation. An ambulance also arrived on the scene, but no one was needed to be taken to the hospital. Hitomi and Hayate only suffered a few cuts and bruises, so they only needed to have their wounds covered.

Much to their annoyances, several news broadcasting crews arrived on the scene as well, wanting some answers as to what happened. Hitomi turned to Hayate and said, "Don't worry. I'll handle them and make sure that I'll answer all of their questions."

The ninja smiled as he patted her on the back and replied, "Alright. But try not to take too long. I'm starting to get tired and I don't want to stay here forever."

The brunette nodded and headed over to the reporters, answering their questions as best as she could. While she was busy, Hayate looked to see if no one was watching him. When he saw that no one was, he quickly headed for the shadows where Ayane was waiting for him.

"Are you alright, Ayane?"

"Of course I am, Master. I told you that I would be alright. I had a little bit of trouble with the assassin that Alpha Wolf hired, but she couldn't beat me."

"Assassin?"

"Yes. And it's the same assassin that was working for Donovan in the tournaments. She was the one who tried to kill you with poison and revealed your true identity to Alpha Wolf."

"Well that certainly answers a lot of questions. Do you know where she is now?"

"I'm not sure. I managed to defeat her, but she escaped. She could be anywhere watching us right now."

"Well, don't worry about her. Listen, Ayane. I'm sorry that I got you involved. I didn't want you, Kasumi, or Ryu to be involved in all of this mess. I wanted to handle it with just Hitomi. But I ended up needing your help to save Hitomi. I apologize."

"It's okay, Master. Don't blame yourself for what happened. Anyways, I need to go back now to the village. I trust that you'll come back soon?"

"Yes. In about a week after Hitomi's father has fully recovered."

"Alright. I'll see you then. Take care, Master."

Hayate watched as Ayane disappeared, leaving a couple of iris petals dancing in the air. He smiled, as he was glad to know that there would always be someone to watch his back. He then returned to where he was and continued to watch Hitomi as she was still answering questions from so many reporters.

From a distance, Christie watched the whole scene with the police and the reporters. Her black leather clothes were torn everywhere and her skin was filled with cuts, bruises and burns. She really took that last ninpo attack from Ayane really hard and she was hurt really badly. When her grey eyes caught sight of Hayate, she sneered in disgust.

"You should enjoy your little victory while it lasts. Next time we meet, I'll kill you for sure, along with your fellow ninjas."

She then turned and hurried away into the night, not wanting to get caught.

An hour later, at Hitomi's apartment

Hitomi unlocked her door and swung it right open, as she was finally glad to be home. She stretched out her arms real high and gave out a long yawn as she kicked off her boots, tired from everything that happened in the entire day.

"Man, all those darn reporters kept on asking question after question nonstop. I thought that I would never see the end of it."

Hayate followed close behind her into her apartment, giving a small chuckle. He was a bit amused of Hitomi as he thought that her comment was a bit funny.

"Well it's all over now, Hitomi. You can get plenty of rest tonight with no worries at all."

The brunette turned and looked at him with her light blue eyes, giving a sad smile. She then slowly walked up to him and hugged him tightly. Her head was buried into his chest and tears dampened his white shirt. Hayate was shocked, but said nothing as he silently decided to return her hug by wrapping his arms around her bare waist below her leather crop top.

He then heard her mumble, "I'm so sorry, Hayate. I made you worry so much. You had to go through hell just to save me. I'm so sorry . . . So sorry . . . I'm sorry . . ."

Hayate sighed and gave her a kiss on the top of her head as he replied, "It's alright Hitomi. Everything is over now. All that matters is that you are safe and well. That's all I've ever cared about this entire time."

Hitomi pulled him closer to her body, as if she was replying back. Hayate smiled and continued to hold her in his arms. He reached for her light brown hair and patted it gently repeatedly, loving her soft silky strands. They continued to hug each other at where they stood for a couple of minutes until Hayate pulled away, leaving Hitomi a bit confused.

"You should get some rest now, Hitomi. It's really getting late."

The girl slowly nodded her head and replied, "Alright. Good night, Hayate."

She then turned and headed for her room, slowly closing the door behind her. Hayate then pulled out the bed from the couch and lied down on top of it. But he didn't fall asleep. He just stared at the ceiling. His mind was full of thoughts of things that lied ahead.

It won't be long now. Soon, I will return to my village once Hitomi's father has made a full recovery and can come back. My debt will be paid and I will have no reason to stay here anymore . . . I have to go back to the village. I cannot abandon my duties as the leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan. I gave them my word that I will return. I will be done with what I came here to do. I promised Hitomi and her father that I will stay here until he's better enough to teach at the dojo again.

He turned on his side, hoping that sleep would overtake his body. But it didn't work, and his mind was still filled with thoughts.

But once I leave Germany and return to my village in Japan . . . I won't be able to see Hitomi again. I'm still in love with her. That's why I was willing to risk my own life to save hers. I just couldn't afford to lose her. I would continue to live my life in regret if I let something happen to her . . . She means the whole world to me . . . I love her . . .

At last, the slumber he had hoped for finally came and he started to fall asleep. But tears began to form in his dark brown eyes and they dropped on and dampened his pillow.

If only we didn't have our own separate lives . . . If only we could be together forever . . . I don't want to leave Hitomi . . . I love her . . .

Hitomi took a quick shower to clean herself up before putting on her blue pajamas. She then tucked herself under her navy blue blanket and lied on her bed. But she had some trouble falling asleep.

I can't believe how time just flew by so quickly. My dad will be out of the hospital and will be running the dojo again. That means that Hayate will be done here and will return to his village. And I will be moving on with the rest of my life.

Suddenly, her blue eyes began to swell up with tears and she buried her face into her pillow. She just couldn't bear about what was going to happen.

This will be the last time I will ever see Hayate again . . . No . . . I don't want him to go . . . I love him and I know that he loves me too . . . I want to tell him about my feelings for him . . . let him know that I love him. If only he could stay and live with me. If only he didn't have his darn responsibilities as the leader of his clan. We could be together forever.

Hitomi moved her face to the side so she could breathe. But that did not ease her pain.

Who am I kidding? There's no way it could work. I know that he cannot abandon his village and needs to return once he's done here . . . But I can't let him go. I've never felt this way towards any guy other than Hayate. Whenever he pops up in my mind, I'm at ease. I feel better whenever he's beside me. I just love him so much . . .

Her eyes suddenly began to close as she drifted into slumber. But there were still tears in her eyes.

If only we could be together . . . forever . . . I don't want to say goodbye . . .

Well there you have it folks. Alpha Wolf is dead and gone, and Hitomi and Hayate do not have to worry about him anymore. But can they tell about their love for each other before it's too late? You're just gonna have to wait and see. As always, please review! And don't worry, the really good stuff will come soon.