Broken Bonds
Chapter XII: Recon
Time: 10:32
Date: August 16, 2010
Location: Freedom Survivor
In room 111 in the guest suite of the Freedom Survivor sat the six Taimanin, Asagi and Rinko occupying the couch with Murasaki leaned against a wall behind the bed and Sakura nestled next to the room window with Yukikaze and Tatsurou sat next to each other on the bed.
Rinko wore a yellow-green top with black leggings and heels. Tatsurou wore an orange t-shirt with blue jeans and white shoes while Yukikaze wore a spaghetti strap sweater that wrapped around her upper bicep and black spats with matching red shoes.
"This certainly got more difficult." Murasaki stated aloud.
"You mean Ryu Hayabusa or the ninja he brought with him?" Rinko added.
"Either way, we've got more potential targets than we need to deal with." Yukikaze interjected.
"Only if we absolutely need to." Asagi added. "Remember, Ryu-san, despite his reputation, doesn't go out of his way to start fights. As long as our mission doesn't conflict with his, we should be fine."
"Yeah, but what are the odds of that happening?" Sakura countered. "We've never really had to deal with this kind of complication. If we ran to any other ninja, they were Taimanin or one of Oboro's people. Ryu and by extension the Mugen-Tenshin are an unknown factor. Ryu only works with the government when a monster far beyond anything that we can handle shows up, otherwise, he's like the Mugen-Tenshin and doesn't work for, or answer to, the government. It's incredibly likely that we could interfere with whatever it is he's trying to accomplish."
"If that happens then we deal with him the same way we deal with any other enemy." Yukikaze stated with a clear annoyance in her tone, propping herself with her hands on the bed.
"If he were any other enemy." Rinko countered. "Even with Asagi-san and myself, I doubt we could subdue Ryu-san."
"That's without considering that he has back-up." Murasaki added. "That girl, Ayane-san, she's a skilled individual. I could judge that just by watching the previous tournament."
"She fights like a demon." Tatsurou agreed. "Only seen that kind of viciousness when fighting Nomad operatives."
"Must be Hajin-mon." Rinko commented. "From what I can gather from the few mentions of it in the archives, the Hajin-mon are the covert ops of the Mugen-Tenshin. They're relentless in their pursuit of their targets and merciless in their methods of subduing their targets."
"So, on top of potentially dealing with the greatest ninja to ever live, we have to deal with the black ops section of one of the strongest ninja clans still in existence. Anything else?" Yukikaze surmised.
"The two boys, Mason and Zell." Murasaki replied.
"And the elephant in the room." Sakura solemnly added. "Isaac."
The room went quiet at the implication before Asagi took a breath to break the silence. "We all know that our line of work isn't going to be pretty. Sometimes we'll have to treat innocent civilians as though they are enemies. We can't afford to take chances after what happened to Murasaki-san and Shiranui-san." Murasaki gripped her arm tightly at the memory.
"Still, I'm surprised that Isaac had that kind of skill." Sakura replied. "When that tengu showed up, I was sure that I was going to have to step in and take it out. Imagine my surprise when I saw Izzy-kun, Zell-kun, Mason-kun, and Ayane-san beating it back."
"Yuki-chan and I were there as well that day." Tatsurou added. "We were just as surprised seeing them taking care of the tengu. Especially Zell-san and Mason-san."
"They clearly had training in the ninja arts. Zell-san more so." Murasaki mused.
"Not to mention Ryu-san and his group are keeping an eye on him." Asagi added. "From what I can gather they think that he may be the Agent Z that Rinko-san, Yuki-chan, and Tatsurou-kun encountered while they were investigating Shiranui-san's movements in Germany. From what I could tell during his bout with Isaac-kun, Zell-kun has some of the same movements as Agent Z."
"Wish I had been there so I could verify." Rinko interjected.
"I'll admit, only having second-hand experience, it was difficult to verify if Zell was indeed Agent Z." Asagi continued. "Aside from the red hair, there isn't much to go on."
"If Agent Z had used any ninpo we'd know for sure if there was a connection." Sakura added. "After all, the color of ninpo only changes when the user loses control. Zell has a distinct scarlet flame."
"Other than that, we'd have to find him in possession of Agent Z's arsenal. Namely, the two blades. Those would be the most distinctive and definitive piece of evidence." Tatsurou mused.
"Which means we'd have to sneak into his room and rummage around while he and Mason are not there." Yukikaze concluded, still holding an air of annoyance. "Or find a way to have one of them invite us inside their room and search around without getting caught. Geez, this assignment just keeps getting better and better."
"Not necessarily." Asagi countered. "We all overlooked one very important thing."
"What's that Onee-chan?" Sakura asked.
"If Agent Z is here, then he too, has business with DOATEC. And if he has business with DOATEC, he will, inevitably, make an appearance. And if he does before we make port, then we know that it's Zell-san.
"Right, so far, Zell is the only person onboard with red hair and enough suspicion heaped upon him. Should Agent Z make an appearance, we'll know it's him."
"Hmmm, you have a point, Asagi-senpai." Yukikaze replied. "Especially considering that he, along with Ryu-san and his entourage have more than likely figured out who Rinko-senpai, Tatsurou-kun, and myself are just from our looks."
"Even with fairly common names, you three have incredibly distinctive appearances. Especially Yuki-chan with her long hair." Sakura teased to which the tanned girl blushed in reply.
"We'll have to look into Mason." Murasaki conjectured. "I'm sure he has some hidden heritage that we don't know about. I'll be sure to get Shizuru to look into it."
"Now that we have that out of the way, we have to address the elephant in the room. Isaac." Rinko stated. "Regardless of how each of us feel, he's now wrapped up in this whole mess." She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a tablet, unlocking the screen and pulling up a document with Isaac's face next to a wall of text on it. "According to the data we retrieved during our operation in Germany, Isaac is a person of high interest to DOATEC."
"Which makes him a person of high interest to NOMAD and Edwin Black." Sakura lamented. "I dread to imagine what they would do to Izzy-kun if they got their hands on him."
"One thing at a time, Sakura-chan." Rinko countered. "For now, we need to focus on the immediate. If Isaac is here, then DOATEC will try and make a move on him. We need to know why."
"And with there being so little in these documents we retrieved from Germany on Isaac; we'll have to pry it out of him." Tatsurou commented.
"The only thing we know is that they retrieved a blood sample from him during the first tournament. There is no mention of what it was used for or if it had even been used yet." Murasaki commented. "There was a lot about Kasumi-chan and Hayate-san. We can only assume that there is some hidden power sleeping within Isaac-san that DOATEC and NOMAD would want."
"And with the Second Tournament in full swing, we can expect some representatives from the Executive Committee to show up." Yukikaze theorized coldly.
"You're hoping the Yazaki Souichi will show, aren't you Mizuki-chan." Asagi replied, the room once again going quiet as Yukikaze focused her gaze at the carpeted floor. "I understand how you must feel but try to focus on the mission. Should Yazaki show his face, we still can't do anything to him. Regardless of what he's under suspicion of, he is still the Chief Secretary of Civilian Affairs. We can't eliminate him without just cause."
Yukikaze huffed her irritation. "I know."
"For now," Murasaki refocused the group. "We need to decide on a plan of action. Going forward."
"I think reconnaissance would be the best course of action." Tatsurou suggested. "I don't like how, even with everything we know; it still feels like we have no idea what's going on." The young teen leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "Right now, we need to establish what the most important points of interest are. I'm sure we can all agree on Isaac being one."
"Hai, it would be best to have you, Yukikaze-chan, Murasaki-chan, or Sakura-chan talk to him." Rinko replied. "Sakura-chan is already friends with Isaac-san. With you three being so close in age to Isaac-san, it should help to lower his guard and get some useful information out of him. I'm sure Ryu-san is thinking the same thing and plans to use Ayane-san and Katsu-kun to achieve the same goal."
"Won't he get suspicious if so many people start taking an interest in his personal business? Even if they are his peers?"
"I wouldn't worry about that." Sakura interjected. "Isaac has been gradually mellowing out over the last couple of months. Beforehand, it took every bit of my feminine charm and his mother's pushing to get him out of the house. Now, he'll go out without much prodding. Even took Ayane-chan on a birthday shopping spree."
"Oh?" Yukikaze cooed with a teasing grin. "Your boytoy getting charmed by another girl?"
"Don't be silly, Yuki-chan~." Sakura replied with a joking dismissive wave. "Izzy-kun and I have enough love to share with others. I just haven't found anyone else to share it with."
Murasaki sighed with her hand on her head with Rinko and Asagi giggling cooly to themselves while Yukikaze and Tatsurou had bright red blushes spread across their cheeks.
"There you have it." Rinko agreed. "Asagi-san and I will deal with Kasumi-chan and Ryu-san respectively."
"What about Zell-kun?" Murasaki replied. "Is it wise to let him roam free without anyone watching him?"
"For now, yes." Asagi replied. "The issue with Zell-kun, is that, if he is Agent Z, he is operating on his own. I doubt Mason-kun is in on his dealings. Which means that he has business with either Isaac-kun, Kasumi-chan, or Ryu-san."
"Meaning that we would bump into him regardless of which target we decide to pursue."
"Killing two birds with one stone." Rinko concluded, a bemused smirk on her face. "How very efficient of you Asagi-san."
"We're dealing with too many unknown variables. Ingrid and Shiranui have been on the move, but their movements have been hard to trace." Asagi stated aloud, cupping her chin. "The Dragon Ninja has brought two members from the Mugen-Tenshin to investigate DOATEC. DOATEC itself has a vested interest in two of the Mugen-Tenshin's members, one of which we know is on the ship and a look alike of the other." She leases a tired sigh as she leans back into the couch. "Not to mention the company's interest in Isaac or the unknown element of the being known as Spirit."
"When you put it like that…" Tatsurou commented, his tone shaky.
"We can't afford to miss this opportunity to gather intel." Yukikaze added.
"Before we do that, we should look around the ship." Murasaki suggested. "We have no idea how this place is laid out."
"Groups of three? Tatsurou and myself going with Rinko-senpai with Sakura-san and Murasaki-san going with Asagi-senpai?" Yukikaze suggested.
"Works for me." Sakura pushed herself off the wall and made for the door. "Shall we?"
Time: 11:15
Date: August 16, 2010
Location: Freedom Survivor
'I know we said that, but how am I going to Segway into his personal life?' Asagi thought as she looked toward Isaac, who was still holding his side. She took note that they had made it to the bough of the ship, standing in the open air on the deck. 'So far I've learned that he entered the tournament to fight Raidou. That in and of itself is suspicious. Mason-kun may not notice since he's not a ninja. But Ayane-chan and Akihiko-kun are sure to notice since Raidou is a runaway from their clan. The fact that they didn't push the matter tells me that they are still being secretive about the matter or they already know Isaac's reasoning for wanting to face the man.'
"Izzy-kun~!" Sakura chirped. "This is so much fun!" The blonde grabbed Isaac by his right arm, interjecting herself between the dread-head and Ayane and snuggling the teen's arm between her ample chest. "It's about time you took me on a date!"
"Wouldn't be a date if you have more than two people with you, idiot." Ayane countered, aggravated by the sight of Sakura hugging Isaac and even more aggravated at said teen for not prying himself away from the blonde.
"No need to be jealous, Ayane-chan. We can share~!"
Ayane's face turned beet red at the implication. "A-a-a-are you crazy? Why would I share him with you?!"
"Oh~, so you want Izzy-kun all to yourself, Ayane-chan? My, my aren't you a greedy one." Sakura teased back.
"SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" Ayane screeched in embarrassment as Sakura laughed at the ninja's expense.
'Not bad, Sakura. At least we know Ayane is interested in Isaac-kun.' Asagi thought.
"Jeez, Sakura." Isaac gently chastised as he tapped his finger against the blonde's forehead. "You're such a tease. Keep that up and you'll find yourself in trouble one day."
Sakura merely giggled and hugged Isaac's arm tighter. "Would you be the one to punish me, Izzy-kun?" She asked in a husky tone.
"It's only punishment if you don't enjoy it, Sakura." Isaac joked, the group entered through the front of the passenger deck and found themselves in the conference chamber and made their way to the one of the two doors flanking the semi-circle staircases leading up to the podium. "You remind me of an old friend of mine. She loved to flirt with anyone that caught her fancy."
"Geez, another girl flirting with you, Isaac. What are you, a man-whore?" Ayane spat.
"More like I seem to attract crazy." The group entered a long horizontal hallway and opened an opulent door into the main ballroom, the walls retracted to the sides to allow the full scale of the ballroom to be seen.
'So it was split into three separate rooms when I was here.' Ayane thought.
"Are you calling me and Ayane-chan crazy, Izzy-kun?" Sakura playfully pouted.
"Are you saying you two are attracted to me?" Isaac joked, to which Sakura laughed as well.
"Speaking of, Isaac-san." Akihiko interjected. "What was your hometown like?"
Isaac looked over his shoulder with a confused look on his face. The Taimanin looked at Isaac expectantly, taking the opportunity that Akihiko had created to listen in.
"Now that I think about it, I don't think you've ever told me about your hometown, Isaac." Ayane added.
"I also don't recall you talking about your hometown too much." Isaac replied.
"We've talked about where we're from before, Izzy-kun." Sakura pushed. "I'd at least like to know more about you."
"I'm not going to get any peace unless I acquiesce, huh?"
"Nope!" Sakura cutely replied.
Isaac sighed. "Alright. I guess it's only fair." The group had crossed the length of the ballroom and pushed through a door on the other end. It opened into the VIP passenger quarters, a horizontal corridor that led into two separate hallways with luxury rooms laid out for the highest bidder. They proceeded down the hallway closest to them on their right.
"Well, my hometown was on an island located in the pacific surrounded by several smaller islands." Isaac began. "It's relatively remote but decently sized enough that we had several distinct cultures on it."
"How big would you say your home is in comparison to, say, Nippon?" Akihiko asked, falling in step on Isaac's left.
"Hmmm…I would say…" Isaac stammered. "It's a little bigger than Japan itself nestled deep in the pacific. Funny enough, our civilization was a scattered one. On that single island, we had a climate like Africa, even a desert."
"How can a country the size of Japan exist and not be seen? With all the satellites orbiting the planet by all the world's government constantly monitoring for places to mark as part of their territory, it's nigh impossible for any piece of land to go undiscovered." Mason asked.
Isaac looked to the ceiling as he thought. "It might have something to do with the Temple of the Overseers. I'm not completely certain how it works, but everyone believes that it keeps us safe from the outside world." Isaac shrugged. "Think of it like the Bermuda Triangle."
"Wouldn't there be a black spot or something in the area?" Murasaki commented. "Even with the rumors about the Bermuda Triangle, we still have a map of the area."
"As far as I can tell, the area just appears to be part of the ocean; a large expanse of sea. No one thinks to look it over since, you know, satellites show that it's simply water." The group reached the end of the hall, where Akihiko pushed open a door into a large recreational swimming pool, just as big as the ballroom with a glass ceiling at the top showing the skylight and the multiple floors. "And none of the passenger planes or military or commercial boats ever sail near, so we just lived in peace for years."
"And what brought you here?" Asagi asked. "From what you've told us, your entire society was completely isolated from the outside world. You'd have no reason to leave."
"Hiroshima. Nagasaki. The Tsar Bomba." Isaac bluntly replied. "Sound familiar?" The group went quiet at the names of humanity's greatest demonstration of destructive power. "The so-called "World Powers" were making it abundantly clear that they were on a path to destruction."
"We were getting too dangerous for you to just passively live your idyllic life." Akihiko surmised in a factual tone
"When those bombs and every bomb leading up to the Tsar Bomba dropped, the world felt noticeably empty." Isaac heaved a sigh. "It became clear that we had to see what was happening beyond our borders. Which, in my opinion, was the biggest mistake we ever made since after seventy cycles, we found our home being invaded by mercenaries and what could only be described as monsters attacked and wiped out my people. I was only thirteen at the time. My mother and I barely escaped."
"That's terrible." Sakura commented with a forlorn expression on her face as she hugged his arm tighter. Ayane and Akihiko gave each other knowing looks as Ayane had told the brunette and Ryu Isaac's story involving Raidou and his home.
"Yeah, well, at the very least there is nobody alive besides me and my mother who knows where Astral Isle is. Not to mention, even if there were demons trying to make it their home, they'd be dead by now. The Overseers would never allow such debauched creatures to live on the first piece of land ever made on this world."
"First?" Mason asked. "That sounds way too fantastical."
"Maybe, but that's how we see it." Isaac countered. "Then again, everyone seems to think they are the first on the planet. Regardless, my home is gone, and I was angry for a long time. Now? I have time to think about it and…part of me is wondering if there were those who did survive the fighting. Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up."
"You never know, Isaac." Ayane commented. "You might find someone."
Isaac smirked in response. "Maybe. Maybe." The group reached the other side of the pool and pushed through the door at the opposite end, finding themselves back in the upper-class passenger suite that the fighters were staying in. "Only time will tell."
Rinko, Yukikaze, and Tatsurou found themselves in the hull of the Freedom Survivor, wandering the non-restricted sections of the cruiser to get a better idea of where they could hide and do reconnaissance and stealth attacks from.
"How do you think Asagi-senpai's group is doing?"
"Don't know." Rinko replied as she walked down a flight of stairs, putting her in the center of the ship, ten floors above the bottom of the cruiser. She found herself standing before a large bulkhead door. She tapped on it, hearing the dull thud, noting how solid it was and the sign: Restricted in red on either side of the bulkhead. "We just have to trust that she is proceeding as best she can. Right now, what I do know, is that this bulkhead is very out of place on a luxury liner."
"I wonder what is behind this." Tatsurou commented.
"A basic, if not pertinent question." They turned to see Ryu and Momiji approaching from the stairway the trio of Taimanin took to get down into the bowels of the ship. "I see you Taimanin are doing your own digging."
"Ryu Hayabusa." Rinko replied, relaxing her guard slightly. "Figured you'd be down here at some point."
"It's the best place to hide something." He commented as he stopped short of the Taimanin keeping them at a four-meter distance. "Not sure what I was going to find down here."
"Same." Rinko replied simply, Yukikaze and Tatsurou still on guard as the two older ninja exchanged words.
"Still, I'm curious as to why you are here. I thought you found what you needed back in Germany." Ryu said with his stoic tone.
"Following a lead. Same as you. Though I am curious if it has anything to do with Isaac; or perhaps Zell?" Rinko challenged.
"Mostly looking for a friend." Ryu took a step forward, taking a closer look at the secure bulkhead. "But I will admit, those two have piqued my interest."
"Why?" Yukikaze challenged the Dragon Ninja.
"The same reason you six are looking into them, I would assume." Ryu coyly countered.
"DOATEC's interest in Isaac-kun as well as Zell-kun's motives." Rinko interjected.
"The very same." Ryu replied, stepping to the side and lightly, seemingly at random, running his hand along the wall just to the left of the bulkhead. "I would compare notes, but we're not in Germany anymore. I doubt our interests mutually align this time."
"Maybe not." Rinko agreed. "But we are also not currently at odds with each other."
"And how long before that changes?" Ryu countered. "How do I know that you six have not already started planning to kill us."
"You don't." Rinko conceded. "But even you can't deny that we are up against forces that we would be better off cooperating to face."
Ryu held for a moment, looking back to stare at the violet haired woman before looking back to the bulkhead. 'There is definitely something behind this bulkhead. I haven't been on a ship that had this kind of security that wasn't hiding something. Especially not one built for luxury travel.' Ryu backed away and made his way to the staircase, the Taimanin keeping their eye on him and Momiji as he did. He stopped on the first step and half-turned to regard Rinko. "Do you intend to kill anyone currently on this ship?"
"No." Rinko replied simply.
Ryu stared hard at Rinko before turning back to make his way up the stairs. "I will talk to my group about working with you. But I make no promises."
As Ryu made his way further up the stairs and disappeared into a shadowy section of the stairwell, Tatsurou breathed a sigh of relief. "I'd rather deal with demons any day than be in the same room as Ryu Hayabusa."
"He's definitely an imposing man." Rinko agreed, herself and Yukikaze unconsciously releasing the tension in their bodies. "But we can't let ourselves get intimidated by anyone or else we'll end up dead in the field."
"Still, we should be careful around those ninja." Tatsurou added. "Until we know for certain that we're on the same side again, we shouldn't share any information with them."
"Agreed." Rinko replied.
In the rafters above the Taimanin, Kasumi lay hidden, listening intently to the entire conversation below, but kept her eye on Ryu. 'Ryu-san found something.' She thought. 'He never wastes energy when on a mission.' She looked to the wall that the Dragon Ninja had placed his hand against. 'There must be something behind that door. Maybe some clue to Alpha's location…or what they did to Hayate.'
"Well that was fun." Mason commented as the group found themselves at the stern of the Freedom Survivor, off the starboard side where they could look at the great expanse of sea. The group sat at one of four tables provided for any passengers lounging in the area, Akihiko, Mason, and Isaac pulling extra chairs from the nearby tables to allow them all to sit at one table. Murasaki sat between Akihiko and Asagi with Mason between the bluenette and Ayane and Isaac between the purplette and Sakura.
We at least know the layout of the upper decks." Akihiko commented.
"You memorized that maze?!" Sakura commented as she stretched her torso across the table. "I'm still wrapping my head around the layout for the first three decks!"
Asagi, Mason, and Isaac chuckled that at the blonde. "You'll just have to walk around it again." Isaac teased the girl.
"EH~?!" Sakura indignantly replied, looking toward the setting sun. "It's almost eight and my feet are killing me! I'm not walking that labyrinth again!"
Asagi giggled at her sister. "Luckily we have plenty of time to explore while the tournament is going on."
"Assuming that Sakura can pull herself out of bed long enough to do it." Murasaki snidely countered.
"So mean, Mu-chan." Sakura replied indignantly. "I work just as hard as you!"
"That's debatable." Murasaki countered with a roll of her eyes.
Sakura hmphed and scooted next to Isaac. "At least I have a sexy man to escort me while I explore again." She turned to regard the dread-head who was sighing in exhaustion as he braced for the blonde's inevitable antics. "We could even get lost together and no one would know."
"Now that you've said it, we definitely would know." Ayane bluntly interjected, her cheeks tinted a slight pink.
"Maybe I want you to." Sakura coyly replied.
"Between you and Momo, I'm definitely gonna need a mental break when I get back home." Isaac joked with a tired grin.
"I can give you a massage, Izzy-kun~." Sakura teased as she pressed her side into the teen.
"Your brand of massage would be borderline illegal in Nippon." Murasaki replied, placing a hand on her head.
"You should join us, Mu-chan. You could stand to loosen up. I'm sure Izzy-kun could more than help."
Murasaki's face went beet red as she slammed her hands on the table. "A-a-as if!"
Ayane turned her head away, hiding her own brightly blushing cheeks.
"Now, now, Sakura-chan. It's not polite to tease others." Asagi interjected, stifling her own laughter.
"Are you sure you're related?" Akihiko joked, trying to let the blush from his face drain.
"I find it hilarious." Mason said, catching his breath after laughing so hard.
"Glad someone's having fun." Isaac commented. "Still, I did enjoy the walk, even if my ribs were killing me the entire time." He gingerly rubbed his side. "Your friend is a very good fighter. Surprised he didn't enter the tournament with you, Mason."
"Yeah, well, Z doesn't like being in the spotlight." Mason replied. "Been that way as long as I've known him. He's a great fighter, better than me at this point since he's been practicing for much longer, but I'm catching up."
"Having him for a sparring partner must help in that regard." Akihiko commented. "I'm looking forward to seeing you fight in the tournament."
Mason blushed slightly at the compliment. "I'll be sure to put on a good show."
"You might even find a girlfriend while you're at it." Sakura continued to tease. "You might even catch Mu-chan's eye."
"Sakura!" Murasaki strongly countered.
Mason blushed hard. "T-thanks for the vote of confidence, but I've already got my eye on someone else."
"Oh~?" Sakura interjected. "Who's the lucky girl?"
Mason chuckled awkwardly as he felt Asagi, Murasaki, Sakura, and Akihiko's eyes on him. "Well, she's very pretty, but a little hard to talk to." He tried to discreetly glance at the Lavender haired kunoichi, who was gazing off toward the setting sun on the horizon.
"Yeah, yeah, what's her name?!" Sakura asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.
"I'd…rather not say." Mason tried to deflect.
"I bet it's Ayane-chan." The blonde pressed. Mason's face flushed a bright red, Ayane peering out of the corner of her eye. "Why else don't you want to give a name if the girl in question wasn't already here? And she does fit the description."
"Well, I…err…" Mason sputtered before taking a breath. "Alright, you got me. I like Ayane-san."
"I can see it." Isaac commented as he leaned back in his seat. "She's a real tough nut to crack."
Ayane slapped his shoulder. "Keep talking and I'll crack your skull." She threatened, her cheeks slightly tinted.
"Still, Ayane-chan, huh?" Sakura surmised. "She is a cutie."
"I would say much more than cute." Mason added.
"Regardless, I wish you the best of luck." The blonde added with a cheery smile. "Ayane-chan is gonna be quite the challenge."
"Just ask Isaac, he couldn't beat me." Ayane countered, trying to change the subject.
"Not what she was talking about, Ayane." Isaac replied with a toothy grin.
"Shut up!" The kunoichi shot back.
"Glad to see you are enjoying yourself, Ayane." They looked to see Ryu and Momiji approaching them with a calm grin on his face. "You're usually so straight-faced, it's refreshing."
"Ryu-san!" Ayane shot back, much to the Dragon Ninja's amusement.
"Where have you been, Ryu-san?" Akihiko asked.
"Oh, you know, just looking around. Getting used to the layout of the ship."
"You should've joined us, Ryu-san." Asagi commented. "We just got done exploring the ship ourselves."
"Odd we didn't bump into you." Mason added. "Did we miss each other somehow?"
"Maybe. I did go below deck." Ryu replied.
"I thought that was off limits." Mason said with a confused look on his face.
"Only the places that said off limits." Ryu Joked as he approached the table and grabbed a chair as he passed one of the empty tables for Momiji and himself. "Found this big, locked door about half-way down in the hull. That one was off limits." Isaac quirked his brow, his interest piqued, as he watched the brunettes sit down next to Ayane, Sakura and Mason moving to make space.
"How big was the door?" Murasaki asked.
"Big. Like something out of a science-fiction movie, big."
"Why is something like that on a luxury cruise liner?" Mason asked.
"DOATEC is a large conglomerate, maybe they decided to double dip?" Isaac suggested. "If you think about it, a cruise liner this size wouldn't need all the extra space for creature comforts. Might as well use some of it for transportation to and from ports where DOATEC business ventures are."
"That does make some sense." Akihiko added. "But I'm still curious as to what's in there."
"Hopefully nothing dangerous." Mason interjected as he leaned back in his chair. "Last thing we need is for the ship to sink because of unstable cargo."
Isaac casually turned his head, seemingly eyeing nothing in particular as he tapped his index fingers together in front of him. "Hopefully." He stated absently. "Last time a world record breaking ship was constructed it ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic because of a giant wall of ice."
"There's a little more to the story than just hitting an iceberg, Isaac." Mason countered.
"Yeah, yeah, negligent safety standards, lack of communication, and a litany of other missteps that ultimately contributed to the tragedy. I know the story." Isaac replied with a sigh as he brought his attention back to the table. "All I'm saying is that you can never be too careful on "unsinkable" ships."
"You worry too much, Izzy-kun." Sakura playfully chided.
"Maybe." Isaac replied with a chuckle.
"Perhaps it would be best if we turn in for the night." Asagi suggested. "It's been a long day and I'm sure everyone is tired."
Mason stretched, his shoulders popping. "Now that you mention it, I could use some shut eye."
"Especially if you're going to be fighting soon." Ryu added. "Never know when Lady Helena will make the matches known."
"True." Murasaki added. "I think we're headed to China so the first fight will probably be there."
Isaac stood from his chair, his knees popping with the effort. "Either way, I'm getting some shut eye." He turned on his heel. "Lota Vizuri (Swahili for Dream Well), everyone." He waved as he walked away.
"Interesting way of saying good night." Mason commented as he, too, stood and made for his room. "Good night everyone."
Asagi, Sakura, and Murasaki each rose and left for their rooms, leaving Ryu, Akihiko, Momiji, and Ayane alone.
"What have you discovered?" Ryu asked when he felt the Taimanin were far enough away.
"That I don't like that Sakura girl." Ayane commented as she leaned back in her chair.
"Why? Upset that she's flirting with your friend?" Ryu teased the lavender haired kunoichi.
Ayane blushed furiously. "O-of course not! I just don't like how she butts her nose into other people's business."
Ryu chuckled. "Of course. I just hope your…irritation did not stop you from noticing that Isaac was staring directly at the center of the ship." Both ninja's eyes went wide as they both recalled how Isaac looked away near the end of the conversation. "I see. Not all that surprising given what was happening." Ryu stood from his chair. "Be more vigilant next time. I get the feeling that Isaac is planning something…and I'm sure the Taimanin are thinking the same thing."
'That presence.' Isaac thought as he made his way back to his room. 'I must be mistaken. There's no way DOATEC could've caught one.' A chill ran down his spine. 'But if they did…for what purpose would they need a Kubadili (Swahili for Switch)?'