The two men had been standing on their ground. The view was plain sea again. Random noises were remaining sounds around them.
Another explosion blasted off the top of the cruise ship. It completely made the vehicle's weight wriggling out, completely lost the even balance it had.
"Master Hayate! Master Ryu! We have to go now!" Ayane called the two names with the loudest volume of her voice, taking the two men's attention.
They all ran to the yacht that one of Zack brought for them. Hitomi and Lei Fang ran to it as Jann Lee followed them. The three shinobis were doing the same as the explosion kept coming around the cruise ship. When everyone was in, Helena gave an order to drive away from the location.
"Master, are you alright?" Ayane asked her brother. He was only standing there, in dull silence. And she knew the reason.
They failed.
They lost their sibling to their enemies.
All of their efforts to find her resulted into nothing, only losing the kunoichi. Her eyes laid on Ryu. And no doubt, he was in the same state. She witnessed how the two men yelled out her sister's name. They both loosened their restricted calm attitude right that moment. And there was no single time she heard her brother's best friend displayed an emotion until now.
On the other side, Jann Lee had his hand gripping tightly, controlling himself to do anything other than keeping a quiet state of his mind. But he wouldn't have to guess what happened before they arrived. He could tell it just by looking at those three ninjas in front of him.
That bastard! I'll kill him! That was the same thought echoing in his head right now. Shit! They already gone this far to protect Kasumi and yet, the ending was losing to those people that made their lives turned in to a different path.
Reaching the land, none of them dared to say a word. Ayane wanted to but she knew Hayate wouldn't give the answer.
"We must find her quickly. We have to get Kasumi before they can do anything to her." Helena finally spoke.
But no response came out from anyone's mouth. All of them hadn't come to the fact what happened earlier.
In the middle of the deep silence, Ryu began taking steps away from the group. He remained quiet as his feet continued bringing him forward. He couldn't utter a single word.
"I have to go back to the village first." After the long span of silence, Hayate finally spoke, "Let's go, Ayane." He began walking away from the group. Hearing her name, Ayane did what he said and followed him. The three ninjas didn't disappeared on their own abilities.
Lei and Hitomi looked at Jann Lee, who just like the two men, hadn't let out any word.
Each felt the effect of losing. Hitomi saw how those two shinobi tried to get Kasumi. Never once, she imagined to see Hayate on that state. She saw their desperation. And with all that, they still ended up in this result. Lost.
"Lee…?" Lei Fang called his name. She had no idea what she would say to her friend. Not after what they went through. Even her, she couldn't believe that those people who ruined their lives had managed to do it again.
The day ended with unexpected outcome. Helena offered Hitomi, Lei and Jann Lee to stay in one of her quarters. The three accepted it. They didn't have much choice anyway. Even if they wanted to go back to their old apartment, they couldn't anymore. Though, it was part of their plan after staying in the cruise ship to go back there.
. . .
Hayate and Ayane appeared in the mountains. They already left the range of the city but the Mugen Tenshin master hadn't break out from his failure. How would he?
"Master Hayate…" Ayane tried to call her brother's name. She could observe his weariness and had to take his consciousness back to the reality.
Only after moments of his silence, one questions broken out.
"Why do I always fail…?"
His voice sounded almost as if it was said out of desperation. "Why do I have to fail again…?" He wanted to find the reason why this always the result whenever it was related to Kasumi. It was easy to count how many times he lost, he failed. First, hearing the kunoichi. Second, to redeem their sibling relationship. And now, the third, saving her from those people who was responsible for ruining their lives.
I'm a failure.
You are a failure.
I am a failure.
You are a failure.
Nothing but an absolute failure.
The thoughts voicing out, hammering his head. Just many times he should feel of being a failure?
No words came out from Ayane. She wanted to comfort him but how? She had no idea on what answer she'd give to her brother. All she could do was utter silence.
Then, something hit Hayate inside. It interrupted his running regrets in his head. His eyes looked forward.
"Ryu…"
All this time, a shallow guess had been nagging him. It was senseless until he saw his best friend's actions. He was certain. It couldn't be. But it would still be possible. And if it was, everything would have a concrete meaning.
. . .
The pure peace brought by the evening of the manor welcomed the heir who had traveled blankly. His emerald orbs were staring forward but couldn't recognize. His mind drowned in emptiness. Hard to believe he got here without encountering assassin.
Silence had always been Ryu's response to everything. Through his life, he kept that demeanor, no matter what the situation he had to face. It was what he came to know as his normal expression. But his mind wasn't matching his outside demure
Ryu didn't realize he got back in his home. The movements his feet making didn't reach him. He let his feet dragged him inside the manor. The soul in the body lost its life as the mind wandered in utter blank space. Nothing was forming in.
He couldn't think of anything. Everything became dull to him. The nerves in his body were struck with the shock from the fact that his beloved got taken away in front of his eyes.
The scenarios was clear as if it was happening again.
Breaths struggled to escape from his lungs. His head lowered down as the reminiscing continued playing, torturing him. His emerald orbs stared at the pitch black shaded ground. Then, mindlessly, his hands moved in front of him.
Blankly, his sight locked at them. It was so close to hold her yet these pairs never managed to reach her.
"AHHHH!" The scream of the unbearable pain echoed in the air. There was no other way for him to let it out as he could no longer hold it in. Just for once, the emotion escaped from the concrete wall kept him under control for so long.
His knees met the cold ground of the room as his eyes shut tight with his pain. He just wanted to get them in his arms. Was that too much to ask? Was that something he couldn't have? It was just one simple dream that he never thought he'd seek to live for.
"Kasumi…" The name uttered in desperation, her pure smile flashed in his mind. That one memory sealed, and vivid to the point it always felt so real.
A warm tear done by these emotions shed down his cheek.
Then, it was followed by a picture of the man grinning. That bastard… His hands clenched down. Never once felt he wanted to rip someone's face before.
Pictures of scenarios on what they would do to the kunoichi and their child were only fueling his rage even more.
A knock disrupted his running thoughts, "Ryu?" The bold voice of his father made him look at the door. "Are you alright? I heard you."
The son had no choice after hearing what his father mentioned. He picked himself from the ground and walked to the door and opened it. His father looked at him.
"Something is bothering you." Jo said, observing his son's face. It was easy for him to see it. "But, someone is here to see you." Then, Jo looked to the side, the direction to the outside of the hallway.
Ryu gave a small nod and stepped outside his room. And before walking away, his father spoke again. "Never let the emotions control you, my son."
Cold whispers of the air lingered everywhere. Ryu went outside of the manor. The shinobi's instincts sensed a presence he couldn't fail to be familiar.
"I'm done putting up with that silence of yours, Ryu." The voice of the person he'd least to talk right now had spoken.
Ryu turned around and his eyes saw Hayate standing few steps away from where he was. The best friend wore such deadly expression that only would appear for enemies. And that gave him the clue what the latter was about to demand from him.
"I told you to protect her. That's the only thing I asked for you. I never said to do something more than that." Emphasizing what he meant, the Mugen Tenshin master clenched his hand tight that his fingers were digging against the palms. "Why, Ryu Hayabusa?"
There was no point to deny the truth. The truth about the relationship he and Kasumi shared. Anyone would be afraid to answer a brother like Hayate. But, surprisingly, Ryu did not feel an ounce of that. To him, Hayate was just another man demanding something that didn't concern him.
The heir pulled down the mask, "It's not something for you to know, Hayate. It's between me, Kasumi and our child. It shouldn't concern you." His voice was plain yet had its defiance tone in it.
Ryu's response made Hayate's blood boiled with anger. "It shouldn't concern me?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MY SISTER, RYU! MY GODDAMN SISTER!" He took a step. "And you have the guts to tell me that?!"
"You're not related to it." Another plain response from the heir.
Suddenly, Hayate charged at him. Ryu quickly avoided it by taking a step backward. The conversation was leading to a fight between the two men. And both sides were not giving anything out.
Because each had their reason.
It was only frustrating for Hayate. He kept his patience for Ryu as it was obvious to believe he didn't know anything. And finding out Ryu was far closer than him to Kasumi was telling him how stupid and disappointing he became.
"Of all the people, why is that my sister takes your interest?"
There was no necessary for Ryu to answer his best friend. He planned to keep everything to himself and on the right time, the kunoichi would know. No one else should hear those things except Kasumi. Even if he had to hide it from people like Hayate who he treated almost like a brother.
"You can find anyone from other clans! Why did you chose Kasumi?" Hayate kept throwing questions to Ryu but the latter didn't give any answer as a gain.
"Tell me, Ryu, do you think you know anything about emotions? I'm quite sure you don't really show your real self to Kasumi. Hell, you didn't grow up with a mother anyway!"
It pulled the trigger that Ryu kept in control for a long time.
In one swift motion, his fist impacted Hayate's face, sending the latter to the nearest wall. It made the Mugen Tenshin master to let out a low groan.
That question was beyond the line. It was enough for Ryu to change his aura. He wouldn't let that insult go without a back fire.
"Be careful with your words, Hayate. You don't know anything. Not at all!" He never took Kasumi for that reason. A shallow conclusion wasn't even up to what the real one he had. That wasn't close to any of the real ones he would tell her.
The once calm demeanor became dark. His emerald eyes glowed, glaring at Hayate's direction. It kept ringing, deafening his ears. He dashed at Hayate with another attack. The latter managed to dodge it by jumping.
As soon Hayate was on the ground, he was met with a kick landed on his left abdomen. He dealt the attack by using his arm as the guard against. But batches of attacks followed by.
Both were superior in their fighting style and held the title respectively with their shown abilities.
He tried to see Ryu and saw the dark intent in him. It made him realize that he put the heir off his limitations.
"You just don't really know show your true nature. Why don't you explain it then?"
In Hayate's perspective, all he needed to know was the story between his best friend and his sister. He was in complete lost in the situation. Then, breaking down into the realization with the truth hit him. A simple explanation from Ryu's side would be enough as he didn't manage to know anything from Kasumi.
But, for Ryu, some things were meant to one person only. Even if it killed him, he wouldn't utter a single hint. Hayate was only his beloved's brother. There was still difference between them. And those sentences, meanings and words that he wanted to murmur would mean for Kasumi. Only for her.
The thoughts they had filled their mind, turning into their reason to demand and fight one another.
Both prepared to deliver the blow. It didn't matter who'd win. They just both wanted explanation to have. If defeat would mean to earn it then so be it.
Ryu charged his power blow, Hayate followed his actions and showed his own attack. They dashed at each other, throwing everything aside.
Their attacks were prepared to meet until a barrier appeared between the two.
"Enough with this!" The stern voices of their fathers, Shiden and Jo, pulling their conscious from drowning. Then, they pushed their sons back to the sides.
Ayane appeared, trying to catch her breath. Before following her brother, she went back to their clan, finding their father and asked him to follow her as she was aware that it'd be impossible to stop her brother on her own. Not after sensing him with a demure she had never once witnessed. Danger.
"Is this how you resolve things? Through clashing each other?" Jo spoke. He turned to the direction where Ryu was.
"This is not what I taught you, Hayate. I do not remember one single lesson showing you anything like this!" Shiden expressed the disappointment to his son.
The sons picked themselves up from the ground. Their fathers were in the middle, holding the position to stop another fight.
"Settle down your frustrations! Clear your heads!" Jo's words directed to the two heirs. He didn't want to raise the voice yet it was necessary for the situation between two superior ninjas fought against each other.
Ryu stood there, his eyes looked at Hayate who was doing the same to him. Both standing on the ground. Their stares were like throwing daggers at each other. But, Ryu didn't care about if Hayate would want to kill him right now. He had something—one thing that matters than their fight.
After being blinded by their own thoughts, Hayate and Ryu left, disappearing to the air and leaving the unfinished fight that gained them anything except nothing.
. . .
The metal door slid open, and the light on the ceiling revealed the path inside. Christie walked inside with Rig following with an unconscious Kasumi. They had arrived in the laboratory where the major project was located.
"Put her in the quarter." Christie ordered the two soldiers who nodded and followed. "Secure the subject. She's the valuable component."
When the soldiers were gone with their subject. Christie turned to Rig who were wiping off the small bruise on the neck. "Don't you want boast your accomplishment to your Dad? Your ego has been wanting to do that for a long time. I bet your ass will be delighted for that."
Rig rolled his eyes. "I'll do that later. He's not hearing the news yet." He took off his coat. "Besides, I still want to remember how those people look after they lost to us. It's good to see how dumb they look earlier."
The mission accomplished. The only thing left was to start the project. The project to look forward for success. After wasting all his time going around their target, finally, they got her. He had proved to his old man he could things in his own ways. Though, there were some step backs but it didn't matter.
But Rig was glad to see the two men fallen. He couldn't stop the smirk to show on his face. Pissing off his enemies was a thrill he had always like. But those two, it was an achievement, knowing they were people who held reputations and yet, Rig ended up mocking them with their failure. "Well, I'm looking forward to see how they'll fail again. I can't wait repeat it more and that will send them to their death."
