Chapter 3~ Keeping A Promise

Dead or Alive 3 is © of Tecmo. I do not own any of the characters.

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Ayane awoke, feeling a hard sufface below her. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in some sort of wooden cabin with dim candle light.She glared outside the window, only to see the moon.With more curiosity of where she was, she tried to sit up. "Ugh!" She groaned inpain and looked to her midriff to see her leather armor, and part of her dark purple topwere taken off, and replaced with a damp gray clothe, stained with red.

"Finally awake, Ayane?"

She turned behind her, to see Hayabusa preparing some kind of herbs.

"Where am I?", She asked, clenching her stomach.

"My home." He said, turning to her. "You may go if you like, but I suggest you wait until your wound is healed."

He walked over to her, and lifted the gray clothe. Ayane saw her bared skin torn in a deep cut. Hayabusa touched it, and held the herbs out in one hand about to pour them onto it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ayane shoved his hands away.

"Wait, and you'll see." He said unenthusiastically.

"Don't touch me..." She backed awayuntil she was stopped by the sharp pain of her cut.

Hayabusa, held her arm down before she could smack him, and pouredherbs onto her cut. She screamed in pain, and tried to swing a punch at him. He duct by disappearing, leaving a leaf in front of her. She picked up the leaf sighing, then felt her cut. This time she felt a pleasant numbness. Her lips curved gently into a smile.

Ayane got up from the wooden bed, and put on her leather armour. She walked outside.The night was unusually bright. The full moon and a large amount of fireflies, abruptly lighting her shadowed view.

She admired the moon for a moment, before realizingthat Hayabusawas only about twenty feet away from her, sitting on the ground before a small campfire.She walked over cautiously, and sat next to him.

A few moments had past before she'd realized their silence, he was staring blankly at the fire. She thought he may have not acknowledged her presence. She cleared her throat nervously.

"I'm..." She started, he finally turned his attention to her.

"Eh..."

"Well?" He said impatiently, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

"I guess I owe you an apology. Hayabusa, you..." She said clearly, "I guess you saved me from myself.".

"It's my vow to your brother."

"You know Hayate?" She looked at him surprised.

"Yes. How do you think I knew about you or your sister?"

"Well, I assumed from the Dead or Alive tournament..."

"I suppose." He looked at the fire again.

She glance away, while thinking about how to break the momentary silence.

"Do you knowif Hayate-sama is alright?" She asked hopefully.

"He is fine."

Ayane grinned widely, something that only happened at the mention of Hayate's wellness. She held her knees to her chest cheerfully.

"So..." She paused looking at the fire."Why did you stop me before?"

"I promised Hayate I would take care of you."

"Why?"

He looked over to the moon wistly."Before he was caught in Project-Epsilon, he said that he wouldn't be able to take care of Kasumi. I didn't know what he'd meant at the time... but I told him that I would protect her. A few days later he disappeared... and so did she."

He looked back at Ayane. She was rocking back and forth with her arms hugging her legs. She kept a brow raised at his pause, seeming interested in hearing more.

"Yesterday, I met with him again. He was disappointed that Kasumi had runaway... and that I had let it happen."

He looked down to the ground.

"He told me that he had banished you. And that he had lost her and he didn't want toloose you... for good. So he asked me to watch you and protect you."

"Did he... really?"Ayane asked, confused by the thought of Hayate's concern.

"Yes." Hayabusa glared at her. "You know, there was no need for what you did before..."

"I know, I guess I wasn't thinking straight. I'm really sorry I almost punched you..." She said apologetically.

"No...That's not what I meant, I..." He shook his head sighing.

"People care about you, Ayane. They would be hurt if you were gone..."

Ayane didn't respond, but he knew he had her attention.

"It's late." He stood up, breaking Ayane's thoughts.

"You may stay here if you like." Ayane nodded, standing up.

He walked over to his cabin, Ayane followed his trail.

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Author Notes::

Like it or hate it so far? I hope I can make it better as I go along. I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed so far!