A.N.-Another review... gone. Well, thanks to whoever it was, hopefully Qui-ti, because I haven't gotten a review from her in a while. At least not one that actually showed up. Anyways, I'm planning on ending this this chapter. But don't worry, new H/H A/R fic coming up. Already got it started. Takes place in Japan during 894-901 AD. It's an AU.

Forevermore- Well, the thing about Christie trying to kill Kasumi... that was due to the part in the original fic where she was supposed to kill her, but ended up shooting her employer. And as stated in the last chapter (or was it the one before), she wasn't taught karate.

Elkiem- I know everything you said except for the part about the Shinobi. But I'm still making Shinobi Natsu's last name. And Kasumi and Hayate do Teshin-Mon. I know all about Hayabusa's Ninja Gaiden story, I just didn't know when I wrote that chapter a while back.

Zeshin Hayabusa- Thanks for reviewing again.

Wolf Runner- Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you like this story.

digininga- Well, I am putting no forethought into these chapters so you never know, even I don't know.


Our Past, Our Future
Epilogue Part 4
By Joey/Mai fan15



"I wanted to help my people. Besideds, if we didn't, the Shinobi would be in tons more trouble than they are now," Ayane looked straight at him, "When this is over, we can always take a vacation."

Ryu looked down. If he had proposed when Ayane had asked him to try again, nothing would have been interrupted, "Maybe not."

"Why? Is something else going on?"

He mentally slapped himself for letting that slip out, "No, nothing. Just expecting that we won't go for some reason or another," he couldn't let Ayane know about what happened to Natsu. She wouldn't let what happen to Genra happen again. And they would have to.

"Oh. Well, why do you think the Shinobi didn't fight back? And why aren't they teleporting out of there?" Ayane was puzzled by this question, always searching for an answer, "Do you think... it's a trap?"

"No, no. Maybe because they can't. The Shikoyo know magic too, maybe they're preventing them from using their magic. So they can only fight. They can't teleport."

"Maybe, but I'm still not sure. If they're being held there how did Kasumi, who should have been the most secured, get away?"

"I don't know," Ryu was equally puzzled, "But let's just get this over with. As soon as we get back, we'll get an army moving."

"No."

"What?"

"No. Ryu, I thought you had better judgement than this. If we are uncertain whether or not this is a trap, and there is evidence that it could be, then we shouldn't do this," Ayane saw the look of shock on his face.

"But they could be in danger."

"If it's a trap, they aren't."

Ryu groaned, frusturated at the difficulty that Ayane made, "If it isn't they are."

"Offhand, how many peices of evidence are there? One, Kasumi is nowhere to be found. Two, she managed to escape. Three, the rest don't escape. There's more."

"Ayane, we can't just sit here and do nothing."

"We have to. It's either the Shinobi or us. Even if it isn't a trap, both clans could be lost in the battle. It's not worth it."

"Ayane, just because you and your sister are-"

"You know me better than that! How can you think that that's why I don't want to free them? I don't care about that anymore! I just want what's best for our clan."

"I'm going to help them."

"Fine, but you arent using any of the Hajin-Mon. Just yours," the few that were born from both a Hajin-Mon parent and a member of the Hayabusa clan were still too young to fight.

"Ayane..."

"I know you want to help Kasumi and Hayate... but... just don't."

"I already had to give up one way to help them, I'm not giving up another."

"You know I love you... but be sensible! We aren't a hundred-percent sure that it isn't a trap. We aren't even at fifty-percent!"

"I'm helping them."

"Fine, but you aren't going with them. For your safety."

"I have to."

"Either, just them. Or no one," Ayane knew ordering him around wouldn't work so she tried one more time to plead with him, "Send in a few. Maybe ten to find out if it's a trap. At least one of them would be able to get out of there."

"Our people aren't to be wasted like that."

"They'll be captured and tortured, not killed. At least not for a while. Besides, if it is a trap, they'll die anyway... along with a lot of others."

Ryu sighed, frusturated at her stubborness, "And if none of them make it out."

"Then... then I'll be a hundred percent okay with you using our clan, both factions, and you to go and free them. You'll have my support," it was hard for her to admit this, but she was confident that they people they sent out would make it out.

"Thanks Ayane. I'm glad we could work something out."



Christie dropped her lock picks on the floor and took a drink from her canteen as she wiped her forehead. Five hours since she had disabled the alarms via her palm pilot, five of the longest hours in her life.

She wasn't used to this high level of stealth. Before, all she had to worry about was concealing her weapon and getting her victims alone. Like in the bathroom or something. Now, there were alarms, guards, dogs, cameras, everything you could imagine. No wonder all of DOATEC's money was spent.

She turned on her Palm Pilot and cycled through the cameras she had put up through the place. No one was coming, it should be a little easier from this point on. She finished drinking and wiped the sweat off her face. Her hair was drooped over her eyes and she moved it out.

She cycled through the screens to the map of the underground facility. She was still a long way from her destination, and that room was bound to be filled with scientists who were ready to pull an alarm at a moment's notoice.

The albino looked through her backpack for something that would help, knockout gas. Drop it through an outgoing vent, presto. But the security cameras. She couldn't disable them without a scientist seeing. The security office was the only place to do it. And that was three floors up.

"Damn, I shoulda taken care of that first thing. Oh well, the power is an alternative," the generator was next to the room where Natsu was. She could go there first, shoot out the cameras and any guards that were in there, then shut down the power. Hopefully Natsu wasn't on life support and there were no backups. But there had to be backups. But they were usually not any for security cameras.

She heard footsteps outside the door, then paused at the door. She looked at the screen for the camera that was supposed to be right there. Someone was outside, why hadn't it shown him earlier. She scrambled over to the desk and hid under it.

The door opened, the lights flicked on for a second, then the door closed. She started to lose faith in herself, she couldn't finish this mission. There was too much to do, she couldn't handle it. She felt like going straight to Victor Donovan and plead for him to let Natsu go.

All of this trouble she had gone through for Hayate would not be in vain. Weird though, this whole time, she hadn't been thinking of the mission, just arguing with herself about wether or not Hayate would feel different about her after this. It had been settled with a high dbout that he would, but he would at least beleive that she hadn't tried to kill Kasumi.

Christie opened her backpack and pulled out three grenades that she managed to steal from the armory. Why did a research lab have an armory? Oh, right the "search and detain" team. She got up and opened the door to check if anyone was in this hallway, "Good, no one's here."

She closed the door silently behind her and continued down the dark hallway.



Hayate woke up for the thirty-first time to the cold realization that his daughter was gone and the mystery of whether he'd have to kill her now. If he hadn't forgotten how, he would have burst into tears at the thought of this.

Hitomi, on the other hand seemed dazed about the whole situation. The whole month since their daughter had been kidnapped had been slow for her. She had stopped practicing and teaching karate ever since then, but promised a week ago that she would be teaching again the next friday.
Hayate glanced over at her and noticed the beads of cold sweat that had formed on her forehead. She was having a bad dream, probably about Natsu again. He got up and opened the window, then headed downstairs.

The house was silent as it usually was in the morning, nothing like the old mansion he grew up in in Japan. He reached the kitchen and poured coffe beans into the grinder. The phone rang and he picked it up before it could wake his wife, "Hello?"

"Hayate, it's me, Kasumi."

"Kas, where have you been? Everyone's been worried about you. I'd bet the Shinobi really hate you right now for leaving them at such a time," Hayate was surprised and releived to hear from his sister.

"I'm in Kyoto."

"How long have you been there, you should keep moving. They're probably after you."

"They aren't. They don't want to waste anybody on tracking me down," there was pleading in her voice, "Hayate, I don't really want to seem... I don't want to impose on you and Hitomi... but can I come and stay with you guys for a while. Just until this thing with the Shikoyo and the Hayabusa is finished."

"Sure. I mean it's okay with me. But I don't know about Hitomi," he took a sip of the coffe, "Natsu was kidnapped and she's in a bad way. She hasn't even smiled at me since then."

"Oh... well, then I'll find somewhere else to stay," Kasumi was dissapointed but she understood that it was a difficult time for her brother.

"No, I'll talk to Hitomi when she wakes up. Then I'll call you back. Do you have a phone with you?" Hayate took out a pencil and a peice of paper, ready to write it down.

"No, I don't really have anything with me... But I can just wait here until you call the pay phone here."

"Just call back on my cell in an hour or two," the two said their goodbyes and he hung up. He put his coffe down and went back upstairs to gather his things so that he could teach at the dojo in two hours.

Once he arrived in his bedroom, he noticed that Hitomi was awake and staring at the ceiling, "I'm leaving for the dojo in an hour, so I need to talk to you now."

"Yeah?"

"My sister wants to stay with us for a while. She managed to escape from the Shikoyo," he replied, "I'm alright with it if you are."

"Okay, it's... fine with me," she stood up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"I'm going to the dojo now to start the classes. If she calls back here instead of my cell, tell her that she can stay. Also tell her to remember that she's the owner of a boarding school," Hayate kissed her lightly on the lips before he walked out the bedroom door.



"No, sir. It isn't a trap. They're just hostages," with that the spy was dismissed.

Ryu smiled teasingly at his wife, "Told you."

"I was being cautious, so sue me. Now you can use my half of the clan to free the Shinobi. Don't make me change my mind," Ayane brunshed some of his hair out of his face, "But remember, you aren't going along with them.

"Ayane, I have to. It's not a trap."

"So? I don't want you hurt."

"I won't get hurt, besides, I'm the clan leader. I have to go."

"When I was clan leader, I never had to go."

"That's because you were only sixteen, and still needed a supervisor."

"Fine, you can go. But that's only because now we know that it's not a trap. Just be careful."

"I will be."


Christie entered the dark labratory, passcodes to the main computer in hand. She walked to the computer panel which was lighted by the glass cylinders that the test subjects were put into. She pressed the final button to activate the shutdown. It didn't seem to work, "517332, I entered that. What's wrong."

"What's wrong is I changed the codes," Victor Donovan walked towards her, "What do you think I'd do if someone shut down the power? Luckily this computer has its own generator. Otherwise, I'd lose all the data. That would be a shame, wouldn't it?"

"Save it. I want Natsu. You can forget the money, she can be my payment."

"You can have the child. We can't use her. Her blood type is not compatible."

"You guys knew she was type O."

"True... true, but we lost some of our data a few days ago. So we don't know how to preform the mutation process on a type O without certainly killing her," the doctor frowned, "Computers... so unreliable, yet we depend on them for everything."

"Well, then you should remember your research from now on, right?" the doctor frowned and Christie's sarcasm turned into seriousness, "Now, if you will get her out of there, I'll take Natsu back to her home."

"Well, there's one problem with that," Donovan turned on the screen of his pocket computer which showed a clip from the development of Project Epsilon, "This is her father, we are using her as bait."

"But he's not coming, that's why I'm here. His wife won't let him come," Christie glanced down at the screen, then quickly raised them back up at Donovan before he could notice.

"You know him?"

Christie knew what was coming, he'd want her to bring Hayate here, so she changed the subject, "I didn't know you kept porn on you computers, couldn't that get you fired?"

Donovan angered at the woman's suggestion, "It's not porn, and I'm not gay. It's a document of Project Epsilon. I have all the footage from Projects Alpha, Epsilon, Omega, and Delta on this peice of technology. Now, back to my question, do you know him?"

Christie knew there was no way now, Donovan was too set on Project Delta, "Yes, from the tournament."

"Well, then you can influence him to come get his daughter," Donovan smirked, beleiving that he had won.

"No, I won't. I came here to get Natsu, I never fail a mission."

"Your records show that you spared... ah, the test subject of Project Alpha, and shot your employer instead," Donovan turned off the small computer, "You have run into almost every test subject haven't you?"

"That was an acception, Kasumi was Hayate's sister. I wasn't going to hurt either of them. They were my friends."

Donovan looked at her, disgusted, "Friends make a killer weak."

"Give me what I came here for, now!" Christie grew impatient at the stalling of the old man.

"I'm sorry, I don't bend easily either," Donovan pulled his gun out and shoved it at Christie's neck, "Hmm... so beautiful. Too bad I'd have to kill you if you don't agree to my assignment."

"I'm an assassin, you're a scientist... hmm lets see, who would be a better excecutioner?"

"Christie, I suggest you leave. I wouldn't want to spill your blood," suddenly the lights turned on and the room was filled with DOATEC soldiers, "Ah, looks like the power is back on."

The albino assassin knew that with Donovan gone, DOATEC would fall. No one would be experimented on like this again, "I'm sorry, Hayate..."

Two gunshots went off, one hitting Donovan, one hitting Christie.



Ryu stumbled back into the Hayabusa clan's city, alone. The mission had failed and more than a hundred Hayabusa had died. Before their deaths, the Shikoyo were wiped out, unfortunatley, not in time. The Shinobi had been slaughtered out of impatience. Ayane ran up to him, "I knew you shouldn't have gone. It was pointless."

"No, it wasn't we've been able to kill all of the Shikoyo with a bomb, but the two of us that remained were killed in the explosion. I was the only one to make it. I should have died with them!"

"It's alright. If you weren't still alive everyone would be devestated. Especially me," Ayane took out piece of cloth and wiped the blood off his forehead.

"Hayate's gonna kill me. Not only did I lose his family's legacy... Kasumi was probably killed a long time ago as an example to what would happen if anyone tried to escape."

"Kasumi's alright, she called from Kyoto. She's staying with Hayate and Hitomi," Ayane led him to their own cabin, "And what's this I've heard about Natsu? She's experiment? Is she okay?"

"What about Natsu? Has she been returned to Hayate?"

"I don't know. Victor Donovan is dead now and the government officials have shut down DOATEC, so Natsu will probably be returned to them sometime within the next year if she wasn't a sucessful experiment," one of the Hayabusas' officials came up to them with new information.

Ryu sighed, "I guess... our troubles are over for the time being. All we have to do is bury the dead... then it's over."

Ayane nodded in agreement, "Why didn't you tell me about Natsu earlier."

"I couldn't go and help her, and since you personally knew Genra, you'd give me a hard time about it."

"Oh yeah," tears came to Ayane's eyes at the thought of her father-figure, "Genra..."



A.N.- i know, lousy ending. But I'm not good at endings, so whatever. R/R. No flames. See my other DOA fic and R/R that.