This is like luxury; it's so nice here… Kasumi thought to herself as she scrubbed her hair in the shower, steam curling around each and every surface. Shame it won't last forever, but, nothing ever does, right? She bent down to pick up a shampoo bottle, before pouring its contents into her hands and massaging it gently into her scalp. After the argument with Hayabusa, she had gone to bed, then the next morning she had muttered obscenities under her breath for a few minutes before deciding to calm her nerves with a nice hot shower. Just even thinking about him made her anger swell in her chest, however.
"Damn it all to hell!" she exclaimed out aloud, surprising herself. "Why did Hayate have to trust my protection to such a… prick? Hayate, when I see you next I'm going to bite your head off!"
She remembered when they were children. Ayane was the tomboyish, bossy one, always hanging around with the boys in the Hajin-Mon clan rather then the Tenjin-Mon, excluding Hayate, of course. Hayate was the joking one, as he still was, well, at least the last time she saw him… but serious when he had to be. Ryu on the other hand was cool… cold and he always seemed to act under stealth even when he didn't have to. Cool and calculating was the expression he always wore. It seemed to reek of 'ninja-esque'.
So why did her thoughts always seem to trail back to him? It was almost as if she had him on the brain, or something of the equivalent. She had no time nor patience for feelings of love. The Mugen-Tenshin clan was already becoming violent towards their ex-shinobi, sending the odd assassin her way, but nothing major. Hopefully when she reunited with Hayate, the assassins could be stopped and they could live happily.
Even though Hayate made her so angry sometimes, she missed him terribly. It was like a puzzle with one missing piece. And what use is a puzzle when it is not complete? Kasumi asked herself sadly. If a person saw an incomplete puzzle and couldn't find the piece, they would just throw it away. Forget it ever existed.
When they had been children, Hayate had sometimes been cruel to her, but on the whole was a loving and caring brother. She couldn't let the years of childhood slip away just because she couldn't find him. She would search for him non-stop! She was determined to avenge what had been done to him. She still remembered the pained expression on his face when Hayabusa had found her and they came to help him, one leg twisted in a horribly unnatural position, one eye half closed, blood and bruises all over his body.
'An assassin…' his voice was soft as she knelt beside him. 'An assassin tried to knock me off…'
'Why would anybody want to do that?' she had asked in horror, carefully sponging her brother's cheek with a damp rag. He flinched slightly as the wound was cleaned. Their father shook his head at her question. 'It does not concern you, Kasumi,'
'How does it not?' she had retorted. 'He is my brother and I care for him!'
'Go and get a healer,' he had demanded, shooing her out of the room as he and Hayabusa helped Hayate to the nearest bed…
She turned the water off and stepped out of the shower onto a fluffy white bathmat, grabbing a towel off the bench and drying herself before wrapping her hair up in it and getting dressed into some simple shorts and a shirt. She braided her still wet hair before leaving her room and heading for the main area.
Hayate… she thought as she walked slowly down the stairs. I miss you; I love you because you're my brother! Why did you leave? Then you wouldn't have become paralyzed, Project Epsilon wouldn't have affected you like this, you could have peace, or as much as a ninja can have, and be happy. Why did you have to mess it up for yourself, and me, too? Did you never want me to be happy?
Hayabusa… even though I may not always like you, I feel for you. Even down to the fact of having to deal with me. I guess I feel guilty about how much of a horror I have been to you, but you haven't always been the best to me… why are you so hard to understand?
About halfway down the stairs, still engrossed in thought, she ran into somebody. One guess as to whom, Kasumi thought bitterly as she stared up into the emerald eyes of the person she least wanted to see. He pretended that he hadn't seen her, which was rather hard to do considering the fact that she had run into him, but he pulled it off admirably, like everything else he did. For some reason, it hurt. She only had the distant feeling as to she knowing why, but she felt a slight pain in her chest as she went the rest of the way down to the main area.
Ayane was standing near the landing, basically ignoring all the chattering and social activity around her. As usual. Kasumi thought. No guys are downstairs yet. She walked up behind her, before punching her so quickly and harshly in the centre of the back that the lavender-haired kunoichi let out a little gasp, spinning around quickly to face Kasumi.
"A little payback for yesterday. See you tomorrow," Kasumi said, smirking prettily. Ayane glared before swinging a punch, wild with anger and emotions driving it. Kasumi dodged it easily before disappearing in a swirl of sakura blossoms, leaving a furious Ayane standing behind.
Look out for some Ein next chapter (mmm, six-pack… anyway, I'll shut up now) He catches some 'interesting gossip', you could say…