I own nothing but the moths in my pockets
Chapter 12: Company
Phil looked at his wall clock.
"Quarter to two." he told himself. He went out to his balcony and sat in his chair, put his feet up on the railing and waited. Only crickets in the distance could be heard lightly chirping, everything else was still and silent. After several minutes passed, a slim figure flew into the air, did a perfect front flip and landed on his railing, perched like a bird. There was no light on the balcony, and the lights in his room were off, but the moon's light was enough to let him know this was not Ryu. "Kasumi, I presume?" he asked quietly with a bow. The kuniochi slid off the railing and stood on the balcony, returning the bow.
"Yes, thank you for seeing us so late." She was very polite in her voice and body language.
Man if this chick wasn't a ninja who could likely end my life whenever she saw fit... man... She pulled the hood off of her face and shook her hair loose from the back of her crimson bodysuit. Her hair hung loosely and blew gently in the slight breeze. "I thought Ryu was coming with you."
"I'm here." Ryu's calm voice caused Phil to jump and look over his shoulder. The ninja stood quietly in Phil's doorway. "Just had to check your room first to make sure no one was hiding in there." Phil felt slightly offended by the action and remark, but he reminded himself that their lives were on the line here, so it was a required caution. The trio all walked into Phil's sitting room and closed all windows. They spoke silently about the plan Phil laid out, though it would involve another party not present. With the ninjas' agreement, he hesitantly dialed his phone. A sleepy voice answered on the other end. "Helena, it's Phil... Yes I know it's two in the morning, I'm sorry. Look, I can't give all the details, but I need you to come to my room as soon as you can... No I can't come over there, I need you here... You'll see why when you get here." He hung up and nodded to the ninjas. "She'll be here, likely pissed right off, but she'll be here." Not ten minutes later, the door knocked and Phil let Helena in. He was a little surprised to see her wearing only a pair of panties and his hooded sweater that he forgot at her room the night before, but he went about business regardless. Helena was equally surprised when she saw that her and Phil were not alone, but had 2 ninjas, fully clothed, looking up at her from a couch, clearly wondering why she was half naked. After a very fast explanation and round of apologies, Phil lent Helena a pair of jeans and they talked business. The hours crept along, but the plan was becoming better and better thought out. Finally the sun peeked over the horizon, and by this point Ryu and Phil were the only ones awake. Helena slept peacefully in a lounge chair, while Kasumi tried to keep herself awake, but dozed on and off throughout the discussion. Finally Phil looked at the wall clock, it was seven in the morning. "Alright, well I should try to get SOME sleep, I have a match against Leon in five hours, and I can't afford a second loss." Ryu nodded and motioned to shake Kasumi. "Ryu?" Phil asked quietly, the ninja eyed him. "So what's the story with you and Kasumi? She your girlfriend or something?" Ryu smirked for the first time since he had come over, he had maintained a very serious demeanor all throughout the meeting.
"No, she isn't." he looked at her with admiration, then shook his head. "I, I used to be married, I cannot dishonour those past vows." Phil looked confused.
"Married? So you got a divorce or something?" Do ninjas HAVE divorces? Ryu shook his head.
"No." he sighed then left Kasumi to sleep peacefully. "Irene was everything to me, but, I lost her, she was taken from me while I was away." Venom slowly came to the ninja's voice, and his eyes brightened with anger. "I was able to save her before, I should have known after those incidences never to leave her again, but like a fool, I did." Phil listened closely, sitting on the edge of his seat. "Hayate, Hayate." Ryu looked like he was having trouble with the words, his eyes moistened for only a second until he pushed them back. "That dog, that coward. He asked me to protect Kasumi for so many years, and as his friend, I did so, which pulled me away from my Irene." Ryu paused, again visibly pushing down emotions of sadness, but allowing the hate to surface. "When he took the reigns of the Mugen Tenshin clan though, he told me to kill Kasumi, but by then, we had become more than companions, we had become friends, I could not kill my friend. I disobeyed Hayate, and took Kasumi to sanctuary after sanctuary, but his ninjas were relentless. Wherever we went, they found us, and we would have to fight. Finally he must have grown tired of waiting, and sent his ninjas to kill Irene instead of us." He lowered his head, allowing a tear to slowly glide down his cheek. "I took Kasumi to my village to hide her, just for one night until we would continue, but the village was too silent. My brethren, all of them were killed, slaughtered, some of which to the extent that I could not recognize their faces. I remember rushing to my home, finding the sliding door ripped from its frame, and Irene..." he stopped. Phil felt angry for Ryu, first Helena had suffered, now Ryu. He did not know Hayate or Ayane, but already he hated them both for causing so much suffering.
People like that should not be allowed to live.
"She was killed." Ryu finally finished. "Stabbed, cut, her body just lay on the floor... broken..." Rage burned in Ryu's eyes now. Phil was sorry he had asked, but now at least had a good idea of what he was up against.
"Ryu, once we take care of Ayane, Hayate will be next." Ryu seemed to consider the thought, then shook his head.
"No, what we are plotting is enough already, anything more and we will become no different than them, fate has a way of working things out. Once, long ago, I had a thirst for vengeance that was so unquenchable... it nearly cost me my humanity... No, killing either of them is out of the question." Phil nodded at Ryu's wise words, clearly he had given this a lot of thought.
"If you had more time since Irene, then would you feel differently towards Kasumi?" Ryu's eyes widened like he had been insulted.
"You're out of line, friend." Phil leaned forward.
"I'm sorry Ryu, I didn't mean to offend you. But I mean, I see how you look at Kasumi, I'm a guy to man I know what that look means." Ryu eyed Phil with less offense. "She makes you happy, doesn't she?" Ryu sighed and nodded slowly.
"Yes, whenever we talk, no matter how trivial the subject... she always can put a smile on my face, whenever I look at her I see Irene... she looks so much like her... I cannot dishonour Irene though." Phil leaned back in his chair again.
"You wouldn't be dishonouring Irene though, would you? Wouldn't Irene want you to be happy?" Ryu paused at Phil's words. "You say you see Irene in Kasumi, do you really see Irene or do you see something that makes you happy?" Ryu sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryu, I am out of line, you're right. It is not my business, and I'm not familiar with the honour system of the ninja, but for what it's worth, I can see the happiness you two give each other simply by seeing how you look at one another, think about that." Ryu nodded and again motioned to shake Kasumi, but paused.
"I know you need rest, but now I am curious, with Ayane out of the picture, Helena, Kasumi and myself all benefit, but what is in it for you?" he said as he glanced at Helena, still peacefully sleeping in Phil's clothing that literally was falling off her body. Phil blushed.
"It's not what you think." he began. "But I will tell you what I want out of it. You are everyone's favorite to win, I've read the bets, you are heavily favoured to walk away with the championship this year." Ryu looked almost comical for a second before returning to his serious expression. "So, if you win, that will mean a rather hefty sum will be coming your way in winnings." Ryu nodded.
"So, you want me to give you the winning purse then, is that it?" Phil shook his head.
"No, the other night I promised Gen Fu that if I were to win, I would give him as much money as he needed for his granddaughter's surgery." Ryu was dumbfounded.
"Master Gen Fu has a sick granddaughter? I was not aware." He paused, "Had I known, I would have given him my winnings from the second tournament." Phil shook his head.
"Look, that's in the past, what matters is I made a promise to this man, and after the way you mopped the floor with me this morning... er... yesterday, I know I can't keep that promise, so here is what I propose to you. I help you and the ladies here to eliminate Ayane from the picture, in return, WHEN you win this tournament, Master Gen Fu will unexpectedly receive a very fat sum of money from you." Ryu looked at Phil once he was done speaking.
"That's it? You're doing this, risking your neck against a pair of ruthless shinobi, so that master Gen Fu can receive the money?" Phil nodded.
"That's about it, yeah. In the long run, your problem is lightened, Helena's is taken care of entirely, Kasumi and yourself have caught a temporary break from running and fighting, Gen Fu will get what he wants, and I won't be remembered next year as 'the guy who didn't keep his promise', so in a sense we all win." Ryu nodded.
"Very noble, I agree to your terms." The pair shook hands and exchanged bows. "Remember your role in this, tell me if you are successful in the first stage of this plan." Phil nodded as Ryu picked up Kasumi and they seemingly vanished in a swirl of smoke. Once the smoke cleared and Phil was done coughing, he checked on the sleeping Helena.
Could have used the door, ya know. Sheesh if it isn't Bass turning my room into a smelly fog, it's ninjas with overly-dramatic entrances and exits. He picked up Helena gently and carried her to the next room and tucked her into his bed. He came back to his sitting room and set his alarm. He had four hours before meeting Leon, which gave him just enough time to stretch out on his couch and catch a little sleep.
What is the big plan? How will Phil fare against Leon in such a sleepy state? Is a flame slowly building between Helena and Phil? Read on and find out.
P.S.
I know the Ryu/Kasumi pairing has been run into the ground, but it's apairing I've liked since the first DOA so if ya don't like it, too bad. ;)
Chapter 12: Company
Phil looked at his wall clock.
"Quarter to two." he told himself. He went out to his balcony and sat in his chair, put his feet up on the railing and waited. Only crickets in the distance could be heard lightly chirping, everything else was still and silent. After several minutes passed, a slim figure flew into the air, did a perfect front flip and landed on his railing, perched like a bird. There was no light on the balcony, and the lights in his room were off, but the moon's light was enough to let him know this was not Ryu. "Kasumi, I presume?" he asked quietly with a bow. The kuniochi slid off the railing and stood on the balcony, returning the bow.
"Yes, thank you for seeing us so late." She was very polite in her voice and body language.
Man if this chick wasn't a ninja who could likely end my life whenever she saw fit... man... She pulled the hood off of her face and shook her hair loose from the back of her crimson bodysuit. Her hair hung loosely and blew gently in the slight breeze. "I thought Ryu was coming with you."
"I'm here." Ryu's calm voice caused Phil to jump and look over his shoulder. The ninja stood quietly in Phil's doorway. "Just had to check your room first to make sure no one was hiding in there." Phil felt slightly offended by the action and remark, but he reminded himself that their lives were on the line here, so it was a required caution. The trio all walked into Phil's sitting room and closed all windows. They spoke silently about the plan Phil laid out, though it would involve another party not present. With the ninjas' agreement, he hesitantly dialed his phone. A sleepy voice answered on the other end. "Helena, it's Phil... Yes I know it's two in the morning, I'm sorry. Look, I can't give all the details, but I need you to come to my room as soon as you can... No I can't come over there, I need you here... You'll see why when you get here." He hung up and nodded to the ninjas. "She'll be here, likely pissed right off, but she'll be here." Not ten minutes later, the door knocked and Phil let Helena in. He was a little surprised to see her wearing only a pair of panties and his hooded sweater that he forgot at her room the night before, but he went about business regardless. Helena was equally surprised when she saw that her and Phil were not alone, but had 2 ninjas, fully clothed, looking up at her from a couch, clearly wondering why she was half naked. After a very fast explanation and round of apologies, Phil lent Helena a pair of jeans and they talked business. The hours crept along, but the plan was becoming better and better thought out. Finally the sun peeked over the horizon, and by this point Ryu and Phil were the only ones awake. Helena slept peacefully in a lounge chair, while Kasumi tried to keep herself awake, but dozed on and off throughout the discussion. Finally Phil looked at the wall clock, it was seven in the morning. "Alright, well I should try to get SOME sleep, I have a match against Leon in five hours, and I can't afford a second loss." Ryu nodded and motioned to shake Kasumi. "Ryu?" Phil asked quietly, the ninja eyed him. "So what's the story with you and Kasumi? She your girlfriend or something?" Ryu smirked for the first time since he had come over, he had maintained a very serious demeanor all throughout the meeting.
"No, she isn't." he looked at her with admiration, then shook his head. "I, I used to be married, I cannot dishonour those past vows." Phil looked confused.
"Married? So you got a divorce or something?" Do ninjas HAVE divorces? Ryu shook his head.
"No." he sighed then left Kasumi to sleep peacefully. "Irene was everything to me, but, I lost her, she was taken from me while I was away." Venom slowly came to the ninja's voice, and his eyes brightened with anger. "I was able to save her before, I should have known after those incidences never to leave her again, but like a fool, I did." Phil listened closely, sitting on the edge of his seat. "Hayate, Hayate." Ryu looked like he was having trouble with the words, his eyes moistened for only a second until he pushed them back. "That dog, that coward. He asked me to protect Kasumi for so many years, and as his friend, I did so, which pulled me away from my Irene." Ryu paused, again visibly pushing down emotions of sadness, but allowing the hate to surface. "When he took the reigns of the Mugen Tenshin clan though, he told me to kill Kasumi, but by then, we had become more than companions, we had become friends, I could not kill my friend. I disobeyed Hayate, and took Kasumi to sanctuary after sanctuary, but his ninjas were relentless. Wherever we went, they found us, and we would have to fight. Finally he must have grown tired of waiting, and sent his ninjas to kill Irene instead of us." He lowered his head, allowing a tear to slowly glide down his cheek. "I took Kasumi to my village to hide her, just for one night until we would continue, but the village was too silent. My brethren, all of them were killed, slaughtered, some of which to the extent that I could not recognize their faces. I remember rushing to my home, finding the sliding door ripped from its frame, and Irene..." he stopped. Phil felt angry for Ryu, first Helena had suffered, now Ryu. He did not know Hayate or Ayane, but already he hated them both for causing so much suffering.
People like that should not be allowed to live.
"She was killed." Ryu finally finished. "Stabbed, cut, her body just lay on the floor... broken..." Rage burned in Ryu's eyes now. Phil was sorry he had asked, but now at least had a good idea of what he was up against.
"Ryu, once we take care of Ayane, Hayate will be next." Ryu seemed to consider the thought, then shook his head.
"No, what we are plotting is enough already, anything more and we will become no different than them, fate has a way of working things out. Once, long ago, I had a thirst for vengeance that was so unquenchable... it nearly cost me my humanity... No, killing either of them is out of the question." Phil nodded at Ryu's wise words, clearly he had given this a lot of thought.
"If you had more time since Irene, then would you feel differently towards Kasumi?" Ryu's eyes widened like he had been insulted.
"You're out of line, friend." Phil leaned forward.
"I'm sorry Ryu, I didn't mean to offend you. But I mean, I see how you look at Kasumi, I'm a guy to man I know what that look means." Ryu eyed Phil with less offense. "She makes you happy, doesn't she?" Ryu sighed and nodded slowly.
"Yes, whenever we talk, no matter how trivial the subject... she always can put a smile on my face, whenever I look at her I see Irene... she looks so much like her... I cannot dishonour Irene though." Phil leaned back in his chair again.
"You wouldn't be dishonouring Irene though, would you? Wouldn't Irene want you to be happy?" Ryu paused at Phil's words. "You say you see Irene in Kasumi, do you really see Irene or do you see something that makes you happy?" Ryu sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryu, I am out of line, you're right. It is not my business, and I'm not familiar with the honour system of the ninja, but for what it's worth, I can see the happiness you two give each other simply by seeing how you look at one another, think about that." Ryu nodded and again motioned to shake Kasumi, but paused.
"I know you need rest, but now I am curious, with Ayane out of the picture, Helena, Kasumi and myself all benefit, but what is in it for you?" he said as he glanced at Helena, still peacefully sleeping in Phil's clothing that literally was falling off her body. Phil blushed.
"It's not what you think." he began. "But I will tell you what I want out of it. You are everyone's favorite to win, I've read the bets, you are heavily favoured to walk away with the championship this year." Ryu looked almost comical for a second before returning to his serious expression. "So, if you win, that will mean a rather hefty sum will be coming your way in winnings." Ryu nodded.
"So, you want me to give you the winning purse then, is that it?" Phil shook his head.
"No, the other night I promised Gen Fu that if I were to win, I would give him as much money as he needed for his granddaughter's surgery." Ryu was dumbfounded.
"Master Gen Fu has a sick granddaughter? I was not aware." He paused, "Had I known, I would have given him my winnings from the second tournament." Phil shook his head.
"Look, that's in the past, what matters is I made a promise to this man, and after the way you mopped the floor with me this morning... er... yesterday, I know I can't keep that promise, so here is what I propose to you. I help you and the ladies here to eliminate Ayane from the picture, in return, WHEN you win this tournament, Master Gen Fu will unexpectedly receive a very fat sum of money from you." Ryu looked at Phil once he was done speaking.
"That's it? You're doing this, risking your neck against a pair of ruthless shinobi, so that master Gen Fu can receive the money?" Phil nodded.
"That's about it, yeah. In the long run, your problem is lightened, Helena's is taken care of entirely, Kasumi and yourself have caught a temporary break from running and fighting, Gen Fu will get what he wants, and I won't be remembered next year as 'the guy who didn't keep his promise', so in a sense we all win." Ryu nodded.
"Very noble, I agree to your terms." The pair shook hands and exchanged bows. "Remember your role in this, tell me if you are successful in the first stage of this plan." Phil nodded as Ryu picked up Kasumi and they seemingly vanished in a swirl of smoke. Once the smoke cleared and Phil was done coughing, he checked on the sleeping Helena.
Could have used the door, ya know. Sheesh if it isn't Bass turning my room into a smelly fog, it's ninjas with overly-dramatic entrances and exits. He picked up Helena gently and carried her to the next room and tucked her into his bed. He came back to his sitting room and set his alarm. He had four hours before meeting Leon, which gave him just enough time to stretch out on his couch and catch a little sleep.
What is the big plan? How will Phil fare against Leon in such a sleepy state? Is a flame slowly building between Helena and Phil? Read on and find out.
P.S.
I know the Ryu/Kasumi pairing has been run into the ground, but it's apairing I've liked since the first DOA so if ya don't like it, too bad. ;)