The characters from Dead or Alive are copyright Tecmo Ltd and Team Ninja. This story is an unauthorised work done purely for my personal enjoyment, and is not intended to infringe on any of their rights in or their profits from these characters. But this story is copy write to me.
Comments, especially (constructive) criticism, always welcomed. Please e-mail me at
m452shakespeareyahoo.co.uk
Notes
See part 1 for detailed notes. I'll be doing an NC-17 version later ......
Sunlight and Shadow - part 2
The gentle sound of the waves lapping against the golden sands lulled her into a state of calmness and relaxation. The sea breeze blew orange hair from her face, wrapping it around her head in disordered tangles. She closed her eyes, letting the gentle caress of the wind soothe her.
Two weeks here. No fighting, just playing games and relaxing in the sun, with the opportunity to buy expensive gifts and pamper ourselves. Even if it WAS Zack who thought this up, I think I might thank him for this - though most certainly NOT in the way he obviously desires!
And now I'm sharing a room with Ayane. Maybe I can finally deal with what caused her to begin hating me so much. I never hated her back, I just wanted her to be my friend, my little sister, like she used to be.
Her train of thought was cut off as the bathroom door opened and Ayane came into the bedroom. Where Kasumi wore an elegant blue satin nightgown, the younger girl wore a large purple tee-shirt over white silk boxers.
Her sister noted that the glum expression which had been there during the evening meal was still evident - whatever had been on Ayane's mind was obviously still weighing on her. Kasumi decided to try to break the ice. "I hope you don't mind the sea windows being open, it's just such a beautiful nightthat - "
"As long as I don't get bitten to shreds by mosquitoes I don't care." The purple-haired teenager dropped onto her bed and sprawled there, staring up at the ceiling. Her face had assumed the shuttered expression which it normally wore, the set of face that said 'back off, I'm not letting you read me'.
I was hoping she'd be more receptive to talking, since she admitted not wanting to kill me anymore - for whatever reasons she has. Well, I guess it's up to me to break the ice, so here goes ....
"Ayane, is something troubling you? You were very qui - "
"Like you give a shit, anyway! You've never given a damn about me!" Red eyes swung to glare into brown, and Kasumi's heart sank. If her sister was going to have this attitude during their stay here, then there was no chance at all of them settling their differences. Still, she pressed on.
"That's not true, Ayane. I've always cared about you. I - "
"Funny way you've got of showing it, then!" Now Ayane sat up, fists clenched as she glared daggers at her older sister. "You turned your back on me because I wasn't good enough for you, just like Hayate only ever wanted me around as a nice little human weapon, to be aimed by him at whatever target he liked! That self-righteous, hypocritical shit!"
Kasumi was stunned by her outburst. She had never heard Ayane speak of Hayate like that before, with such venom in her voice. She'd suspected for a while that her half-sister had a crush on her brother, the way she looked at him, the way she followed him. Now there seemed to be only hate. "Ayane, what happened between you and Hayate? I've never heard you talk about him like that!"
Ayane slumped back down on the bed, eyes closed. There was a pause of several seconds, as if she was debating what to say. Then her eyes opened, and her scarlet gaze met that of the older girl. Kasumi was shocked to see the anger and hurt in her sister's eyes. "You'll find out soon enough. I've been declared renegade."
"WHAT?!"
Kasumi sat down on the floor, staring at the younger girl in astonishment. She's .... she's been declared renegade, like me? But why?! I was exiled because I left to look for Hayate without instructions, but what can she have done? "Why?!"
Ayane turned her gaze back to the ceiling. "The official reason is because of what happened during DOA3. When I beat you, remember?" Her voice had resumed its normal, mocking delivery, but Kasumi could hear the pain simmering underneath, where no-one who didn't know her well would hear.
Kasumi closed her eyes. She'd been hurting so much, but her sister was in no better shape. Time for one last throw of the dice, to finish Ayane before she could finish Kasumi. She swept out a leg, catching her opponent behind the knee.
Ayane fell, but as she did so, her own foot swung to catch Kasumi in the side, just below the ribs. She gasped as the air was forced out of her, and tried to regain her breath. That brief delay gave Ayane time to use the momentum from her fall to roll forwards and kick Kasumi in the face. Blackness instantly swept over her.
"Hayate said before the clan that, after knocking you out, I should have kept you prisoner until you could be brought back for execution. The fact that I didn't, coupled with my disobeying his orders to leave the Genra fight to him, persuaded the clan to conclude that my tainted blood was making me a liability to the Mugen-Tenshin, and to order my death." The soft, sweet voice of the younger girl couldn't hide the hurt and bitterness
"B-but that's ridiculous!" Kasumi was astonished at what she'd heard. "After I regained consciousness, I went to see Hayate in his room! He took me out to dinner, and never said anything about having me brought back! Why would he condemn you for not doing something he didn't do himself?"
Why would Hayate do something like that? He didn't have to tell the elders about Ayane insisting on fighting Genra. It's not as if Ayane was trying to upstage or embarrass him! He should have stood aside and let her kill Genra. His life was hers to take, if it was anyone's.
The purple-haired kunoichi leapt to her feet, eyes blazing. "Because he favours you over me, like everyone else! He's withdrawn the assassins he sent after you and sent them after me instead! He'll see me dead and you alive! He loves you, all I ever was to him was an embarrassment!" She stormed over to the door.
"Ayane, where are you going?"
"For a walk, to calm down!"
The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Kasumi staring after her.
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Shit! I guess it'll be harder than I thought to get along with her! I mean, I'm taking it out on her for what that ... that sanctimonious bastard Hayate said! ? But everyone always favours her! No-one other than Genra ever wanted me for myself! Why do I always have to lose to her?!
The sand pressed between her toes as she walked along the beach. The question came back to haunt her, as it always did. Why did she always have to lose to Kasumi, why did her sister always get the love and affection, where she got only contempt and abuse? No-one ever gave a damn about her except Genra.
Okay, Hayabusa had been ... not-unfriendly, but it just wasn't the same. Not like how Hayate treats Her, or the way She looks at him... The clan never wanted me. Nobody ever did.
Is that why I'm not trying to kill her? Because she's now getting the same persecution I got throughout my whole life? Or do I just want someone to give a shit about me, even if they haven't for years ... not since we were small, anyway. Why did that change, why did she stop caring about her little sister?
Oh, fuck this! I'm not getting anywhere. Some questions just can't be answered. Guess I was just born to be screwed over by life .......
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"This should be easy! You two just aren't in our league, strengthwise! Right, Christie?" The tall blonde American woman grinned at her partner, who smiled a cruel smile.
"Indeed. You two both lack power and height. You have no chance against us."
"We'll see about that!" Kasumi was starting to get angry at the arrogance of their opponents, and Ayane was fuming, as she could see.
"Yeah, bitches, we're so going to kick your asses!"
Tina and Christie both broke into howls of laughter at that. "You've got a big mouth, you skinny little freak." Christie glared at the youngest of them, who glared right back, completely unintimidated.
"Oh yeah? Want to place a little side wager on the game?"
"Ayane ... "
"Sure, kid, whatever you can afford." Tina smirked at Ayane. The two older women were both confident of victory. After all, their opponents hated each other, right? So how good a team could they be?
"A thousand bucks to each of the winners."
"AYANE!!" What is she trying to do?! I've never played volleyball before I got here, and we're still sorting out our differences, so how can we win?
The two women on the other side of the net laughed loudly. "You're a little overconfident, child. We'll enjoy taking your money! Done!" Christie picked up the ball and walked back to get ready to serve.
Kasumi rolled her eyes. I hope Ayane knows what we're doing. I really don't want to start my vacation out of pocket. She looked at their opponents. Tina was wearing a very revealing, very skimpy bikini with starts and stripes embroidered on it, and Christie had a very svelte and elegant-looking black one-piece swimsuit.
Compared to them, the two Japanese girls were modestly dressed, as neither of them had yet gone shopping. Kasumi herself wore a simple red one-piece swimsuit, whilst Ayane had merely put on her boxers with a vest over it. Note to self : go shopping sometime today! I'd like something a little better than this, not to mention seeing what else is for sale here. She moved up to the net, Ayane dropping back behind her. Christie tossed the ball up.
The serve was hit flat and hard, and Kasumi couldn't stop it. But her hand made fleeting contact, enough to take some of the power out of the serve, and Ayane was able to throw herself across the sand to reach the ball before it hit the ground. She tossed the ball straight up in the air, and Kasumi had to dash to retrieve it, as the lavender-haired teen rolled to her feet.
The orange-haired ninja girl hit the ball high, and Ayane easily palmed it back, both girls moving towards the net as they did so. A couple of passes later, and Kasumi threw the ball up for Ayane to spike. Christie and Tina both went to block - but Ayane instead palmed the ball over to Kasumi, who, with their two opponents both sprawled on the sand, simply knocked the ball into an empty part of the court. 1-0.
Tina's serve was just too fast and powerful, and it scored a clean winner. 1-1.
Kasumi took the ball, and went over to her sister. "How hard should I serve? I'm not good at this."
"Just get the ball over - we can't win the point otherwise." Both kept their voices low, so that Christie and Tina couldn't hear them.
"Wassa matter? Afraid, girlies?" The American woman's voice was mocking, and Ayane gave her the finger. Christie glared at her.
Kasumi took position, and served overarm. Just as she did so, Ayane stuck her tongue out at the receiver, Christie. The white-haired assassin was furious, and tried to smash the ball at her face. Instead, she ended up hitting the ball into the net. 2-1. Ayane smirked. Ha! Psychological warfare rules OK!
She took the ball and waited for Kasumi to get into position. Right, this one'd better be good - they're too strong to be allowed an opening.
She tossed the ball high, then bent her legs and catapulted into the air, swinging her hand to smash the ball with all her strength towards Tina. The statuesque blonde tried to control her return of serve, but ended up smashing the ball into the sand at her feet. 3-1.
"I thought you knew how to play volleyball?!" Christie's tone was icy as she glared at her partner, who glared right back.
"Don't you start on me, you white-haired old hag!" Tina yelled at the English assassin. Kasumi made to step between them and calm things down, but Ayane grasped her arm.
"Nah, let 'em fight! It should be fun!"
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One short, but rather vicious, fight later, the game resumed. But the older women were no longer working together, and the sisters had an easy victory, 7-1.
Tina nursed her bruised jaw and painful shoulder, now pushed back into its socket after being dislocated. Christie rubbed her neck, still aching from her being piledrivered into the ground. The two walked away, furious with the other. Kasumi looked over at Ayane. "Well, that was a good win. We worked well together!"
"Yeah. I guess we did."
"Well, it's nearly time for lunch, but I'd like to do a little shopping before we eat." The two girls strolled back to the hotel, neither saying anything. Though she was loath to admit it, Ayane felt ... comfortable in her sister's presence, for the first time in years. The hate she'd felt for so long seemed to have faded.
Or perhaps it had simply found different targets - Hayate and Donovan.
Kasumi walked into the shop and looked around. Well, I need a new swimsuit, and maybe I can get something for Ayane while I'm here - a thankyou for playing so well this morning. Let me see ....
She was surprised at how well they'd clicked, especially given that Ayane was by no means a 'morning' person. Then again, Kasumi had arranged the previous night for a large jug of cold grape juice, her sister's favourite drink, to be available at breakfast. The lavender-haired teenager had happily polished it off whilst drizzling chocolate syrup over her corn flakes ....
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Ayane wandered into the shower, humming happily. It felt good to start the vacation with a win, especially over one of her rivals, Christie. And she didn't like Tina much, either, possibly because Tina didn't like her. Ah, fuck her. Who gives a shit about being liked. She ignored the little voice in her head that whispered, you do, actually.
She turned on the taps, and let cold water cascade over her naked body. She liked cold showers, they made her feel invigorated, cleansed. And, of course, it was good survival training - building up her resistance to cold. Never pass up a chance to make yourself tougher, she mused as the water washed the sweat from her tangled hair.
What does not destroy us, makes us stronger. [1]
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Okay, time to get a swimsuit. She paused in thought. And maybe something for Kasumi. I mean, that's what Lei said she was going to do, buy something for her partner. But God knows what.
Pink, whatever it is. Her pink fetish is as bad as my purple one.
Hey, I have an idea.
Ayane marched up to the cash desk. "Hey, do you do requests?"
The man behind the till blinked at the abrupt question, but nodded. "Indeed we do, ma'am, if we can."
"How about printing a custom design on a tee-shirt?"
"Easily done, ma'am."
"Good. Here's what I want ..... "
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Kasumi waved to her sister, noticing the rather revealing sky blue with white cartoon character two-piece swimsuit her sister was now wearing When her younger sister got closer, she could see that the white character was a bunny with the legend 'bad girl'. She laughed out loud, and Ayane smirked.
"Like it, then?"
"It suits you," She stretched. "A pity I didn't see anything I fancied ......"
"Try this." The orange-haired shinobi blinked as a package was dropped into her lap. With a slight feeling of trepidation, she pulled the string to open it. Inside there were two pieces of clothing, a pair of black frayed denim shorts and a hot pink tank top. "Wow! Thanks!"
The purple-haired teen dropped a couple of bottles of pink nail polish into the now empty box. "This is your colour, right?"
"Yes!" Then Kasumi reached under her table, and pulled out a gift box of her own. "And these are for you!"
Ayane raised an eyebrow, then opened the box. Purple sunglasses, violet butterfly hair clip and plenty of sunscreen! She grinned. "Hey, this stuff is pretty good!" Then she looked at her sister. "Oh, if I forget, you've got something coming to you later."
"What?"
"You'll see ......"
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Kasumi opened her eyes upon hearing her name spoken, to see one of the hotel staff standing by her deck chair as she soaked up the afternoon sun. She was relaxing after she and Ayane had won their second match of the day, 7-3 against Lisa and Helena.
"For you, ma'am."
She took the box, quickly reading the accompanying note.
"Like I promised, something special ...
Hope you like it (tee hee!)
Ayane"
Why does that sound ominous? Gingerly, she opened the box.
A tee-shirt? She shook it out. A tee-shirt with a face on it. She studied it for several seconds. She knew that face - the strong jaw, the long hair, the green eyes ....
Green eyes??
"RYU?!" She blushed crimson when she realised that she'd spoken out loud and that the other women were staring at her, a couple of them - Leifang and Helena, specifically - smiling. Both knew about Kasumi's feelings for the super ninja.
"AYANE!!"
Cackling laughter could be heard as her half-sister ran away as fast as she could. Kasumi glared after her, then looked down at the shirt with its highly accurate portrait of Ryu Hayabusa framed by the words 'HOT HUNK'.
And she began giggling.
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[1] Nietzsche
If you're wondering - the swimsuit Ayane got was the 'Lamina', and she gave Kasumi the 'Maridah'.
Next - a nighttime game leads to a shocking revelation!