Chapter 1: Returned Memories

Hi. This is my first fanfic, please read and review. Suggestions on how to improve my story will be most welcome. No flames please

Donovan stepped into the secret underground laboratory of DOATEC's Anti- Douglas faction Headquarters. The scientists were too busy tending to their tasks and assignments to even notice their own leader when he strolled past them, shifting his eyes repeatedly to check on their progress. At the corner of the wall stood a creature in a giant tube filled with bright green liquid. He had the head, wings and the tail that of a dragon's, and the body of a large, familiar-looking person. In front of the tube, a label read "project: MEGIDO."

Donovan stared through his glasses longingly at his brand-new specimen for the next tournament that will be held... soon. His frown gradually faded to be replaced with a malicious grin, satisfied at what DOATEC has in store for the contestants of the DOA tournament. After a moment of deep planning, he turned and walked away.

Megido would be a worthy opponent for the tournament's participant... probably too worthy to even be defeated by a mere human.

A fight broke out when the ninjas were confronted by a troop of soldiers with their latest high tech weaponry. They stood still, careful not to make any slight movement when all of a sudden, a reckless ninja dashed forward, unsheathing his sword from his scabbard and charging straight at his enemies with the blade of his sword directed towards the soldiers. A flash of light gleamed from one of the high-tech rifles in response to the attack and unleashed a powerful laser beam which made its way right through the ninja's chest.

In fury, the rest of the ninjas began to charge too, vowing to avenge their comrade's death. Some of them collapsed shortly in the same way the first one did, the more fortunate ones made their way far enough to attack their enemies, but they have to face death soon after that anyway. However, soon after the ninjas thought they had outnumbered their assailants, recruits came. One by one, they leapt from the military vans and took over the first line of defense, which the ninjas have destroyed. The battle continued obviously leading to the ninjas' fall.

In the midst of the intense battle, a large, tall man came running to join the fight alongside the ninjas, with a young teenage girl in tow. He was soon halted by a ninja who was in an attempt to defend him, not knowing that within a split second he was shot too. Only the man and the youngster remained then. One of the soldiers grabbed the girl by her neck pointed his gun towards her forehead while waiting for the rest to force the man into the van. Before they left, the soldier pulled the trigger of his gun before knowing that it had overheated during the intense fight and it no longer functioned properly. Unable to overcome his frustration, he knocked the gun against the girl's head. She blacked out instantly. The soldiers left, leaving the lone girl lying amidst the result of the destruction.

Ayane woke up with a start. Cold sweat trickled from her forehead down to her neck, she was breathing heavily. She then realized it was merely a nightmare only which it had happened to her before. She recalled of how her most beloved father, Genra, was taken away, never to be seen ever again, and how the Mugen-Tenshin Hajinmon clan was massacred by the thugs from DOATEC. Trying to put her pain aside, she stood and walked out of her room in the Mugen-Tenshin Tenjinmon school. She sat at the backyard looking into the dawn sky, the stars seemed to have joined together to form the outline of Genra's fatherly face. At the memory of Genra's burnt body, her heart almost broke into pieces. A tear flowed down her right eye the same way it did when she watched the death of her mutated father whom she killed with her bare hands.

Ayane sat there placing her elbow on her legs and her chin on the palm of her hand, still pondering over the situation when she sensed movement behind her. Ayane turned her head slightly and shifted her eyes only to notice the bare outline of a figure peeping into the backyard.

"No use hiding, my dear brother. You know you would never fail to produce sound even when sneaking around like this." She said calmly.

"..." Hayate attempted to answer in his defense but couldn't think of any, so he changed the subject, "Why are you up this early?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"What's troubling you?"

"None of your business." Ayane broke the query. She stood up and walked away.

"Wait! Where are you going!" Hayate called out as he watched her walk away. No answer. Soon she was out of sight, traveling into the woods.

Ayane took a few steps before finally arriving at her destination, her old school. She looked at the charred building with deep remorse. The roof tiles were out of shape. Doors hanged from the staircase handles. Targets for shuriken throwing were burnt to merely a heap of ash. Corpses and skeletons of Ayane's comrades lay sprawled on the ground and gave out a foul smell, but it didn't matter to Ayane. Nothing could ever be worse than the pain she had deep inside.

Ayane stepped into Genra's quarters and searched for his closet. She slid the drawer but it broke and fell to the ground due to age. She removed the photograph of Genra and herself. It was taken when Genra just after she first wore her purple bandanna, which she inherited from Genra right when he adopted her. She ransacked the closet more and found a rolled-up script of all the ninja techniques and spells to be taught to Genra's students.

She glanced through the list of ninja moves. She had learnt everything that is in the list. She then looked at the one on how to disappear. She almost forgot how to do it as she had not used that technique for a long time. She memorized the explanation briefly and moved on to look at the spells she had learnt. She hadn't learnt quite a number at the last few because of Genra's captivity with DOATEC. After taking a quick look at them, Ayane rolled the script up to be brought along with her on the way back, including the old photograph.

As she was about to leave, Ayane took one last look at her school before turning away to walk back. By that time, the sun had already risen high up in the sky.