Chapter 9: Fateful Encounter
Kekachi - I'm sorry for having to do this but I'm saving the excitement for the climax. All of your queries having already been answered in the later chapters long before you sent in the review. If you don't bother to read on that's okay. I've been having doubts on my story as well. Thanks for the comments anyway. I'll try to do better.
Wolf - Thanks for the comments. I realised you've pointed out some weak parts in my fic. I'll so my best to improve.
Note: I've put in scenes from the DOA3 opening movie in this chap, just doing it for fun. See if you can spot it. i've also noticed this chapter is a bit confusing, if it's that bad I'll change it. Otherwise, the story is coming closer to the climax! Please R&R
Ayane crept in and hid behind the crew's cabin and listened closely. She could hear the footsteps of workers stationed at the ship but as she peeked at the deck, there was no one. The sounds were coming from the warehouse. With much hesitation, she darted towards the left side of the ship where the gigantic boxes of cargo were loaded, jumped on one of them and settled there. She sat down and leaned against a crate, facing the endless sea, as well as the ship where Etsudo was aboard.
She looked around, the ship was huge. Headlights shone over the area much like the ones at the port, a helicopter stood on a helipad at the far corner of the ship. This ship was exactly similar to the other two that sailed together. Technology within DOATEC has been vastly improving. Ayane squinted her eyes and focused on the dark figure moving stealthily on the shadows. The figure which she recognized as Etsudo slunk behind the pile of cargo like what Ayane had done. He seemed to have noticed Ayane too after he sat on a box. Ayane turned around and peeked through a small gap in between two boxes. There were a number of workers on board, which made up mostly of guards. She looked back at Etsudo, his black outfit hardly visible in the dark of night; he sat still and seemed to be asleep.
"It'll be quite a while before we reach Hong Kong. Maybe I should take a rest," she thought, "Wait for me, father..."
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"What's happening here?! Unit 04, respond!"
"Unit 07 reporting, sir. We've received reports of four guards murdered at the port, sir. Unit 12 is found leaning against the wall next to the entrance adjacent to the security building, but he's been stabbed in the chest, his thumb found missing. Unit 02 is down next to him, sir, but his head is missing. Unit 15 is found dead in the building's warehouse number 1, stabbed in the skull. And Unit 04, the one you've been searching for is down at the watchtower, slashed on the throat. Over and out"
"Unit 09 reporting, sir. It seems that the security systems have been shut down, sir. The green wire has been cut in the security control system. Traces of infiltrators that were suspected of breaking into the building have yet to be found. Over and out"
"Hmm... could it be those troublemakers again?"
"Unit 18 reporting, sir. Investigators have failed to acquire any traces of the infiltrators. Over and out"
"Then my guess is right! Blast those ninja! Damn.... I've had it with them! Okay... send ALL snipers to their whereabouts! Eradicate anybody within the location!"
"Yes, sir"
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"Did you hear that? They're coming!" Hayate muttered under his breath, "We've got to go!"
"Hayate, wait! Here, take this." Ryu handed him his strongbow and a quiver of normal arrows and explosive arrows, "I've got them two years ago, but they might be useful this time."
Hayate smiled at his best friend, "Alright... I'll do it. Come on, let's do this!" Hayate beckoned Ryu and Kasumi to follow him. They flipped and leapt out from the rooftop of the school. They made for the forest and the three took different directions, each of them hid on a tree.
Hayate stood on a branch, his eyes locked on three snipers that lurked below him. He aimed his arrow on one of them and struck; the soldier dropped his weapon and collapsed on the forest ground. His colleague turned abruptly, shocked to find him down so soon. He began to scan the place but not long, he became the next victim of an arrow. And again, the third one was down after the second. Hayate stared down at the man and reassured that he was dead before landing onto the ground. He looked up when his ears picked up the noise of propellers and found a helicopter. Light shone through the canopy of trees and Hayate was soon bathed in the light. Machine guns blazed but none of them reached him. He brandished an explosive arrow and aimed it at the vehicle. The arrow shot up and struck the helicopter, emanating an ear-piercing blast that echoed through the air.
Hayate stepped out of the midst and rejoined Kasumi and Ryu, only to find them standing in the middle of a bloody massacre. He faced Kasumi, who held a tear on her face. He went over and pressed her body against his, knowing the situation well, "I know it's hard for you to understand that it is a necessity of a ninja to kill those who interfere, but someday you'll overcome the guilt, Kasumi. Be brave like your sister." Kasumi wiped the tear and held her blood-stained tanto tightly in her hands. The three moved on to the port.
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Ayane woke up to the commotion nearby. She looked over to the next ship and spotted Etsudo sitting up too. He turned to his back and then turned to Ayane again. She looked surprised when she spotted him writing something on a small piece of paper, he hurriedly folded it and tied it to a kunai. He threw it and Ayane caught it. It read: Kimura spotted. What now?
She looked up again, only to realize that Etsudo had seemed to fall into the same fate as the previous victim. Not long after, she sensed a certain presence as she noticed a shadow looming over her. Without even seeing who it was, Ayane rolled out of the way, missing a bullet. She flipped over the attacker and covered his mouth with one hand. The guard tried in vain to call for help, but her hand strangled the cry in his throat. A metallic object flashing in the assassin's free hand was the last thing he ever saw. The next moment, he was dead.
Ayane let the lifeless body slide to the floor. She leaned over the corpse to retrieve the kunai she had embedded in the guard's brain; she turned and found herself surrounded yet by more guards. The memory of the massacre struck back mercilessly in her mind. Each time it flashed inside, it hurt her, it infuriated her. She stared at one of the guards that encircled her; she recalled her arduous training she spent with Etsudo and Kimura quite a while ago. She remembered what she learnt from the technique scroll she retrieved from the rubble, and she remembered it well. She focused a little longer, before she vanished in the blink of an eye. The brigands looked around in confusion and snapped back to their senses when she appeared before a guard, brandished a twin-bladed sword and slashed him several times without mercy. After the man dropped dead, the other guards looked as if they were seeing duplicates when numerous illusions of Ayane appeared before them. They opened fire. The whole scene was a mess of passing bullets and flipping, dodging hallucinations. But in the end, it all ended up in a blood bath. Only the captain remained, he could be seen hiding from a distance. Ayane's eyes turned cold.
"You... the lady tengu..." the captain stammered as he stared at Ayane. Blood trickled from a small wound, made by a bullet which grazed her left shoulder, down her arm and dripped from her fingers. He hastily made for the helicopter resting at the far end of the ship and started it. He took off and dropped a bomb. Ayane jumped and rolled out of the way before it landed and sent a loud explosion ringing in the night. She gripped her sword tightly in her hands and stood up from her crouching position. She looked toward the sea and saw yet another port. With the tournament in mind, she leapt from the ship.
Etsudo took a step back from the sight of the guards that surprised him a little. He readied his swords as his enemies took aim.
"Time to give a crack with these babies..." He unsheathed his sword and began charging, dodging bullets as he ran. He ran, dodged, flipped, slashed, and went at it again. He unsheathed another sword and sent more souls leaving for the next world as more guards filled in. he kicked one in the chest and stabbed him while he was down. He dodged a bullet that came from behind and turned to face three more soldiers, who seemed to be covering the captain. Etsudo brandished two more swords from his waist, and stuck one of them in his mouth. He bit the hilt tightly and dashed again. With two swords in his right hand, one in the left and one in his mouth, he struck the three of them at once with accurate precision. Before he could do anything next, he found himself facing a helicopter hovering above him. Etsudo quickly placed his swords back in their scabbards and jumped ship before he heard a resounding blast.
Ayane heaved in exhaustion when she lifted herself to land. She turned when she heard someone else arriving at the location; Etsudo lifted an eyebrow when he saw Ayane there. Kimura came next.
"A port... or a cemetery?" Kimura narrowed his eyes at the scene. The place resembled a nesting place for corpses but the buildings gave away the location's identity.
"True, this is the port. But it seems we're not alone." Etsudo turned serious when he detected a rather well-built man confronting a survivor of the ruckus. Ayane recognized him right away.
"Tell me! Where is Donovan?!" the man spoke in a demanding manner.
"Please... his location is secret, even we don't know where he..." his words were cut short when a gunshot sounded. The guard lay motionless on the ground.