Note- There I was, happily typing away when, from out of no where, three of my closest friends busted into my room and grabbed me by my arms and legs! From there they dragged me out of my house, kicking and screaming, and threw me into the back of their van!
When I came to I was in the living room of my friends beach cottage! After extensively beating the shit out of my school buddies and applying Kurmoi's stiletto attack on my two guy friends, they explained that it was an early B-day present...
A whole vacation away from civilization... Even my parents had been in on it. (No wonder they didn't come to my aid...) Early morning walks on the beach and plenty of gaming... So I forgave them for their hostile and violent kidnapping of me from my home. My friend didn't have a computer so I couldn't work or update my story! Sorry for the wait!
Oh... This is a short chapter. Sorry, but I'll make the next one longer...
Everything had happened in slow motion... The window shattering, the lifeless body falling towards the earth... Each heartbeat seemed like an hour as the scene went on before him. Not even the dull "thump" of the body hitting the earth or the shower of glass around it was able to shake him from his daze...
Hayate just stood there, frozen. Beside him, Hayabusa stepped away from the cover of the trees and knelt beside the twisted body, looking into the once bright eyes that were now dark with death.
"Kasumi..."
No, it's not possible... Not Kasumi... She couldn't be...
But here she was, lying amongst the broken glass... Hayabusa placed his hand over her eyes and gently closed her lids, he had said something, but Hayate wasn't listening, only looking at the twisted figure before him.
Hayabusa turned his head slightly as approaching footsteps made their way towards them and with one word he was thrown out of his daze and into the depths of anger...
"Ayane..."
She had come from the church path, slightly limping and taking steady breaths... She had been fighting... and she had won...
"What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me?" She had the nerve to jest with Hayabusa. Hayate's hand twitched for his swords hilt.
She had killed Kasumi even after he had told her not to... She had disobeyed him and killed her without a second thought...
Hayabusa regarded her with his indifferent gaze.
"Are you the one who killed her, Ayane?"
Ayane shrugged and walked over to the body.
"Yeah, but the bitch gave me more of a fight then I had expected..."
She raised her foot to kick the still corpse but Hayate had his blade at her neck before she could finish the movement. His golden-brown eyes held hers in a gaze that promised something worse then death if she didn't lower her foot.
"How dare you..." His voice was so low Hayate himself didn't recognize it at first, "How dare you, Ayane..."
"Hayate?" Ayane tried to step away from the blade before her but Hayate followed her step and kept the blade at its place. Beside them Hayabusa made a move to stop Hayate...
"Hayate, calm down..."
"Stay out of this, Ryu!" Hayate said, still glaring into Ayane's eyes, "Why Ayane? Why did you disobey me? Why... How could you kill your own blood so easily?" Ayane said nothing; she just looked at him, then to his blade, then to Kasumi's dead body. Hayate tightened his grip on his sword, "Answer me!"
She gave him no answer, only brought her eyes to meet his, and... She smiled...
Hayabusa watched them, ready to knock Hayate's sword away if he needed to. Yes, Ayane had killed this person before them, but... this person wasn't Kasumi... Kasumi was...
"Hayate..." He nearly dropped his sword when he heard it. The soft voice that called his name... He looked down at the body before him but it showed no signs of life. Behind him came the light footsteps he thought he'd never hear again. Slowly he turned and slowly she came into view... Her amber hair flowing behind her... Her blue gi a complete contrast to their surroundings...
"Kasumi?"
She nodded and came closer to him, placing her hand on his blade and lowering it from Ayane's neck. Ayane's smile had vanished the moment she had spoken and now she glared at the girl in front of her. Hayate let the sword fall from his grip...
"Kasumi... How...?" He looked at the twisted body in front of him. Hayabusa stepped forward and picked up Hayate's sword.
"It is a replica..." He said as if he were talking about one of his antiques, "A mere copy... I believe you have had an encounter with one yourself, Hayate." Hayabusa sliced the blade harmlessly through the air and handed it back to Hayate.
"A clone..." Hayate said with incredible malice. He returned his blade to its sheath and looked at Ayane. The anger was slowly dying in Kasumi's presence, but his blood was still hot at the fact that she disobeyed him... again... and in the most horrible way... She tilted her head to the side and smirked at him.
"What's the matter, Hayate? I thought that you were seriously going to kill me this time... Is your happiness for Kasumi's life so great that you've forgotten your anger over the death of a clone?" Ayane laughed, but it was a bitter laugh...
"I don't know what's better... Having you happy and totally ignoring me, or having you so angry that I'm the only thing on your mind... Well, the thought of my death anyway..."
Hayate turned away from her and her nonsense to look over Kasumi. She looked fine, but one of her arms looked stiff. Apparently she noticed the attention he gave to her arm and nodded, "A wound in my side, one that Ayane dealt to me earlier today..."
He shot a glare in Ayane's direction and turned back to Kasumi, "You're not safe here... Our patrols come through here, please find somewhere safe to hide..."
"But Hayate..." Kasumi lifted her eyes in Ayane's direction.
"Don't worry about her, I'm here now... You'll be safe..."
No... He wasn't going to just let her go like this was he?
"Hayate! As leader of the clan you're supposed to kill the runaway, not let her escape!"
"Silence Ayane!" The anger had returned to his voice and his hand was on the hilt of his katana, "For one who has defied me and my orders you have no right to lecture me!" He turned back to Kasumi and took hold of her hand, "Follow me..."
No... He's not doing this... He's not helping her when he should be killing her... He's the leader of the clan she defied! How can he do this?
She's his sister and he loves her... The thought came to her easily since it was so obvious... And he'll never care for you as he does for her... Her hand slid to her ninjato... She had made a vow this night... This blade demanded true blood, not that of a clone... She'd give him one last chance...
"Kill her, Hayate... It's your duty..."
Hayate didn't bother to turn around to acknowledge her request. He just held his sweet Kasumi's hand in his own and kept walking...
So be it...
Ayane lunged forward at the retreating back in front of her, all aches and pains forgotten, her ninjato drawn and eager to taste the blood she had promised it... But before she could slice Kasumi's exposed back another blade parried her own... and it wasn't Hayate's...
"Hayabusa!" Ayane said through clenched teeth, "Get out of my way!" Both Hayate and Kasumi were fading quickly into the surrounding darkness, if she didn't catch up now she'd have no chance of catching them, but Hayabusa stood firmly in front of her, showing no sign of backing down.
"Stop this, Ayane... You're in no condition..."
"To hell with my condition! All that matters is that I kill Kasumi!" Ayane pushed away from Hayabusa's blade and looked him square in the face, "Now move or I'll force my way past!"
Hayabusa sheathed his katana and just stood there, watching her. Ayane followed his motion and put the ninjato away, "Will you move?" Hayabusa shook his head slowly.
"Ayane, don't do this..." His voice was quiet, his eyes downcast... Through this whole night, Hayabusa was the one obstacle Ayane didn't want to face; Hayate wouldn't have been a problem, but Hayabusa...
He was the one person who had shown her kindness, the only person who showed any signs about caring for her well-being and she still didn't know why... He had been too kind to her...
Even though she knew it was possible, she didn't want it to come to this, having to fight him to get to Kasumi... But here they were... Kasumi was fleeing deeper into the forest and Hayabusa was standing in her way... What was she going to do now?
If he won't move, I have no choice...
Ayane set her feet apart and balanced herself. Her body was sore but she could still manage a small fight... Just small enough to get past Hayabusa, then she could run after Kasumi... Hayabusa watched her take her stance but didn't move to make his own.
"I don't want to fight you, Ayane..."
"Then move..."
"I can't... I still have a promise to keep to your brother..."
"If you're so concerned about your promise then don't complain about the consequences!" Ayane rushed forward, getting close enough that Hayabusa was only a punch away, but at the last second she faked to his right. At first she thought she would make it past him, but Hayabusa was too fast...
Before she could pass he grabbed her by her forearm and pulled her back towards him, wrapping his left arm around her neck firmly but not painfully. They were so close she could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed steady breaths.
"Please Ayane... Don't make me do this..."
"Dumbass..." Her sprint had made her dizzy, but she wasn't going to give up, "I'm not making you do anything, your body's moving on it's own."
"By now, both Hayate and Kasumi must be far from this forest, there's no reason to continue this..." His voice was barely a whisper in her ear.
"Liar... They're still in the forest... I can still feel them..."
Hayabusa was holding her gently so it was easy to slip from his grasp. Hayabusa watched as she jumped away before he could grab her again.
Her legs were wobbling slightly, her eyes seemed to be having trouble focusing and she was breathing heavier then she should have been. If she kept this up she would stress her body out to no end.
"Ayane, if you don't stop this..."
"Shut up and get out of my way!" Ayane ran at him again but this time she didn't try to run past him. Instead, she aimed a punch for his face.
No more... I can't let her continue this... She'll hurt herself more then I ever could...
In one swift moment he grabbed her arm and threw her upwards. Ayane didn't know what was happening until the wind filled her senses. She could feel strong hands holding her sides as she plummeted downwards... But before she hit the ground, she could hear two words...
"Forgive me..."
And then, with the hard impact between her and the forest's floor, she fell into darkness...