Ah, the school year has been over for two weeks now, and I'm so glad to be back home, relaxing. I've been writing a lot, but not updating, just so I have lots of story for the future and it makes sense as a whole! Over the summer, I plan on working to save up $, going to Texas, and writing! Ugh, my new found addiction to isn't helping, tho...

Insert customary thanks for reviews & emails here.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the DOA characters nor affiliated with Tecmo or Team Ninja...as much as I wish I was.

Chapter 9
A Butterfly and Funky Guy

Ayane walked through the courtyard of the Mugen-Tenshin village. A large crowd of people stood shoulder to shoulder, either listening to an old man screaming about something or giving her cold stares as she pushed her way past them. She was headed for the Council Hall.

Entering the great wooden door, Ayane knelt before her master and father Genra, who sat crossed-legged on a pillow. She had been in the Council Hall once before, as a child, when she was assigned to help her father with the Hajin-Mon. Genra was her only family, a kind man she knew her whole life, but never once had he summoned her so abruptly.

"Genra," she said, resting her forearm on her knee and bowing her head respectfully. "You asked to see me."

Her father looked at her with dark eyes. "I take it that you have not heard the news," he said quietly. "Your half-sister, Kasumi, has left the village."

Ayane snapped her head upward in surprise. She gazed at Genra with wide eyes. "She went rogue? Why?"

"We suspect it is because she did not want to become clan leader. She was very reluctant to accept the position when the elders told her of the appointment. She said it is still Hayate's right, but the Council and I believe that the worst befell him."

"So she went shinobi and taken it upon herself to find Nii-san…" continued Ayane with a distant tone in her voice. She dropped her head to the ground, not wanting her mentor to read the anger in her face.

"She has everything I ever wanted, anyone could ever want: a family, the village loves her, an offer for a position I've worked my whole life in my clan to get…and she throws it away!" thought Ayane, bitterly. She scowled at the floor. "At least she's taking responsibility for something that's her fault…"

"She is a liability to the Mugen-Tenshin clan, and therefore, ours also. She broke her parents' hearts and brought shame to the clan," Genra said, his voice firm. "There is no need to capture her. She is a traitor…kill her."

Ayane had never heard such words from her father. She suddenly became fearful of Genra and herself. As a warrior for the Hajin-Mon, Ayane never contemplated the extent of what she would do for her clan. Now, she had the chance to prove how powerful she was.

"Yes," she said dutifully. Ayane raised her head to confirm to her master that she had accepted the mission, and a devious smile spread across her face.

Leaving the Council Hall, Ayane realized what the old man was saying to the crowd. She heard gasps and cries of anger when he disclosed the circumstances of their newly-appointed leader running away in the night. There was a small bounty on her head. With one evening, their beloved Kasumi, the bright and bubbly kunoichi, became the hunted ninja dog. Looking around, Ayane couldn't find Kasumi's father in the crowd. Even though he never acknowledged her presence, Ayane knew how much torment the man was in now that he lost his other child.

She turned as she heard the sound of a crying woman approaching her. Ayane saw the tears streaming from her mother's eyes. Not knowing what to do, she held out her arms and wrapped them around Ayame. Her mother buried her face in Ayane's smooth leather jacket, holding her only remaining daughter as tight as she could. Ayane ran her hand through Ayame's long brown hair.

"It's terrible, Ayane," her mother whispered. Ayane could hardly hear her voice over the now-boisterous crowd. "Why did she go after we told her not to? How could she disobey us like this?"

"Because she's the real cold-hearted bitch," Ayane thought bitterly, angry that their mother was reduced to tears. However, she didn't say anything to cause her mother anymore distress.

"You may not care, but Shiden is absolutely torn over Kasumi's rash decision," Ayame continued. "He's been locked in the house, too ashamed to leave and face the clan. But I know no one blames him."

"What about you, mother?" Ayane asked, pulling away enough to look into the similar round brown eyes. They were the eyes all of Ayame's children shared.

"I…I'm just so grateful that I still have you." Ayane smiled, knowing what a good woman their mother was. "Please, take care of yourself and promise me…"

Ayame stopped her words and just gazed at her daughter. "What mother?" Ayane asked, suddenly insecure at the intense look.

"Please promise me that you will always remember your sister as you remember Hayate," Ayame finished. "I know that you didn't get along as well with her, but please, promise me that."

Ayane didn't know what to say. Would it hurt her mother if she knew how much she detested Kausmi? She didn't take the chance. This promise meant something to Ayame, and since Kasumi didn't care about her, Ayane would honor her mother. She nodded silently.

The small gesture easily lifted Ayame's spirits. A small flicker of happiness danced in her eyes before she kissed Ayane on the cheek and walked back to her house. Ayane turned in the other direction and walked out of the village, purposely pushing the gate sentries on her way out. She grabbed the black helmet resting on the chair of her motorcycle.

"After I kill her, I will remember my dear sister Kasumi after she is dead in her grave," she thought gleefully as she revved the engine. "That was, after all, my promise to my mother."

Ayane raced through the streets of Masanori on her motorcycle, careful to dodge the numerous police officers still combing the streets for clues to the murder of the famous opera singer. Ayane wished she could smile at getting away with her hit, but her task was far from completed. She missed her first target. Now, the police were looking for her, the acrobatic assassin, as they called her in the papers. If there was anyone she could go to for advice, it was the person inside the shop where she parked her cycle in front of.

"Curio shop, huh?" Ayane said as she walked up the steps, not taking her helmet off until she was inside. As she opened the door, a small bell rang to announce her entrance.

"Holy crap," she said, finally removing the helmet to take a closer look at a skinny glass case. Inside, there were dried fingers and eagle claws resting on black shadow boxes. At least, she hoped they were eagle claws. Tearing her eyes away from the sickening display, Ayane scanned the walls of the rather tall shop. There were paintings of samurai and old Japanese warriors, clocks, and masks lining the walls all around her. Suddenly, Ayane realized she had done enough browsing and went on looking for the man she sought out.

Finally, after peering behind the front counter and into a bright room, Ayane spotted Ryu Hayabusa reading a newspaper in a large black chair. However, she mostly noticed that his eyes weren't moving to read the article, but just staring at the page in front of his nose. "I guess curio shop just means 'weird shit sold here', huh?" she commented, hoping he heard her voice.

Hayabusa blinked and looked up from the paper. Smiling, he went to her at the counter. "Hey Ayane!" he said oddly cheery. "You never come to see me here in the shop."

"You never invite me to come see you," she retorted, grinning back. Ayane couldn't help herself, but noted how well Hayabusa dressed himself, especially in green and black. Yes, he was a very handsome man.

Hayabusa winked at the younger girl. "Well, I figured you're only into secret ninja stuff and wouldn't think twice about seeing what the normal people do to make a living."

Ayane shrugged, telling him that it was somewhat true, but noticed the outline of a police officer at the door in the mirror on the wall behind Hayabusa. "Oh crap!" she cursed, diving behind the counter and practically hugging Hayabusa's legs.

"What the-?" he gasped, very confused to why there was a kunoichi at his feet. Hayabusa looked up when he heard the bell ring again and saw a police officer entering his shop. "Oh no…" the thought as the officer approached the counter.

The officer cleared his throat, as if to intimidate the Dragon Ninja. "Do you know who owns the motorcycle outside?" he said in a forced bass voice.

"Yes," replied Hayabusa slowly. He suddenly, and violently, twitched when Ayane pinched him on the leg with her nails. The officer stared at him with suspicion. "It's mine."

The officer didn't response right away, but looked over Hayabusa with narrowed eyes. The ninja, however, easily kept his neutral expression on his chiseled face. "How long have you had the bike?"

"Three years," Hayabusa replied casually. He leaned with his arm on the counter. "Are you interested in buying it? It's pretty worn in."

"I'm looking for a murder suspect," the officer snapped angrily. He got right into Hayabusa's face, which angered the ninja for the flagrant lack of respect.

"No, officer," Hayabusa said slowly, and, as Ayane thought, very threateningly. He stood straight up, glaring down at the officer three inches shorter than the curio shop owner. "I do not know anything of use to you…sir."

The officer only scoffed and turned his back to leave the store. Meanwhile, under the counter, Ayane looked at a few cloth-bound books on the shelves near her. Her interest guided her to grab one ratty book in particular and flip through the pages. She stopped at one page with a picture of a repulsive thing in a mountain range. The creature was mammoth and fat, with dark skin and huge feathery wings protruding out of its back. It had the face of an ancient Japanese man, except his nose was about eight inches long.

The tengu is a magical creature from another dimension…

"Ayane?"

The kunoichi tore her eyes away from the book article and into the green eyes of Hayabusa. He was staring at her with a gaze of great intensity. "You have some explaining to do," he said flatly, not even smiling.

However, the first thing out of Ayane's mouth was, "Hey, look at this fatty." She held open the book to the standing ninja and pointed to the picture.

"That's my uncle," said Hayabusa in the same, unamused tone.

"Oh."

Then he smiled. "Sort of." Ayane glared at him and jumped to her feet. Hayabusa took the reading material from her hands, closed the book, and put it back on the shelf where she found it. "That 'fatty' is a Tengu. The Hayabusa clan, long before they were even known as the Dragon Ninjas, was thought to be related to the Tengu by the civilian people. They thought my ancestors had magical powers because of the range of highly-skilled maneuvers they used in combat."

"So they don't really exist?"

Hayabusa shrugged with a playful grin on his face. "No, but we like to pretend that they do. It makes me more intimidating, eh?" Ayane reached over and slugged him on the arm. Hayabusa pretended that she hurt him quite hard as he rubbed where her fist met his flesh, and the kunoichi stormed through the backdoor to the area where Ayane first spied on him. In truth, Ayane hurt his arm quite a bit. "Would you like some sushi while you explain to me why I had to lie to a police officer, and more importantly, why you pinched me so hard on the leg?" he called after her.

"Damn right, you'll make me some sushi, bitch!" came the reply.

Laughing, Hayabusa took out some freshly-rolled sushi from his refrigerator in the back room. He began slicing the roll into bite-sized pieces and arranging them neatly on a plate. Ayane stood there, taking in the layout of the room, with her hands on her hips. The room was a basic kitchen with a stove, sink, pantry, and refrigerator. In the corner, a small wooden box sat under a large square in the ceiling. "What is that for?" she asked, pointing to the box.

"Those are the stairs to the second floor," replied Hayabusa, reaching for two sodas with his free hand. He opened another door that led away from the shop front and into a beautiful backyard, complete with a garden and flower patch. Motioning to a patio table, Hayabusa waited for his guest to take a seat before he leaned over the table to arrange the place settings. Ayane noticed a small pendant falling out of his shirt, dangling from Hayabusa's neck and spinning in the wind.

"You still wear that, Master Ryu?" she said breathlessly, Ayane's eyes staring at the pendant.

Hayabusa looked down and realized his talisman was in plain view. She saw his eyes grow dark as he silently reached for it and tucked it back inside his shirt. Not bothering to look at her, he asked if she needed anything else. Feeling guilty, Ayane only requested for chopsticks.

Her host went back inside the kitchen and returned with two pairs of chopsticks and the newspaper he was reading. "The officer asked for some information on a murder suspect, and the newspaper said they're looking for the purple-haired acrobatic assassin," Hayabusa said sternly, tossing the paper on the table.

'Damn it, he really was reading the paper," Ayane thought crossly. She leant back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest defensibly. Studying Hayabusa's face, Ayane saw something in his eyes that told her something bothered him more than her being a wanted assassin. Still, there was no arguing with Hayabusa. "Did you see the sketch they made of me on page five? They gave me such an ugly nose, like that Tengu thing."

Shaking his head, Hayabusa let a sigh escape his lips. He sat down at the table, and Ayane noticed that his posture was slightly dejected. Just staring at her, Hayabusa said, "Let's make a deal. We both explain ourselves, one at a time, while we eat this sushi."

Remembering that she hadn't eaten today, Ayane grabbed a pair of chopsticks and brought a small roll to her mouth. "This is great," Ayane said, still munching on the piece, not bothering to acknowledge the deal.

"I made it," he replied. Ayane looked at him with wide, surprised eyes. "I used the fish I caught the other day at the river." Ayane nodded silently and ate another piece. Sighing, Hayabusa continued. "I suppose I'll go first since you're a little preoccupied."

Ayane smiled sheepishly. There was no way in hell she was talking about the night at the opera, at least, while there was this delicious sushi in front of her. Hayabusa gazed sadly into her eyes before averting his head. "Yes, Ayane," he said, toying with his necklace through his shirt. "I still wear my Talisman of Rebirth."

Slowing her chewing, Ayane wrinkled her eyebrows as she realized he was addressing her question. "Every night in the forest, I go to sleep still hearing the dying screams of my people and the evil laughter of the Fiends. This thing is sort of my charm. Sometimes, when I meditate, I think I hear the voices calling out, mothers begging for their child to live again, my fellow soldiers asking for honor in the afterlife. I feel so selfish for keeping the talisman with me and find it hard to blame Doku and Murai for my curse. If I never left the village, if I didn't allow myself get seduced by the blood of revenge…perhaps it wouldn't have been my fault."

"That's not true," Ayane said softly. She had never heard such confessions from her hero. As much as she never wanted to admit it, she held great respect for Hayabusa since their last mission to destroy the Vigoor Empire.

There was a moment of silence between them. "Sometimes, I think that maybe if I can punish myself enough, that the Talisman will grant me another life, but nothing can compensate for all of the blood I shed.

"And sometimes I told myself that it wasn't my fault, but the nightmares still come back, as if punishing me for the chaos," he said, slowly lifting his eyes to meet Ayane's gaze. Their deep, reflective color seemed to apologize for letting the burden come out onto her ears. "So I moved here, spending more time at the shop and pretending I was busy. I bought the whole building and redecorated it into an apartment as well as the curio shop."

Ayane eyed him suspiciously. "How did you get the money to do that?"

For the first time that day, Hayabusa flashed a brilliant smile. He looked much happier, very apparent that he was relieved to get rid of the emotional baggage he carried alone for so long. "You'd be surprised how much you'd get for Fiend dragon bones and fangs from the Super Ninja Ryu Hayabusa."

"So why are you still rebuilding the clan if you don't even live there?"

Hayabusa shrugged. "I owe it to my ancestors. There will still be Hayabusa, just not right now. I have to clear my head for a while and get away. I think I deserve a little bit of a vacation," he said. However, Hayabusa arched an accusing eyebrow. "Except I don't think I'll be getting one anytime soon now that there are cops coming to the shop."

Ayane grinned innocently. "That's not my fault," she said, picking up another piece of sushi. "But last night at the opera house was."

Hayabusa shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but Ayane cut him off. "Okay, okay! Before you go all preachy on me, let me explain what happened." She swallowed the food in her mouth and leaned back in the chair. "I went and did exactly what you didn't want me to, and which was agreeing to take on an assassination assignment from a white guy. He's some big meathead kind of guy and for some reason wanted me to shoot some woman, a singer. So last night, I snuck into the Opera House unseen, set up my things in the rafters, and let it happen, only…I missed."

"And that's a bad thing?" said Hayabusa with surprise. "If you missed, why was an officer in my shop, Ayane?"

"By miss, I mean, I missed my target," Ayane snapped back. "I hit the girl's mother instead. That's who the officer was questioning you about. But I don't understand, I can skewer a mosquito with a kunai from twenty feet away, but I can't hit a big-headed diva with a professional, state-of-the-art rifle with precision aiming? I don't get it."

Hayabusa ran a hand through his bangs. Obviously, Ayane was capable of handling herself, but still, she was a wanted murderer. "Do you realize how much you've compromised the safety of your clan by this mistake?" he asked sternly. "What if they go looking for you out there?"

"They won't," Ayane said, but not very convincingly. There was a thick silence at the table, neither of its occupants bothering to say anything. Finally, Ayane pounded her fist on the flat surface. "Dammit! I was so close!"

"Close to what, Ayane? Taking another life?" he growled back. Hayabusa felt didn't need this extra stress. He had his own life to take care of without having to solve problems for anyone else.

Ayane was too angry to think of a witty reply. She had investigated every detail her stupid sister Kasumi told the Council. She researched the "dark uniforms" of the people who took Hayate; Kasumi said the people went by a short name, Ayane narrowed the company down to the only one notorious for human experimentation: DOATEC. Then, she had an opportunity to infiltrate that same organization, and she blew it. Now, Hayabusa was turning against her, and Ayane was nowhere near finding her brother.

"You wouldn't understand," she said quietly, rising from the table and turning her back on him to look at the garden.

Hayabusa watched the small figure move with swiftness. Suddenly, his conscious got the best of him. "Since when have I been so selfish?" he thought, knowing Ayane was masking her hurt feelings from him. She had done that since they were children, and he didn't bother to offer her help even after she had been there for him. She had always been there for him. "What wouldn't I understand?" Hayabusa asked with a much softer voice.

"I did this for Hayate," Ayane replied, turning slightly so Hayabusa could only see one side of her face. "You probably don't believe that, but I will find him. He's my brother and your best friend. He means so much to all of us, and if death is the answer…so be it."

"Ayane please," Hayabusa started, but the kunoichi turned away once more.

"I don't understand why you won't help me or at least look for him yourself."

Hayabusa stood by the table in silence, unable to comfort his friend. He promised Hayate he would take care of his sisters, but all he managed to do was lose one and turn his back to the other. He watched Ayane move from the porch area and to a butterfly fluttering around purple Forget-Me-Nots. Ayane held out her hand, and to his amazement, the butterfly landed gently onto her fingertips. Watching her, Hayabusa noticed how Ayane carried herself like her siblings, no matter how hard she tried to distinguish herself from the Mugen-Tenshin. There was no denying she had the same beauty as Kasumi, yet much more wild, like the butterfly in her hand.

"But definitely not that delicate," he thought with a smile on his face. Hayabusa remembered why he planted the purple flowers. "They remind me of her…"

His thoughts trailed off as the bell to the shop rang once more. Ayane looked up, slightly startled, and the butterfly took off with the wind. "I'll be right back," said Hayabusa, leaving the porch and disappearing beyond the door.

A very tall man with green hair browsed the countless shelves inside Hayabusa's shop. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he smiled at the store owner. "Hey, my best customer!" greeted Hayabusa with a small wave. "What can I help you with today, Sir Zack?"

"I'm not looking for anything in particular, Haya-my-main-man," Zack replied, scratching his scalp. "I knew I should have washed out the dye last night."

"How about some dandruff shampoo," Hayabusa said, making a face at his friend's new hair style. "Or some mildew and mold cleaner?"

"Very funny, man," said Zack, tearing his hand away from his hair. He reached over and pulled at Hayabusa's ponytail so it hung over the front of his shoulder. "You, on the other hand, need to cut your hair."

Hayabusa shrugged. "It's so the ladies can climb up to my room and rescue me."

"Uh huh…"

Lifting a finger to ask Zack for a second, Hayabusa disappeared behind a shelf to the side of the store. He returned to the counter with a strange kind of helmet or head gear of some sort. It had glasses in the front, and attached to the top of the frames, were rounded pieces that rested on the top of the head. It was a strange design and concept for normal sunglasses.

"Whoa! That's funky like me!" exclaimed Zack as he lifted the accessory to his face.

"I thought of you when I saw them," Hayabusa said, trying his hardest to not laugh.

Zack studied himself in the mirror on the wall. Fortunately, he didn't notice the small face peering at him from the doorway across the next room. "Did you hear about what happened at the opera last night?"

"Yes," said Hayabusa. "An officer asked me some questions earlier, but I didn't even know the details."

Turning from side to side and smiling at himself in the mirror, Zack continued the conversation. "I was there last night at the show. There were some hot chicks on stage singing really loud when suddenly bang! The noise was so loud and everyone started screaming." Zack snapped his fingers with a cheesy grin on his face. "I heard the girl who did it was a beast and knew acrobatics and shit."

Hayabusa couldn't contain the chuckle inside anymore. He had never heard anyone describe a woman as a beast, let alone Ayane. "Really now?" he said, smiling.

"Yeah, they think she's a ninja. Which is why I came to see you. Do ninjas still exist besides you? Like, mean ones?"

"I wouldn't know," said Hayabusa, shaking his head. He couldn't believe Zack was scared of ninjas now. "There were female ninjas, known as kunoichi, but you shouldn't be worried about them."

"The police saw the girl and her face. She has purple hair, how weird, huh?" Hayabusa just stared at him. "Do ninjas dye their hair?"

"I wouldn't know," shrugged Hayabusa. "I'm all natural."

"And you're a cool ninja," continued Zack, waving his hands around with great authority. "You save the world and shit. I'll take the glasses, but there aren't any shrunken heads?"

"Just sold out."

Zack sighed. "How much?"

"One-twenty."

"For you," Zack said as he pulled out a thick wad of money from his pocket. He dramatically counted bill after bill. "Here is two-fifty."

Hayabusa stared at the pile of money on his counter. He didn't have the heart to tell Zack that the glasses looked hideous, and there he was, overpaying for the atrocities. "I can't accept this, Zack! Since when did you spend so much?"

"Since I've been getting pair for my Thai boxing skills," he said with a proud smile on his face.

"Who would pay for that?"

"Victor Donovan from DOATEC!" Zack answered, oblivious to the slight insult in Hayabusa's question. "He's been recruiting lots of the best and most famous fighters in the world and paying them so he can study their moves. He even flew me out to Germany first class for free!"

Hayabusa's eyes shrank into narrow slits. Who would want to study fighting techniques if you don't use them yourself? "What did they do to you?"

Zack's hand went to his chin in quite a philosophical pose. "I…I don't exactly remember, actually. It's hard to…think about…and…" Hayabusa watched his face contort into a scary expression. "I don't even think I was supposed to tell you, so just forget about it."

"You know, what makes a fighter the best is his ability to keep their foe alert, attacking them with the unexpected and the original. If you sell your moves, then you will have none for yourself, and how would that make you the best?" said Hayabusa slowly, careful to change the subject and Zack's estranged appearance.

Blinking rapidly, Zack nodded feverously. "Oh yes," he said, apparently back to normal. "Wow, you are one smart dude."

Zack left the money and took his new pair of sunglasses. He began to walk away, but turned to look at Hayabusa before he reached the door. "You should really consider doing it though, to get some money for yourself and get out of this place. Maybe meet a girl?"

Hayabusa smiled back at him. "Thanks Zack, I'll look into this Donovan guy. And I'm actually making up my mind about getting out of here. I just need more time."

"Yeah man, that's the spirit," said Zack with a smile and a wave. "You're a good guy, Haya-man. You could get all the ladies you want, like yours truly. And after you get rid of all that hair."

With that, the bell rang once more and Zack was gone.

There y'all go, and may I say, I really like this chapter for many reasons (but mostly because I'm the author and I know how this stuff ties in with the story as a whole, muahaha!). Just remember, things sometimes aren't as they seem. A few parting notes...

x) A little referencing from previous chapters...?

x) The Talisman of Rebirth as a necklace, wtf! I know, I know, I just re-invented this item for my story. I need it!

x) Talisman of Rebirth/Doku/Murai/Vigoor Empire, wtf! Some allusions to Xbox's Ninja Gaiden. In a nutshell...play the game, it's the sh!t! hahaha!

x) The sunglasses that Zack buys really do exist; it's a model by Oakley called the "Overthetop", but I don't think I did a very successful description of them. You can find a pic of them if you type it in Google Images (I'd put a link, but is being difficult)