Butterfly
Disclaimer: I don't own DOA or any of these characters.
Chapter 2: The Truth
Ayane, after being left alone, walked away past the airport's silver gates and onto the sidewalk of the city. After a while she made it to the outskirts of Tokyo, where the street lamps and the lights from store signs were her only source of light. Ayane glanced down at the ground, watching her feet shuffle her along the hard concrete below her. Very few people walked about, still keeping a silence that did not disturb anyone else. Though, as the silence consumed the area, Ayane lost awareness of her surroundings and began to zone out. The silence was soon disturbed by the sound of a car engine, soft but audible. A small blue sedan pulled over close to the sidewalk, moving at Ayane's walking pace. Soon after the car could maintain stability, the passenger window had rolled down next to Ayane.
Among a shadowy figure, a soft but manly voice called out, "Ayane…"
Ayane resumed walking, glaring at the floor beneath her, her eyes ever-open.
The voice called out again, "Ayaneee……." The voice said, trying to shake Ayane from her meditation.
The voice cried out a third time, but with force this time around, "Ayane!"
Ayane jumped away from the car, being startled. After a short moment of calming down, Ayane glared at the figure and finally identified the man.
"Master Ryu…is that you?" Ayane questioned, tilting her head waiting for a response.
The car stopped and the interior light turned on, revealing the man that was to Ayane's expectation.
"Yes it's me Ayane," Ryu replied with a hint of sarcasm, "can't you recognize my voice?"
Ayane approached the car and leaned in the open window, "Heh, I'm sorry; it's been awhile since I've seen you, but what are you doing here?" Ayane questioned.
"Hey, I can't just leave you to walk all the way back to the Hajinmon village could I?" Ryu answered, gesturing for Ayane to get in the car.
Ayane opened the door, first tossing her luggage in the back seat then she sat down herself. After closing the door, Ryu handed Ayane an object wrapped in a black cloth. She looked confused and tilted her head then reached for it. As soon as she touched it, the image of a shadowy figure surrounded in tall flame flashed before her eyes. Ayane pulled back her hand, seeing these images.
"Is it-?" Ayane questioned, assuming Ryu knew what she was talking about.
Ryu simply nodded and uncovered the object. Ayane's eyes widened with shock. It was Genra's energy saber, a weapon she greatly feared. As she held it, a short past moment passed in her mind. It was the moment when Genra had violently struck Ayane with the saber in the stomach sending her backward into the blazing heat.
Ayane came back to reality, hearing Ryu speak again, "We have done research on it, and for some reason, we can't duplicate its technology. Who ever created it was highly intelligent, beyond the minds of many in the my clan"
Ayane was hardly listening to Ryu rant on, though the subject of the matter was quite important. Ayane was just fascinated by it and stared at the deactivated weapon.
Soon Ryu realized he was getting no attention at all, but he couldn't blame Ayane. He just shrugged and began to drive the car up the street onto the highway. The rapid succession of street lamps illuminated the vehicle every second, while there was a dead silence in the car. Only the soft sound of the radio would play some j-pop music. Finally, Ryu grew impatient with the silence and broke it.
"So…how was the vacation?" Ryu asked.
"Oh," Ayane looked down and smiled remembering the good times during the vacation, "it was very nice thank you. I was able to know the other girls better. It seems I may have judged them too quickly. On top of that, we played some volleyball. I never knew it was such a brutal sport. We all ended up with cuts, bruises and even Hitomi ended up with a bloody nose. Well, that was sorta my fault." Ayane said rubbing the back of her head smiling innocently.
"Well, it seems like you had fun. I wish I could've gone. It's been awhile since I enjoyed the scenery of the ocean." Ryu responded.
"Mhm, I'm sure. You want to be with the ladies I bet. Don't lie Ryu. You may be a super ninja, but you are still a man." Ayane said still smiling innocently to the point where Ayane would have a halo hovering over her head.
Ryu slightly turned red, concentrating on driving, "I…but…I don't mean…" Ryu became stuck in the conversation and ended with four words, "I need a vacation..."
Ayane chuckled but her happy expression faded back to a mellow one gradually. She looked back down at the blade, and from that moment on, no one said a word.
Eventually, Ryu turned onto a dirt road, a road that had to have led to Ayane village in the forest. Two red wooden pillars, with another lying atop of them drew close as Ryu continued to drive. Ayane glared at the pillars, her village's gate.
Ryu drove past the gate, into the main courtyard. As Ayane smiled with joy, she quickly grabbed her luggage from the backseat and opened the door and stepped outside.
"Thanks Ryu!" Ayane said gratefully.
Ayane watched Ryu's car drive away. The beaming red taillights and the crackling sound of rocks under tires were the last she saw of him. Her concentration was disturbed by a sense of someone watching her. She slowly turned around, seeing most of the friendly villagers, standing in a group quietly. She smiled, seeing her old friends run toward her in a riot. As the villagers formed, almost a circle tightly around Ayane, they asked her questions but all was gibberish to Ayane. The dilated sound of the many voices in the crowd was too much for one's mind to take in. She finally found the courage to talk but it was not what the villagers wanted to hear.
"Thank you very much for coming out to see me but, I can not answer you all at once. So I ask that you all talk with me tomorrow after I have rested. Thank you again, it's very nice to see all of you." Ayane shouted, but soon lowered her volume as the crowd silenced.
The crowd then left back to their homes scattering in different directions. One person, after the entire crowd left, decided to linger, and it was someone whom Ayane had not intended it to be. It was a woman dressed in a kimono of assorted flowers, with long black hair, hazel eyes, and roughly the same height as Ayane. The two women stood there for a few minutes in a stare off of emotionless faces. Ayane's eyes became wet, and a tear rolled down her face. Shortly after, the other woman had done the same.
Running to the woman, Ayane cried out "Mom!" and hugged her tightly.
Ayane's mother, Ayame, began to sob and hadn't said a word, but only hugged her daughter. It had been years since she saw her own mother. Ever since Kasumi became a runaway, Ayane had yet to see any of the villagers including her mother. It was a joyous time indeed, a mother and daughter united once more. The happy moment was interrupted by a small voice aside them. It was one of the servant's and as he was looked at, he bowed with great respect.
"Miss Ayane, we have prepared your room. It's going to rain soon." The servant said, still bowing his head.
"Thank you very much, it is well appreciated." Ayane said, smiling.
After the servant had left, Ayane and her mother journeyed up to the black castle which its foundations laid in the mountain. After they entered the castle they moved to Ayane's room in which was prepared for them as the servant said. As they entered, they found new folded kimonos hung on bars in the corners of the room. A table in the center was set with tea and food and black pillows as the seats. On the right wall, hung a beautiful painting of Fujiyama, and on the left wall hung assorted weaponry, decoratively sheathed. Ayame entered the room first, and sat down while Ayane entered. As soon as they began to feast, a conversation had begun.
"So Ayane how was your vacation. Did you enjoy yourself?" Ayame started.
"Oh it was very good thank you. You should have been there mother; it was such a beautiful island." Ayane responded.
"Islands are always a pleasure to be on. Anyway, who else went with you? I'm sure it wasn't just you."
"Oh, the girls from the tournament had gone too. I still wonder why none of the men were invited. Though it did give us a chance to get away from them and actually get to know each other better."
"It always is. Men can be a burden at times, but do tell what you did, I'm quite curious"
"Since I had arrived on the island, I just wanted to swim in the water and just enjoy the view, but there was so much more to do. I went clothes shopping, well more for swimsuits but it didn't matter. I played some volleyball with the other girls but Kasumi and I didn't win the tournament. Anyway, I did go play at the casino and…"
Ayame had cut her daughter off, "Casino? Ayane you know better than to gamble."
"No, it was alright, mom. The money was only good on the island and nowhere else. So it didn't matter whether I lost it or not. Though I did manage to win every gamble I made. Other than that, I just y'know… socialized, watched a few movies."
"Well it sounds like you had a grand time. But I have something I want to talk to you about."
"About what, mom?"
"About what happened in the 3rd tournament…" Ayame finished speaking; a long silence had taken over the room. "What happened to Genra, Ayane? Perhaps, I can put this puzzle together"
"What puzzle?" Ayane questioned.
"You'll see, now, please tell me what happened." Ayame said, in a serious tone.
"Well, it all started with me and Hayate". As Ayane described the story, their imaginations made it a dream more than monologue.
In a snowy forest, where white birch flourished, two figures stood facing each other in the storm. Ayane, wearing a black ninja uniform and her brother Hayate in white stood face to face staring each other down.
"I can not let you do this Ayane. Genra must be destroyed and I am the one to do it." Hayate called out amongst the wind.
"But Hayate…this is something that I must do. I-I can't explain it…" Ayane said in a shaky voice.
"No…" Hayate bluntly said, his cold stare piercing into Ayane's eyes.
Ayane was too determined to lose this chance, and she would kill Genra, even if she had to defeat her brother first. Ayane finally realized what she had to do. That moment she positioned herself in the Hajinmon-Ninjutsu stance, and awaited her brother's response. Hayate closed his eyes, almost amazed at Ayane's determination but his pride, caused him to underestimate his sister. Hayate stood in his own Tenshin-Mugen stance and waited for the fight to begin.
"…why?" Ayane asked, in an almost silent voice.
Hayate's patience had run out, and he charged at Ayane with aggression in each step he took. He threw a fierce punch at Ayane, but she was too distracted to focus and she was sent back a few feet, onto the ground. Hayate watched her sister hit the snowy floor, looking completely helpless. Nonetheless, Ayane was too determined to give up. She reformed her stance and braced for her brother's next move. Hayate dashed toward her again but found himself in a fight of strikes, blocks and counter moves. For hours they fought, each taking their own share of blows.
Finally after two devastating clouts, the two opponents backed away from each other. They stood face to face, staring each other down, one wanting to win, the other not wanting to fight. Ayane stood, slightly bent forward, holding her stomach while a trail of blood dripped from her mouth. Her brother stood his face swollen, in several places, holding his right shoulder. Hayate's loss only caused him to fight more; he wanted to defeat Genra himself.
He ran toward her sister, one final time. Ayane nodded her head, almost giving herself confidence. She began to spin in place in an almost ballet form. Her spins became rapid, and she began to spin, several times per second. As Hayate drew close, he jumped into the air and whipped a fast kick aiming towards Ayane's face. As the kick drew closer, Ayane moved backward while spinning, and as the kick pulled back she moved forward again. Without hesitation, Ayane threw a kick of her own, using the momentum of her spin to power it. The blow struck Hayate in the stomach before he touched the ground from his own attack. As Ayane's foot made contact with Hayate, he was sent back and broke through a thin tree, then lay on the white ground.
Hayate was rendered unconscious and he lay on the ground as the white flurry buried him. Ayane quickly regained stability then looked at the damage she had done. She looked down, closing her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheeks, weeping for her actions. She wanted to comfort her brother but something told her not to. The area became silent, even the fierce wind had calmed. A large dark figure appeared amongst the sallow blizzard. The sound of breath under metal sounded, the origin apparently coming from the shadow.
Finally, Ayane and her mother's attention focused back from their imagination to the actual conversation that was taking place.
"…and that's when I saw Genra. He was wearing his samurai armor and the silver mask too, but something was really different about him." Ayane said, almost fading back to memory.
"Different…what was different?" Ayame asked, as if concerned about what happen.
"Well…his eyes were glowing red, and he was so much more muscular than before. His skin was black, so dark it was just inhumane. He also had a sword that I had never seen before. It was double-side, but the blades were just made of energy and cut through anything. I couldn't believe what he had become but I knew that he couldn't have turned this way by choice, he told me himself, 'Power leads to corruption, and that's why we learn our limits and control ourselves.' He must have been cursed by a sorcerer, a witch, or some kind of magic." Ayane spoke, pausing between each sentence to think of the past.
"I see… I do not know what happen to him but I know something that may lead your story Ayane." Ayame responded zoning out herself remembering her own memories. "It was a normal day…" their minds faded into their imaginations again.
Ayame had just opened her eyes waking from her long restful slumber. She rose out of bed and after taking care of her morning routines she ventured outside and stood by the railing along the walkway which circled the castle. She looked at the horizon, staring at the beautiful sunrise. She looked to the right, noticing a black object, which she could not make out.
"What kind of bird is this…?" Ayame asked herself. Soon a rapid beat pumped through the air and she noticed the spinning blades of a helicopter. Her eyes narrowed, noticing she was mistaken realizing it was just a passing helicopter. She looked away from it, into another direction. Soon the chopping sound became louder, and then several different ones had begun to sound. Ayame turned back at the helicopter, only to see six of them, instead of one. She leaned away from the railing and began to walk towards the door, her eyes still fixed on the approaching air crafts. As the sound became deafening she ran into the door way. As she did, the guns of the helicopter shot at her position.
She ran inside to warn the others, but it seemed that everyone else had been aware of the situation. All those who were to defend the village were gone. The others had stayed in the base of the castle. Ayame ran down stairs to the others and waited. All that could be heard were gunshots and explosions. Everyone in the castle was frightened, and shivered in fear. Then, an explosion had taken out a wall of the castle, and as the smoke had cleared, a large robotic-looking man walked in the room. It held a gun, with a laser-sight, and wore a helmet with a one large red lens in the center.
He looked at everyone in the room, the sound of his heavy footsteps, were joined by clinks of metal. As a low static noise came from the man, he held his hand on the side of his head.
"Mission completed, at ease", a voice stated.
The man nodded his head and walked out of the building. Then, the helicopter sounds faded, and explosions stopped. Ayame hesitated before leaving, and then ran outside in a hurry trying to find Genra. The village was damaged, rooftops had been blown away, walls were struck down, and several buildings were on fire. She saw several of the warriors and ninjas retreating to the castle, and scattering away into various buildings. All of them, wounded, bleeding, and begging for death. Ayame looked around in horror to see all these people in their state of health.
Soon a thought came to her mind; she looked up and ran down the main road screaming, "Genra!" repeatedly. She bothered many, asking for the location of Genra, but they all had the same response. They took him.
Ayane and her mother came back to reality again, and a dead silence haunted the room. Ayane grasped her kimono tightly and looked down at the table before her.
"So…someone took him, and made him into that beast?" Ayane asked with a mix of sorrow and rage in her voice.
Ayame rose up, and moved to the doorway, placing a hand on Ayane's shoulder saying, "It would seem so… Ayane, do not dwell on it. What's done is done; we can not alter the past. You should be relieved, now that you know the truth. It's safe now, there's nothing to worry about." Ayame left the room, leaving Ayane to have a time alone.
In the silent room, Ayane looked at herself, in the reflection of tea, and mused for minutes. Thoughts ran through her head, an endless brainstorm of questions. Why him? Who were they? Why did they take him? To what point and purpose? Maybe, if I was here, instead of chasing Kasumi, I could've saved him. It was my fault they took him. I wasn't here! It was me! As Ayane pondered she began to blame herself, her face developed a stir of anger.
One the servants had slid open the door and popped his head into the room, talking from behind Ayane, "Miss Ayane, your room is ready. Please, rest. You need you need sleep; you have a long day tomorrow. We think that vacation as thrown you out of balance, so you'll have full course training. Not to worry, we're having a party to celebrate your arrival afterward!" the servant left.
Ayane sighed as the servant left, "You're home now, Ayane. Everything's back to the way it was. Mom was right, I can't change the past." Ayane stood up and left the room, as she walked she thought once more, "I had my time to mourn. He always said to utilize my time wisely; and I will". Ayane went to her room, and slept peacefully for the night, no dreams, no thoughts, just silence.