Chapter 12
Hikaru carefully jumped from her hiding place inside the laboratory as she watched the scene between Kasumi and Hayate. Smiling, she fell to the ground and landed carefully on her feet.
'Where's Canna?' She questioned herself and sighed as she continued her search throughout the laboratory. Suddenly she jumped back as she heard metal doors opening in front of her. A man wearing a white a tux and white face mask pulled a woman chained up behind him as he walked through the door. The woman finally looked up when she felt someone else's presence.
"Mizuki?" Hikaru called to the woman, who looked just as confused as she did.
"Hikaru?" She responded to her. But before she could ask anymore questions, the man interrupted them.
"Are you here too? To destroy my precious plans?" He asked.
"Who the hell are you exactly to ask me that question? I can assume that you own this place? Creator perhaps?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Very clever girl. Yes, I'm Victor Donovan. Owner of M.I.S.T organization." He responded and tilted his head from side to side. "Where's that Dragon ninja?" He mumbled. "Well we won't be needing him to this point anyways." He added and sighed.
"Hehe." Hikaru chuckled. "The runaway came to visit earlier. You honestly need to place more men inside rather than on the outside of this place." She then quickly teleported behind Donovan and placed her hand against his neck as purple dust flew through her hand. He then fell to his knees to grab his neck, which suffered the pain of the agony. While doing that, he released the chains that was in his grasp to the ground.
Hikaru saw his actions and ran to Mizuki. She grabbed a kunai that was laying around near her and grabbed the chains to start cutting through them.
"We need to leave while we have the chance." She ordered as the chains fell to the ground once she released Mizuki.
"What about Canna? I'm not leaving here unless I have her in my arms." Mizuki said and watched Hikaru grab her arm.
"I'll take care of that. I promise." Hikaru responded and smiled and began to run, with Mizuki in her hands before she could respond.
With said, all that was left was lightning streaks.
"Damn it!" Donovan yelled as he struggled to get up. The pain eased minutes later as he heard footsteps walking over to him. Looking up, he saw one of his very trusted scientist.
"Hamilton, take that blood over there." He gestured towards the pool of the blood in the center of the laboratory.
"Of course." Lisa Hamilton then walked over with a small testing tube to gather the blood.
"Once we are in reach with this blood, all we have to do is place it inside the fiend's body. Then to use the girl for the main source." She added as she closed the tube with its cap. Once the task was finished, she turned to see Donovan slowly walking towards her, still holding his neck.
"Where's that Dragon sword?" He asked and removed his hand from the area of the pain on his neck.
"Christie..your son has a hold of it as of right now. I've sent the other one with the kunoichi." Lisa answered and placed the tube on her belt.
"Perfect." Donovan said with a smirk forming underneath his mask and on his lips.
He watched Canna turn into a fiend as his clone started to destroy her. He then had a flashback when Canna asked him to become her father. After the flashback, he saw Canna about to die right in front of him. She was now lying in her own pool of blood as he ran over towards her. He fell to his knees getting angry at himself. Just then the Grip of Murder started to form itself around his body. He screamed in pain falling to the ground.
Ryu woke up trying to catch his breath. He looked around and saw that he was back at the Hayabusa village.
"Master Ryu! Please take it easy." A voice told him. He turned to see Omitsu wrapping his cursed arm with a cloth white bandage wrap. He then looked from Omitsu to scanning his change of surroundings. Momiji quickly entered the room as he was still trying to get his thoughts together.
"Master! I'm so glad you're okay. Ayane found you barely alive if that's what you're wondering." She smiled and looked up to see him turn stiff.
"M-M.I.S.T is recreating the Greater Fiend. They, they took my blood.." He paused and looked down at his hand. "And now the Dragon sword."
Momiji frowned as she listened to her Master.
"Yes..I've heard about their wishes." She said and grabbed his other hand.
"Please Master.." She started but was interrupted when she heard heavy footsteps coming towards the room. All three of them looked up as they saw Master Hayate standing by the doorway.
"Ryu, you need to find Canna before they get a hold of her body." He stated, staring at the Dragon ninja. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "She's the main source of this all." He answered Ryu's question before he could ask it.
"Fix this before hell breaks loose." He glared down at him. Ryu frowned as his response to Hayate's stern order. Momiji then squeezed his hand as she witnessed his reaction. Seconds later, more footsteps came running towards the occupied room. Hayate turned to face his little cursed sister.
She panted before bowing before her Master.
"Master Joe has ordered us to go to M.I.S.T hideout and take back the Dragon sword." She then raised up and turned to Master Ryu to bow at him as well.
"I hope you heal from your injuries Master Ryu. We'll need you for this battle." She told him and turned back to Hayate.
Hayate nodded and glanced back at Ryu before he disappeared.
"Don't wait for me to stop this." He said as he and Ayane disappeared together.
A groan escaped his lips the second Ayane and Hayate left the room. Omitsu finished wrapping his arm when she suddenly turned to Momiji.
"Doragon no me.." Omitsu mumbled in Japanese language.
Ryu then slowly looked at Momiji, who suddenly froze in her spot.
Momiji's mind flashed back to when the eye turned itself into a small necklace and chained itself to Hikaru's neck. But as the maiden of the clan, she had a duty to watch over and protect the eye after the death of Kureha.
"Watashi wa mō sore o hoji shite imasen." Momiji answered and lowered her head. Ryu then looked back at Omitsu and geustered her to leave the room. Omitsu nodded and left soon after.
"'Sore o hoji shite inai'?" Ryu asked and looked down at her. Suddenly Ryu remembered the incident with the eye and Hikaru.
"Momiji, we don't know exactly who she is to us.."
"I know Master!" Momiji quickly interrupted him.
Ryu felt taken back as he felt her shaking his hands. He looked down to see that his hands aren't the ones who are shaking, finding that Momiji's whole body was shaking as well.
"I never knew the eye had that power..." She paused as he felt her hands become cold. He then covered her hands with his soon after her response.
Momiji slowly looked up as she saw his wrapped hand and his other one covering hers.
"Gomen'nasai, Master." She said and suddenly felt her chin come up. She then locked her hazel eyes with his piercing emerald green ones.
"Momiji.." He started and suddenly grabbed his arm in pain. Momiji watched with concern as he tried to lay back down. Nothing could be done the ease the pain except for using the Dragon's eye. But nothing could have happened if it weren't for Donovan's wishes. Her thoughts were running throughout her mind as she thought back about what they all went through as of right now.
"Get the eye back to this clan Momiji." He ordered, which made her snap back to reality.
"Yes Master Ryu." She bowed and began to stand up, when she heard several footsteps coming towards the room. Momiji turned to see Hikaru and Mizuki entering the room.
"Ryu!" Mizuki called and quickly walked over to the injured ninja. Momiji then stood up and turned to face Hikaru, who crossed her arms and glared at her.
"Nandeshou?" Hikaru asked with a huff.
Momiji glanced at her neck to see the necklace perfectly in good shape as it glew against her collarbone.
"Issho ni kite kudasai." Momiji replied and held out her hand for her. Hikaru turned away to ignore her request but she then felt a hand on her shoulder. Hikaru turned to see Momiji slightly smiling at her.
"Onegaishimasu Hikaru?" She asked politely.
Hikaru sighed and walked out the room in a hurry.
Momiji then glanced back at her Master before leaving the room.
"I will ease your pain Master Ryu." She told him and walked after Hikaru.
Once they left, Ryu then turned his attention to Mizuki.
"Canna..who has a hold of her?" He asked her.
"She's gone. They are a hold of her body..took her away for testing." Mizuki said as her voiced cracked, holding back her tears.
Ryu then sat up and watched as she sank to her knees to the floor. He reached for her left cheek with his cursed arm, caressing it. She then looked back up at him, with tears filling her eyes.
"My promise will never be broken, and neither will your heart. Canna will be safe again. I won't let them destroy the world by using her. The Earth's end wouldn't start with her." He stated.
Mizuki's eyes widen as she heard his words. She nodded and slightly smiled as tears quickly fell from her eyes. Ryu wiped her cheeks with his hand as he stared into her amber eyes.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he continued to wipe her cheeks. "If you don't stop crying, I won't be able to kiss your pain away."
Mizuki smiled when he then firmly pressed his lips against hers. He cuffed her cheeks with his hands and pulled her closer to him and began to deepen their kiss. More tears fell down her cheeks as he ran his hands through her hair. Ryu did his best stop her continuous river stream that flowed down her cheeks.
Suddenly he pulled away to grasp his cursed arm. Mizuki wiped her, now, tear dried cheeks and quickly moved closer to examine his arm.
"Ryu! Your arm.."
"I'm fine." He answered before she could ask.
Before she could say anything else, her phone buzzed throughout the room. Ryu quickly looked down at her pocket wondering who could be calling her at this time. It looked like she had the same idea, since she had the same confused look on her face. Mizuki then fished through her pocket and looked at the screen. Sighing, she glanced back at him.
"I'll be back." She told him before she stood up to leave the room.
He watched her leave the room in such a hurry. Why at this time? Was it the organization? Are they part of this operation? Questions ran through his mind as he sat there, lost in thought.
Minutes later, he slowly stood up and walked over to the dresser, where a yellow and green paper ninja star laid. He curiously picked up the origami and remembered where he had saw this last.
Canna ran towards the Dragon ninja as she saw that her mother had left the area entirely.
"What's this?" He asked as he reached down to take the origami from the girl.
Canna then began to type of her phone as he kneeled down to her level.
"Mommy taught me. You're really a ninja so it's perfect." Her phone read.
"Thanks, Canna. I feel safer with this." He said and placed it in his pocket.
Canna then smiled and grabbed his cursed arm. He smiled and placed his other hand on top of her hands.
The Dragon ninja smiled as he remembered that time back from his precious mission. A frown then formed on his lips when he remembered his last time with her. He had given the star to her as a memento from him. Ryu flipped the star over to see a note written in Japanese on the back of it.
"Bring Mizuki McCloud to the Spiders. We will kill the girl if we don't receive her body..Alive." It read.
"Ryu." He heard his name being called. Ryu turned to see a blind ninja enter the room.
"Father." He responded.
Joe's eyes narrowed as he saw Ryu's arm wrapped in many bandages. Dark red veins ran up his hand and stop halfway up his whole right arm.
"Noroi.." He mumbled and then looked back up at his son.
"Hai." Ryu replied and slid his hand down his cursed arm.
"What's happening Ryu? The Black Spider clan, Hikaru,..and M.I.S.T. What do they want with this clan?" Joe asked and walked over to the chair over in the corner of the room.
Ryu looked from his arm to his father then back to the ninja star. He shook his head and took a deep breath before he started the conversation.
"The Greater Fiend will be recreated from the use of a small little girl.." He paused and gripped the origami tighter.
"Watashi no musume."
