Chapter Five: Making Amends
A month has passed and Reina Kasumi's Red Geisha Restaurant was one of the top restaurants in the city. Both the people and restaurant critics praised the food and service as both being excellent. It was the ideal place to meet for salarymen, businessmen and the corporate officials in general and a popular eatery for the high school and college students.
Even the local Yakuza chieftains praised Kasumi for the service (several of of them were present during the grand opening) and given her martial arts skills, has decided to give her a wide berth, since trying to exort money from her and given her connections with DOATEC and Ryu Hayabusa (even the Japanese Mafia knows about the exploits of the college professor/superninja), would end up disastrous for the parties involved.
The money was rolling in, keeping Lisa occupied as the restaurant's accountant/manager. Being the businesswoman, Kasumi decided to open up a delivery service for the restaurant, which made plenty of the loyal customers happy. By bicycle, car and even motorcycle (Kasumi herself took part in some of the deliveries), Kasumi's restaurant was the place to be.
One day, Kasumi relaxed inside the cafe, watching the patrons enjoy the lunch rush. Even someone like Reina Kasumi deserved a day off from her life as a businesswoman/martial artist. The former nukenin was seated at a corner table, dressed in a haltertop and cargo pants, reading a novel. A cup of tea was on the table, as well as a plate of her favorite dessert, Strawberry Millefeuille, partially eaten.
Kasumi was going to visit Hitomi at her dojo for her sparring session. Kokoro was busy with her okiya, but promised to stop by the following day, since having one of the most celebrated geishas dining at your restaurant was good for business. Finishing off her snack, Kasumi exited the restaurant and after gunning her bike, was on her way to Hitomi's dojo.
About 30 minutes later...
Kasumi exited the changing room. For a martial artist, her fighting uniform had also changed. Instead of her blue shinobi combat dress (which was a dead giveaway), Kasumi wore a black sleeveless shirt, and a pair of gray karate dogi pants. Her black belt was tied around her waist and her hair was tied back. On the back of the shirt was the phrase 'Made in Heaven,' complete with the design of an angel holding a bomb in one hand. The shirt was one of her favorites, something she had picked up while back in Hawaii.
Upon entering the main training hall, she saw something she wasn't expecting to see. She saw Hitomi talking to Hayate. Before she could turn and walk back to the changing room, Hayate and Hitomi saw her. "This is a surprize," Hayate said bowing slightly. "How nice to see you again, Miss Kasumi."
Kasumi responded with a nod, falling back into her character. "Mr. Ein."
"So what brings you to Hitomi's dojo?" Hayate asked, curious.
Kasumu pointed to Hitomi. "She is a friendly rival of mine. We met back in a karate tournament several months ago back in Osaka. I came by for our usual sparring session."
"In that case," Hayate replied, "I would like to fight you in Hitomi's place instead."
"You know Karate?"
Hayate nodded. "I was trained by her father. What do you say?"
Kasumi shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. I accept your challenge."
Minutes later, Hayate stood before Kasumi. Dressed in his own black karate gi, he watched as Reina Kasumi stretched. "Ready?" he asked.
Kasumi nodded as she assumed a loose fighting stance. "Ready."
Hitomi watched from the sidelines, worried as to how this battle was going to end out. Hayate went into his Karate stance. After Hitomi gave the signal to begin, Hayate attacked first with a straight punch to the face, only to see Kasumi dodge the blow. Hayate followed up with several more attacks, only to have Kasumi calmly dodge and parry the blows. He was most certainly surprized when Kasumi punched him in the gut, followed up by an elbow to the same area, making him stagger back.
Hayate went in for a roundhouse kick, only to have his foot swept out from under him. The clan leader rolled out of the way in order to avoid Kasumi's foot as she came down in a split, her foot landing where his head was at moments earlier. Kasumi was back on her feet, as was Hayate, the former closing in.
Hayate blocked several punches to the face and responded in kind, only to see Kasumi bob and weave through the attacks like a Western boxer. Hayate threw another punch, only to have Kasumi grab his wrist and flip him on his back.
Hayate got back to his feet, only to see Kasumi shift stances. He had only realized that she was using her combined Kempo techniques. Now she had switched over to Akido. Remembering that Reina Kasumi was very dangerous when using that style, Hayate was on his guard. 'Time to get serious,' he thought as he went into his Tenshinmon stance.
Little did he know that Kasumi recognized the stance. 'Tenshinmon Ninjitsu. Let's see if he's improved.'
Hayate attacked. Kasumi went on the defensive as she calmly swatted Hayate's attacks to the side. Knowing that he ususally left his fight side open, Kasumi took advantage of that small fact. Only this time, she was shocked as Hayate dodged the blow and hopped back in order to avoid a blow to the head from the ninja.
'Okay, so he's learned some new tricks,' Kasumi thought. 'Good.' She then spoke to Hayate. "That's not Karate," she said.
Hayate grinned. "Didn't Lisa tell you? I'm also a ninja." With that said, Hayate attacked again, only to have Kasumi somersault over him. When Hayate spun around, Kasumi was already in the air. Hayate felt Kasumi's feet crash into his chest, sending him to the ground. Three seconds later, Kasumi was on top of Hayate, fist raised in a killing blow.
She brought her fist down...and stopped one inch from caving his nose into his brain. "Do you yield?" Kasumi asked.
Hayate looked at her, then at her fist. He nodded. "I yield."
Kasumi got off of him and Hayate rose to his feet. After bowing to each other, Hayate commented, "You're very good."
"Thank you," Kasumi replied. "So are you, Ein-san."
"Call me Hayate," Hayate insisted. "I'm always looking for new talent for the clan. Why not join up?"
Kasumi stiffened slightly. "Thanks for the offer, but I must decline. I already have bad memories of dealing with ninjas," she replied. "It's a long story, and I don't want to talk about it."
Hayate nodded. "I understand. I hope I can fight you again someday."
Kasumi smiled. "So do I."
After returning to the restaurant, Kasumi cleaned herself up. Following a shower, she was inside her apartment when her phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that it was Ryu calling.
Kasumi picked up the receiver. "Hey, you."
"You doing anything tonight?" Ryu's voice came from the other end.
"No. Why?"
"Well, there is a get-together with the university instructors at Sunshine 60, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me," the superninja said.
"The dress is semi-casual."
"I got a nice sundress I can pick out," Kasumi replied, "And Lisa will close up the restaurant, so yeah, I can come. What time are you going to pick me up?"
"Seven okay?"
"Perfect."
Meanwhile, back inside her maison, Ayane was finishing up grading her students' test papers. The Hajinmon kunoichi/high school teacher was casually tossing a kunai and catching it with one hand as she finished her task.
She had called Ryu earlier that day, asking if he wanted to have a friendly little match with her, but Ryu had declined, saying that he was taking Reina Kasumi out on a date to Sunshine 60 and wont be back until late.
The wheels in Ayane's head began to turn as she digested this bit of info. With Kasumi gone, the restaurant would be deserted.
'Looks like a little bit of recon is in order,' Ayane thought as she went off the prepare, tossing the kunai into a small wooden target board nailed to the wall.
As Kasumi enjoyed herself on her date with Ryu, Ayane made her move.
The restaurant had long since been cleared out when Ayane snuck in through the second-story window. Clad in a sleeveless black top and cargo pants (she had
forgotten to pack a spare ninja uniform), Ayane had left her apartment through the window. After hopping across several rooftops in Chiyoda, she came upon
Kasumi's restaurant.
Sneaking in was easy, since Kasumi didn't have any air conditioning and had left the window open. Ayane found that Kasumi had lived inside her restaurant, on the second floor. The Hajinmon ninja looked around and saw that she was inside Kasumi's living space. From the look of things, she was in the bedroom, the room was done in the Japanese manner, save for the unmade queen-sized bed and the open closet.
Ayane saw that Kasumi's living space was nothing more than a studio-style apartment when she exited the bedroom. Kasumi's home was bigger than her own maison back in Chiyoda. Even as a rising businesswoman and a skilled martial artist, Sei Kasumi represented responsible living and sober conduct, as Ayane noticed in her living quarters.
A line of shoji doors seperated Kasumi's living space to the restaurant. When Ayane slid the door back and entered, she found herself inside Kasumi's office, which consisted of her desk and chair, her laptop, and a bookshelf filled with numerous books on business and cooking. Various certificates and awards surrounded the bookshelf. Near where Ayane stood, was the row of windows that revealed the perfect view over the restaurant.
What caught Ayane's attention, however was resting on the bookshelf's middle row. Ayane walked over to the object and inspected it.
It was a sword, resting on its rack, complete with a tanto. As Ayane picked up the sword, she noticed that the tanto looked surprizingly similar to that Kasumi once carried. That tanto was in Hayate's room, resting on its rack. Ayane inspected the sword. It was a Muramasa sword, and the same one that Kasumi used when the biker gang had attacked her inside the restaurant.
Gripping the hilt in one hand and the hardwood scabbard in the other, Ayane pulled the sword from its sheath. 'Wow. This blade is perfect,' she thought. 'Reina has excellent taste in weapons. The blade is balanced...and razor sharp too. Much better than the swords the Hajinmon uses. i should get the number of the swordmaker who made this.'
After sheathing the weapon and placing it back onto the rack, Ayane looked over the books on the bookshelf. One in particular, stuck out from the rest.
It was a worn blue spiral notebook. Curious, Ayane picked it up and looked it over. The title, written in Kasumi's handwriting in both English and Japanese,
simply read RECIPES.
Taking a seat behind the desk, Ayane leafed through the notebook, which was written in both aforementioned languages. 'Reina Kasumi really knows her stuff,' Ayane thought as she looked over a recipe for sweet Okinawan sake.
As she flipped another page, several photographs fell out of the notebook. Ayane picked them up and looked them over. The first one was of Kasumi and Lisa. From the look of things, the photo was taken in Hawaii, given the fact that both women were wearing bikinis and holding coconut drinks for the camera. The second photo was also of Kasumi and Lisa, this time at what appears to be Kasumi's college graduation ceremony. Kasumi's graduation gown was open, revealing the blouse and skirt she wore underneath as she held her two degrees, while Lisa was flashing a victory sign and had Kasumi's graduation cap on her head. Picture number three was that of Kasumi, in biker leather, speeding by on her motorcycle. 'Didn't know that she was a gearhead,' Ayane thought as she looked
the picture over. 'She think she is some kind of wannabe bosozoku.'
The next picture, however, had shocked her to the core.
The picture was that of Kasumi, Ryu, Hayate and herself. Ayane remembered this photo all too well. It was taken at the Hayabusa village. Each one of them were dressed in their respective ninja uniforms. It was also the first picture that she had actually smiled in. They were spending the summer training with Ryu's father, since the Mugen Tenshin and the Hayabusa clans were close allies. Joe Hayabusa was one of the few people who, despite the circumstances surrounding her birth, was someone that Ayane respected. It was also him who had taken the photo.
The second photo was a family photo of sorts. This one was taking at the village, shortly before Raidou's attack. Hayate was in the middle with Kasumi and Ayane flanking him. Shiden and Ayame were also there, as was Genra, her father figure. Genra's face, however was blotted out with black ink, showing her how much Kasumi thought of him.
'She must have found out about him putting the death sentence on her,' Ayane thought.
The next photo shocked her even more. It was that of Kasumi and Ryu. As with the first three photos, this one was taken in Hawaii. Ryu was dressed in a tanktop and shorts while Kasumi was wearing a bikini top and track pants. What set Ayane off was the show of intimacy in the photo.
Then her mind flashed back to the restaurant's opening night, where both Ryu and Kasumi were openly flirting with each other. Ayane then put two and two together. 'Son of a bitch...they're lovers,' her mind concluded. 'How can I be so stupid to realize it earlier?! And with Lisa in the picture, how long did she know?'
The evidence was clearly in her hands. Reina Kasumi was indeed her missing half-sister. Almost immediately, she considered calling Hayate, but quickly decided against it. For the moment, Hayate was better off not knowing this little piece of information. If she told Hayate and he ended up confronting Kasumi, then she would end up disappearing permanently.
'No,' Ayane thought as she placed the photos back into the notebook and replaced it back onto the shelf. 'I'm going to do this right. I owe it to myself. But first, I need to talk to Ryu about this.'
Hayabusa Curio Shop, the following day...
Today was the day that Ryu Hayabusa didn't have to go in and lecture his university class. Not that they were annoying, but being a part-time university
professor was even more demanding than running his curio shop.
At the moment, said superninja was downstairs in the curio shop, working on inventory, smiling to himself about his and Kasumi's date the night before.
Nothing happened. No ninjas, no demons or the occasional megalomaniac coming to kill them. It was peaceful.
Then his cellphone rang.
Ryu plucked the item out of his pocket, thinking that it was Kasumi. Instead, he saw Ayane's name on the ID. Frowning, he activated the speakerphone.
"Hello, Ayane."
Ayane was straight to the point. "I know about Reina Kasumi, Ryu," she said calmly. "I know that she is my half-sister."
Ryu paled. This wasn't good. 'How in the hell did she find out about Kasumi?' he thought.
"I had my concerns about her, so I snuck into her apartment while you two were on your date last night," Ayane continued, answering his unspoken question. "I found the pictures of us at your village, as well as some family photos."
"I take it you also know that Kasumi and I are seeing each other," Ryu surmised.
"I do. The question is how long have you been together."
Ryu was amazed at the amount of restraint that Ayane was showing. Five years did wonders on her temper. In the back of his mind, he wanted to deny the fact that he and Kasumi were lovers, but he decided on telling Ayane the truth instead. "Kasumi and I have been together for four years," Ryu replied calmly.
For a moment, Ayane was silent. Then she spoke. "Can you deliver a message to Kasumi for me?"
West Chiyoda High School was at least 45 minutes away from Kasumi's restaurant. When Kasumi gotten word from Ryu that Ayane had found out about her, she was not very happy about it. But it was what Ryu had told her that caught her off guard.
Ayane wasn't looking for a fight. She instead, wanted to make amends.
Given Ayane's past record, Kasumi wasn't about to trust her half-sister completely, given her past attempts to kill her. But then there was Hayate, and the question of whether or not she had told him.
Leaving Lisa in charge of the restaurant, Kasumi, dressed in her favorite outfit - dark hooded jacket, black sleevless T-shirt, sleevless riding gloves, shorts and knee-high boots, hopped onto her motorcycle, secured her helmet on her head, and peeled off towards West Chiyoda.
In the five years in Hawaii, Kasumi had been drawn to riding motorcycles. She had learned from Ryu and while in Hawaii, had bought her own bike. she was even part of an all-female bike club back in college, hence the photo that Ayane had found of her. Her motorcycle was a black custom Yamaha Fazer 400, which she had shipped back to Japan following her stay in America.
Kasumi pulled into the parking lot at West Chiyoda High School. Parking the bike, she cut the engine, kicked the kickstand down and got off. Removing her helmet, and placing the helmet on the seat, Kasumi turned from her bike and walked across the school's courtyard.
West Chiyoda High School was shaped like a captal U. The building had five floors, the rooftop making it six. The gymnasium was in a separate building on the grounds. Kasumi walked into the building, ignoring the looks that she was getting from the male - and some female - students.
From what Ryu had told her, Ayane was one of the more popular teachers on the campus, as well as one of the most respected. It still amazed Kasumi thatAyane had chosen to become a schoolteacher, out of all things. But now, Kasumi was on her way to Ayane's classroom, 2-C, located on the third floor.
Finding the classroom was easy enough. Kasumi watched from the open doorway as Ayane, in a sweater and slacks (no headband) was lecturing the class.
Ironically, Ayane was lecturing the class on the samurai's usage of ninja during the Feudal period. Kasumi saw that the class was really into Ayane's teaching.
Then the bell rang, signalling the end of the class. Kasumi entered the room and leaned up against the wall, feeling the weight of the tanto-style dagger she had placed inside her jacket, should Ayane tried anything funny.
"Class, make sure you go over chapters four and five," Ayane called out. "There will be a test on Nobunaga Oda and the battle of Okehazama tomorrow when you come in."
Once the class was clear of students, did Ayane see Kasumi, still leaning up against the wall, hands in her pockets, watching her with a cold expression. Ayane walked over to her, closing the distance between the two. When Ayane got within a double arm's reach, she stopped. For a full minute, the two estranged half-siblings said nothing as they sized each other up.
"I thought you wan't going to show up," Ayane said.
"I started not to," Kasumi replied, her tone cold, reminding Ayane of that day Kasumi had declared herself ronin.
"Come with me," Ayane said, walking to the door. Kasumi followed her at a small distance.
Ayane had lead them both the roof. After getting rid of several students who were playing hooky, they were completely alone. Ayane sighed as she looked at the city. "I don't know where to begin...five years is a long time."
"..." Kasumi remained silent.
"That was something that none of us was expecting," Ayane continued. "Declaring yourself a ronin and declaring both myself and Hayate girisezu."
"You two gave me no choice," Kasumi replied coldly.
"I know we didn't."
"Is there a point in calling me out here, Ayane?" Kasumi demanded. "If there is, then stop wasting my time."
Ayane flinched at Kasumi's tone. Not that she didn't deserve the way that Kasumi was speaking to her anyway, but she had to try. "Look...I didn't call you out here to fight you, Kasumi. You may not believe me and I know you got plenty of reasons for that, but it's the truth."
"So what do you want then?"
"I want to make peace between us," Ayane said, playing the diplomatic role. "You have more than enough reason to despise me, but listen first. I know I treated you like crap since we were kids. Then again, you had everything easy. You were always the favorite, the darling of the clan. And what was I? A poisoned child. A half-breed. When Ayame...Mother...told me that she was my mother...I...my brain just snapped. I thought you were only nice to me because you pitied me."
"..."
"So I pushed you away," Ayane continued. "I had placed you with the group of people who had despised me for who my father was. I was destined to be in your
shadow, and that was something that made me so...angry. Then you ran away to avenge Hayate. When Genra summoned me that night and ordered me to kill you, I thought that this was my chance...to show everyone that I was worthy of the clan I would show everyone how strong I was, and how weak you were. I would be the strong one, and prove it by killing you."
Ayane looked out over the school's courtyard. "Instead, I showed everyone how good and noble you were, and how pathetic I was. Even as a runaway shinobi you were better than me." She sighed. "There. I said it. You don't have to say anything now. I just wanted to say my piece and I hope that you can forgive me for being a total bitch to you over the years. You don't have to worry about Hayate. I haven't told him about you."
Kasumi hadn't moved nor spoken following Ayane's confession. Part of her wanted to tell her to go to hell, while the other part told her to think things through. But she did need to think about this. Without saying a word to Ayane, she walked over to the ledge and jumped off. Ayane watched as Kasumi performed a complete somersault in midair and landed on her feet, creating a small impact crater from where she had landed. Ayane watched impressed as Kasumi hopped onto her bike, secured her helmet on her face, gunned the engine and sped off.
Ayane smiled as she watched Kasumi speed off on her bike. 'Still the ninja, regardless of what has happened,' she thought as she turned and walked back into the building.
Back in the restaurant, Kasumi sat in her office. The lunch rush was in full swing as she could hear the noice from her open window. Following her meeting with Ayane, Kasumi had a lot to think about. She had to admit that it took a lot of courage from Ayane to confess her feelings and the attempt to end their near-blood feud.
"Is little Ayane growing up, I wonder?" Kasumi mused to herself.
Later on, Ayane trudged up the stairs to her door. Upon arriving at her apartment, she saw a small folded sheet of paper stuck to the door with her name on it. The Hajinmon ninja/high school teacher pulled it off the door and unfolded it. The note was short and to the point.
It was also done in Kasumi's handwriting.
You're forgiven, Ayane. Kasumi.
Ayane cracked a small smile as she folded the letter and placed it into her back pocket. If Kasumi was willing to forgive her, then maybe Hayate wouldn't be that far behind. But even Ayane knew that Hayate would be the toughest to forgive, given his role in driving Kasumi away.
All she can do is hope for the best.
