Chapter two

Kasumi ears rang from the lack of pounding music once they stepped out of the truck. Kasumi hung back, telling the Armstrongs she would catch up. She cleaned and bandaged her wounds the best she could and changed into her only other outfit, looking regretfully at how tattered the one she had been wearing during the fight had become. She looked at herself through the small mirror she carried with her. The cuts and bruises on her face were minimal, though her wide amber eyes were sad.

Deep down, Kasumi felt like a fraud. She wasn't a true ninja, she wasn't a true Kunoichi. She could act the part. . . very well now. She thrived at fighting, to the point she could easily match any opponent. She proved it, winning the first DOA tournament. But she had never been able to do what she was taught, what she had seen every other Kunoichi and Shinobi do. Turn off their humanity and become what they were trained to be. A weapon.

She had seen ninja strike down their own fathers, mothers and children with no emotion if the clan demanded it. She had seen ninja fight on at the point of starvation, exhaustion, and missing limbs without a thought. She could see the hollowness in their eyes. This had been a weak point during her training, the only point where others excelled and she never did. It took her twice as long, but she finally did learn to fake it. She, unlike the others felt every strike and every kill she made, she could feel every hit she took. Her body communicated with her on every level.

She felt like a sheep among wolves her entire childhood, only her brother Hayate seemed to understand her, and even Ayane for a while. Leaving the clan was the hardest things she had ever done and possibly the one thing she has regretted the most, but she couldn't deny the realization that her own family scared her. Looking back one it now, that may have been the leading motivation to become the best Kunoichi. So she could defend herself and others when the people she loved turned on her.

Kasumi sighed. Her own prophecy had come true. Her own clan was after her and she had been forced to kill the ones she trained with. She pushed the thought from her mind and was soon making her way to the entrance of DOATEC facility.

The structure was vast and isolated from anything. Not another building could be seen for miles. Kasumi felt so small in contrast, she gripped the letter they had sent in her right fist. Closing her eyes, she felt no one around her. She wondered if she would soon feel safe, after she entered that building that is. She didn't expect it, but liked the thought anyway. Stepping forward she ascended the great stairs to the entrance of the building.

The inside was just as grand as the outside. On the marble floor was a richly designed rug that covered the center of the room. There were two large staircases at the center and several doors that lined the sides of the room. Someone approached from the right. A man in what looked like a more fitted version of a white Hazmat suit without the hood, however the material around the neck suggested it was able to support a hood if necessary. His eyes were blank though his face was twisted into some kind of welcome smile. Kasumi presented her letter. He scanned it over as his face slowly turned as blank as his eyes. He flipped through the pages on a clipboard he carried and held it out for her to sign. Her eyes skimmed the fine print and she signed at the bottom.

"All 'guests' will all meet in the north wing of the building, first room on the right." He said, giving back the letter. Backing away he seemed to take in her appearance for the first time. Emotion flickered through his eyes but only for a moment. He turned and walked toward the door on the right in a slow, business-like manner. Kasumi followed him to the left. He opened the door and stood aside to let her enter. Sounds of light conversation reached her ears.

After Kasumi stepped into the room and the man closed the door behind her. She actively told herself not to check if he locked it. A quick scan of the room told her there were roughly twenty people here, they all looked extremely different from one another, but most were familiar faces. They were the contestants of the last DOA tournament. She had fought many of them in the past, but most she had never conversed with.

Kasumi didn't mingle with the others right away, she observed, and upon observing she noticed right away many of the others were doing the same. Even the guests in conversation with another peered around the room suspiciously. Helena Douglas, a woman with blond hair to her waist pulled back with a large blue bow that matched her dress talked to a man with a wide, muscular build and a square face; Kasumi knew him as Bayman. His jaw was set in a firm expression and he scanned the room with hard blue eyes.

An old Chinese man sat on a bench looking casually over the others and on the far side of the bench sat Christie with her long legs crossed, she leaned over them casually, the cleavage of her well-endowed breasts attracting eyes from across the room. Her short bright white hair and white skin tight attire made her stick out of the crowd. She looked bored. A few men stood, one with his arms crossed, and examined the crowd.

Kasumi eyes then slid over a man in black and his long hair that fell loosely down his back. Ryu Hayabusa. Her older brothers best friend since they had been children. She wasn't sure why she was surprised to see him, after all he had been to the other tournaments. He had championed the second tournament, which may have been why others eyed him cautiously.

Memories flooded her mind. Playing games in the courtyard. Hayabusa and her brother would spend hours out there, however being the younger sister, she was often left out. Hayabusa gave her much distance when they first met and she notice him actively avoiding her. As a child she didn't care, she would just watch them play their games until her brother would shoo her away. Hayabusa grew more accustomed with her presence and they would let her join in sometimes, Hayabusa was always respectful and very quiet.

There was a time when he rarely came over and never when Kasumi was around. Having grown attached to his friendship, Kasumi had sulked. Hayate told her that Hayabusa was not to be around females close to his age at that time of his life. Hayabusa's master had been greatly upset when he had found out that he had been disobeying his orders. Kasumi understood because growing up a Shinobi or a Kunoichi wasn't easy.

There was no sign of Hayate in the room and Kasumi began to worry that he might not be coming. After all, he was the reason she came. Kasumi walked toward Helena as the man parted from their conversation.

"Kasumi, it's a honor to see you again." Helena said, she was as elegant as ever. "I take it you are well." Her eyes browsed the fresh bandages on Kasumi's arms.

"Yes, thank you. May I ask, is Hayate here? Will he be attending?"

"I believe so." Helena said. She went on to talk about the other attendants of the tournament. Kasumi listened as her eyes wandered the room. She gave Hayabusa a quick glance at the same time he looked at her. Their eyes met only a part of a moment before they both looked away. When Kasumi looked again his back was turned.

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