TheDarkestShinobi: Re-done chapter six. Been bothering me for a little bit. Please, don't make comments like ayane could so beat Kasumi. I've heard it before and got some one-shots if that's the fight you want. Anyway, I'll try not to be a stranger but not have a computer hurts.

Chapter Start

"Hayabusa san, help him." Kasumi said without taking her attention away from her younger sister. Ryu eyebrow rose and he was about to respond when Kasumi cut him off.

"This is where my karma lies."

This is brought about by the blood we share. I must settle this by my own hand.

Ryu ducked his head and turned to Jann motioning towards the house. Jann backed up away from the girls before turning and running into his house. Ryu jumped onto the roof to enter from an open window but turned his head to watch the girls. He knew Kasumi was strong, she was stronger than Ayane and possibly stronger than him but he couldn't help but worry. These fights didn't often matter on strength. If you attacked a pressure point early on then even a worthy opponent turned into a weak ninja.

They engaged each other in a stare down. They were bidding their time, waiting to see who would attack first. Whoever attacked first could immediately lose if they didn't successfully move. They both seemed to be speaking to each other without words. Kasumi's hand came up slightly and Ayane's moved to the left.

Ayane attacked first.

She jumped up and threw her weapon down towards her older sister who back flipped out of the way. Ayane landed and immediately launched into her moves. Kasumi blocked each one and brought her tanto forward slicing Ayane's cheek. Ayane's eyes widened as she jumped back landing by her weapon. She suddenly smirked as she wiped the blood off her cheek. Kasumi stepped back holding her tanto in front of her offensively.

"Can you really kill me?" Ayane taunted her sister. Kasumi's eyes shifted but she said nothing. Inside she wondered if she really could. She decided it wasn't a matter of what she could do, much like leaving the clan before it only mattered that that was what needed to be done and that she needed to be the one to do it. Ayane laughed then, her sister was so weak, and Kasumi charged her. Ayane ducked and dodged finally kicking her legs out to trip her sister. Kasumi landed on her hands and double kicked her sister. Ayane flew up into the air and Kasumi vanished into petals. She then reappeared on top of Ayane and kicked her in the stomach sending her hurling towards the ground. Kasumi landed crouched and as she stood Ayane glared at her.

"I'm not holding back anymore, sister."

"Good, that'll make my victory sweeter."

Ayane wanted a sweet victory against the runaway. She wouldn't let the traitor continue to roam free, her actions had consequences and Ayane was here to deliver them. It didn't matter if Kasumi was supposedly a better fighter, Ayane was the good guy right? Kasumi was in the wrong. So Ayane needed to prevail. The traitor needed to die.

The evil had to be vanquished.

Ayane struck the soft flesh of her sister and smirked at the sound of her cry. Soon it would be over and the Mugen Tenshin would be righted and honored again.

Ryu wanted to look away, Kasumi told him to help Jann, but he couldn't keep from watching her. Kasumi was so soft, so sweet, and so innocent. No, she's done too much to be innocent, she just remained uncorrupted. He knew she had killed before but he couldn't imagine her actually doing this. Killing one's sister was different than disposing of an enemy, though her enemies had once been her friends and classmates. She had been building that emotional barrier. Still, she didn't like killing, so this had to be difficult for her.

Did Jann really mean that much to her? Did he mean enough that Kasumi placed his life over Ayane's? He watched as Ayane and Kasumi fought and just hoped that after this he'd still have his Kasumi. If she did kill the other it would change her. Ryu wasn't sure if he could handle it. He shifted his weight ready to jump in and help, it would be worth her anger and being interrupted to save them both. He paused. Would he save them or would he just be prolonging the inevitable?

"This is where my karma lies."

He had to respect her decision the way she normally respected his. He looked away. Jann called his name out and he walked forward into the window and went to wake up the others. He would do that and wait. She had asked him to and he would have to respect that.

Kasumi felt the impact of the fist on her face and then she felt the hardness of Ayane's stomach against her foot. Kasumi spun quickly and appeared behind Ayane. Anticipating this, Ayane preformed a spinning back kick. Kasumi ducked down as she appeared and lifted her foot straight up for a kick to Ayane's jaw. Ayane flipped backwards trying to kick her sister but Kasumi stepped back before kicking Ayane in the small of her back.

"Leave sister. You are no match for me."

"Ha. You sound just like them."

She sounded like all of the people in the clan who were left alive after fighting Kasumi. No match? Someone had to be able to defeat the evil in the world and become the heroine. That someone would have to be her because no one else even wanted to try.

When they rushed each other next Ayane got seven hits in, Kasumi got four. Ayane smirked until she realized something. Her body felt heavier than before. Pressure points. How had she not realized? Kasumi looked at her with a small smile of her own and Ayane cursed her. Kasumi settled back into her stance and drew her tanto.

"I will not take an easy on you anymore,"

"Bitch." Ayane retorted and ran forward. She felt like she was moving at blinding speeds but to Kasumi she was moving so much slower. Kasumi dodged easily spinning and grabbed her sister's shoulders at the very last second.

Ayane felt the rush of being transported at the same time she felt her sister roll her over and try strike her neck and back.

It couldn't be over. Not like that.

Ayane had flipped Kasumi over her shoulder and jumped on her stomach. She could feel the weariness though. She couldn't win now. Not hindered like this. She considered running before yelling at herself. Coward she scolded you would be willing to die but not to suffer? She righted herself and lunged back into the fight.

She would not be like the other and lose her honor.

She would fight.

She would die.

It was what she had been training her whole life for.

Ayane refused to give Kasumi an inch, every hit was blocked but she kept striking, she felt the blows to her stomach but she kept fighting. She wouldn't give up, they both knew that. Only one of them would be leaving this battlefield. She had a feeling they both knew that too. Finally, Ayane shifted and the fatal mistake was made. Ayane stopped feeling the ground beneath her feet.

The ground rushed up to meet her. The pain sent warmth through her chest. Kasumi had tripped the other and landed on her back. Ayane refused to cry out and she was going to roll over when she felt it. The tiniest prick of a senbon perfectly placed on her neck.

She couldn't move.

She probably would never move again.

Kasumi stood slowly, her body ached now that the adrenaline was fading. She felt like crying but she knew it would come down to this. She would have to destroy her sister or sacrifice herself. She grabbed the hands she had once held with love and pulled them up feeling the taunt strain of the muscles. She placed her foot on the back she had leaned on as a child. Looked at the mane of purple hair she once held between her fingers and up to her own with a giggle. She cried to herself and knew for the first time that she really was going to do this. She shook her head trying not to let the tears escape.

This would make her the monster the Mugen Tenshin was trying to hunt down.

"Goodbye, sister."

Ayane didn't scream.

She hadn't expected her to.

.

Ryu felt the chill crawl up its spine and the Goosebumps it left behind and he suddenly knew it was done. He hesitantly reached out to touch Jann's shoulder. Jann raised an eyebrow in question and Ryu shook his head. "It is done." Was all he said and he guided the woman in his arms back to her bed. It was done, but what happened? Jann ran outside as the others looked on in confusion and Ryu vanished appearing on the roof of the house looking down.

Kasumi ran down the street and Jann was right in front of her. She stopped before she reached him and looked down but he scooped her into a hug. She hugged him back and buried her face into his shoulder. Ryu stood up and looked away feeling sick. It was true. He couldn't handle this right now. He clenched his fist and eventually looked back to the two below him.

.

Kasumi left her sister in the outskirts; her brother's men would find her within the next hour and know it was her from the blue senbon. They would know what she did and feel justified in their hunt. Only a monster could do that to her sister. She picked up her pace leaving the tears behind her and soon enough she was back in front of Jann's house. He was in front of her and she stopped looking down.

"I'm sorry I brought this to you, Jann."

I'm sorry I brought death to your doorstep.

"At least I got to meet you." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. The comfort was not there but he had tried. He lifted her into the air and she wrapped her arms around him as well, she buried her head in his shoulder and shook. He hoped his embraced offered the comfort he knew his worlds could never have.

What would Ryu say if he knew what she did? If he saw her crying now?

"I'm a horrible person Jann." Jann didn't say anything. Instead he rubbed her back soothingly.

"I'm sorry we have to part like this, but I must leave now."

"I understand Kasumi, I do." He put his hands on her shoulders. "You come back one day, and take care of Ryu okay, he loves you."

"I will." She nodded. She looked up to Ryu and seen him looking down at her with hurt and she smiled trying to reassure him and for some reason his expression grew worse.

He probably knew.

Perhaps he always had.

.

She jumped up onto the roof next to him as Jann walked into the house. He first asked about Ayane and with a flinch and a sigh she simply replied

"They'll find her within the hour."

He seemed satisfied with that answer and he turned away from her. She grabbed his arm and he turned towards her looking down into her eyes, what did she want to say? He knew it wasn't what he wanted her to say.

"I'm a monster."

"Karma, Kasumi, sometimes the path laid before us is horrendous, but it is the only one we can take."

She looked down and shook her head looking off into the sky. He watched her, she was scarred but not broken, and he felt terrible for it, but he was happy.

"We must take our leave."

And they did shrouded by the shadow of the night.

It was where all ninja thrived.