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Episode 9: Unexpected Run-in’s!!

A/N: Hi guys. I truly, honestly, completely owe my sincerest apologies to long time followers of this story. I realize that I’m not the most punctual guy in the world, and I am sorry for that. College seems to be more strenuous than it needs to be nowadays and to be honest; it’s getting annoying and stressful!! Anyways, here’s the long awaited 9th Episode where we finally have the chance to conclude some unresolved plots!! Hooray!! And also, both Hayabusa and Ryu get more screentime!! Double hooray!! Hope this was worth the wait!! If not, feel free to slap me across the face; virtually of course!! Special thanks to grey0716, AnimeGamerWriter212, Projekt-Z, godofmadness43 and also RebelDynasty!! ^^’ You guys are awesome!! Thanks for not giving up on me. I really appreciate it.

Dead or Alive belongs to Team Ninja and Temco. Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura and Shonen Jump. Virtua Fighter belongs to Yu Suzuki and Sega AM2. Street Fighter belongs to Capcom. Zell Natsumoto and Maria belong to Projekt-Z. Takashi belongs to godofmadness43. Dawn and Bai Jiao belong to Kasumi x SyazelAporro. I only own my OC's!

Back Alley of the Convention- Previously on Episode 6

Tsukasa and Hayate both held their positions from their retrospective attacks for quite a while; their positions static like stone statues. Though their posture held great balance, both men held a look of slight discomfort as their grunts eventually gave way, soaking in the pain each have inflicted. Tsukasa’s face scrunched up a little as the sharp force of Hayate’s elbow slowly made its way to the pressure point of his foot. At the same time, the Wind Ninja grit his teeth as the pressure of the kick began to dig into a delicate pressure point against the elbow he struck with.

Over five minutes have passed since that particular clash. Neither fighter moved from their position, fixated in a contest that combined both balance and physical, strenuous torture! Although Ayane kept an observant eye throughout their battle, she began to feel a sense of tension and discomfort, her index finger almost twitching in response. The Violet Kunoichi felt conflicted as the battle raged on, once again reminding her of a painful memory almost a year ago; Raidou’s fight with Hayate which resulted in the latter being crippled almost for life. She hesitated, her fist clenched as her bloodshot eyes slightly twitching. She desperately wanted to intervene. Her conscious constantly pestered her to stand by Hayate’s side. To see him battered like this, only reminded Ayane of her own helplessness; the very thing she swore to stamp out.

In the end however, Ayane grit her teeth and decided to stay put. After all, she did not want to burden Hayate with her intervention, especially considering that he had a personal score to settle.

Sean on the other hand analysed the battle from his own perspective. Though he had a calmer frame of mind compared to his “compatriot”, Sean wore a somewhat confused outlook throughout the situation. Even though he knew Tsukasa for a while now, there were still some things that left the boxing prodigy a little perplexed. Although he kept a cool demeanour and had a very unfazed exterior, deep inside Sean felt like he was plunged into a sea of confusion and distress. Nanomachines?!Hayate’s rivalry with Tsukasa suddenly appearing out of the blue?!What the hell was even going on anymore?! More importantly, why was he dragged into all of this?! He of all people?! To Sean, this experience was starting to grow as subtle as a punch to the face!!

“This situation is so needlessly confusing...!!” The boxer growled mentally, his head suffering from the excruciating lack of common sense. “Nanomachines?! Really?! This is something straight of a cyberpunk novel for cryin’ out loud!! Then again…this whole shindig with the Tri-Towers does kinda begs the question…..aww….screw this!! What am I doing?! Why the hell am I even thinking?!”

Shaking away his jargon of thought, Sean took a deep breath; despite the overwhelming lack of logic that laid itself bare (according to him, at least), in front of him, he finally came to a bitter yet sensible choice; roll with the situation for now……

After all, despite his vehement reluctance, Sean managed to put up with various oddities that have almost come up as an everyday occurrence. A small sigh eventually left his lips as he continued to analyse the fight between the two men, a slight shake of the head being a small remnant of his brief anger.

The shape of the clash began quaking, the leg and elbow starting to shake violently. A split-second later, both attacks immediately were released from each other as Hayate and Tsukasa side-flipped into their default fighting stances. Their fighting stances were once again quite fresh, but fatigue slowly began to overcome their senses; the fury of their blows taking a toll. The rivals stared each other with look of utter contempt; Tsukasa’s resembled a deranged, psychopathic blood knight. Hayate’s on the other hand echoed back to the days of the Tri-Towers, anger being his only fuel for victory.

“I don’t want any saucy speech…!” Hayate glared daggers at the man in front of him, his teeth gritting with frustration. “Especially from you!”

An evil grin crept across Tsukasa’s face, relishing his rival’s anger.“Tcch….thought so….in that case!!”

Wasting no time, they both advanced towards each other with furious abandon. Tsukasa unleashed a lighting quick high kick aimed at the cartilage in front of Hayate’s neck. With a panicked gasp, the Wind Ninja managed to narrowly blow the potentially fatal by blocking with his right hand. Disorientated by the force of the kick, Hayate once again fell victim to Tsukasa’s combination of a body blow to the ribcage, ending with a sharp punch to the centre of the chest. Stumbling back from the impact, Hayate nonetheless managed to stand his ground. With the wind trailing behind his wake in feat of high speed, he advanced towards Tsukasa catching him off guard with a sharp elbow to the gut. With blinding speed, the elbow expanded, hitting Tsukasa dead centre in the stomach. Wheezing out a pocket of air, he collided towards the wall with a thundering crack, his back making a body sized dent in the process.

Bricks tumbled towards the floor as Tsukasa gently slipped out of the wall he was slammed into. Though a little slow, Tsukasa bent his knees; panting as his lips started trickling crimson. With a demented expression, he stood up and eyed Hayate with his ever present evil grin.

“Heh…!! Not bad there, buddy!! But, is this really the best you can do? Well then; CHEW ON THIS!!!”

With a hot-blooded roar, Tsukasa jumped up and unleashed an aerial roundhouse kick towards Hayate’s ribcage. The Wind Ninja was instantly knocked off his momentum, floored to the side. A small crack was heard from Hayate’s bones as he trailed with the friction of the ground. Wasting no time, he immediately side-filpped into his neutral position despite the severe beating he had suffered. Using the tip of his palms, Hayate threw an uppercut to the midpoint of Tsukasa’s chest. Caught off guard, Tsukasa flinched in disgust. Another blow was struck by Hayate; this time a palm punch to the gut. Tsukasa barely managed to parry the blow let alone retaliate on time. His vision losing focus, Tsukasa tried a knuckle jab towards Hayate’s nose.

“Heh….predictable!!” He smirked at Tsukasa’s carelessness. Capitalizing on that particular weakness, Hayate immediately countered with a sharp kick to the cheek, catching Tsukasa by surprise once again!

The young man flinched but still stood his ground, his sneakers emitting a bit of smoke from the friction of the rough granite. Wasting no time, Tsukasa threw a very sloppy looking punch that smashed Hayate across the face; in combination with sharp backfist to the nose. A severe crunch was heard; along with a yell of agony despite the Shinobi’s best efforts to will away the pain. He staggered somewhat, his breathing somewhat ragged and rapid from the beating he undertook. With a gasp, the Hayate slumped to the ground, unable to continue any further

His face started to show signs of severe bruising; a mixture of red and black blood oozing from his nostrils and lips. His posture looked rather pale, worn out from the weight of Tsukasa’s blows and also the migraine of his own uncontrollable rage. His rival wasn’t too far off. Tsukasa dropped to his knees, breathing heavily and blood began to trickle down his lips, his smirk still contained as opposed to Hayate’s more disappointed look.

Failing to contain her inner anxiety, Ayane could no longer stand idly by! Instinctively, she rushed to her leader’s side just as Hayate was about to faint from exhaustion. With a gasp as her form of alert, she held him steady almost instantaneously

“Hayate-Sama!!”Ayane’s voice was wracked with nervousness, unable to comprehend her leader’s battered state. Slowly, her right hand began to glow with a violet aura. “H-hold on a minute….hang in there….!!”

Despite the Wind Ninja’s laboured breathing, he noticed the energy of Ayane’sNinpo slowly mending the broken tissue and skin of his nose; slowly being the key word. The strength of Tsukasa’s punches took a toll on him quite severely; Hayate was surprised healing Ninpo was able to such dangerous wounds. Forcing a smile, he let out a small cough of amusement.

“A-ayane…? Hee, hee….I’m fine….okay? I-it’s nothing serious……nggghhh….!!”

“Shh…….rest now….don’t move.” The violet Kunoichi hushed as she helped Hayate up from the shoulders without the least bit of strain.

Tsukasa on the other observed what just happened. He slowly rose to his feet, wiping theblood off his evil grin. Blood still trickled down his bottom lip, much to his own disdain.

“Tcch……overdone it again, huh…?” Tsukasa muttered under his breath. Despite his fatigued state, he carefully clicked his neck into place. “Well, thanks for the fun bout…..but seriously, man; think ya’ could’ve done better? Hmm?It wasn’t nearly as entertaining last time we fought!! What........have ya’ been slackin’ off or somethin’?”

“Heh….you could say that Peace can often soften a fighter’s spirit…..” Hayate forced a sarcastic grin as he was slowly supported by Ayane. “Even so…..I still…..want answers…..the scroll….why did you take it…?”

“See, man….” Tsukasa dismissively shrugged with a sigh. “I can’t really answer that question……and let’s be honest; I don’t wanna try….it’s a matter I would like to forget ….I’m not exactly the co-operative type with Ninjas anyway….”

“Arrogant as always, Tsukasa….!.” Hayate smiled bitterly. “Do…you really think that half-baked answer will be enough?”

Despite the Wind Ninja’s hostility, Tsukasa kept a calm sense of mind, a sly grin still plastered on his face. “I dunno…..maybe. But in all seriousness, if you’re that desperate on fighting me again, you’d better start practising first. A fight without passion just ain’t satisfying y’know?”

“Sean.” Ayane spoke authoratively, though clearly a little unnerved by the uncomfortable silence she underwent ever since Hayate’s arrival. “I’m gonna teleport Hayate-Sama back to the village to heal his wounds. In the meantime, keepan eye on this idiot for me, will ya’?”

“Aww….you flatter me, toots….” Tsukasa scoffed with a sarcastic grin, his voice a mix between mockery and boredom.

Before Sean could utter a single protest, Ayane added almost instantaneously. “If you even think about escaping or pulling off some stupid stunt, you’ll be singing soprano permanently! Understand!?”

Defeated, the Canadian boxer exasperatedly sighed as he replied to his “superior’s”order. “Yes, madam…..whatever…..”

“Good to know.” Ayane gave a little haughty smirk towards Sean. The latter responded by shooting her an incredulous look. With that said, she immediately vanished along with Hayate from the place they stood, leaving behind only Iris petals in her wake. The last thing Sean saw was a purple wisp of a butterfly drifting across the night sky. As much as he hated to admit it, it looked rather….snazzy.

“Tcch….can’t even hang out with my pals properly with this Kunoichi. Man is my precious life a bitch…!!”

Slowly shaking his head of thoughts, Sean turned towards Tsukasa’s direction with some newfound curiosity. “Hey, bro? Would you mind if I ask ya’ coupla’ questions?”

“Shoot.” Tsukasa simply responded, without facing his friend.

“How were you part of the Mugen Tenshin group for starters?” Sean asked with a confused tone. “And what’s with the nanomachine talk all of a sudden?”

Pacing up and down a little bit, Tsukasa took in a deep breath. “Ayaiyai….man….so much shit is happening….give me room to breathe will ya’? Sheesh…..I’m kinda sick of Ninjas…..”

“You’re telling me!” Sean mentally agreed. “Why happened to having fighters like Samurai or Mai Shiranui or somethin’?! Makes no sense to me!!”

“Don’t be getting any ideas about fanservice, man if that’s what you’re thinking.” Tsukasa waved his fingers with a cheeky smile, interrupting Sean’s thoughts in an instant.

“Oi!!” Sean yelled, shock overtaking his senses as he was rattled with embarrassment. “Quit ruining my moment of joy!! Since when were you psychic anyway?!! Huh?!”

“We can sit and talk about my genius all day, or you can go through the QnA process for convenience of the plot.” Tsukasa shrugged indignantly. “It’s your call, pal.”

“Fine!!” Sean grouchily replied with an exasperated sigh. “Fire away….”

“Thank you.” Tsukasa retained his cheeky smile. With a deep inhale of “precious” oxygen, he began to elaborate. “To put in bluntly…..around somewhere like…..6 years ago, I was sent to the Mugen Tenshin Ninja clan as a sort-of boot camp along with my girlfriend….due to my…increasing record of delinquency….my teach kinda had a connection with the old grampa of the village, who was the 17th Master at the time….”

“I kinda get the picture now…..” Sean processed while scratching his scalp with his index finger. “So I’m guessing this “gramps” is Hayate’s dad or somethin’? If he is….then no wonder that dude spells hell for ya’….”

“You catch on quick, comic boy.” Tsukasa gave a complimentary scoff, though his smile was genuine. “But yeah….that’s correct. As for Hayate……let’s just say we got off at the wrong foot throughout the years……when I stole the scroll from the vaults of the clan….my rival kinda flipped his crap when he found out and attacked me. Long story short, I beat the ever-lovin’ fudge outta him and escaped along with my girlfriend…..”

“Okay; hold up!!” Sean held his hand in front of him, interrupting the exposition. “Why did you exactly steal the scroll from the vault? And why does Hayate still hold this stupid hate for you in the first place?!”

“Heh…well, to put it simply…..I stole the scroll because, I kinda got curbstomped during an assignment to take down a MegaCorp. And before you ask; it ain’t the Tri-Tower shindig that happened recently. It was a different company that kinda specializes in the same drabble as DOATEC. Y’know….bio-tech, military supplements and the like. To put it simply….they injured my girlfriend and injected me with nanomachines as part of their experimentations.”

“So that explains the slightly overpowered strength you’ve got there…..” Sean took in, his head slowly lifting up with renewed knowledge. Everything slowly became clearer to him now, despite the confusing premise “But back to the point; why did you steal the scroll anyway?”

A sigh left Tsukasa’s lips. Bringing his pacing to a halt, he slowly walked towards Sean’s direction and sat himself down. He stared out into the night sky in contemplation as a way of relaxing himself. The stars themselves in particular felt like bittersweet portrayal of poetry. “To be honest, there was a ton of things going through my mind at that point. I kinda felt that as long as I stayed in that clan, I could not protect anyone or anything; even myself. I guess you could say, I was held back in a sense. To my surprise, even my girlfriend agreed with me on this! Heh….and they say she’s the sensible one….”

Noticing Tukasa’s melancholic yet nostalgic smile, Sean gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Maybe you should stop for now. Somethin’ tells me this story’s gonna open up old wounds. You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“Well, for the most part, yeah….” Tsukasa yawned as he stood up, flexing his left shoulder blade. “Moving on, what exactly did you do to get Ayane on your case, partner? I mean jeez….hafta’ admit; that’s gotta be pretty painful to deal with, huh?”

“You’re telling me…!” Sean exhaustedly replied as he lifted his hands up, leaning back in irritation. “The woman has no sense of self-control!! Seriously, I’m surprised I’m not neutered by those boots of her’s!! It’s like she’s trying to make me lose credibility as a frickin’ dude!!”

Tsukasa gave a very playful wince, much to his friend’s chagrin. “She really kicked you down there, huh? Heh…. sounds like her, all right! Are ya’ sure you were thinking straight when you asked her to come with you?”

A popped vein burst out of Sean’s cerebellum, his eyes scrunched up in fury as his body was wracked with embarrassment. Almost immediately, he towered over Tsukasa, his eyes bulging out far and wide with fury along with his teeth representing lethal fangs. “THE HELL?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! THE WOMAN PRACTICALLY FORCED ME TO LOOK FOR YA’, FOR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD!! WHY ARE YA’ EVEN JOKING ABOUT MY BALLS BEING SMUSHED, MAN?! WHY’S MY MISERY HUMOUROUS?! C’MON!! THAT AIN’T EVEN FUNNY!! THAT’S JUST SADISTIC!!”

“Heh…cool down, dude!” Tsukasa mockingly scoffed, remaining unfazed by Sean’s outburst; surprisingly. “I didn’t know you were that sensitive! What’s the big deal?”

Sean from his momentary loss of temper, slowly returned to Earth with a deep sigh. His eyes gazed towards the night sky as he lay down at the stairs of the door. “It’s nothin’..but…..it’s just………..this wholeconspiracy thingy-ma-gig’s messin’ with my head…..”

“I sympathise with ya’, man.” Tsukasa tapped his foot casually, his posture calm and relaxed. “I truly do. But ya’ met Kasumi and….well; can’t say you didn’t see this coming.After all, Ninjas are kinda nosy sometimes….especially when it comes to pretty women like Kasumi!”

With that said, he forced a slightly jovial chuckle, his foot still tapping in rhythm. With a light-hearted snort, Sean could not help but join in. “I know right? Poor girl can’t even catch a break without so much as a knife thrown in her sleep or an autograph from some ax-crazy DOA fan….!! I almost feel sorry what she has to go through to be honest with ya’…..”

“To be honest, who wouldn’t be?” Tsukasa yawned, flexing his left arm. “But in a way, she’s growin’ tougher and tougher. Hafta’ admit, I kinda respect that particular aspect of hers.”

His bones finally clicking into place, he finally stood up straight and asked Sean his question. “Anyway, I heard that she’s been babysitting your friend……erm…what’s his name…?” He snapped his fingers hoping that something would come up.” ….Natsu…right? Is this true?”

Sean barely managed to avoid snorting into hilarity with Tsukasa’s choice of words. “I wouldn’t say babysitting per-say; but more like havin’ some company on his warrior journey. After all, he can’t brood all day in his timetable. It’s too unhealthy for hissocial digestion!”

“Funny how ya’ compare depression to junk food, man.” Tsukasa smiled. “Surprisingly, I can’t help but agree with ya’ there. But, ya’gotta admit, a man’s gotta have his alone time every once in a while. Even you are kinda livin’ the high life by yerself, right?”

Sean’s smile slightly faltered, the mention of the last sentence striking an….less than pleasant side effect. Embarrassingly, he instinctively ruffled his spiky hair while sweat dropping. “Well, kinda…..before my vacation got interrupted for no discernible reason…!! Seriously, how am I supposed to enjoy College leave with a girl who’s kinda ax-crazy and has some weird family issues, huh?!”

“You’ll manage…..” Tsukasa replied as though it were obvious. “Besides, you’re one of the most empathetic people I know. I’m pretty sure dealing with Ayane will be all-in-a-day’s work for ya’…..”

Sean’s lips gave way to a light smile as he let out a small chuckle. Somehow, “all-in-a-day’s work”often resulted in him being a glutton for punishment (and Ayane definitely did not make his “job” any easier!!). To be fair, he knewvery wellthe violent route was usually the fate for any decent fighter, but it still didn’t change the fact that Sean held a strong dislike for this aspect; mainly for personal reasons. “Well…..let’s hope I’m still able to have kids after this is over….”

“Perhaps a Chastity belt would help, my friend?” Tsukasa sarcastically suggested much to the boxing prodigy’s chagrin.

“Award winning comic genius, man…..!” Sean scowled bitterly. “Why do you and Natsu always gotta make my life miserable?”

“Relax, dude. Relax.” Tsukasa continued to hold his own little smirk. “You’re stressin’ out too much here. Look. Tell ya’ what; if this shitty ordeal is over and done with, I can give to ya’ my Duke Nukemand Serious Sam collection as well as play ya’ a death-match marathon sometime. Deal?”

“Babysitting a bratty Kunoichi in exchange for retro-shooting heaven, huh?” Sean raised an eyebrow, his posture now upright with rejuvenated optimism and cheerfulness. “I’ll keep that in mind!! Man, is Natsu gonna miss out on some awesome stuff!!”

“You two, boneheads!!” A less-than-amused feminine voice called out in the distance. “If you’re done bitching about me and the clan, I’d like to escort the man with the freaky t-shirt away from the premises if you please?

Sean slowly shuddered with disappointment as he steadily turned around to face behind him. There Ayane stood, menacingly with her red eyes glaring daggers at Sean. Her hair was returned to its natural purple colour, though her casual clothing still remained. To say she was cross with him; was a big understatement!!

With a deflated sigh, Sean immediately growled agonizingly in frustration. “Yes, madam…..I’m coming…”. With that said, he immediately walked towards the Violet Kunoichi’s side. Five steps later, Sean turned towards Tsukasa and mouthed inaudibly. “Where are you gonna be, FYI?”

The young Korean stood up, straightening his jacket as a way of thinking of a suitable answer. Quickly he mouthed back. “When the plot tells me it’s convenient to come back. I’ll probably meet ya’ somewhere around Kyoto or Germany when you strike out, kay?”

“Germany?! Wha…?! Why the hell would we be in Germany, for crying out loud?!”

“IF you end up there that is.” Tsukasa corrected as if it were common sense. “Just give me a call if you need help. Think of it like your own convenient Deus Ex Machina.”

“Thanks for the tip…..” Sean’s brief moment of irritation slowly cooled towards a calm smile. With that said, he then headed out towards the bustling streets alongside Ayane. Tsukasa could only watch with a light grin, hands in his pockets as he whistled.

“So, Hayate’s involved in this case too I see….” Tsukasa deviously thought as he watched the two walk into the distance. “Well, if that means I can get to kick his ass along the way, maybe I won’t be so bored after all!! Hell......this may actually be fun for a change…!!”

Slightly bobbing his head up and down, Tsukasa immediately began to head into the direction of the street albeit watching from an observer’s point of view.

At least for now……

Description

Episode 9: Unexpected Run-in’s!!

A/N: Hi guys. I truly, honestly, completely owe my sincerest apologies to long time followers of this story. I realize that I’m not the most punctual guy in the world, and I am sorry for that. College seems to be more strenuous than it needs to be nowadays and to be honest; it’s getting annoying and stressful!! Anyways, here’s the long awaited 9th Episode where we finally have the chance to conclude some unresolved plots!! Hooray!! And also, both Hayabusa and Ryu get more screentime!! Double hooray!! Hope this was worth the wait!! If not, feel free to slap me across the face; virtually of course!! Special thanks to grey0716, AnimeGamerWriter212, Projekt-Z, godofmadness43 and also RebelDynasty!! ^^’ You guys are awesome!! Thanks for not giving up on me. I really appreciate it.

Dead or Alive belongs to Team Ninja and Temco. Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura and Shonen Jump. Virtua Fighter belongs to Yu Suzuki and Sega AM2. Street Fighter belongs to Capcom. Zell Natsumoto and Maria belong to Projekt-Z. Takashi belongs to godofmadness43. Dawn and Bai Jiao belong to Kasumi x SyazelAporro. I only own my OC's!

Back Alley of the Convention- Previously on Episode 6

Tsukasa and Hayate both held their positions from their retrospective attacks for quite a while; their positions static like stone statues. Though their posture held great balance, both men held a look of slight discomfort as their grunts eventually gave way, soaking in the pain each have inflicted. Tsukasa’s face scrunched up a little as the sharp force of Hayate’s elbow slowly made its way to the pressure point of his foot. At the same time, the Wind Ninja grit his teeth as the pressure of the kick began to dig into a delicate pressure point against the elbow he struck with.

Over five minutes have passed since that particular clash. Neither fighter moved from their position, fixated in a contest that combined both balance and physical, strenuous torture! Although Ayane kept an observant eye throughout their battle, she began to feel a sense of tension and discomfort, her index finger almost twitching in response. The Violet Kunoichi felt conflicted as the battle raged on, once again reminding her of a painful memory almost a year ago; Raidou’s fight with Hayate which resulted in the latter being crippled almost for life. She hesitated, her fist clenched as her bloodshot eyes slightly twitching. She desperately wanted to intervene. Her conscious constantly pestered her to stand by Hayate’s side. To see him battered like this, only reminded Ayane of her own helplessness; the very thing she swore to stamp out.

In the end however, Ayane grit her teeth and decided to stay put. After all, she did not want to burden Hayate with her intervention, especially considering that he had a personal score to settle.

Sean on the other hand analysed the battle from his own perspective. Though he had a calmer frame of mind compared to his “compatriot”, Sean wore a somewhat confused outlook throughout the situation. Even though he knew Tsukasa for a while now, there were still some things that left the boxing prodigy a little perplexed. Although he kept a cool demeanour and had a very unfazed exterior, deep inside Sean felt like he was plunged into a sea of confusion and distress. Nanomachines?!Hayate’s rivalry with Tsukasa suddenly appearing out of the blue?!What the hell was even going on anymore?! More importantly, why was he dragged into all of this?! He of all people?! To Sean, this experience was starting to grow as subtle as a punch to the face!!

“This situation is so needlessly confusing...!!” The boxer growled mentally, his head suffering from the excruciating lack of common sense. “Nanomachines?! Really?! This is something straight of a cyberpunk novel for cryin’ out loud!! Then again…this whole shindig with the Tri-Towers does kinda begs the question…..aww….screw this!! What am I doing?! Why the hell am I even thinking?!”

Shaking away his jargon of thought, Sean took a deep breath; despite the overwhelming lack of logic that laid itself bare (according to him, at least), in front of him, he finally came to a bitter yet sensible choice; roll with the situation for now……

After all, despite his vehement reluctance, Sean managed to put up with various oddities that have almost come up as an everyday occurrence. A small sigh eventually left his lips as he continued to analyse the fight between the two men, a slight shake of the head being a small remnant of his brief anger.

The shape of the clash began quaking, the leg and elbow starting to shake violently. A split-second later, both attacks immediately were released from each other as Hayate and Tsukasa side-flipped into their default fighting stances. Their fighting stances were once again quite fresh, but fatigue slowly began to overcome their senses; the fury of their blows taking a toll. The rivals stared each other with look of utter contempt; Tsukasa’s resembled a deranged, psychopathic blood knight. Hayate’s on the other hand echoed back to the days of the Tri-Towers, anger being his only fuel for victory.

“I don’t want any saucy speech…!” Hayate glared daggers at the man in front of him, his teeth gritting with frustration. “Especially from you!”

An evil grin crept across Tsukasa’s face, relishing his rival’s anger.“Tcch….thought so….in that case!!”

Wasting no time, they both advanced towards each other with furious abandon. Tsukasa unleashed a lighting quick high kick aimed at the cartilage in front of Hayate’s neck. With a panicked gasp, the Wind Ninja managed to narrowly blow the potentially fatal by blocking with his right hand. Disorientated by the force of the kick, Hayate once again fell victim to Tsukasa’s combination of a body blow to the ribcage, ending with a sharp punch to the centre of the chest. Stumbling back from the impact, Hayate nonetheless managed to stand his ground. With the wind trailing behind his wake in feat of high speed, he advanced towards Tsukasa catching him off guard with a sharp elbow to the gut. With blinding speed, the elbow expanded, hitting Tsukasa dead centre in the stomach. Wheezing out a pocket of air, he collided towards the wall with a thundering crack, his back making a body sized dent in the process.

Bricks tumbled towards the floor as Tsukasa gently slipped out of the wall he was slammed into. Though a little slow, Tsukasa bent his knees; panting as his lips started trickling crimson. With a demented expression, he stood up and eyed Hayate with his ever present evil grin.

“Heh…!! Not bad there, buddy!! But, is this really the best you can do? Well then; CHEW ON THIS!!!”

With a hot-blooded roar, Tsukasa jumped up and unleashed an aerial roundhouse kick towards Hayate’s ribcage. The Wind Ninja was instantly knocked off his momentum, floored to the side. A small crack was heard from Hayate’s bones as he trailed with the friction of the ground. Wasting no time, he immediately side-filpped into his neutral position despite the severe beating he had suffered. Using the tip of his palms, Hayate threw an uppercut to the midpoint of Tsukasa’s chest. Caught off guard, Tsukasa flinched in disgust. Another blow was struck by Hayate; this time a palm punch to the gut. Tsukasa barely managed to parry the blow let alone retaliate on time. His vision losing focus, Tsukasa tried a knuckle jab towards Hayate’s nose.

“Heh….predictable!!” He smirked at Tsukasa’s carelessness. Capitalizing on that particular weakness, Hayate immediately countered with a sharp kick to the cheek, catching Tsukasa by surprise once again!

The young man flinched but still stood his ground, his sneakers emitting a bit of smoke from the friction of the rough granite. Wasting no time, Tsukasa threw a very sloppy looking punch that smashed Hayate across the face; in combination with sharp backfist to the nose. A severe crunch was heard; along with a yell of agony despite the Shinobi’s best efforts to will away the pain. He staggered somewhat, his breathing somewhat ragged and rapid from the beating he undertook. With a gasp, the Hayate slumped to the ground, unable to continue any further

His face started to show signs of severe bruising; a mixture of red and black blood oozing from his nostrils and lips. His posture looked rather pale, worn out from the weight of Tsukasa’s blows and also the migraine of his own uncontrollable rage. His rival wasn’t too far off. Tsukasa dropped to his knees, breathing heavily and blood began to trickle down his lips, his smirk still contained as opposed to Hayate’s more disappointed look.

Failing to contain her inner anxiety, Ayane could no longer stand idly by! Instinctively, she rushed to her leader’s side just as Hayate was about to faint from exhaustion. With a gasp as her form of alert, she held him steady almost instantaneously

“Hayate-Sama!!”Ayane’s voice was wracked with nervousness, unable to comprehend her leader’s battered state. Slowly, her right hand began to glow with a violet aura. “H-hold on a minute….hang in there….!!”

Despite the Wind Ninja’s laboured breathing, he noticed the energy of Ayane’sNinpo slowly mending the broken tissue and skin of his nose; slowly being the key word. The strength of Tsukasa’s punches took a toll on him quite severely; Hayate was surprised healing Ninpo was able to such dangerous wounds. Forcing a smile, he let out a small cough of amusement.

“A-ayane…? Hee, hee….I’m fine….okay? I-it’s nothing serious……nggghhh….!!”

“Shh…….rest now….don’t move.” The violet Kunoichi hushed as she helped Hayate up from the shoulders without the least bit of strain.

Tsukasa on the other observed what just happened. He slowly rose to his feet, wiping theblood off his evil grin. Blood still trickled down his bottom lip, much to his own disdain.

“Tcch……overdone it again, huh…?” Tsukasa muttered under his breath. Despite his fatigued state, he carefully clicked his neck into place. “Well, thanks for the fun bout…..but seriously, man; think ya’ could’ve done better? Hmm?It wasn’t nearly as entertaining last time we fought!! What........have ya’ been slackin’ off or somethin’?”

“Heh….you could say that Peace can often soften a fighter’s spirit…..” Hayate forced a sarcastic grin as he was slowly supported by Ayane. “Even so…..I still…..want answers…..the scroll….why did you take it…?”

“See, man….” Tsukasa dismissively shrugged with a sigh. “I can’t really answer that question……and let’s be honest; I don’t wanna try….it’s a matter I would like to forget ….I’m not exactly the co-operative type with Ninjas anyway….”

“Arrogant as always, Tsukasa….!.” Hayate smiled bitterly. “Do…you really think that half-baked answer will be enough?”

Despite the Wind Ninja’s hostility, Tsukasa kept a calm sense of mind, a sly grin still plastered on his face. “I dunno…..maybe. But in all seriousness, if you’re that desperate on fighting me again, you’d better start practising first. A fight without passion just ain’t satisfying y’know?”

“Sean.” Ayane spoke authoratively, though clearly a little unnerved by the uncomfortable silence she underwent ever since Hayate’s arrival. “I’m gonna teleport Hayate-Sama back to the village to heal his wounds. In the meantime, keepan eye on this idiot for me, will ya’?”

“Aww….you flatter me, toots….” Tsukasa scoffed with a sarcastic grin, his voice a mix between mockery and boredom.

Before Sean could utter a single protest, Ayane added almost instantaneously. “If you even think about escaping or pulling off some stupid stunt, you’ll be singing soprano permanently! Understand!?”

Defeated, the Canadian boxer exasperatedly sighed as he replied to his “superior’s”order. “Yes, madam…..whatever…..”

“Good to know.” Ayane gave a little haughty smirk towards Sean. The latter responded by shooting her an incredulous look. With that said, she immediately vanished along with Hayate from the place they stood, leaving behind only Iris petals in her wake. The last thing Sean saw was a purple wisp of a butterfly drifting across the night sky. As much as he hated to admit it, it looked rather….snazzy.

“Tcch….can’t even hang out with my pals properly with this Kunoichi. Man is my precious life a bitch…!!”

Slowly shaking his head of thoughts, Sean turned towards Tsukasa’s direction with some newfound curiosity. “Hey, bro? Would you mind if I ask ya’ coupla’ questions?”

“Shoot.” Tsukasa simply responded, without facing his friend.

“How were you part of the Mugen Tenshin group for starters?” Sean asked with a confused tone. “And what’s with the nanomachine talk all of a sudden?”

Pacing up and down a little bit, Tsukasa took in a deep breath. “Ayaiyai….man….so much shit is happening….give me room to breathe will ya’? Sheesh…..I’m kinda sick of Ninjas…..”

“You’re telling me!” Sean mentally agreed. “Why happened to having fighters like Samurai or Mai Shiranui or somethin’?! Makes no sense to me!!”

“Don’t be getting any ideas about fanservice, man if that’s what you’re thinking.” Tsukasa waved his fingers with a cheeky smile, interrupting Sean’s thoughts in an instant.

“Oi!!” Sean yelled, shock overtaking his senses as he was rattled with embarrassment. “Quit ruining my moment of joy!! Since when were you psychic anyway?!! Huh?!”

“We can sit and talk about my genius all day, or you can go through the QnA process for convenience of the plot.” Tsukasa shrugged indignantly. “It’s your call, pal.”

“Fine!!” Sean grouchily replied with an exasperated sigh. “Fire away….”

“Thank you.” Tsukasa retained his cheeky smile. With a deep inhale of “precious” oxygen, he began to elaborate. “To put in bluntly…..around somewhere like…..6 years ago, I was sent to the Mugen Tenshin Ninja clan as a sort-of boot camp along with my girlfriend….due to my…increasing record of delinquency….my teach kinda had a connection with the old grampa of the village, who was the 17th Master at the time….”

“I kinda get the picture now…..” Sean processed while scratching his scalp with his index finger. “So I’m guessing this “gramps” is Hayate’s dad or somethin’? If he is….then no wonder that dude spells hell for ya’….”

“You catch on quick, comic boy.” Tsukasa gave a complimentary scoff, though his smile was genuine. “But yeah….that’s correct. As for Hayate……let’s just say we got off at the wrong foot throughout the years……when I stole the scroll from the vaults of the clan….my rival kinda flipped his crap when he found out and attacked me. Long story short, I beat the ever-lovin’ fudge outta him and escaped along with my girlfriend…..”

“Okay; hold up!!” Sean held his hand in front of him, interrupting the exposition. “Why did you exactly steal the scroll from the vault? And why does Hayate still hold this stupid hate for you in the first place?!”

“Heh…well, to put it simply…..I stole the scroll because, I kinda got curbstomped during an assignment to take down a MegaCorp. And before you ask; it ain’t the Tri-Tower shindig that happened recently. It was a different company that kinda specializes in the same drabble as DOATEC. Y’know….bio-tech, military supplements and the like. To put it simply….they injured my girlfriend and injected me with nanomachines as part of their experimentations.”

“So that explains the slightly overpowered strength you’ve got there…..” Sean took in, his head slowly lifting up with renewed knowledge. Everything slowly became clearer to him now, despite the confusing premise “But back to the point; why did you steal the scroll anyway?”

A sigh left Tsukasa’s lips. Bringing his pacing to a halt, he slowly walked towards Sean’s direction and sat himself down. He stared out into the night sky in contemplation as a way of relaxing himself. The stars themselves in particular felt like bittersweet portrayal of poetry. “To be honest, there was a ton of things going through my mind at that point. I kinda felt that as long as I stayed in that clan, I could not protect anyone or anything; even myself. I guess you could say, I was held back in a sense. To my surprise, even my girlfriend agreed with me on this! Heh….and they say she’s the sensible one….”

Noticing Tukasa’s melancholic yet nostalgic smile, Sean gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Maybe you should stop for now. Somethin’ tells me this story’s gonna open up old wounds. You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“Well, for the most part, yeah….” Tsukasa yawned as he stood up, flexing his left shoulder blade. “Moving on, what exactly did you do to get Ayane on your case, partner? I mean jeez….hafta’ admit; that’s gotta be pretty painful to deal with, huh?”

“You’re telling me…!” Sean exhaustedly replied as he lifted his hands up, leaning back in irritation. “The woman has no sense of self-control!! Seriously, I’m surprised I’m not neutered by those boots of her’s!! It’s like she’s trying to make me lose credibility as a frickin’ dude!!”

Tsukasa gave a very playful wince, much to his friend’s chagrin. “She really kicked you down there, huh? Heh…. sounds like her, all right! Are ya’ sure you were thinking straight when you asked her to come with you?”

A popped vein burst out of Sean’s cerebellum, his eyes scrunched up in fury as his body was wracked with embarrassment. Almost immediately, he towered over Tsukasa, his eyes bulging out far and wide with fury along with his teeth representing lethal fangs. “THE HELL?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! THE WOMAN PRACTICALLY FORCED ME TO LOOK FOR YA’, FOR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD!! WHY ARE YA’ EVEN JOKING ABOUT MY BALLS BEING SMUSHED, MAN?! WHY’S MY MISERY HUMOUROUS?! C’MON!! THAT AIN’T EVEN FUNNY!! THAT’S JUST SADISTIC!!”

“Heh…cool down, dude!” Tsukasa mockingly scoffed, remaining unfazed by Sean’s outburst; surprisingly. “I didn’t know you were that sensitive! What’s the big deal?”

Sean from his momentary loss of temper, slowly returned to Earth with a deep sigh. His eyes gazed towards the night sky as he lay down at the stairs of the door. “It’s nothin’..but…..it’s just………..this wholeconspiracy thingy-ma-gig’s messin’ with my head…..”

“I sympathise with ya’, man.” Tsukasa tapped his foot casually, his posture calm and relaxed. “I truly do. But ya’ met Kasumi and….well; can’t say you didn’t see this coming.After all, Ninjas are kinda nosy sometimes….especially when it comes to pretty women like Kasumi!”

With that said, he forced a slightly jovial chuckle, his foot still tapping in rhythm. With a light-hearted snort, Sean could not help but join in. “I know right? Poor girl can’t even catch a break without so much as a knife thrown in her sleep or an autograph from some ax-crazy DOA fan….!! I almost feel sorry what she has to go through to be honest with ya’…..”

“To be honest, who wouldn’t be?” Tsukasa yawned, flexing his left arm. “But in a way, she’s growin’ tougher and tougher. Hafta’ admit, I kinda respect that particular aspect of hers.”

His bones finally clicking into place, he finally stood up straight and asked Sean his question. “Anyway, I heard that she’s been babysitting your friend……erm…what’s his name…?” He snapped his fingers hoping that something would come up.” ….Natsu…right? Is this true?”

Sean barely managed to avoid snorting into hilarity with Tsukasa’s choice of words. “I wouldn’t say babysitting per-say; but more like havin’ some company on his warrior journey. After all, he can’t brood all day in his timetable. It’s too unhealthy for hissocial digestion!”

“Funny how ya’ compare depression to junk food, man.” Tsukasa smiled. “Surprisingly, I can’t help but agree with ya’ there. But, ya’gotta admit, a man’s gotta have his alone time every once in a while. Even you are kinda livin’ the high life by yerself, right?”

Sean’s smile slightly faltered, the mention of the last sentence striking an….less than pleasant side effect. Embarrassingly, he instinctively ruffled his spiky hair while sweat dropping. “Well, kinda…..before my vacation got interrupted for no discernible reason…!! Seriously, how am I supposed to enjoy College leave with a girl who’s kinda ax-crazy and has some weird family issues, huh?!”

“You’ll manage…..” Tsukasa replied as though it were obvious. “Besides, you’re one of the most empathetic people I know. I’m pretty sure dealing with Ayane will be all-in-a-day’s work for ya’…..”

Sean’s lips gave way to a light smile as he let out a small chuckle. Somehow, “all-in-a-day’s work”often resulted in him being a glutton for punishment (and Ayane definitely did not make his “job” any easier!!). To be fair, he knewvery wellthe violent route was usually the fate for any decent fighter, but it still didn’t change the fact that Sean held a strong dislike for this aspect; mainly for personal reasons. “Well…..let’s hope I’m still able to have kids after this is over….”

“Perhaps a Chastity belt would help, my friend?” Tsukasa sarcastically suggested much to the boxing prodigy’s chagrin.

“Award winning comic genius, man…..!” Sean scowled bitterly. “Why do you and Natsu always gotta make my life miserable?”

“Relax, dude. Relax.” Tsukasa continued to hold his own little smirk. “You’re stressin’ out too much here. Look. Tell ya’ what; if this shitty ordeal is over and done with, I can give to ya’ my Duke Nukemand Serious Sam collection as well as play ya’ a death-match marathon sometime. Deal?”

“Babysitting a bratty Kunoichi in exchange for retro-shooting heaven, huh?” Sean raised an eyebrow, his posture now upright with rejuvenated optimism and cheerfulness. “I’ll keep that in mind!! Man, is Natsu gonna miss out on some awesome stuff!!”

“You two, boneheads!!” A less-than-amused feminine voice called out in the distance. “If you’re done bitching about me and the clan, I’d like to escort the man with the freaky t-shirt away from the premises if you please?

Sean slowly shuddered with disappointment as he steadily turned around to face behind him. There Ayane stood, menacingly with her red eyes glaring daggers at Sean. Her hair was returned to its natural purple colour, though her casual clothing still remained. To say she was cross with him; was a big understatement!!

With a deflated sigh, Sean immediately growled agonizingly in frustration. “Yes, madam…..I’m coming…”. With that said, he immediately walked towards the Violet Kunoichi’s side. Five steps later, Sean turned towards Tsukasa and mouthed inaudibly. “Where are you gonna be, FYI?”

The young Korean stood up, straightening his jacket as a way of thinking of a suitable answer. Quickly he mouthed back. “When the plot tells me it’s convenient to come back. I’ll probably meet ya’ somewhere around Kyoto or Germany when you strike out, kay?”

“Germany?! Wha…?! Why the hell would we be in Germany, for crying out loud?!”

“IF you end up there that is.” Tsukasa corrected as if it were common sense. “Just give me a call if you need help. Think of it like your own convenient Deus Ex Machina.”

“Thanks for the tip…..” Sean’s brief moment of irritation slowly cooled towards a calm smile. With that said, he then headed out towards the bustling streets alongside Ayane. Tsukasa could only watch with a light grin, hands in his pockets as he whistled.

“So, Hayate’s involved in this case too I see….” Tsukasa deviously thought as he watched the two walk into the distance. “Well, if that means I can get to kick his ass along the way, maybe I won’t be so bored after all!! Hell......this may actually be fun for a change…!!”

Slightly bobbing his head up and down, Tsukasa immediately began to head into the direction of the street albeit watching from an observer’s point of view.

At least for now……