[DOA: Dead or Alive] [Kasumi/Hayabusa] [List #1] [Theme #1-5]
5 senses: Touch
Warning
The edge of the wooden plank surrounding the bath was warm against his back.
“Hayabusa,” A dull pain pressed against his heart. “Why do you invade my privacy this way?” The soft voice passed through the bath’s surrounding glass unmuffled. Because I fear for your safety.
“She is here.”
“I know.”, she replied quickly. She knew whom he meant. “I have seen her.”
“I beg you once again, princess.” Behind him he could hear the movement of water. “Go home, ask for forgiveness. You have a responsibility to your people.”
“But I also have a responsibility to my brother.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the petite princess approach. He quickly stood up.
“Donovan is lying. He says Leon killed Hayate above the Buddha head.” He looked into her eyes, trying to see what she was feeling, and maybe find a way to ease her pain.
“Why would he lie?”
She shook her head slightly. “I am convinced he is hiding the truth.”
“What do you propose to do?”
The steely resolve in her eyes was unmistakable. “Find my brother.”
He nodded. “Then I will help you.” She smiled at him, the first time he had seen her smile in so long. “Hayate was like a brother to me too.”
She stepped closer, her eyes still focused on his lips, her mouth parted just barely. When her hand touched his face, his mind went blank. He felt that touch on every inch of his skin. Her cool fingers traced his jaw. Almost involuntarily, he turned towards her touch, and leaned a little closer. But as her thumb brushed against his lips ever so slightly, he flinched. His mind was back in control and it told him in no uncertain terms, no. His hand gripped her wrist lightly, bringing her hand downwards. No matter how much he wanted this, it was not right. Shinobi or not, in his mind she was still a princess and he was still her servant. He could only imagine what Hayate would say. His best friend had asked him to protect Kasumi, not fall for her. He released her hand reluctantly. He saw a trace of confusion on her face.
“Be careful, Kasumi.”, he said before turning to leave. He meant it to be a warning about Ayane, and for her to be careful during her next fight. But he also meant it about what almost happened between them. Be careful, Kasumi. It cannot always end the way we want it to.ê
5 senses: Sight
Red
“50 says that Tina gets her little ass stomped.” Whapp! Her teammate Tina whacked the volleyball angrily. Zack laughed. “You know what, on second thought, let’s go ahead and make it a whole dollar.” Kasumi barely heard the man’s comment as she watch the ball bounce further and further away from them, heading for the juice stand.
She jogged over to get the ball and smiled faintly when she saw a man in a navy blue outfit reach for the ball. As he squatted to pick it up, she came closer until she was only a foot away from him. The man’s gaze travelled slowly from her feet up to her face. When he saw her face, he quickly looked away. He tried to sidestep further away, but lost his balance a bit. She tried to suppress a laugh as she gathered her hair. She had to admit, it was fun to see his reaction. She had been shy about wearing the red bikini, but Tina had insisted she borrow it, and it was turning out to be a good idea. He kept glancing up at her and then looking away. He was so used to seeing her in long flowing robes, anything that at the very least covered her torso. This was practically forbidden.
He stood up. “Hayabusa, are you alright?”, she asked him as she placed her hands on her hips. Already, she could see a faint blush color his cheeks.
“Yeah.” He laughed, trying to mask his embarrassment. Still, he refrained from looking at her. Suddenly, his expression changed. She noticed the change in his face and turned to see what he was looking at. Coming up the path was Donovan, along with four female guards.
“Do you think you can keep him occupied? I’d like to explore his lab, search for signs of Hayate.”, he said quietly.
“I can try.”, she said coolly, giving him a once-over. He met her gaze. And for the second time, since they had been there, she smiled at him. He nodded before handing her back the ball. She watched him walk away. That man is too honourable sometimes., she thought with a sigh.ê
5 senses: Smell
Sweet Poison
She didn’t want to worry. Nevertheless, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of her brother, and of him. She hadn’t seen him since the day before, when they were at the beach. The thought of losing him scared her, more than she cared to admit. She had already lost her brother, to lose him as well would be too much.
“I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”, she admitted to Tina and Christie. It was just her, them and Hayabusa who were left in DOA.
Through a mouth full of food, Tina replied, “Then let’s go find him.”
“No.”, she replied firmly. She set down her cup on the table. “I go alone.”
“Well, I’ma come to.”, Tina said as she stood up. Kasumi continued walking.
“I said no. He means nothing to you.” They both came to a halt, facing each other.
“Well now, that’s not entirely true.”, Tina said. “You know, he and I...”
“You mean...” This was one thought she didn’t really want to see through, but she had to know anyway.
“Just once.”, Tina answered, with a shake of her head. “He was persistent and uh...” The news felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. She shifted her weight slightly, preparing for what, she wasn’t sure. Tina was her friend but this... felt like a betrayal. She glared at Tina.
“Hah! I’m just kidding.”, Tina said with a laugh, slapping her on the arm. Kasumi smiled sheepishly. Tina knew her better than she thought. It was a little unsettling that her friend knew what her weakness was before she’d even really accepted it.
“Come on Christie.”, Tina called to the blonde who was still sitting on the couch. Showtime.
~ * ~
Christie turned the Buddha head slowly. On one of the thick columns, a secret door opened.
“Well done.”, Kasumi said, as the trio walked towards the door.
“What did you say your day job was?”, Tina asked as she hurried after them.
When they reached the end of the corridor, another door opened. “Wow. This looks homey.”, Tina said out loud. In front of them were several computers, still running. “Look at this, they’ve been monitoring everything we do.”, Christie said as she leaned over to look at the screens. “Bunch of pervs.” Kasumi wandered around, still unsure what she was looking for. “Guys, over here.” She turned to see Christie standing in front of a wall, tinkering with a panel. She walked over and watched as Christie opened another secret door.
Like the first door, it opened into a small corridor. They started up the steps. At the end of the hallway, she noticed a prone figure on top of a small circular stage. She felt her heart skip a beat when she recognized who it was. “Hayabusa.” She ran ahead of the others, her fear fuelling the rush of adrenaline. She knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his arm. She leaned closer. “Hayabusa, what happened?” He groaned.
Behind them, the door quickly shut. Christie and Tina rushed towards the door. As Christie tried to find a button, anything actually, to open the door, Tina pounded on it. “Hey! Open this up!”
“What’s that?”, Christie said, pointing towards what looked like three small speakers spewing air. A faintly sweet smell started seeping through the air.
As the minutes passed, her companions slowly lost consciousness until it was just her. She mentally willed herself to stay awake, to not let herself surrender to the saccharine smell that pervaded the air. She was still kneeling beside him, hoping he would wake up. In the back of her mind, however, she knew he wouldn’t. Slowly, she felt herself succumb to the gas. As the world started to go out of focus, she tightened her grip on his arm. Hayabusa, wake up.ê
5 senses: Sound
Mute
All was silent. Am I dead?, he wondered. The last thing he remembered was being trapped in a corridor, a soft hissing sound, a sweet smell, and then... nothing. Around him, he heard the flickering of light. He opened his eyes. A metal ring held his arms tightly to his sides. There was no escape. Through the window in front of his cell, he could see at least two other chambers. He glanced around frantically. There, in one of the pods, his worst fears were realized.
“Princess!”
She turned towards his voice. He struggled to free himself, to find a way to reach her, but it was no use. The princess looked at him sadly, and almost apologetically. He was not sure why she would feel that way. He was the one who should have protected her. Instead, he got her caught in this mess with him.
A door swished open and Donovan walked in. “Now that I have your attention, let me introduce you to the future.” A small column rose out of the ground. On top of it, was what looked like a pair of sunglasses. “Now, it’s time to harvest.” He put on the glasses and a light flashed from the its center. The whole room was bathed in red light. From above them came a whirring sound, and they all watched as a contraption with 4 lasers descended from the ceiling and aimed at Donovan.
Without warning, an excruciating pain hit Hayabusa. It felt as though his blood was trying to jump out of him. After what seemed like forever, it stopped. The pain had receded somewhat but he felt as though he had been fighting all day.
“Now for the ultimate test. The moment I’ve had to wait a year for. I’ve kept him in superb fighting condition. Send him in.” Behind Donovan, another door opened. Hayabusa turned to look. His eyes widened in surprise. Across him, he heard Kasumi gasp. “Hayate.”
Hayate rubbed his wrists. As he stepped forward, Kasumi called out again. “Hayate.”
Her brother turned his face towards her. “Kasumi.” Hayabusa watched silently as his best friend ran towards his sister. “Kasumi!”, he yelled, pounding against the pod. “Kasumi, I was afraid you would come looking for me.” Hayate grew quiet for a moment. “Hayabusa.” Turning around, he saw his best friend also trapped in one of the pods.
In the year that his best friend had been gone, Hayabusa had hoped that he would return and remove the sadness that cloaked Kasumi since his departure. He had imagined so many versions of a reunion between the three of them but this was definitely not one of them. “How could you let this happen?!”, Hayate said to him angrily when he reached Hayabusa’s pod. “Your sister has the same strong will as you.”, he countered with a glare. Hayate acted like he hadn’t even tried to take care of her, like she meant nothing to him.
“Yes she does. But she lacks that perfect blend of skills, timing and strength that set you apart as the world’s greatest warrior.”, Donovan cut in.
“You have me. Let them go.”, Hayate said, as he turned towards Donovan.
“First things first. I challenge you to a fight. If you win, they all go free. If you refuse my simple request, they die. Your choice.”
~*~
It felt like forever since the explosion had occurred. Their time on the raft certainly felt like it.
“Look.” Weatherby said, pointing at something a boat approaching their raft. “Hey!”, he said as he started waving his hand to get their attention.
From this distance, Hayabusa could see that it was the girls who were on the boat. And with his keen eye, he noticed Kasumi, with her hands held up over her mouth, trying not to cry.
~*~
When the boat was close enough, one by one the boys boarded onto the boat. Taking their seats on whatever surfaces there were, Max and Christie, and Weatherby and Helena, paired up. Tina rolled her eyes as she set the course home.
Kasumi had approached him slowly, as though unsure what to do. He wasn’t quite sure what to do either. She sat down beside him. They sat quietly, for awhile, their eyes locked and their bodies just barely touching. Unlike the other couples, they weren’t smiling. DOA was over and it was time to return to their world. What the future could possibly hold for them, he did not know. Slowly she leaned her head against his shoulder, while her right hand rested on his other shoulder. “Don’t be afraid.” whispered the princess to her protector.
5 senses: Taste
Copper and Peaches
He watched her as she walked under the cherry blossom trees. It was a month after DOA and the dust had finally begun to settle in the Ishikari Mountains. After the astounding beating that the clan had received from the combined forces of Kasumi, Tina, Christie, Ayane and Helena, the elders had decided to forgive both Hayate and Kasumi. Clearly, the clan could not survive without a strong leader. Both of them had agreed to stay. And now, while her brother was arranging the affairs of the clan, she decided to clear her head...
This was where it all started. Hayabusa could remember that day as if it were yesterday. Hayate had suggested that Hayabusa spar with Kasumi while Hayate ran some errands. From her first kick, he knew that she was highly skilled. They traded strikes quickly, almost instinctively until... “Ugh!”, groaned Kasumi as she lay on the ground, a hand pressed against her mouth. His brow furrowed with worry. “Are you alright?” Hayate would kill him if Kasumi was hurt.
“I was invited to DOA. I promise not to harm you.”
“Unless we meet in a match.”
She held on to that day as well. It was her fault. She had not blocked him and he hit her square on the mouth. “Are you alright?”, he said as he leaned closer to her, trying to see the damage he had done. She removed her hand and looked at her palm which was smeared with blood. “Oh no.”, he gasped. “I’ll get you something for that.” He started to stand up but she quickly grabbed his arm. “It’s alright, Hayabusa. It’s nothing.” She ran her tongue over the wound. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth.
Guilt racked him that day. For one thing, he had hurt Kasumi. But that wasn’t the entire story. He was more concerned with how he felt afterward, that wave of desire that passed through him as he looked at Kasumi’s lips. It was a dangerous feeling for so many reasons. He had once been proud of his discipline and self-control, and yet, he couldn’t seem to control this.
The emotion grew from that one moment and bloomed that fateful day at the bathhouse when she made it clear that she felt something for him too. To the rest of their friends from DOA, the answer would have been clear. The answer, however, was not as clear when they were in the confines of the clan.
She looked back at him. “Hayabusa, will you walk with me?”, she said with a smile. He nodded and moved towards her. She walked slowly. He got the sense that she actually wanted to stand still and confront him. After a few minutes of silence, she touched his arm and stopped walking. “Hayabusa, I think we should talk.” He swallowed nervously before facing her. “What did you have in mind, princess?”
She looked him in the eyes. “Do you ever think about what happened while we were at DOA?”
“Princess Kasumi, I...” He was ready to pretend that he did not know what she meant, but the sad glint in her eyes stopped him. “That was like a dream, Kasumi. Here in these walls, what happened at DOA cannot be real.” When she did not reply, he took it as a sign that he should leave. He had not taken more than a few steps when she finally spoke. “What about what we felt? Was that a dream as well?” There was a challenge in her voice. Either this would be the beginning or this would be the end.
He turned to face her. The wind brushed past them. He could not help but think that at that moment, she looked so beautiful and yet also so small and vulnerable. He wanted to protect her from whatever threatened to hurt her. And now that the problem was him, he wasn’t sure what to do.
He walked slowly over to her. They looked at each other. She did not try to move away when he wrapped her in his arms. It felt so natural that he stopped thinking how wrong this was.
He pulled back slightly so he could look at her. Placing a hand against her cheek, he marvelled at how soft her skin was. Her eyes were hypnotizing and before he knew what he was doing, he had pressed his lips to hers. As her arms circled his neck to pull him closer, he couldn’t help but think how her lips tasted just as he’d imagined it to be: sweet, like peaches. ê