Hello community. For those who are following my What to Fight For story, please be patient b/c I'm still processing the next chapter in my mind. Plus I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY depressed that Cassandra is not in Soulcalibur V! ARRGH, DAMMIT! WHY PROJECT SOUL! WHY! *heavy breathing*

Anyways, I've decided to do this fic since it's been bugging my mind for quite some time. I've read Midnight by TheDarkestShinobi and thought, "Woah, that Hitomi/Hayate relationship is a bit too harsh and tragic for me." So I decided to do one myself with this pairing.

DISCLAIMER NOTE: I've never played a DOA videogame, though I do own a PS3 so I might check out DOA5 when it comes out. I've watched playthroughs online so I know about what's going on in the DOA universe. Plus, none of these characters belong to me; they are from Temco-Koei.

Rated M for future chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Long Time No See

Hitomi quietly sat by her father on a nearby chair as he soundly slept on the hospital bed. He was breathing heavily, but not painfully, much to her relief. But still, this did not stop her from worrying about him.

Ever since Hitomi got back from the fourth DOA tournament, her father's condition had gotten much worse. It's already been three months since the decline of his health had started. As soon as he started showing serious signs of illness and looking like his sickness was at its peak, his doctor had him moved to the emergency room immediately. They were able to save him, but the operation performed on him left him severely weakened, and there was no guarantee that his illness was completely gone. While he was in the hospital, Hitomi did everything she could to prevent his dojo from closing down. She practically spent every second of her free time teaching the students their karate lessons, and so far, there had been no signs of failure. Hitomi had the dojo under control without her father. But still, it wasn't the same without him. All of his young students missed him, despite the fact that he could be rough on them sometimes. Even his instruction assistants felt that the dojo was incomplete without him. Hitomi may have been a great teacher like her father, but she was not him. No one could replace him at the dojo.

With her bright blue eyes, Hitomi looked upon her father. His hair had turned from dark grey to white; wrinkles were made all over his face, especially on his forehead; and his skin had become so pale that he almost looked like a ghost. He truly looked like he was getting really old and ready to die. Tears began to form on the corners of her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. If he woke up, she did not want him to see her cry, for she feared that he believed that tears were a sign of weakness. Hitomi could not hold back the tears that were coming and quietly walked out of his room.

As she closed the door behind her silently, the light-brown haired brunette walked towards a nearby chair and slumped onto it with a heavy sigh. She then brought her elbows upon her knees and her head upon her hands. She then covered her face as she began to sob as quietly as she could. The last thing she needed was unwanted attention from the hospital staff. Hitomi's tears came out of her eyes and began to wet her palms as she had buried her face within them. She just couldn't take it anymore.

Father . . . of all things this had to happen with you. Why? I can't . . . can't . . . take it anymore! I'm just so lost without you! If you die now . . . I don't know what to do if you're gone! Oh Dad! Please! Please don't leave me! Please don't die! Don't die . . . Please don't die . . .

Suddenly, Hitomi heard the nurse from the nearby desk call out to her, "Are you alright sweetie? Is there something wrong?"

She quickly wiped away her tears, turned to the nurse and hastily replied, "Oh no, it's nothing! I'm alright! I just . . . I just needed some time to think. That's all."

Hitomi quickly got up from her seat and headed back to her father's room. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw his door being closed by someone who was walking into the room. She hastened her pace and walked into the room to see the intruder. As if hearing her coming in, the person turned around to look at her. It was a man with narrow brown eyes and light brown hair that had a hint of red and came down at his shoulders. His skin was slightly tanned, his face was slim, his chin was pointed and his shoulders were broad. The brunette gasped as she recognized the person standing before her.

"Haya- er, I mean . . . Ein," Hitomi said. She knew that she couldn't call him by his real name, or else it would be big trouble. She had to be careful on how she addressed him.

He politely bowed and said with a small smile, "It's been a while, Hitomi. I'm glad to see that you're doing well."

Before he knew it, Hitomi ran up to him and hugged him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She then whispered into his ear, "I've missed you."

Hayate heavily sighed and wrapped his arms around his slim waist, underneath her denim jacket but over her yellow tank top. He did not want to give her the wrong idea of any sexual desires. He then leaned his head next to her ear and whispered, "I've missed you too."

Suddenly, the two of them heard a weak voice calling out from behind Hayate saying, "Hahaha. You two sure look like a cute couple."

The two of them quickly turned towards Hitomi's father and saw that he was finally awake. With her face flashing red, Hitomi ran to the foot of the bed and said with a loud but stern voice, "We are not a couple, Dad. WE ARE JUST FRIENDS!"

The old man chuckled for a little before coughing up very loudly. Hitomi and Hayate each rushed to both of his sides as he continued to cough, but to their relief, the coughing was brief and he slumped back down on the bed.

He then said with his weak voice, "I'm guess I'm getting a bit old." He then turned to Hayate and asked him, "So Ein, what brings you here back to Germany?"

Hayate let out a big sigh and answered, "I've come back to repay a debt that I owe to you and Hitomi. You two took me into your home and treated me with such kindness. You've helped me get back on my feet and find the path that I must take. Lately, I have felt like I've never repaid you and should do so. And right now, helping Hitomi with keeping the dojo together until you have fully recovered is the best way to pay my debt to you."

"Ein, you don't have to."

"Please, sensei. I insist. Allow me to help Hitomi handle the dojo until you have made a full recovery and can come back."

The old man looked up to the ceiling and replied, "I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. The doctor said that I will be fine, but it'll be about another month before I can leave the hospital. So I guess that there's some work to be done at the dojo while I'm here." He turned his back towards Hayate and asked, "But where do you plan on staying?"

Suddenly, Hitomi blurted out, "Ein can stay with me!"

The two men turned their faces to the girl with confused looks on their faces. They could not believe what she just said. She was letting Hayate stay at her apartment for a whole month.

Her father slowly shook his head. "Hitomi, sweetie, that's very kind of you, but it's just going to be the two of you, and there's only one bedroom at your place, so-"

"But I have a couch that has a bed in it," Hitomi said hastily, cutting off her father. "And it's a good far off distance from my room, so we can have our own privacies alone and away from each other. So there's nothing wrong with that, right? Besides, staying in a hotel or inn for a whole month can get really expensive. Come on, Dad. Try to have a little faith in us."

The old man turned his head back to Hayate and asked, "Is this okay with you, Ein?"

The young man pondered a little on Hitomi's offer before looking back up at her. He didn't want to say no because he hadn't seen her in a while and wanted to spend some time together with her. But her father was afraid that he'll do some naughty things with her. Hayate couldn't deny the fact that he had this secret desire for her, but he knew he had to control himself. He was very well trained in restraining such thoughts in his mind, so this shouldn't have been hard for him to do.

He turned back to his sensei and nodded. "It's fine with me. I promise that there won't be any trouble while I'm with her."

The old man took a heavy sigh and said, "Very well, Hitomi. You can let Ein stay with you while he's here. I'm putting my faith in you, so you better be responsible, alright?"

His daughter took up his hand as she replied with a smile, "Alright, Dad. I promise."

After an hour of a light conversation, Hitomi's father fell fast asleep, and she and Hayate quietly slipped out of the room, not wanting to disturb his slumber.

A half-hour later, out on the streets

The duo left the hospital and headed for Hitomi's apartment, which wasn't that far away on foot. For some odd reason, they did not say anything to each other as they walked on the grey sidewalk. Hitomi would occasionally get a glance at Hayate to fully see what he looked like. He was wearing an orange, brown and white jacket that had a symbol of a white bird where his heart was located. Underneath was a black shirt. He had on blue jeans and white trainers for the lower half of his body. She had to admit: not matter what he wore, he was so freaking hot. Realizing what she was thinking, she shook her head, telling herself in her head that she needed to control herself. Sometimes, Hayate would turn his head and see her shaking hers. He asked if something was wrong, but she quickly replied that it was nothing and they continued with their walk.

At around 9 p.m., they finally reached her apartment, and in no time they pulled out the bed from Hitomi's couch and Hayate made himself at home.

It was then that Hitomi finally asked him, "Are you really gonna stay here until Dad's all better?"

"Yes, Hitomi," he answered. "I will help you manage to dojo until your father can stand on his own two feet. You have my word on that."

"But what about your clan? Aren't you their leader? Who's going to take care of things when you're so far away from them for a month?"

"You don't need to worry. I have left my good friend, Ryu, in charge of watching over the clan in my absence. He is a superb ninja like me, and he knows how to keep a ninja clan in order. Don't worry, Hitomi. My clan will be alright. Besides, Ryu has my sister, Kasumi, and Ayane to help him if there's any trouble."

"Okay. That's good to hear." There was a brief moment of silence before Hitomi spoke up again and asked, "Once you're done here . . . I won't see you again . . . will I?"

Hayate was a bit confused by her question and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Well . . . it's just . . . that . . ." she wanted to say her reason, but she couldn't. It was just too painful to say. She just simply shook her head and said, "Never mind, it's nothing. Well, I guess we should sleep now. Night."

Hayate nodded and replied, "Good night, Hitomi."

What he did next really surprised her. He leaned towards and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. As he pulled away, he noticed that her eyes had widened and her cheeks were getting redder and redder by the second. Realizing what her body was doing, Hitomi quickly walked towards her room and closed her door. As Hayate slumped down on the bed, he shook his head as he looked up to fan that was slowly spinning above him.

Why did I just do that? What was I thinking?

Meanwhile, Hitomi slumped on the door and slid down on it, sitting on the floor. That kiss on the cheek Hayate gave her really made her mind go crazy. But she promised her father that she would be responsible and not let her feelings for him get the best of him. Feeling like she had been through a lot, Hitomi got up and headed for her bathroom, thinking that a shower might help her clear her mind. Quickly stripping her clothes off, she turned on the shower with really hot water and stepped inside.

As she let the hot water run over her body, thoughts began to flood her mind again.

When Dad comes out of the hospital, then Hayate will go back to his village, and this will be the last time I'll be with him. When that day comes . . . will I really let him go, not ever seeing him again?

Grabbing the soap, Hitomi gently rubbed it on her breasts and continued moving it down her body.

With Hayate gone, I either have to find another guy, or be single and miserable for the rest of my life. Both options seems bad to me, but what can I do? I know that I will have to move on, but . . . Hayate's the only guy that I've ever been close too . . . I love him . . .

Briefly rubbing her womanhood and her buttocks with the soap, she continued down to her knees and legs.

I love Hayate so much . . . but I know it's not going to work . . . He's a ninja, the leader of his clan. There's no way that a relationship like this will never work. I know that, but . . .

Finished with cleaning herself, Hitomi turned the hot water knob and stopped the water. But she just stood there in the shower with little droplets falling from the tips of her brown hair. Thoughts were still swarming in her mind.

I just want Hayate to know that I love him . . . but what if he doesn't feel the same way with me? What if I'm just his friend and nothing more? I don't know what to do . . . These feelings for him that I have inside of me . . . I can't control them now that he's here . . . What should I do?

Hitomi stepped out of the shower, grabbed a white towel, and began rubbing her hair and then drying her body. After brushing her teeth, she put on her blue pajamas and tucked herself into bed. As she rested her head on her soft pillows, she glanced out her windows and looked at the stars as they flickered with their bright lights in the night sky. She could hear an owl hooting and the winds blowing a small breeze.

Hopefully before he leaves, I'll know what to do . . . I doubt that will ever happen . . .

With a small sigh, Hitomi, closed her baby blue eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Well there's the first chapter. Now about the part about Hayate mentioning Kasumi, I think that she was allowed back into the village after the fourth tournament. I don't know this for sure, just saw it on the DOA wiki website about this speculation. Maybe DOA5 will give us a clear answer. Please review!