On the Hunt for a Ninja Clone

Shadow is seen walking through the hallway heading to Helena's office to ask her about getting a new punching bag that he just destroyed in the training room, again, making it the eighth punching bag destroyed this month. He has been training for the past two months and four days since his fight with Diego in New York and couldn't shake the exciting feeling when their fists clashed into each other, Shadow started to understand of what is like to face strong fighters and wanting to fight them to become stronger himself as he started training to surpass his limits. However, it has not been easy to keep up with his training as he continues to break some of the training equipment like the punching bag, hoping she could get someone to make a stronger one.

As he arrives at the door, he notices someone he never seen before walking up to the office door with a look on his face that he has some serious business with Helen.

The man is tall with a wide, muscular build, a slightly tanned complexion, dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a square-shaped face with a strong jawline. He also bears a thin scar that runs over his face from above the left eyebrow to the right cheek. He wears a polo shirt with a pair of black jeans, formal shoes, and leather gloves.

"Hmm, I was not aware that Helena has brought in another child intern to work for her." The man said, glaring at Shadow.

"Let just say I'm more special than you think. You hear to see Miss Helen?" Shadow asked.

"Yes, I have some news about an incident that happened to me a few days ago." The man answered honestly.

Shadow can tell this man is strong and seem to be a good friend to Helen if he has not spoken softly at her name.

"Very well, I'll wait outside." Shadow said as he leans on the frame of the door.

"You sure you do not want to go in as well?" The man asked.

"What I wanted to talk to her about wasn't really important, just needed a new punching bag for the training room." Shadow explained.

"I see. My name is Bayman, by the way." Bayman revealed his name.

"Shadow." Shadow shared his name too.

Bayman walks through the door and close it behind him as Shadow just stands next to the door hoping their talk won't take too long though he gets a feeling whatever they're about to talk about is important and maybe dangerous.

"Shadow." Kasumi said getting his attention as she walks up to him.

"Hey Kasumi, Helena is talking with this Bayman guy right now." Shadow informed.

"He's a good friend of Miss Helen, he comes here whenever some big happened, and he may know about Alpha's whereabouts too." Kasumi suspected.

"You think so?" Shadow asked.

"Let's go in." Kasumi grabbed Shadow's hand pulling him closer to her.

"Hey, wait!" Shadow got ninja teleported with Kasumi as they are now inside Helena's office hiding behind a pillar with his back against the wall.

"Now, stay quiet and let's listen." Kasumi whispered softly as her leans forward, unintentionally pressing her breasts against his chest.

Shadow was blushing like crazy, but he quickly calms his mind down and stand completely still as he also begun to listen in on Helen and Bayman's conversation. Then his unknowingly move his hands on Kasumi's butt almost making her yelp but kept herself quiet though her cheeks blush a little.

"A few days ago, me and my men were out on a mission in the Middle East. Nothing serious along the way until… we were attacked." Bayman explained as he touches his scar with the memories of that day is still clear to him.

(Flashback, Few Days Ago)

Bayman and his team are walking through an old neighborhood getting to the rendezvous point for the job they were hired to do, they heard a noise pointing their guns at a building and looking up seeing it was only a young boy probably playing "I spy" or something as he got scared an ran anyway.

The team laughs a little as there was nothing to worry about, but then suddenly an unknown figure came at Bayman and his team moving superhuman speed that they couldn't point their guns at the figure in time and got killed though Bayman survives with the scar on his face.

Bayman only got a glance of the attacker wearing a cloak covering the whole body and saw him wielding a katana in his or her hand before suddenly vanish in an instant right before his eyes.

(Flashback End)

"And that's how it happened." Bayman finished his story.

"That is concerning, but no such report has reached me yet." Helena proclaimed.

"Hmph, like hell it hasn't." Bayman scuffed.

"It's not something any normal person could pull off… he had to be involved with DOA—" Bayman's sentence was cut off when Helen just glares at him, knowing he also said something he might regret.

"(Sounds like this attack has superspeed like me and Kasumi and might be a ninja when he mentioned the katana.)" Shadow thought and felt Kasumi's hand gripping on his chest like she is mad about something.

"(I wonder… could this attack be Kasumi's clone, Alpha?)" Shadow thought asked curious.

"Well, at least you came back, we're all very grateful about that." Helen said as she gets up from her chair and walk around a little.

"In any case, DOATEC has no involvement. At least not yet, do you understand or were you hoping for something else?" Helen asked the solider man.

"So, you're saying that whatever the people who have left DOATEC do their own is none of your concern, is that right?" Bayman asked, but Helen remain silent as she sits on the couch-chair.

"Whatever. By the way, is that girl your messenger now?" Bayman asked. Helen knows he is talking about Kasumi and look back at him.

"Oh yes, I also met that Shadow boy before I entered your office. What is his story to be involve with you?" Bayman asked.

"Shadow, he was part of an experiment funded by Donovan and even lost his memories of his former life. Now, he is here to fight against MIST and put a stop to them once and for all. That is all you need to know." Helena said firmly.

"…Very well." Bayman simply said and walk out of the office.

Right after the door shut, Kasumi and Shadow out of their hiding place.

"I expected Kasumi to be eavesdropping, but not you, Shadow." Helena said.

"Kasumi just dragged me along." Shadow shrugged.

"Helena, please tell me if you know where Alpha is. My clone." Kasumi asked concern.

"I'm sorry, I honestly do not know." Helena said, shook her head.

"This Alpha clone sure is causing problems to others." Shadow commented.

"Yes. Alpha-152 was DOATEC's ultimate combat lifeform, we thought she was one of a kind until Kasumi found you in that lab, discovering you were actually the first ultimate lifeform." Helena explained to Shadow and look to Kasumi.

"Do not worry, she will be found. I promise, Kasumi." Helena determined to uphold her promise.

"Kasumi, I know you want to put an end to this whatever project MIST is doing before it could be finish, but you can't keep stressing yourself about this. You need to rest your body and mind." Shadow advised to the ninja girl.

"Shadow is right, dear, we still have some time before we reach the dock. Try to get some sleep." Helena agreed.

"Okay, you win, Shadow. I promise to rest myself properly, so I don't overwork myself." Kasumi nodded making Shadow smile.

"Oh, and Shadow, do try to behave yourself as well. We'll be having a special visit soon." Helena teased a little.

"And who would that be?" Shadow asked curious to know many "special" people does Helena know in the world.

"You'll find out when you meet him, let just say he is someone Kasumi knows very well." Helena hinted.

(Later)

Out in the middle and above the ocean, Zack is flying a helicopter heading toward Helena's yacht with two people inside with him.

"Sooo, it's been a while, hasn't it, bro?" Zack asked the young man.

He is Hayate, the eighteenth master of the Mugen Tenshin clan. He a young, muscular man with light brown eyes and light brown hair that long as his jawline. He wears a black shinobi shōzoku with a pair of boots that have studs on the soles, a set of grey-and-brown armor with the crest of the Mugen Tenshin clan on the backplate, and a metal headband. He also has the Jinran-Maru and a wakizashi, both of which are secured to the back of his body.

"What does Helena want with me?" Hayate asked.

"No idea, maybe she's trying to set you up with someone." Zack joked though this made Hayate a little confuse of what he meant.

"Aw, don't worry about it. I'm sure she's done with all her experiment." Zack assured.

Hayate notice a couple of pictures of Helena taped to the helicopter window with some red hearts from a marker on them.

"Can you believe it's already been two years? It was nuts, the mighty ninja assault on DOATEC Headquaters, the raging gun battle, the 3,000-foot-high Tri-Tower going up in flames?!" Zack recalled the event like it was only yesterday, remembering all the danger and excitement back then.

"DOATEC…" Hayate said the company name, remembering all the bad things they did to him and being a lab rat.

"Yeah, now that Helena has taken the place over, it's back in business. You know, I've actually been doing some work for them, and they're really turned over a new leaf." Zack informed of the good DOATEC is doing and spotted the yacht.

"Oh, we're here!" Zack announced as he lands the helicopter on the deck of the ship.

Soon, Hayate make his way to Helena's office as he enters and became a little surprise to see Kasumi in here as well staring out at the window. Kasumi soon turns around seeing Hayate for the first time in two years since that fateful battle.

"Kasumi, is that your brother?" Shadow asked.

"Yes, that's him. This is Hayate. Hayate, this is Shadow." Kasumi introduced the two to each other.

"Nice to meet you." Shadow said.

"You… you look you've been through some suffering." Hayate stated as he looks into Shadow's eyes.

"I guess you could say that. I used to be a living science project for MIST to make me into a dangerous living cure." Shadow mentioned.

"Living cure?" Hayate asked.

"That is a story for another time." Helena decided to change the subject.

"It's certainly been a while. What an honor this is to have the 18th Master of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan. Apologies for troubling you." Helena apologized for calling him to come over here on such short notice.

"You called him here because of Alpha-152, is that right?" Shadow guessed shocking Kasumi a bit.

"Sharp mind, the whereabouts of Alpha-152 are still unknown, it's quite dangerous for Kasumi to be on her own." Helena answered.

"Kasumi, this concerns our whole clan. You shouldn't bear this burden alone." Hayate stated that MIST have made the clan involve in this more than she realizes.

"No, brother… this is my fight and no one else's! The only one I will allow to help me with this is Shadow since he promised to help me destroy my clone and put an end to MIST once and for all!" Kasumi snapped and ran off leaving Shadow with the two.

"Sorry about that, she's been really serious about finding her clone… unless there's something odd about her you want to tell me." Shadow figured.

"What makes think you I would know something?" Hayate asked.

"I never told her this, but I have this ability to sense other's asura, their lifeforce, and whenever I sense Kasumi's, I feel she is… different than a normal human. Almost as if she's not entirely human herself." Shadow revealed a secret he has been keeping from Kasumi.

"Is that so, then should we be concern?" Helena asked.

"Well, her behavior does seem a little out of the ordinary. Despite being a rogue ninja and hunted down by the clan, she still respects the Mugen Tenshin way and would've accepted our help nonetheless." Hayate informed.

"I'm really worry about her, going down this path to find what is she looking for maybe more troubling than she realizes." Shadow worried.

"My, my, if I didn't know any better, I say you're in love with Kasumi." Helena teased.

"Wh-What the fuck are you talking about?! I'm just worry about her, that's all!" Shadow protested as his face blushes a bit.

"(Hmm, I think Kasumi may or will find herself a soulmate.)" Hayate thought chuckled.

"Shadow, you will go with Kasumi for a few days then you will receive a messenger hawk that will come from Ryu Hayabusa, Master Hayabusa Ninja Clan." Hayate informed.

"Ryu Hayabusa?" Shadow wondered what kind of man this Ryu guy is.

"Ryu is the master of ninjutsu much like Hayata and Kasumi, but he is the strongest ninja in the world. And he has tangle with the forces of the supernatural before, perhaps he could even help you with your powers." Helena explained.

"Alright, I'll wait for the messenger hawk. Until then, I will NOT be leaving Kasumi's side as we go hunt down Alpha-152." Shadow said before walking out of the office.

"That Shadow, he sure is a unique guy." Hayate commented.

"Indeed, he is, his dark past and his good heart makes want to fall for him." Helena blurted out, earning a questionable look from Hayate.

(Deck)

Shadow ran to the front deck seeing Kasumi just jump off the yacht heading down to the dock, but he stops himself from jumping off the boat as he senses a presence.

"You can come out now, I know you were listening in on our conversation." Shadow called out to the person in hiding.

"I was wondering when you were gonna ask for me." A girl's voice said as she comes out of the shadow.

She's of petite height, with a slender and athletic frame with light red eyes and straight purple hair, which is cut to the nape of her neck, with a front fringe, and is tied back with her favorite dark-purple bandana. She wears a black tunic with the crest of the Hajinmon sect, black-and-grey bodysuit, matching sleeves and tights, armored tabi-style shoes, and a set of black armor. She also has a pair of kunai, which are kept in scabbards that are secured to the back of her waist. Breasts sizes: G-cup.

"I take it you're Kasumi's little sister, Ayane?" Shadow guessed.

"I am, guess Kasumi must've talked about me a lot." Ayane nodded.

"Spoken highly of you, even though you have tried to kill her in cold-blood, she still loves you to the end." Shadow mentioned.

"I feel the same way, but I still have to follow the clan's law even though I wish I could change it." Ayane admitted, which surprise to her as she never speaks of her feelings out loud most of the time.

"I'm sure that change will come. Now, I have to go follow Kasumi before she hurts herself, you're going to follow us, aren't you?" Shadow asked.

"If Hayate gives me the order." Ayane said with a little smirk.

"Then we'll see each other soon." Shadow smirked back before chasing after Kasumi.

"Damn, I can't believe I'm saying this but… that guy is dangerously handsome." Ayane muttered to herself.

KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!

Now we have begun the Dead or Alive 5 arc, Shadow has met both Hayate and Ayane, and he is also starting to suspect that something is up with Kasumi as he will soon get the answer to the odd question about her from another ninja master as he will also get to explore more of the world. And hope you guys saw the hint about Shadow's soon-to-be lovers.

KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!