Dead Or Alive Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Ninja Gaiden: Fiendish Imprisonment ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[A/N]: This is the first part of what is going to be a bigger project of mine that crosses over themes and elements from Ninja Gaiden with the rest of the Dead or Alive universe. This however is merely the prologue. Standard disclaimer: I don't own Ninja Gaiden and probably never will (here's to hoping, however).

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1

 

Ryu Hayabusa stood far above his prey -his target. But that didn't mean that he was undetected. Far from it actually; his doppelganger was very well aware of the fact that he was there. Ryu's doppelganger stared at him with blank, lifeless eyes. Its face was a featureless mask, its skin the color of cooled lava. Ryu's stare burned into it for a moment more before the doppelganger turned and dashed away.

 

Ryu's eyes narrowed and he dropped the full fifty feet from his perch to give chase. He had been chasing this apparition for quite some time; ever since he had learned that more of his doppelgangers still survived within the crippled Vigoor Empire. He had been at it for a few weeks now: searching and biding his time and resources until he had some solid evidence. Now he had finally found it and he wasn't about to let this Fiend slip through his grasp.

 

Ryu chased after the doppelganger and was soon only a few meters from it. He had learned during his initial travels in the Vigoor that while the doppelgangers could mimic and copy one's abilities and powers, they would never have the true thing. Even so, Ryu couldn't have his abilities being used to harm the unsuspecting innocent of the Vigoor Empire.

 

Ryu leapt forward and landed on the nearest wall then sprung off it and whistled past his doppelganger. He whirled around in midair and slashed out with the Dragon Sword only for it to strike his doppelganger's blade. Ryu landed gracefully, completing his spin and held himself ready. The doppelganger however, was thrown backwards a few feet; his sword quivered from the force of Ryu's strike. Ryu glared hatefully at this sword; a pitiful attempt to recreate his own Dragon Sword, and sprang forward once again. His doppelganger met him halfway and they locked blades. But Ryu was quick to overpower his opponent and break his guard. He drove his left knee into the doppelganger's stomach, doubling it over before hammering his left elbow into the back of its head.

 

The doppelganger stumbled forward and turned, sloppily putting up its guard. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ryu registered that this Fiend was making him look bad. If this was the extent of its abilities…

 

Ryu dashed forward, parrying the doppelganger's blade and delivering a quick snap-kick to the Fiend's throat. It was knocked back, but was quick to correct itself in midair and land in a crouch. Ryu growled quietly in frustration and jumped forward. He found himself sword-locked once again, but this time the doppelganger held its ground. Try as he might, Ryu was unable to move this monster, and it was unable to move him.

 

Ryu flipped back and put some space between himself and his enemy before charging once more. His doppelganger met his charge and the two took their duel to a new level. They fought throughout the city of Tairon; over rooftops and through the streets. They clashed in alleyways and their swords sang out through the otherwise-quiet night.

 

As the doppelganger charged towards Ryu, the Dragon Ninja saw his opening. He sprang back and landed on the nearest wall as he unleashed a torrent of more than one dozen shuriken stars at his enraged opponent. This did little to slow the doppelganger's charge, however, and Ryu leapt to the side as the doppelganger landed against the wall he had been a mere instant before. But by then it was already too late; an explosion ripped away that portion of the wall and sent Ryu's doppelganger back to the streets below in a heap of flames. The shuriken stars had only served as a distraction. Ryu's true goal was accomplished when he embedded the incendiary shuriken knife in the wall. The doppelganger's collision with it had set off the fuse and caused the explosion.

 

Ryu landed quietly on the streets and cautiously observed the doppelganger's burning form. He couldn't help but be surprised when it began to rise back to its feet and retrieve its blade before returning to its stance.

 

Perhaps he had given this Fiend too little credit…

 

Nevertheless, Ryu sprung forward once again. He forced the doppelganger's blade away with his metal gauntlet and hurled it into a nearby alleyway with one of his deadly “Guillotine Throws” in which he used his jumping momentum to flip his opponent over his head and throw him through the air. Even still, Ryu's doppelganger refused to stay down.

 

Ryu soon found himself growing frustrated with this apparition. Charging forward, the young Dragon Ninja landed on the nearest of the three walls surrounding his doppelganger and exploded off it with a vicious “Flying Swallow”. But he didn't stop there. As soon as he landed, he repeated this move, jumping to the nearest wall and using it to launch his attack. Four more times this attack was repeated before the doppelganger fell to its knees once more.

 

But it still lived…

 

Ryu made a quick upwards slash with the Dragon Sword, sending his Fiend doppelganger into the air. He jumped up to meet it and delivered four diagonal slashes across its chest then spun in midair and cut downward. The doppelganger crashed to the ground -a bloody mess- as Ryu stood over it. This time it was unable to rise. It could barely lift its head to “glare” at Ryu through empty eyes, and with Ryu's sword at its throat, it dared not lift its head any further. Ryu prepared for the killing stroke and drew his sword back. But he was suddenly blindsided and sent crashing into the nearest wall. Ryu quickly recovered and put up his guard, his sword raised.

 

Before him stood what appeared to be a second doppelganger. This one was different from the ones Ryu had encountered before. This one was dressed all in black -in an outfit that greatly resembled his own, Ryu noted. The only difference was the fact that no skin was seen as the black suit covered the doppelganger completely. The gauntlets, too, were different. Instead of the smooth black metal Ryu wore, this Fiend's gauntlets were a deep red in color and had hard, knobby protrusions. The Fiend's face was also completely covered and the shining headgear that Ryu was known to wear had been replaced by a wickedly shaped, black-plated mockery.

 

The second doppelganger's red scarf flapped in the wind and the first doppelganger slowly rose to its feet once again before retrieving its discarded weapon. The second doppelganger quietly and easily drew his sword from its scabbard. The devilish weapon seemed to glow a faint red and Ryu drew in a sharp breath.

 

The Kitetsu, he thought for an instant. He recognized the blade of his old enemy: the Greater Fiend Doku. But he quickly stamped the thought away. It was impossible for this Fiend to posses Doku's life-draining blade; Ryu had hidden the blade -sealed it- in a place where only he himself could reach it. No, like the first, this second doppelganger's weapon was just like the doppelganger itself; a copy.

 

Ryu glared at the two Fiends as they began to advance towards him. Ryu readied the Dragon Sword and slowly reached to his back and grasped the handle there. With a hum to signal its activation, the Plasma Saber whirled to life. Its blue-green energy blade glowed fiercely. The two doppelgangers seemed to pause at this change of events and Ryu stared them down for a moment before exploding forward, both swords in hand. He collided with them and sparks lit up the darkness when their blades met. It was a deadly dance and Ryu was forced to adapt his fighting style to combat the two apparitions. Had both been at full strength, Ryu would have been at a great disadvantage. But as it was, the first doppelganger was considerably weakened and Ryu noticed just how much significantly slower it moved. Even still, that still left the second -apparently more powerful- doppelganger to contend with. It was still fresh and Ryu was slightly worn out from his efforts to bring his first doppelganger down. Before long, Ryu found himself being pushed back under the combined assault of the two Fiends.

 

The four swords locked together once more, and Ryu was thrown back against a wall. He paused, breathing hard as he prepared himself for the doppelgangers' next wave. He was already injured; deep gashes ran across his chest, legs, and arms and blood slowly seeped from the wounds and dripped to the ground, blotting it red. Ryu searched desperately for something he could use; he needed to end the fight quickly and he couldn't afford for it to go on much longer. He did a quick mental check of his inventory and a plan soon formed.

 

Flipping backwards, Ryu sheathed both swords, landed on the wall behind him, and began to backpedal up it. The two Fiend doppelgangers were quick to follow. In mid-run, Ryu reached into one of his many hidden pockets and grasped the three spheres held within. Ryu hurled the spheres at the second doppelganger as it neared him and the three spheres exploded; smothering the Fiend in smoke. The first doppelganger, clearly distracted by this turn of events was caught unawares. Ryu drew the Dragon Sword and made a clean cut across the Fiend's chest before latching onto it and driving it spinning into the ground, finally slaying it.

 

From the corner of his eye, Ryu could see the second doppelganger quickly descending towards him, its blade glowing red. The Dragon Ninja steadied himself and drew the essence from his defeated opponent into the Dragon Sword. When the doppelganger moved into range, Ryu exploded forward with unmatched speed. His blade flew in a horizontal arc and he cleanly decapitated his dark counterpart. Ryu fumbled in his pockets as the doppelganger's body boiled away to nothing and he grasped the neck of a small bottle of blue liquid. He quickly downed the fluid and breathed a sigh of relief as the magic substance began to heal his wounds.

 

A slight flittering across his senses caused Ryu to turn his head upwards towards the presence he had felt. He caught sight of a figure clad in a black cloak standing atop one of the rooftops. As soon as Ryu had laid eyes upon the figure, the figure turned and dashed away. With a quiet growl of frustration, Ryu leapt up to the roof and took off after it. He was surprised to find that this being was able to keep an equal pace with him and Ryu found himself gaining no ground on this new foe.

 

The two raced past Muramasa's shop, and Ryu could barely hear the elderly sword-smith's words of warning. He paid them no heed. He continued to follow this strange Fiend over the Great Bridge and up the steps to the Imperial Palace. Somewhere in his subconscious, Ryu was impressed with the speed at which the palace had been rebuilt. When he had seen it last it had been in shambles and was left barely standing.

 

The strange Fiend made a sharp turn and raced over the twisted bridge that led to the core of the Imperial Palace. It led Ryu up the winding stairs and chambers that had once housed the small busts of the five ancient Deities. At the top of the core, the black-clad Fiend stopped and turned to Ryu. It drew a weapon from beneath its cloak; a dark-bladed abomination. It was wickedly curved and pointed.

 

The Dark Dragon…

 

Ryu quickly dismissed the idea; this blade didn't give off the same horrid aura of evil that was expected of the Dark Dragon. The feeling of death, the swirling distortion and destruction that flowed from the Dark Dragon Blade, was absent. No, this was another one of these doppelgangers' copies. But that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. No, this blade and its wielder warranted just as much caution as any other challenge.

 

As Ryu and his doppelganger clashed atop the palace core, Ryu was unaware of the scenery beginning to shift around them. He was so caught up in the fury of the duel, that he didn't even register the fact that he and his third doppelganger were no longer within the Imperial Palace.

 

Ryu thrust his blade forward as his doppelganger moved to block it with the broad side of the fake Dark Dragon Blade. But Ryu's thrust pierced through the weapon and stabbed into the doppelganger's chest. The Fiend boiled and bubbled away whilst still impaled on Ryu's blade and it was only then that Ryu noticed the change in scenery. He was in the middle of a mountain range covered in snow. Ryu's ninja training had forced him to endure extreme temperatures before, but nothing could have prepared him for this. A blizzard roared around him. Frozen winds lashed across his bare arms the cold cut straight to the bone. The snow rose halfway up to his kneecaps and Ryu absently wondered how he had missed this fact while he was fighting the doppelganger. Ryu began to trudge through the blizzard as he tried furiously to keep himself warm. He considered using one of his Ninpo techniques but thought it better to save that for a truly desperate situation…