Ninja Gaiden III The Fury of the Dragon Written by Jeff Nussbaum deuce@scsn.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Epilogue Ryu crouched, trying to rest. He watched as the greenish cloud drifted away, and looked down at what remained... Foster. Just a man... just a fragile, empty body. The Light statue sat next to the body, the last evidence of the magical creature. A low buzzing noise emanated from it... it seemed to be crying out in protest of its brother's destruction. Perhaps it was alive as well... and would it, too, come back to haunt him? Would the Demon live again, and hunt down his family? Ryu could not allow that. Calmly, he stabbed the sword through the Light statue as well... and it, too, shattered. But this time, the darkness of night was replaced by a blinding light, brighter than Ryu could have dreamed. For just a few moments, a star seemed to sit atop the plateau. And then it, too, was gone. He felt a hand on his shoulder. More enemies, Ryu thought, and spun around, brandishing the sword and preparing to strike. "Ryu!!" cried Irene, falling back. "It's me! It's Irene!" Suddenly, the Ninja Dragon stopped and looked at the sword. "My god...," he said, "What was I about to do?" Irene sat back up and reached for him. She breathed his name. He threw the sword away from him and fell to his knees, cradling his head in his hands. "Irene... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...." She immediately rushed to him and held him tight. "Ryu, it's okay. I'm all right, and so is Ken.... You didn't do anything wrong." She gently ran her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him. But the tears streamed unbidden down his face. "I-- I nearly killed you... I've been fighting for so long to save you, and I almost--" He broke off, sobbing. She cradled him like a baby in her arms. "But you didn't... and I'm alright. I'm not mad at you... I'm just glad to see you again." She cupped his face in her hands and looked at him pleadingly. "I love you, Ryu." He put his arms around her and kissed her softly. "Umm," came another voice, "Mom? Dad? I could use a hand here." Ken was dragging himself over to them, smiling at them through the grimace of pain he wore. "Son!" said Ryu, and immediately released Irene and walked over to him. With a little bit of effort, he helped him up. "I'm glad you're okay, Ken." "You're not the only one, Dad," Ken replied. "Can we go home now?" He put his arms around his father and hugged him. "I knew you'd come for us." Ryu had been about to respond, when he heard the sound of an echoing, ethereal voice. "My son," said the voice, "You have done well. I am proud of you." All three looked around, until Ken pointed at where the sword had landed. "There, Dad, look!" A white, glowing mist poured from the blade, slowly coalescing into a very familiar shape. And the shape was emitting a very familiar blue aura. "Father...," said Ryu softly. The apparition smiled. "You are a credit to your lineage, my son. But the Dragon Sword needs a new master now." He leaned down, and picked up the sword as if he were as solid as rock. This confused them. "But--" began Ryu. The apparition of the elder Ken Hayabusa moved over to his grandson. "It has come time for Ken to learn the true ways of the Hayabusa clan," he said, and held the sword out to the younger Ken. Ken was wide-eyed as he reached out to accept the hilt of the sword. "Grandfather," he said, his tone full of awe and reverence. The sword felt perfect in his hands, as if it were made just for him. The spirit turned to Irene. "You, my dear... are just what Ryu needs right now. You have loved him and believed in him for many years now. And he needs that faith, now more than ever." Finally, he turned back to Ryu. "My son... may you go on to live out the rest of your days peacefully. And do not grieve for me. I can now rest, that I know you and your family are well...." "Father," said Ryu. "I-- I miss you." The spirit smiled. "I know, Ryu. And I miss you too. I wish that I could have always been there to offer advice, and to always be a part of your life. But know that I am always with you... in spirit. And I have been with you all this time... I could not directly affect the outcome, but I tried to lend you a hand when I could." Ryu nodded, "So that red glow was your influence?" "Yes, partially. The red came from the pain and anger you felt for so long. You were lucky to be able to channel to your benefit instead of letting it overcome you. And now, I will devote my efforts to aiding my grandson. My time grows short," said the spirit. "Farewell, my family. I am proud of all of you...." The cohesive image of Ken Hayabusa began to break up, and then vanished, carried away on the wind. The three sat there for a long moment, pondering what they had just witnessed... the pain in Ken's leg seemed distant as he held the Dragon Sword of his heritage. Suddenly, Ryu noticed the sound of a helicopter. "Who on earth is coming here now?" They looked up, and saw the flashing lights on the aircraft, which was fairly close by. "Maybe we can flag them down and get a ride home!" said Irene, looking at Ryu. Ken was staring up still. "I don't think that'll be necessary, Mom... looks like he's planning to land." *** A few minutes later, the three sat huddled together, bracing themselves against the rush of air from the helicopter. They waited for its occupants to emerge patiently, and hoped that it was someone friendly. If not.... "Hayabusa!" came a familiar voice. Ryu brightened immediately. "Caldwell!" The tall, slender man hopped down from the chopper and walked over. Irene looked at him curiously. "You know this man?" Ryu smiled, "Yeah... he brought me here. He helped me out when I was in desperate need of some assistance." When Caldwell reached them, Ryu made the introductions. Caldwell smiled. "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hayabusa," he said. "You've got quite a husband." Irene smiled back, "Yeah... I do." Caldwell crouched down and looked at Ken's leg. "Ouch, that looks nasty. "I've got a first-aid kit in the chopper, let me run and get it." Ken said, "Don't worry... I can get there with a bit of help." The four made their way back to the helicopter, shouting to each other over the noise of the whirling rotors. "Caldwell!" shouted Ryu once they were inside, "How did you know to come check on us?" "Simple," he replied, tending to Ken's wound. "That was one hell of a flare you set off a few minutes ago. They could probably catch that one from orbit." He finished setting the bandage, and clapped Ken on the shoulder. "You should be good as new after a doctor takes care of you." A few minutes later, they were in the air, heading back to the nearest airport. Ryu kept his arms around his wife and son, both asleep, leaning against his shoulders. He never felt so happy in his life. Caldwell glanced back at them. "Good to see you again, Ryu." "You too... thanks for getting us out of there, Caldwell." "Elliot." Ryu blinked. "What?" "The name's Elliot. That's what my friends call me," he said. "And after today, I'm proud to consider you a friend." "The feeling is mutual... Elliot." The helicopter sped off, illuminated by the light of the rising sun. A new day was dawning. But for the Hayabusa family, it was simply the end of a very long ordeal... and finally, they slept... finally together once more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE END ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ninja Gaiden, Ryu Hayabusa, Irene Lew and all characters, with the exception of Elliot Caldwell, are the sole copyright of Tecmo. This document is meant for public distribution in its ORIGINAL FORM ONLY, and should not be sold at any price. All events portrayed in this story are the inventions of Deuce, and do not reflect the "proper" story as shown by Tecmo (even though Tecmo screwed the pooch on the NG3 story).