Born Again

[Yae Kisaragi]

"Those last few fleeting moments were my most cherished. As I felt my life slowly fade away, I felt peace, something that was unattainable up until this point. I found it at the tip of a knife and in the arms of a man who saved me from myself on countless occasions. My life had been wrought with pain, suffering and misery as everyone that I held dear seemed to die right before my eyes. Except mom, and David. They were the only ones that I cared about, and I would die for them without a second thought.

Even as Dominic threw me into a tree and ran his blade through my heart, I felt no pain. I felt no malice towards him because I knew that his actions were pure. He held no vendetta against me, although I did kill his sister. Dominic could be described as the perfect assassin, and therefore I was honored to die at his hands. There is no greater honor for an assassin.

But when I fell into David's arms, I felt something completely different. Sadness. I knew that I would leave a heavy burden on my friend's heart, as I knew that he would not hesitate to go after Dominic, against the Assassin's Code. David, bullheaded... I'd like to remember him as that, but I can't. As he caught me, I could feel his sadness, his anger, his pain. I loved him. But I knew that it would not be possible. Perhaps that is why I did not fear death? Now that it is upon me, perhaps I shall discover the answer..."

-Yae Kisaragi, Blood Lotus Assassin-
Assassinated by Dominic Vincent, Former Section One Operative
Bounty- 22,000 Credits, posted by Blood Lotus Syndicate
________________________

A rush of air and the sound of liquid draining became audible within a confined room filled with life support equipment. The ambient temperature of the chamber was icy cold, cold enough to preserve anything, but not kill it immediately. Several monitoring devices were stationed next to a capsule the size of a casket and many tubes and lined were fed through access ports on the sides.

As the hissing silenced, the chamber slowly opened, revealing the body of a young woman with black hair and emerald green eyes that suddenly flew open. The woman gasped loudly, trying to move her arms, but they were restrained. The life monitors immediately began sounding alarms and the life support equipment immediately ceased. The woman yelled through the mask over her face, pain filling her body.

As she gained her senses, the woman felt the restraints loosen and she was able to move her limbs, but they were limp. It was as if she had been asleep for a long time, or dead. She moved cautiously, examining the IV lines that were hooked to her arms and the pads connected to her chest. Bewildered, the young woman began removing the very things that were once used to maintain her life.

She felt extremely cold, and the cryogenic fluid that once encompassed her still left her feeling soaked. The woman shook with the cold air embracing her, and noticed that she had no clothing. At the end of her cryogenic capsule was clothing, and it seemed very familiar. Lying next to that was a small device about the size of an MP3 player. The young woman reached for the clothing, blood trickling down her arms from where she pulled her IVs.

"It's good to see you alive and well, Kisaragi. We thought that all of the money invested in this venture would prove meaningless." A voice resounded through the chamber via an intercom, sending more chills up Yae's spine. The voice was so familiar, but she could not place it.

Yae Kisaragi felt her memory returning, the events near her home that saw the end of her life. But she could not remember how she got to this location. How was she still alive? Yae swiftly brought her right hand to her chest, only to find that there was no wound, not even a scar to speak of. How? Turning her head from side to side, she caught sight of an emblem on the side of the cryo chamber.

"Sci-Tech Medical can be very resourceful, don't you think? It's sad, really. Section One fell and this company had no source of funding. It took quite a bit to keep it running." The mystery voice resounded again, and Yae responded by staring right at the source and clenching her fists. She approached the intercom, but suddenly fell to her knees. She was still weak.

"Sci-Tech... Then that means..." Yae came to a swift conclusion and turned her head towards the door. It immediately opened, revealing the tall figure of a man that was thought to be dead several years ago. Yae felt a tightness in her stomach, knowing full well the circumstances of her situation.

Sci-Tech Medical was founded by Section One commander Paul Richardson, and when he passed, funding for the hospital and research organization faded away. The company held the brightest minds in the medical field and it was their technology that brought sight back to David's left eye. It seemed that they also were responsible for reviving Yae.

Epsilon One. These people were once assassins for the Assassin's Guild and their origin was sketchy at best. It was said that they were once known as the Hunter Knights of the Lionheart Kingdom, but this was never confirmed. One thing was certain, though. They were extremely effective in assassinations and sabotage, just as were Section One operatives. It would be a fair assumption that they purchased Sci-Tech Medical. It would explain the man standing before Yae Kisaragi.

Several months later...

After some time to recover, Yae was back doing what she did the best. A ninja assassin was a valuable asset for any underground company, and if she were on the market and word had travelled to the Assassin's Guild of her return, it would be more than likely that Yae would have several jobs lined up. But as it stood, Epsilon One was in control. They held Yae as one of their cards.

Unfortunately, her first assignment would be one that she would regret. In order to repay a debt owed to Epsilon One for reviving her and keeping the Blood Lotus Syndicate in the dark, she would have to participate in solo missions against many people and organizations. As a test, she was assigned to take on an old friend.

Yae stood within her new apartment in Downtown Capital City, dressed in her old Blood Lotus garb, but her swords were missing. She had new weapons. And she would have to use them. The device included with her clothing in the cryogenics chamber was a communicator and the screen was loaded with information on her first target. It would be a big hit, too. The bounty on this particular target was growing by the day.

The assassin stepped from the window and tossed the communicator to the side, onto a night stand next to her bed. The device landed and struck a picture frame containing a photo of a man that she owed everything to. David MacCallister... And sadly enough, the photo matched the picture on the communicator.

Yae Kisaragi's first target was David Joseph MacCallister... Her secondary objective was to protect Dominic Alexander Vincent at all costs. Her final objective was to begin a hunt for certain assassins, and every single one of them were elite members of the guild and former participants of the Assassin's War. The hit list was extremely long. The targets would be extremely difficult, or impossible to kill.

"So it begins... My eternal hell." With that, Yae reached for a small case near her bed and switched on the screen on the front. Her left hand moved to the screen and a handprint authorization was taken. After only a second more, the case opened and two cylinders were revealed, each one 8 inches in length and polished silver. There were no markings, only a black button and a trigger switch. She knew these items all too well.

Yae slowly took a grip on these weapons and raised them, gazing for several seconds before sliding her index fingers to the triggers. Upon activation, the weapons released a spring-loaded titanium shaft about 4 feet in length from the cylinders. They appeared to be batons.

But this was disproven. A bright, crimson light flooded the room, flowing from the titanium shafts. These were the brand new High Frequency Assault Blades, often joked about in the underground and called "Lightsabers" by the traditional assassins. Honestly, they could be classified as such. But would they work effectively? Yae glanced towards a table near her and raised one of the weapons to a ready stance.

The ignited blade traveled through the air and sliced through the table leg, but the table did not fall. Yae stood silently, then smiled as the table collapsed. There was no burning smell. There was no indication of damage, aside from the table leg lying in two pieces.

"Forgive me, David... I have no choice." Yae spoke and disengaged the High Frequency Blades, clipping them to her belt. A single tear streaked down her cheek as she turned towards the door, her right hand extended towards it. Her mission would begin tonight...

 

[Yae Kisaragi]

Uneasy Alliance

Only an hour after Epsilon One agent Yae Kisaragi left her apartment, she met with Dominic Vincent at an abandoned warehouse in the Eurasian District of Capital City. It was this very same warehouse where she and David took on several members of the Blood Lotus Ninjas under the command of Yakuza Suboshi. The meeting was during the middle of the night and the storm which plagued the city lifted, leaving the air feeling cool and moist.

"Surprised to see me alive, Dominic?" Yae spoke with a calm tone and approached the man that took her life. She showed little emotion against Dominic. Yae was honored to be in Dominic's presence, or at least, that was her outward appearance. Deep inside she was a boiling pot of anger ready to explode, especially with the mission at hand.

"No, just dissatisfied with myself..." Dominic felt something twitch within him. His intended target, Yae Kisaragi, was now alive. Dominic's kill record was perfect, but with Yae standing alive and well, it was tarnished with a failed assassination. His right hand moved towards the knife on his hip, but he did not grasp it.

"Because I'm alive, am I right?" Yae chuckled and stopped only ten feet from Dominic, her left hand moving to her own hip. The HF Blades were ready for deployment, but she would only need them in case Dominic attacked her. She felt a deep desire to kill Dominic, but fought it. It may have been possible that Dominic would be useful to her.

"Let's get one thing straight. You're dead, and if you cross me, I'll make sure you remain that way the next time I kill you." Dominic's fingers laced across the grip of his knife, the thought of using it very tempting. He received word of Epsilon One sending an agent to help him, but never in his wildest dreams thought that it would be a dead woman, especially Yae Kisaragi.

"And while we're getting to the subject of getting things straight, don't you get your panties in a wad if you can't complete what you started." Yae's words were cold and struck Dominic like a mortal blow, evoking the proper reaction. Yae took hold of the HF Blade at her left side and swiftly disengaged the safety mechanism. As the baton core extended, Dominic took a step towards her.

Dominic immediately threw his knife towards Yae's heart, using all of his strength to hurl Zeus' lightning bolt with the intent of striking her dead. However, as true as his aim was, he momentarilly forgot that he was up against a former Blood Lotus Ninja, and recoiled when Yae deflected his knife with the HF Blade. He would have to be cautious.

"You've got to do better than that." Yae slowly raised the HF Blade and depressed the actuator switch for the Ultra-High Frequency Energy Blade. As the crimson light of the weapon flooded the warehouse, Yae began walking towards Dominic, moving the sword in her hand from side to side, twirling it from hand to hand.

Dominic merely grinned and shook his head, pulling the pistol from his hip holster. It was chambered and ready and now aimed at Yae's head. Although at only a gap of five feet, it could go either way. Acting as if he was dismissing Yae, Dominic turned his head away and moved his pistol to the side, and then swiftly depressed the button to release the magazine of his gun. The magazine was fully loaded, but flew free towards the ground, towards Yae's foot.

Yae wasn't aware of Dominic's plan and stepped on the magazine, losing her balance for a second. It was enough that Dominic moved in and held Yae's right arm to the side to keep her HF Blade at bay, and raised his pistol and planted it under Yae's chin. It still had one round in the chamber.

"You mean like this? Now, shall we get back to the matter at hand, or do I rectify my record?" Dominic raised an eyebrow and slid his left hand towards Yae's hand, yanking the HF Blade from her grasp. He then pushed Yae away with his right hand, his pistol pressed tightly to her chest. As he stepped back, Dominic threw the HF Blade to the side while clicking the actuator, causing the weapon to disengage.

Yae was infuriated. She watched her weapon fall to the side, but knew that she had her secondary HF Blade. Dominic knew nothing of it. She slowly turned her head to the floor, catching sight of Dominic's clip. It was the same ammo used by David's old SOCOM pistol, but the clip was extended by a few rounds. Turning her eyes back towards Dominic, she decided to put her personal feelings to the side.

"You're supposed to protect me, and assassinate David MacCallister, right?" Dominic stepped to the side, turning his left side towards Yae. He felt his personal pride attacked by Epsilon One, and debated bringing in the Black Dragons and showing Epsilon One that he didn't need their help, but every bit of information that could be gleaned from this encounter would be worth it.

"Yeah, and I also know that you don't want E-1's help, but like it or not, you've got me." Yae spoke in a reluctant tone and gazed to her side, towards the walls of the warehouse. Then her eyes diverted to the ceiling, where she saw a slight movement. A glimmer of light... Someone was in the rafters watching her.

"Am I that transparent? If so, get a clue and get lost. I don't need you." Dominic noticed Yae staring towards the rafters, and then diverted his sight towards what she was looking at. With a sigh, Dominic raised his right hand and made a signal towards the movement, and stepped away. As he did, a man with an automatic rifle dropped by way of a rope and landed next to Dominic, wearing the old Black Dragons body armor. He had a patch over his right eye and the rifle in his hands was aimed at Yae.

"You heard him, lass. Get moving before you have to be carried out of here." The mysterious man spoke, gritting his teeth in a sort of forced smile. His index finger hovered over the trigger to the gun, as his thumb precariously flicked the setting switch between burst and full auto. The laser, however, was dead on target.

"You should choose your help a little more wisely, Dominic. I kicked Renard's ass over four years ago." Yae smirked as she stared down Renard Dyne, a low laugh coming from her lips. She got the right reaction. Renard was infuriated and his trigger finger began to twitch almost to the point of setting off the gun. Dominic, meanwhile, merely stepped away and raised his right hand into the air, dismissing his help and Yae.

"Yae, once you leave, whatever happens to you by one of my men is none of my concern. If you understand that, you'd be best to watch your back." Dominic knelt to the ground and retrieved his discarded ammunition clip. As he walked away, Renard seemed to follow step and took off after him, leaving Yae all to herself in the warehouse.

Several moments later, Yae left the warehouse, after a thorough investigation of the grounds. She found no clues as to how long Dominic had been operating out of that warehouse, or his intent. One thing was certain, and it was that Dominic was hiding something. Normally he'd be one to go ahead and take the help of a person if he could manipulate them long enough, or if they showed promise and Yae definitely had the latter trait.

As she walked away from the grounds to her waiting motorcycle, a man rushed from the shadows towards Yae, yelling loudly with his forearm extended. Yae turned too late and found herself clobbered, knocked to the ground with a man straddling her at the chest and his fists drawn back. Yae, who was still getting used to her limbs after being revived, reacted as best as she could and deflected the man's punches.

"You heard what Dominic said! Whatever happens, happens!" Renard assailed Yae and threw yet another punch, this one being caught by the hard ground instead of Yae's head. He grimmaced in pain from the impact, but the world of hurt that Yae was about to inflict upon him was beyond imagination. She steeled herself and immediately threw a set of powerful punches to Renard's face, striking him with enough power that it knocked him away and partway to his feet.

Yae followed through by planting a kick into Renard's crotch, which caused him to buckle over and fall right into another kick that crossed his jaw and sent him spiraling to the ground. Determined, Yae rolled backwards and then kicked her legs, flipping to her feet. She smirked a bit and drew her right hand across her cheek. There was blood, but it wasn't hers. Renard, on the other hand, recovered and staggered, reaching for his rifle.

"Game over, bitch..." Renard raised the weapon and aimed it at Yae, but was surprised when he found his weapon knocked away by a powerful roundhouse kick. He stumbled back, and was met by a series of punches, strikes and chops aimed at his face, neck and chest. Finally, Yae stepped back and braced herself, then threw what appeared to be an extremely fast kick, but Renard caught it. Yae merely stood there, grinning.

"I've got an extra life... And you don't." With one leg suspended, Yae leapt with her one mobile leg and performed a backwards somersault kick that connected with Renard's jaw and sent him sprawled to the ground, unconscious. As Yae landed, she noticed that she was alone and that her threat was over. Shaking her head, she proceeded to her motorcycle, dusting herself off. She never once looked back at Renard.

An unsettling alliance with the Black Dragons was not something Yae wanted. In fact, when she was a Blood Lotus Ninja, her group always waged war with the Dragons, just because of small things. Yae's involvement was purely because of David's interest, even during their encounter at the shipyards nearly 4 years ago. But Renard Dyne... He was a mystery figure all to himself. Yae couldn't help but ponder as to why he was there. He wasn't even a Black Dragon operative. He wasn't even a Section One operative.

He was Epsilon One...