Hand Of The Shadows

Woken

Hello! Thank you for picking this story to read, I do take constructive criticism, and suggestions. But I do have a vague idea of how I want the story to go.

If there are specific Japanese words or terms, I will give the definition at the end of the fic. I hope you enjoy

______________________________________

Rui ran up the hill path, coughing as her lungs complained about the smoke and ash drifting in the air. Her watering blue eyes reflected the flames of the burning building as she watched in horror.

A scarred figure walked out, carrying a bundle in his arms, and leaving a figure who looked like Master Hamato Yoshi on the ground next to his home.

Rui darted forwards and pulled out her wakizashi, intending on fighting the scarred figure herself- but as she drew closer, she realized it was his brother Oroku Saki!

And he carried Miwa!

She slipped her blade away. "Master Saki! Is master Yoshi ali-!?" as she began to ask her question, he dug a pair of three pronged brass knuckles into her chest.

Warmth flowed out of her and soaked her front as she sunk to her knees silently. The grass felt dry against her legs as she barely managed to keep upright.

Oroku pulled his blades out and walked on, taking no more mind of her as if he had only chopped a blade of grass.

Rui tipped over and fell. Laying there on the ground, she thought she heard Miwa crying and hoped she wasn't burned as well.

Suddenly Hamato turned his head sharply, and stared at her with black eyes! The reflection of her ruined was shown to her, and as she tried to reach out to help, everything faded to darkness.

...

Rui opened her eyes and gasped breathlessly. Phantom pains throbbed over her chest and below her heart as she turned to her side. As she moved her hand to her head, the bruise in her arms from past injections bound throbbed uncomfortably.

It wasn't anything... To bad. Aside from several "tests" she hadn't been forced to do anything that she really could complain about.

*Well... This room is something to gripe about.* It was grey concrete, cold, almost like a cell. Nothing but the thing matrass she slept on was in here.

*I'm not a prisoner though. I am not, a prisoner.* She reminded herself, and slumped against the wall with a sigh.

*Another dream....why am I bothered with all this now?*

Those memories happened about eight years ago when she was only twelve. Now she was twenty and seemed to be in no better position then when she was bleeding out on that grass.

Rui looked across the room at the door, and through the small glass window of her room to a sign that hung in the hall.

*Project Gamma. Collaboration subject with Compound M.* She read to herself for probably the thousandth time.

As she curled her legs up, she couldn't help but think over how she came to be in a place like this.

First it was that fire, where her Master Hamato Yoshi lost his wife Tang Shen and daughter Miwa. Then, it was the trip to the hospital that had cost her family so much to keep her alive.

From there, her parents had made a bad deal with the local mob that held control of the facility. When they couldn't pay, she volunteered to be shipped over to America for some 'Educational work' that would pay off her family's debts once and for all.