throughaphase | Clint and Kitty's hotel room, and elsewhere- Thursday afternoon

Kitty had been pretty quiet on the way back to the hotel, and she was doing a lot of frowning. She was trying to think this through, but there wasn't enough to piece everything together yet, and she hated being used as bait when she didn't even know exactly what she was facing, and so far she was just hating this whole thing.

"There's something she's not telling us," Kitty said finally on the way to the room.

Clint	"I think there's a lot of somethings she's not telling us," Clint said, giving Kitty's hand a squeeze. He'd been trying to be supportive while she was brooding in the car, and really, he was just glad she wasn't here alone. "But hey, we've gotten this far on next to no information, so that's something, right?"
Kitty	"I don't know that we've actually gotten anywhere," Kitty admitted with a sigh, but she appreciated his support. "So far we've got one still-missing dragon, a government agency using me for their own personal gain, and ninjas associated with the worst time in my life who want me for some reason we don't even know. I have no idea where to go from here."
Clint	"I'm sorry," Clint said sympathetically. "I'm sorry you have to think about all this crap you want to leave behind. But they're not going to get you, I promise."
Kitty	"Damn straight," Kitty said. "My life does not in any way get to be ruined by ninjas. Ignoring that I technically sort of am one."
Clint	"Yeah, but you're a good ninja, not an evil one," Clint pointed out. "That's a very important distinction."
Kitty	"At we've got that going for us," Kitty said, popping her hand through the lock to open the door to their room. And the first thing she saw was Lockheed unconscious on the floor in front of the bed, draped over something that almost looked like a gas bomb. Not that Kitty was worried about that, because her dragon was hurt and that was the most important thing ever right now.
Clint	"What the hell?" Clint said, shutting the door behind them and taking a look around. "What's wrong with him? Is he...?"
Ogun	"There's no need to worry. Your pet is still alive," came a voice from the open window. "Which is more than you can hope for." Which was not something you generally wanted to hear from a red-masked demon-looking person in close proximity to you.
Kitty	Well, wasn't this just a scene out of Kitty's nightmares. For a moment she even forgot to keep trying to wake Lockheed up, too stunned to brain. "Ogun?"
Clint	Clint was surprised too, but that word got his attention well enough to get him running towards where his bow was stashed. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," he said, taking a glance at Kitty. "Kitty, look out!" They were going to have a long chat about this zoning thing when they weren't in eminent danger. So, you know, maybe never.
Ogun	Ogun laughed, not too bothered by Clint's movements. "She's just surprised to see me," he said, looking to Kitty. "Hello, little one. How about a hug for your long-dead master?"
Kitty	It took a moment to work through the panic. Luckily for Kitty, she was good at things like logic. "Nice try, using the demon mask to catch me off guard. You've done your homework," she said, glancing at Clint to tell him to hold off on anything he might want to try for the moment. "If you were the real Ogun, I'd be dead already."
Clint	But Kiiiitty, Clint wanted to shoot the baaaaad guy! Okay, Clint really wanted to keep the guy from messing with Kitty, so he stayed where he was, bow still in hand just in case.
Kitty	"Who are you? And what have you done to Lockheed?" And how did they fix it?
"Ogun"	"If I were you, I'd be more worried about your own life than that of your pet," Ogun replied. "He's been poisoned, but he's still alive. And he'll continue breathing, as long as you do as I say."
Kitty	Well Clint wasn't going to like this very much probably. Kitty stood and carefully laid Lockheed down on the pillow, so he'd at least be comfortable. "What do you want?"
Clint	Yeah, no, Clint was not terribly fond of the idea of doing what the bad guy wanted at all. "I think killing you was on the menu, unless I understood that wrong."
"Ogun"	"That won't be happening," Ogun told him. "I want you to follow me... to fight me, Kitty-san. Beat me, and you get the antidote that saves the dragon's life. Lose, and you both die." And with a "Catch me if you can!" he turned and leapt out the window.
Kitty	"Wait!" Kitty yelled, running right through the bed to the window, where she saw Ogun swing out from the building on a rope, and the swinging back towards the hotel to climb up it. "I gotta go," she said, because she was totally a Gryffindor.
Clint	"You mean we gotta go," Clint said, because that was what happened when you dated a Hufflepuff. "What's your plan?"
Kitty	"We're going to your favorite place: up," she told him. Kitty reached down to give Lockheed a kiss on the head, feeling really bad about leaving him. "You hang tight, Lock. You're gonna be just fine, buddy. Mommy's gotta go kick some butt." Then she stood and looked at Clint and said, "Race you," before jumping up through the ceiling. Sorry, lazy couple in the room above who hadn't gotten out of bed yet!
Clint	"That's cheating!" Clint yelled at the ceiling, like Kitty might still hear him. Then he grabbed his quiver, slipping it on over his head as he took off toward the stairs. She was totally going to beat him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't make good time.
Kitty	When Kitty got to the roof, she found Ogun looking out over the ledge, like he was expecting her to come up that way. So she kept herself phased so her steps wouldn't make a sound until she found get right next to him and say, "Hiya." He jumped and tried to reflexively backhand her, but Kitty blocked. She took a couple kicks to the face that she did not appreciate, but she used the momentum of the second kick to grab him and toss him down onto the ground. He was lighter than she would have expected.
Clint	Clint was panting a little when he got to the roof, but he was relieved to see that Kitty was doing all right. He tried to come out the door as quietly as possible, but the surprise was probably ruined when an arrow flew towards Ogun's arm.
Kitty	Ogun cried out, because who really wanted an arrow in the arm? But he rallied and pulled it out, reaching for one of his swords- -which wasn't there, because Kitty was currently holding both of them. "Oh, you brought one for me, too?" she said, studying one. "You psychos can be so thoughtful sometimes."
Clint	Yeah, that was an image that was going to stay with Clint for a while. "That's pretty unimpressive for a demon," he said.
Kitty	"It's about to get a little more impressive," Kitty said, and as Ogun started towards her again, she twirled the sword to throw one onto the ground right in front of him, the tip hitting the concrete with a clank. Barely stopping, Ogun ran at her, and Kitty ran at him with her sword raised. He took a swing at her, but she went for a high block. He tried to swing at her abdomen and she jumped over the blade. When she landed she was able to get her first offensive move in, swinging at him and forcing his sword into a position that his wrists could not have liked very much. "The rumors are true," Ogun said, twisting the sword to pull it into a better position to block. "You fight well, for a gaijin." "So do you," Kitty said, going with a hunch, "for a girl." "So you know?" Ogun asked, sounding surprised even as she tried for another swing at Kitty. It was a little weak. Kitty blocked easily, shrugging one shoulder. "Your stance, your strokes, it's like fighting myself in a mirror." Ogun took advantage of her thinking that last one was easy, and swung harder, driving Kitty into someone's laundry that was hanging from a clothesline. "Don't flatter yourself," Ogun said, kicking her in the ribs and then cutting the clothesline to momentarily distract her long enough to run for the stairs.
Clint	Clint was glad he wasn't the only one who noticed that Ogun was a little... smaller than expected. He'd been fine with letting Kitty handle this, right up until Ogun took off. "Oh no you don't," he said, firing an arrow at her feet to try to slow her down, and then running after her.
Kitty	Kitty's ribs could have done without that, thank you very much, but since nothing was broken she just went ahead and ignored it. She phased so she didn't have to dig out from under the piles of clothes and ran to the edge of the roof to see where Ogun and Clint had gotten to before airwalking down to join in the chase.
"Ogun"	It was freaking out the pedestrians pretty good to see a purple-clad ninja with a red demon mask brandishing a sword as she ran down the street, but whoever was under the Ogun mask wasn't really worried about that. She was, after all, trying to get Kitty to chase her. The guy was a complication, and she was going to have to get her arm taken care of as soon as possible. Pushing past anyone who got in her way, Ogun headed for the nearby entrance for the subway, taking two stairs at a time on her way down.
Clint	"Get out of the way!" Clint yelled as he charged down into the subway, waving people away from himself and where he was going. There were way too many innocent people around for him to fire at Ogun, and he didn't want her hurting any civilians to slow him down, if that was something she was capable of. He finally got a decent shot once he slid down the railing of the stairs, clicking the buttons on his bow to arm a putty arrow and fire it towards her legs.
Kitty	At the same time, Kitty was trying to catch up, which basically meant she skipped the stairs and phased through the wall so she wouldn't have to push through all those people, who were pretty panicked by now. The fact that she also had a sword in hand was probably not any more comforting than the demonface with a sword, or the guy with a bow, but what're you gonna do.
"Ogun"	Clint's arrow managed to hit Ogun in the leg, and she was really tired of this guy by now. It also tripped her up, sending her sprawling into a popcorn cart. Not the most dignified thing a ninja had ever done.
Clint	"Sorry to slow down your commute!" Clint called to her, trying to push through the growing crowd of onlookers. Seriously, it was moments like this that he was really jealous of Kitty's powers.
Kitty	Speaking of, by the time Kitty emerged from the wall, she saw Ogun getting up, sword still in hand, and by her body language she was not happy. So rather than let her get up and run again, or go after Clint or something, Kitty just launched herself at Ogun, not really caring that much that it meant they both landed on the train tracks.
"Ogun"	Ogun couldn't help but be a little impressed, even if she wasn't a big fan of how this was going for her. Since she wasn't in a good position to use her sword here, she started throwing punches instead, and tried to ignore the not-so-distant sound of an oncoming train.
Kitty	Okay, no, this was bad. Clint shoved his way through the crowd with a bit more force than necessary when he heard the train, and realized where Kitty was. "Kitty, get out of there!"
Kitty	"In a second, sweetie!" Kitty called, mid-punch. She was actually hoping to use this to her advantage, since most people would freak out at being kept on the train tracks at a time like this. She'd just make sure she had a grip on Ogun.
"Ogun"	That would have worked great, except that Ogun knew how Kitty's powers worked, and that she'd never let the train hit either of them. She was able to grab the flash powder she'd been carrying and closed her eyes in order to toss it up into the air right before the train was supposed to hit them. It wouldn't hurt anyone, but it would temporarily blind anyone who happened to be looking at it. And because Kitty was Kitty, she still allowed the train to pass harmlessly through them- probably startling some commuters- and the instant it was gone, Ogun pulled herself free and took off running down the tunnel.
Clint	Clint turned away from the flash bomb just a second too late. He winced, pressing his hands to his eyes, and when he felt the rush of the train flying by as much as he heard it, he tried not to assume the worst. "Kitty?!"
Kitty	"I'm fine!" she called, safe on the empty tracks and blinking away some of the spots in front of her eyes. Stupid phasing too late. "This happens more than you'd think."
Clint	"That's not exactly reassuring, sweetheart." Clint blinked a little once he could see again, and looked around. "Where did she go?"
Kitty	"Pretty sure she went thattaway," Kitty said, gesturing with her chin down the tunnel before looking over at him. There was still a big spot in her vision where his face should be, but she could see well enough. "Ready to go down the rabbit hole?"
Clint	Clint jumped down onto the tracks to join Kitty, looking towards the tunnel. "That depends, are you going to let me lead?" he asked, like he wasn't going to go with her no matter what her answer was.
Kitty	"How 'bout we just keep up with each other so the crazy ninjas don't get the jump on either of us?" she said teasingly.
Clint	"Okay, good plan," Clint said with a nod. He spotted the manhole cover and kicked it aside, jumping down first and moving so Kitty had space to do her floaty thing. "Huh, I was kind of expecting a ninja party to be waiting for us."
Kitty	"Maybe it's further down the line," Kitty said, jumping down. It was darker than she'd like, so she pulled her phone out and keyed up the flashlight app to light the way ahead. And just up ahead was a mass of boulders and debris, with no visible way through. "Or maybe we spoke too soon," she said. "How did she get through this?"
Clint	"Maybe she caused it?" Clint suggested. "She could have gone through and caused the rockfall behind her? Or she could have gone somewhere else."
Kitty	Kitty went quiet for a minute, not zoning this time, but really focusing and thinking about it. Whoever was posing as Ogun wanted to test her, but they wanted to be found, after all. "She's through here," she said finally, holding out her hand for Clint to take. "And I want answers."
Clint	"I want to shoot her again," Clint said, taking Kitty's hand, "after you get your answers, of course."
Kitty	"After I get answers, the antidote for Lockheed, and his friend," Kitty agreed as she started forward to phase them through the rocks. "I'm feeling greedy today." She kept phasing them straight through until they emerged near the end of another tunnel. This one was wooden, and following the tracks meant they found the end at a large clearing, that maybe had been an underground station or something once upon a time. "End of the line," Kitty said.
Clint	"Yeah, but whose line?" Clint asked, gazing around in genuine surprise. "How long has all of this been down here?"
"Ogun"	"Your skills are flawless," Ogun said, standing from where she'd been sitting on a short brick wall, bandaging her arm. She came closer, but her sword was in its sheath, though, and wasn't looking for a fight. "You certainly do live up to your reputation, Pryde-san. You are indeed your master's student."
Kitty	It bothered Kitty so much that she had any kind of reputation here. Especially since Logan and Yukio had gotten to her before she'd even done anything that deserved a reputation, thank god. "And just who are you to judge, since you're clearly not my former 'master'?" Kitty asked.
Clint	"No running away this time," Clint said. He gripped his bow tightly just in case. "Tell us the truth."
Nao	"No running away," she repeated, and removed the mask to show her real, non-demon face. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nao, and I control the Path of Destiny. I believe you've met some of my followers." Who were all purple-clad ninjas stepping out from seemingly nowhere. Not threatening at all. "Like yourself, I was a former student of Ogun's, till you took his life and ended my training."
Kitty	Did all of Japan think she'd killed Ogun? Sigh. "And let me guess, you want to kill me to avenge the death of your former master, right?" Kitty said.
Clint	"Yeah, newsflash for you, that's not going to happen." Even if they were becoming quite outnumbered by ninjas at the moment.
Nao	Nao looked between them, confused. "Why would we want to kill you? We have only been testing you, to make sure you still possess the skills Ogun taught you," she said, and got on one knee, raising her sword for Kitty to take. "Katherine Pryde, we want you to lead us."
Kitty	.... "Um," Kitty said, eloquently.
Clint	That was just about the last thing Clint expected, but hey, at least they weren't actively trying to kill her right now? "Aww, they want you to be the head ninja. Obviously, that wasn't the worst job interview ever or anything," he said dryly.
Nao	"It's a great honor," Nao said pointedly, glancing up at the man who kept shooting her.
Kitty	"You know what," Kitty said. "I came for answers, and I still want answers. Before I agree to anything, I want to know what's going on here."
Nao	Nao looked up at her, frowning a little. That wasn't the way this was supposed to go. "Of course," she said, bowing her head before getting back up and sheathing her sword. "I can show you exactly what we've been doing here." Not really, but she could pretend.
Kitty	"That's all I want right now," Kitty said, nodding to Clint as she started following Nao further into a tunnel. No, seriously, that was all she wanted right now. In a second she would also want a cure for Lockheed, and Puff. She'd get to that when she was sure no one was going to get stabbed.
Clint	Of all the ways they could get information, this certainly wasn't the worst. "You mind telling us where we are?" he asked.
Nao	"Tokyo's first subway station," Nao said, picking up a lantern to light their way as she led them through the tunnel. "Many people think Ueno was the first underground station, but construction on this one started well before that. It was abandoned, however, due to structural concerns and costs. Long forgotten and undiscovered for decades... until we came across mention of it in Ogun's journals. It will serve as the perfect staging point for the Path of Destiny's plans."
Kitty	"Seeing as how you want me to lead you, do I have any say in these plans?" Kitty wondered, paying close attention to everything. There were way more ninjas around, doing their own things, than she was really comfortable with. If they had to fight their way out it'd be tough.
Clint	Clint was also keeping an eye on things, assessing the situation and counting how many ninjas were visible. He was also figuring out what they could use as weapons if they needed to escape and... look, he did this pretty much every time he entered a place, it was just habit now.
Nao	"That depends on your commitment to the cause," Nao replied. "The Path is an organization with a rich history, dating back to when Japan was just starting to open its shores to foreign influence. Unlike the Hand, which considered themselves Japanese purists and sough to drive the foreigners from our land, the Path of Destiny chose to maintain traditional values while incorporating them with Western philosophies. Also unlike the mercenary clans, the Path chose to remain hidden and follow their own agendas, acting under the direct leadership of Ogun." She stopped, looking squarely at Kitty. "The Path of Destiny's sole agenda is to regain the place of power and respect we once enjoyed. And thanks to a newly discovered treasure we've acquired, that place is almost all but assured."
Kitty	"You mean a treasure other than me? I'm a little disappointed," Kitty said dryly.
Clint	"You're still a treasure to me, for what that's worth." Yeah, he was a dork, deal with it ninjas.
Nao	Ryoko only barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "Cute. See for yourselves," she said, taking them into a little chamber, where a sword was on display. "Behold, Kurokaze, the Black Wind! One of the five Japanese Swords of Secrets!" That should impress them.
Kitty	If Kitty was supposed to lead this group, then they wouldn't mind if she checked this out. She walked over to it and picked it up, partially unsheathing it to look it over. "Such craftsmanship." Okay, fine, she was impressed, whatever.
Clint	Clint wasn't super into swords, but it certainly looked good in Kitty's hand. "I guess the Path of Destiny kind of knows what they're doing, huh?"
Nao	The look Nao gave Clint might have been approving if it hadn't been for all the shooting and her hating him, but at least he said something she liked. "Kurokaze once belonged to Ogun but was long believed lost. When the Path came back into possession of the sword, we took it as a sign to make our presence known again. Combined with a leader of your stature, the Path of Destiny will finally sit at the table of true power once again."
Kitty	"And if I refuse your offer?" Kitty asked, putting the sword back carefully. Because spoiler alert, she totally would.
Clint	"We've been looking for a place that's a little nicer than an underground tunnel, you see," Clint said with a smirk.
Nao	"We will kill the dragons," Nao replied.
Kitty	Kitty didn't have a ton of reasons to display her temper these days, which was probably a good thing. Because without even thinking about it, she had kicked Nao with so much force that the ninja flew right through one of the paper walls and into a room full of other ninjas. "If you ever threaten Lockheed again..."
Clint	Yeeeeah, that was Clint's cue to take a step back and let Kitty speak with her actions. His hand was on his bow in case she needed any backup, but she seemed to be making her case well enough on her own.
Kitty	Of course the ninjas came at her, and in fairness, Kitty started it. She was also ending it, because one immediately got elbowed in the face, another two got punched out, and then she bounded over to hold Nao up against a wooden pillar by her throat. "...I will phase your heart out," Kitty finished. Considering her stance on killing people, when she threatened you, she meant it.
Nao	"If I die..." Nao managed with some difficulty, because talking was hard when someone seemed intent on crushing your larynx, "your dragon dies with me."
Kitty	Kitty could have killed her just for that, honestly, but Nao did still hold some massive leverage over her. "Dammit!" she said finally, shoving forward and phasing Nao through the pillar to send her flying again.
Clint	Clint went over and put his hand on Kitty's shoulder, partly to be comforting and partly to keep her from actually killing Nao. Nao might have deserved it, but Clint knew Kitty would still regret it. "I really should have shot you somewhere more painful."
Kitty	Kitty nodded her agreement at that one. "So it's lead the Path or you'll kill my friend." This whole situation was stupid. Stupid Path ninjas with their stupid pretty sword and their stupid plan... "I've got it," she said suddenly. "How about I offer you something more valuable than my leadership?"
Nao	"That would be impossible," Nao croaked, and she was not happy to have to say that, considering she was still rubbing her neck like that would help.
Clint	"Hey now, you don't even know what she's going to offer yet," Clint said, giving Kitty a nervous smile. "What are you offering?"
Kitty	"The dragons in exchange for a second Sword of Secrets," Kitty responded. "I could offer you Ginrei."
Nao	"The Silver Spirit? It would be impossible," Nao scoffed. "It has long remained in the possession of the Clan Yashida."
Kitty	"But what if I could get it for you?" Kitty offered.
Nao	"Nao-sama, no!" one of the other ninjas said. "Even if she can obtain Ginrei, it will only serve to anger the Clan Yashida and cause them to rise against us!" "However, having the sword would legitimize us in the eyes of all the other clans," Nao said slowly, and looked to Kitty. "It is well worth the risk. Very well, Kitty. Bring us Ginrei and you shall have your freedom." Sure she would.
Clint	Suuure she would. "Right, you've been so trustworthy up until now," Clint said sarcastically, turning to Kitty. "I don't know about you, but I totally believe her."
Kitty	"There is one thing that will earn my trust," Kitty said, grateful for that opening. "I want to see the dragons."
Nao	"Very well," Nao said, finally dropping her hand from her still-sore neck and leading them to the cell where they were keeping both dragons, chained to the wall by the necks.
Clint	Clint frowned when he saw the chains. "Aww, dragons," he said quietly. He wasn't fond of Lockheed, but that still looked uncomfortable.
	Lockheed was still out of it, which Kitty was seriously not okay with. He was her sassy little purple dragon, and seeing him like this killed her. But before she could get to him, the green dragon, Puff, squawked at her, trying to keep her from coming closer.
Kitty	"Woah, down, girl. You remember me after all this time, don't you? Yeah, you know I'm not here to hurt you. Now let me get to my big guy over there," she said, kneeling down and gently pushing past Puff to get to Lockheed. He opened his eyes when she picked him up, saying, "What have they done to you? Let's get this off of you..." They probably wouldn't like her phasing the chain off from around his neck, but you know what, they could suck it.
Clint	"Are they doing okay?" Clint asked, giving a cautious smile to the green dragon. "It's good to know that they're both here, at least."
Kitty	"Puff's fine, I think. Lockheed I don't know about," Kitty said, kissing the top of his head and swiping his collar to put on her pocket. "And now to make you a little more comfortable, Greenie." And then that chain got phased off, too,
Clint	"I don't suppose we could, I don't know, fight our way out with them?" Clint asked quietly.
Kitty	She shook her head. "They'll only try and recapture him," she said just as quietly. "Don't worry, Lockheed. Well get you out of here."
Clint	"I'm sorry," Clint said. "This has turned into an even bigger mess than I thought."
Kitty	"It'll be over soon enough," she said quietly, tossing Puff's chain away as she squawked something.
Nao	The squawking was what brought Nao back to see what was going on, and she was not happy with what she saw. "Just what do you think you're doing? I allowed you to see the beasts, not free them."
Clint	"They're comfortable, not free," Clint shot back. "You should just be glad they're still okay."
Kitty	"You don't want to push me, Nao," Kitty warned.
Nao	"You don't want want to push me, gaijin," Nao snapped. "You slowly wear down my patience. Obviously I was wrong about you. We're giving you an opportunity and you are turning your back on us. I don't know what Ogun ever saw in you."
Clint	"Says the murderous ninja," Clint snapped. "Keep talking like that and you might get choked again." Someone was a little quickly defensive of his girlfriend at this point.
Kitty	Okay threats were probably not helpful, but Kitty didn't really care. She did feel like choking this butch out, after all. "I didn't ask for any of this," she pointed out.
Nao	"One cannot change destiny, Kitty," Nao said. "You were led down this path for a reason. You cannot change it's course now."
Clint	"Yeah, we'll see about that," Clint muttered. He had a feeling Kitty felt the same way he did about "destiny" and whatever her plan was, he was going to have her back.