Luna slowed down, it seemed like she was mixing the contents of two liquids together. “What the hell? I know I’m bad at chemistry, but this smells like trouble.” he thought, following her, Arika right beside him.

Losing the sight of Luna’s body in the crowd was problematic. She was swift, as if intentionally leading Hisashi on, only to leave him hanging. The duo made a swift turn as they saw Luna disappearing into an alley again, accidentally bumping into twin sisters, they couldn’t be more than five.

Both girls fell to the floor, their eyes filling with tears. Hisashi and Arika gasped, crouching down. “We’re sorry, very sorry. We’re in such a hurry; we didn’t see you. Let me see if it’s bruised, okay?” Arika reassured the girls.

Hisashi smiled at the children, rubbing their knees tenderly.  “See? It doesn’t hurt so badly, does it? It’s going to be alright now.” The girls smiled upon seeing Hisashi’s kind expression.

They hugged Hisashi and were on their way, while Hisashi turned to go after Luna.

“Shit, now we’ve lost her! But I couldn’t turn away from those girls until they were alright.”

“We’ll find her, Hisashi. She couldn’t have disappeared.”

They turn to the right, and finding themselves at a crowded crossroads. The crowd was so big that you couldn’t see past them. Trying to make the shape of Luna’s head out, Hisashi sighed. Noticing a hood, he hurried across the crossroads, almost running. Maybe he caught up to Luna, he wasn’t sure.

He turned left, without giving a word to Arika who understood; it’s better if they separated. Maybe they’ll catch her if the other goes around, covering more space.

He saw Arika heading straight, further down the street.

Feeling uneasy in the stomach, and insecurities rising, blood rushing into his face, Hisashi was more and more sure he’d chosen the wrong turn. His suspicions were confirmed as he came to the end of this smaller street, a wall at the end of it. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Is it even possible to be this fast?”, he thought, cursing himself for following his instincts. Maybe Arika had better luck. He had to find a way back, and then a shortcut to speed up the search.

Turning back, he almost started running, arriving in a small alleyway, where choking sounds were coming from. Taking his knife out, Hisashi carefully approached, turning around a corner.

On the pavement, choking sounds could be heard. The shadows made it difficult to recognize the person, but Hisashi rushed to them nevertheless.

“Please… help me.” A man gasped, clutching onto his stomach.

“It’ll be okay, it’l–you.” Hisashi said as he crouched next to the man.

The man with his bloodshot eyes open wide, and an open mouth that let no sound out. Only occasional choking sounds could be heard, and panicked gasps for air.

“Please, Hisashi–finish…her. For me.”

Hisashi recognized the man. It was one of the mayor’s bodyguards, the one who always mocked him for his missions. The one who took him to his room the first day Hisashi arrived to join the Shuryo Inu. The one who was the first to point fingers at him. Now, he was clutching onto Hisashi’s arms tightly, afraid to let go.

“Finish her–” he gasped once more. But Hisashi’s face was left unfazed.

“I won’t battle her for your sake. I’ll take her to the mayor and get the hell out of this city with loads of money. But I’ll grant you a quicker ending.” He said, plunging the knife into the bodyguard’s heart.

Once the bodyguard’s body relaxed, Hisashi took the knife out. Leaving the body to bleed on the street.

“How heroic of you, really. Killing your comrades to shorten their suffering?” Hearing a familiar mocking tune from behind, Hisashi turned and pointed the bloody knife. Luna was standing next to his beloved nemesis. A pain in the ass.

“What do you want, Yoru?”

“You know what, Hisashi.” Yoru smirked. “More than anything, to bring the mayor down. But for now, this vial here will do. Just the right amount remained for the next phase.” Hisashi barely had a D in chemistry, but even he knew the pictogram for poisonous substance, which was on the vial.

“Oh, hell no. You’re not getting that.” His eyes flashed.

Yoru grinned, his teeth showing. “Come and get it, then.”

Throwing it to Luna, Yoru blocked Hisashi’s path while she ran. “But you’ll have to beat me first.”

“Oh, and I thought I’d just have to flutter my eyelashes and you’d give it to me.”

Yoru laughed.  “You may try.”

Separating, Hisashi swung the knife, aiming at Yoru’s neck.

“And I thought you needed to bring me to the mayor alive.”

“It says alive OR dead; the mayor doesn’t care which one.”

Yoru chuckled, the dark voice reverberating through Hisashi’s body. “What a shame. I hoped you’d want to capture me alive. You seem to spend quite a lot of time chasing me around. I mean, I’m flattered, but you could just ask me out, you know.”

Ducking to avoid a slash, Hisashi aimed his elbow at Yoru’s side. And struck.

As Yoru moved to get behind him, Hisashi let a gasp out, turning and blocking Yoru’s sword. “I mean, sure, I’ll take you out. I’m just conflicted whether on a date or with a sniper.”

Yoru grinned. “Surprise me.” Pushing Hisashi back, he created an opening to strike again. The force of Yoru’s attack made Hisashi’s whole body tremble. But having exercised, he knew he can withstand it.

“What a shame, I thought this would force you on your knees.”

Hisashi furiously blushed. “I’ll never fall; the least for you. You hear me?”

Another unexpected blow was dealt, that made him stagger backwards. Hisashi noticed Yoru was trying to back him into a corner, and the bastard was successful. Whatever Hisashi tried, Yoru countered him, a formidable opponent that he is.

It was frustrating.

Yoru’s eyes flashed. As Hisashi swung at him once more, Yoru took a step to the right, attacking him from that direction. Hisashi’s agility amazed him, as the man actually managed to meet the dealt blow, but Yoru planned to throw him off balance. And he succeeded.

Hisashi tripped over a stone in the alley, falling to the ground, the knife flying from his hand. With a swift jerk, he avoided a strike aimed at his head, the blade digging into the wall right next to it. Gasping for air, Hisashi got closer to the wall, his eyes locked with Yoru’s. The slash stung his skin, and he felt blood gush out of the wound.

Yoru dryly chuckled. “You can take that one back, sweetheart. You’ve just fallen for me, literally.”

Hisashi felt blood rush to his head. This fucking bastard.

“Just who do you think you’re teasing?”

Yoru mused. “Well, you: Hisashi.” As he took the sword out of the small dent in the wall, Hisashi used the chance to take his katana out. Back on his feet, he struck once more, backing Yoru up. Advancing, he refused to stop striking. He wouldn’t let Yoru rest. Not this time.

An amused smile danced upon Yoru’s lips as he fought Hisashi. Seeing him so laser-focused and intended to beat him, but frustrated that he couldn’t best him. “Of course not; since I know you wouldn’t give up on me, I decided to upgrade my training sessions. You seem to study a lot; I can’t let you stagnate. I’ll teach you how a professional works.” Taking one step forward, Yoru put all his force into the blow to Hisashi’s katana, disarming him. But he didn’t expect Hisashi to slam into him, grabbing him by the waist and pressing him into the wall. A blow that took Yoru’s breath away; his lungs screaming in pain. Yoru dropped his sword due to impact, gripping Hisashi by the shoulders tightly.

Pushing him away and finally feeling his lungs fill with air, Yoru swiftly jerked Hisashi’s wrists up, pinning him to the wall. His knees locked Hisashi’s legs in place. The impact forced the air out of his lungs. Falling forward, Hisashi let his stomach relax from the hit. Once he came to, he looked up, erecting his torso.

Hisashi jerked, struggling to release himself from Yoru’s weight pressing upon him. He let a frustrated yelp out. He snarled when his eyes met Yoru’s amber ones.

He could feel Yoru’s ragged breath upon his cheeks, the warmth making the hairs on his neck rise, the tingling it sent down his spine. Unable to move an inch, he felt his heart thunder in his chest. “I wonder if you hear that too.”

“That one took me by surprise, sweetheart. You sure are unpredictable, quite dedicated as well. Not a quitter like that jerk of a mayor. I can see why he sent you after me. You have a potential, too bad we’re not on a rooftop of a building so I can prove it to you.” Yoru gasped in his ear.

“You have the potential to get stronger, but your surroundings are holding you down. The mayor doesn’t want you to get stronger, nor smarter. He wants to control you, abuse you, exploit you. You don’t deserve this. Listen when I tell you this; get away from there. Don’t let that jerk brainwash you.”

Hisashi was speechless when Yoru finally released him. Out of all people, he is the one who is telling him that? If he only knew, what he said isn’t that easy.

“We’ll meet again for sure. I know you won’t give up, but watch out for yourself. Don’t let them force you to fight me when you’re not ready to do so.” Said Yoru as he picked his sword up, seeing Hisashi rub his wrists.

“And since when do you care about my well-being?” Hisashi asked, getting his weapons from the floor.

Yoru didn’t look at him as he replied, “I don’t. Just don’t let them play you easily. You’re a fiddle, not a cheap kazoo.”

With that, he walked away, somehow sure that Hisashi wouldn’t attack him from behind.

And he was right about it.

Hisashi was… actually surprised by this. He stood there, his mouth agape. He was supposed to jump him from behind after he turned and walked away, he knew it. But he just stood there, not moving an inch, watching as the color red disappeared from his viewpoint.

Hisashi wanted to do something, anything. Fuck, he was supposed to follow Yoru to wherever he went, but just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Watch out for yourself. Don’t let them force you… huh? What the hell?” Hisashi talked to himself.

“Just what the hell just happened?”

A phone call brought him back from his thoughts.

“Hisashi, have you found her?” Arika’s voice could be heard from the other line.

Hisashi didn’t know why he did it, as he stared at the direction Yoru walked away.

“No, I haven’t found anything. Let’s head back.”, he lied.

Indulged in a conversation with Arika, Hisashi heard his phone ring. His blood froze when he saw the caller.

“Who is it?” Arika asked.

But Hisashi had already answered the phone. “Yes, sir? Yes, we’re out in the city, we’re tracking Akai Ryu down.” After a pause, “No, we haven’t been able to capture them.”

“You fools! Who the fuck am I paying to catch them, huh? I’ll cut your paycheck!”

Hisashi’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t muster a response before the mayor hung up on him.

Arika shuddered. “That old man… if he thinks capturing Akai Ryu is that easy that he punishes us by cutting our salary, maybe he should go looking for Yoru by himself then! Little bitch!”

Hisashi sighed. “Let’s just head back. I don’t get it; just how unlucky can we be with this. It’s been just a week since we’ve been tasked with this and the mayor is making such a fuss about it.”

“Maybe we should’ve let Daisuke and the others search for Akai Ryu instead. And then make a trap where we would kidnap Akai Ryu and bring them to the mayor.”

Hisashi laughed. “That would even work. Especially for Daisuke. Not that the others are far ahead or behind him. And we’d get far, far away from here.”

“But, right now, I need money. I’m surprised nothing came from that dancing club, ah?”

Hisashi opened the email app on his phone, and 30 unread messages waited for him. Most were some stupid promotions and online shops, but there was an email in his spam.

A familiar name popped up.

From: Mai:

Dear Hisashi,

I’m sorry to inform you that you have not been accepted for a dancer position in the club.

Best wishes,

Mai Tsuji,

Dancing studio “Dragon’s Nest” manager

Hisashi sighed. Not that he expected to get the position, but he hoped that Mai is at least okay after what happened. “Maybe it’s better that I didn’t get the job, after I almost helped her cheat on her husband after she’s had a drink, I don’t think I’d be able to look her in the eye.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing, I didn’t get the dancing spot in that studio.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Well, we still have Yoru to deal with. I do wonder what he’s up to now.”

Hisashi sighed, remembering Yoru pressing him against that wall. “Prick.”